2011 Moderator Election

I would like to nominate myself as a moderator.

I have been a member of StackOverflow for a little over 10 months and a member on WebApps for almost 4 months.

Although I haven't been active for very long I feel that I have a great understanding of how the Stack Exchange Sites work and how I can moderate and help new users whilst cleaning up and promoting old questions.

Unfortunately, the site specific meta here is fairly quiet but I contribute to Meta StackOverflow on a regular basis.

I would always evaluate a question on its own merit and take action accordingly. I feel that I am firm but fair and don't discriminate or hold grudges over past conflicts - everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

If anyone has any questions just drop me a line

I would like to nominate myself for moderation.

My name is Philippe Harewood. I am currently a pro-tem moderator on this site and I hope to continue doing work for the Web Applications community. Throughout my term I have learned how to handle asking and answering questions in a better manner than when I first joined StackOverflow.

I will try to be proactive when needed but will allow the community to take action when it is possible (I have handed out three bounties [~1000 rep total ] to try to get step up users that I feel need more privileges). I am not interested in high reputation but I strive for quality and correct information.

Webapps is normally open on my iPhone during the day but you will see most of my moderation happen when I wake up, lunchtime, after gym and 1am-4am EST.

After some thought I've decided to put myself forward for election to full time moderator.

You can see from my profile that I've been active on Web Applications since the site launched and from my Area 51 profile before that too.

I was appointed moderator pro-tem back in July 2010 and have tried to make sure that the site follows it's rules and keeps on track. It would great if I didn't have to do anything and I could let the community decide everything, but at the moment that's not really possible on any of the new sites, and particularly not Web Applications with it's relatively low traffic. There aren't enough 3K+ and 10K+ users, but if we keep the site on track there will be a time when the moderators can take more of a back seat. However, even with enough high rep users there would still be those questions that need closing straight away and those non-answers that need deleting.

I've been involved with the Stack Exchange for two years, firstly on Stack Overflow and then on Super User and Meta Stack Overflow so I know how the system works and how its evolved. I also know that for a site to work it has to be well focused and clear about what is and isn't allowed. I saw Super User progressively tighten it's rules until it evolved into a site that probably has the clearest goals in the network. You need someone who's prepared to take the tough decisions about the borderline questions in order to achieve this.

One of the reasons I supported this proposal in the first place was because questions about the web had been deemed off topic by Super User and I felt that they really needed a place to be asked.

Being involved in MSO means that I'm aware of what's going on in the rest of the Stack Exchange network and I can ensure that our site's voice is heard when decisions are being taken that directly affect us and the quality of our site.

Being a moderator isn't about being popular - it's about knowing when to step back and let the community decide what to do and knowing when to step in and take the lead. I hope that I've demonstrated that I can do that over the last 6 or 7 months.