In connection with the moderator elections, we are holding a Q&A thread for the candidates. Questions collected [from an earlier thread](http://meta.cstheory.stackexchange.com/questions/2763/2014-moderator-election-qa-question-collection/) have been compiled into this one, which shall now serve as the space for the candidates to provide their answers. Due to the lack of submission count, we have selected all provided questions as well as our back up questions for a total of 8 questions. As a candidate, your job is simple - post an answer to this question, citing each of the questions and then post your answer to each question given in that same answer. For your convenience, I will include all of the questions in quote format with a break in between each, suitable for you to insert your answers. Just [copy the whole thing after the first set of three dashes](http://meta.cstheory.stackexchange.com/revisions/3cd73cb5-df21-4957-90f7-e57c60fdea44/view-source). Once all the answers have been compiled, this will serve as a transcript for voters to view the thoughts of their candidates, and will be appropriately linked in the Election page. Good luck to all of the candidates! --- > What is your personal view of the role of CSTheory: in particular, please post an answer to [Gil Kalai's question here](http://meta.cstheory.stackexchange.com/questions/2752/what-tcs-stackexchange-is-for-and-what-is-your-aim-in-participation). > How would you deal with a user who produced a steady stream of valuable answers, but tends to generate a large number of arguments/flags from comments? > How would you handle a situation where another mod closed/deleted/etc a question that you feel shouldn't have been? > What is your personal view of the role that CSTheory should/will/does play in the greater TCS community? > Practically, one of the most important roles of a moderator, is to decide which questions to close, if at all. There are several attitudes toward this problem. Do you think that referring specifically to the user who asks the question and his or her perceived capabilities (e.g., "lack of mathematical maturity", as expressed by some moderators) is a legitimate reason (or part of a reason) for closing a question? Or should you judge a question only by its own merits? > In your opinion, what do moderators do? > A diamond will be attached to everything you say and have said in the past, including questions, answers and comments. Everything you will do will be seen under a different light. How do you feel about that? > In what way do you feel that being a moderator will make you more effective as opposed to simply reaching 10k or 20k rep?