In connection with the moderator elections, we are holding a Q&A thread for the candidates. Questions collected [from an earlier thread](https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/4008/2018-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 submission count, we have selected all provided questions as well as two of our back up questions for a total of 9 questions. Skipped on one backup question because it has similar ground coverage to submitted 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](https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/revisions/dd90db94-b3b0-4e18-ab91-19548d040770/view-source).Please consider putting your name at the top of your post so that readers will know who you are before they finish reading everything you have written, and also including a link to your answer on your nomination post. 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! **Oh, and when you've completed your answer, please provide a link to it after this blurb here, before that set of three dashes. Please leave the list of links in the order of submission.** To save scrolling here are links to the submissions from each candidate (in order of submission): --- >1. What activities on the site suggest that you would be a good moderator? How have you used the moderation tools available to you at your current reputation level? >2. 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? >3. How would you handle a situation where another mod closed/deleted/etc a question that you feel shouldn't have been? >4. As a moderator, I find that comments are a tricky thing to deal with. Under what circumstances will you delete comments? >5. A user posts something you consider off-topic/not-an-answer/offensive and you close/delete/migrate the post. The user takes the issue to Meta and the question as well as answers supporting and opposing your decision get a lot of upvotes. How do you decide what to do next? >6. What question or answer of yours on meta best exemplifies your philosophy on moderation? Why do you feel this is the best example? >7. What is your field of study in academics? >8. In your opinion, what do moderators do? >9. 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?