Okay, my roommate just had a really good point. So my vote is now no. Point being... "Even if there is no conflict of interest the perception of conflict of interest in and of itself could be almost a bigger problem." I think that's a pretty fair argument. While "no" isn't the popular vote at the moment enough people are against it to not only be polarizing but also leave that perception lingering in there. If that many people dislike this, and trust in the way the system works is key it doesn't matter if a the pro is corrupt or not. It produces a lack of faith that might be too unsettling. I'm still for it in a perfect world where everyone has faith in the pro vetted and chosen to moderate. I do think a fair amount of the community has some trust issues around this and that is valid too.
100% agree with @stormydaycuddle
If they were paid to moderate I'd definitely say no. They make enough money already from the website, and in the interests of fairness let someone else reap some benefits. Since moderaters aren't paid it's not so clear cut, but I'd still lean towards not having them moderate for reasons explained by @stormydaycuddle and others. Plus why reinvent the wheel. The moderating here is fine.
One suggestion to whoever picks up the hammer of the Mods. Can your first duty after the parade be to pause or archive members who have not been active for awhile? Say a year or more? If you can pass that test then you can probably dodge a wrench an be ready for the big event.
@Mark Perhaps a time limit or term like a president could be assigned to a pro or non pro. So that during that time they could be impeached or removed but if peoppe are in favor of them they can remain until the end if their term. And then a new team can be selected or as others pointed out a balance of men and women on. Small team.
Just my 2cents
Well regardless (or irregardless 🤣) if or when a new moderator gets selected, I do like the "Moderator applications and nominations" thread at the top of General Board. I like the ease of it and the questions! 👍
We may not like our boss or coworker or a politician but that doesn't nit detract from if someone is actually good at what they do. So think bias and personal feelings get in the way of the voting itself because of bias towards a PRO vs them being voted on based in qualifications in good and fair judgement in being a moderator
@BgstickTeddyBea
Can your first duty after the parade be to pause or archive members who have not been active for awhile
Please don't do this. This would serve no purpose, as the search function can easily be restricted to display only recently logged in users.
@snugbuddy it does seem to me that your response was really just a way to say that professional cuddlers make to much money. We did not sign up on the website to make money so why would we be expecting to reap some financial gain. I feel it was a bit of a straw man argument.
I was initially all for, as I think more representation is a good thing.
I thought it over though and I agree with @stormydaycuddle in that even if there is no impropriety, there will always be doubt because of the financial incentive. That's assuming best case scenario, worst case scenario there is corruption. We know pros collab off site whats to say they wouldn't collaborate on this? How would we even find out?
The lack of pros expressing interest on this forum for a volunteer based role for a website moderator should be the answer alone. Which pros are jumping at this opportunity to spend their free time reading reports instead of booking sessions?
I support a pro cuddler being a moderator. For a community-based idea, we need inclusion.
I had initially wanted to type a more well thought out response but I’m mentally exhausted from my job so this is sort of my “Hey I responded at least” attempt. My theory is that if a pro cuddler is a mod, they should expect to receive a lot of messages from other pros. Having a pro cuddler as a mod would open a door of feeling safe, like someone who knows the way can help if pros need feedback or encounter issues. I don’t know if it would be ideal in the “fair” sense but I know that anyone who volunteers their free time and will to do something for the better of a community is a good human. Or they at least have good intentions. That speaks volumes to me.
I have more thoughts but I don’t know how to express them. Perhaps another time after coffee.