Should I become a mod here?

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I spend so much time on this site that I feel I should be a mod, being so I know everything about this site and I've been here for 12 years.

What do you guys think? Be honest, but tactful.

It's "electoral suicide" to declare yourself a candidate for "Mod-dom."

Just like in the old day in the US-----when it was considered somewhat inappropriate for one to campaign for one's self for public office.

Seriously.....I'm not "mod-material." I have strong feelings about things----and I'm not objective enough. And I wouldn't like banning people; I believe in freedom of expression, no matter upsetting to me a certain opinion can be.

Saying this, I believe you would be valuable maybe playing the role of an "unofficial" Mod sometimes in order to calm people down.

But who knows? Maybe Alex is reading this----and maybe he's in the mood for someone who "puts his/her hat in the ring."

It's a long standing convention that self-recommendations for being a moderator immediately disqualifies one from holding that position.

Why? How does one become a mod then if you can't suggest it yourself?

Is it one of those hidden social taboos or is it just fact?

Have I just embarrassed myself?

No, no - you haven't embarrassed yourself at all. The question has been asked before.

The position is only ever offered after careful consideration of many factors relating to a member's activity here, so a member suggesting themselves is naturally slanted in their favor.
Also, as kraftiekortie says - it's not just a WP convention.

This is a good point and really, it could refer to everyone on WP:

Many heated threads can be calmed by a few sensible words.

Honestly and, I hope, tactfully:
Being a mod requires dealing with people attacking you, complaining on you, accusing you of all bad things. Even if you are generally liked, there will be some doing it to you almost all the time. It also requires dealing with all the unacceptable content and unhealthy behaviors.
Maintaining your own sanity and clear view amid attacks and all kinds of criticism is a skill fundamental to this job.

Knowing you, you are very sensitive to criticism. It's okay for you as a person but it's a trait that would quickly shatter your mental health if you tried moderating.

That's my very honest and, I hope, tactful, opinion.

I'm kinda thinking that in the interest of disability equality we at least a couple mods with ME/CFS brain fog.




(I was diagnosed with ME/CFS, close to 20 years ago now, after forgetting what a job tool even did while I was right in the middle of using it!)

Yes, this is true. I do get sensitive to criticism, I also get embarrassed easily, so being judged or criticised or personally attacked causes me to feel embarrassed, which is why I sometimes retaliate to bad posts, so that I look like I am at least able to stand up for myself. It fights off my feelings of humiliation, as I do feel humiliation very strongly.

It's just that I spend so much time on WP, to the point where I get frustrated if there's very little activity going on (discussion-wise, not word/number games). I just thought that if I was a mod I'd be able to keep the site in order because I am always here!

I'm a bit clueless though of how this sort of thing works. Thanks for elaborating, Cornflake.

^ MVP = Much Valued Poster.
Be aware that you are liked here, Ok?

^ Seconded!

I know, and thanks. But I do feel some members laugh at me whenever I express anxiety over something like war or my neighbours.

I'm sorry but now you've put an image in my head of you going to war with your neighbours in combat gear and with a machine gun under your arm! After sending a declaration of war that is...

On a more serious note, no I don't think they do. Anxieties caused by war or even by noisy and inconsiderate neighbours are valid and you're always welcome to vent about them!

Nah, I don't think so - and as for your neighbors, it's a curse of apartment living. You never know quite what you'll get until they've moved in, and by then it's too late... Very difficult to cope with the noisy or inconsiderate ones.

Sometimes venting about neighbours, even in a jokey way, can relieve stress and help me deal with it. I don't always want answers or advice, I just want sympathy. It isn't unusual, even for NTs, to complain about living on the bottom floor of an apartment building, so it's a shame there aren't any Facebook groups for us to vent to each other in and maybe even educate upstairs residents on how noisy they can be. I don't want to start a Facebook group because A, I don't know how to, and B, I don't want trolls or other nasty people to humiliate me or something. I get a bit scared of showing myself on the internet unanonymously to strangers where it's easy to receive hate and criticism. It harms my self-esteem.

Ah, there's nothing like a white-hot rant. Blows away the cobwebs and cleans the tubes.

Not this member. I know too well what chronic anxiety feels like. It can be paralyzing.

((Virtual sibling hug.))