Board Candidate Q&A
Dog
Registered User, Administrator, Vanilla Staff admin
Registered User, Administrator, Vanilla Staff admin
This discussion was created from comments split from: Inaugural Coin Return Board of Directors Election [2025] -- VOTING PAUSED TEMPORARILY.
This thread is to pose questions to the candidates for position of Board Member on the Coin Return forums. This is to increase the legibility (and quite frankly, the sanity) of the TT, mod team, and the candidates so they don't have to dig through a general discussion thread to find questions/answers.
Please ONLY post good faith questions if you are a forum user in this thread. You can post followup questions, but all posts need to be in the form of a question. You can direct questions to individual candidates.
Please ONLY reply to questions from forum users if you are a candidate in this thread.
General discussion in this thread is prohibited. Please use the existing thread instead. Failure to follow this rule will result in a thread kick by the offender.
For readability, here are the bios of all the candidates (repeated):
@tynic
@spono
@Tef
@amateurhour
@ElJeffe
@Fishman
@kime
@Kelor
@Solysp
@Disco11
@Inquisitor77
@Moridin889
@Infidel
@ahava
@Fencingsax
@DrZiplock
@Richy
@Raijin Quickfoot
@Initiatefailure
This thread is to pose questions to the candidates for position of Board Member on the Coin Return forums. This is to increase the legibility (and quite frankly, the sanity) of the TT, mod team, and the candidates so they don't have to dig through a general discussion thread to find questions/answers.
Please ONLY post good faith questions if you are a forum user in this thread. You can post followup questions, but all posts need to be in the form of a question. You can direct questions to individual candidates.
Please ONLY reply to questions from forum users if you are a candidate in this thread.
General discussion in this thread is prohibited. Please use the existing thread instead. Failure to follow this rule will result in a thread kick by the offender.
For readability, here are the bios of all the candidates (repeated):
@tynic
‘Ask not what you can bring to the table, but what the table has brought to you’; I spent some time waffling over this application, but ultimately decided to add my name to the board candidate pool largely out of a sense of obligation. I’ve been a PA forum member for 20+ years, drifting haphazardly between the AC, DnD, and SE, watching the forum and all its members grow and mature. The forums have taught me a lot; I don’t mean (just) facts and exposure to other people's experiences, but about community dynamics, communication, self-regulation, and expectations around trust and honesty.
Most recently, the tremendous grassroots effort required to establish and shepherd in CoRe has demonstrated an incredible ability of this forum to work together under a voluntary, egalitarian framework. As a fervent believer in self-organization and principled non-hierarchical management, I started to feel that not adding my efforts to this endeavor would be a moral failing. A self-selected community of this type survives only if a broad swathe of its members actively leap to contribute and serve when required.
In my offline life, I’m a senior (ex-academic, now corporate) science researcher, and have spent a great deal of the last decade coordinating cross-department and cross-institutional projects with huge budgets and unwieldy quantities of grad students. I’m also an active member of several science advocacy and habitat restoration organizations. Through these professional and NGO roles, I’ve developed an appreciation for a ‘negotiated consensus’ style of governance, where we strive to ensure every participant is heard and considered, and also the importance of transparency in top-down decision-making. We’ve already seen a strong commitment to these principles in the lead-up to the opening of CoRe, and I hope that the first CoRe Board continues these efforts regardless - but it’s certainly something I would advocate and strive for in the event I was selected to serve.
Most recently, the tremendous grassroots effort required to establish and shepherd in CoRe has demonstrated an incredible ability of this forum to work together under a voluntary, egalitarian framework. As a fervent believer in self-organization and principled non-hierarchical management, I started to feel that not adding my efforts to this endeavor would be a moral failing. A self-selected community of this type survives only if a broad swathe of its members actively leap to contribute and serve when required.
In my offline life, I’m a senior (ex-academic, now corporate) science researcher, and have spent a great deal of the last decade coordinating cross-department and cross-institutional projects with huge budgets and unwieldy quantities of grad students. I’m also an active member of several science advocacy and habitat restoration organizations. Through these professional and NGO roles, I’ve developed an appreciation for a ‘negotiated consensus’ style of governance, where we strive to ensure every participant is heard and considered, and also the importance of transparency in top-down decision-making. We’ve already seen a strong commitment to these principles in the lead-up to the opening of CoRe, and I hope that the first CoRe Board continues these efforts regardless - but it’s certainly something I would advocate and strive for in the event I was selected to serve.
@spono
Good morning, my fellow community members.
Community. That word should have new meaning for all of us today.
We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests.
My background is in construction management. More often than not, this involves managing people, both inside my company and outside, both people above me and below me on the corporate ladder. I've worked with laborers, field engineers, executives, firefighters, and utility company engineers, to name a few. I think this experience will transfer over to herding our own particular group of cats. I'm not available for the time commitment needed to be a moderator, but I would like to be considered for a board or executive position so that I can contribute to the community I've been a part of for the last 20 years or so.
And should we flourish in our new online home, April Fool's Day will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the forum declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!
Community. That word should have new meaning for all of us today.
We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests.
My background is in construction management. More often than not, this involves managing people, both inside my company and outside, both people above me and below me on the corporate ladder. I've worked with laborers, field engineers, executives, firefighters, and utility company engineers, to name a few. I think this experience will transfer over to herding our own particular group of cats. I'm not available for the time commitment needed to be a moderator, but I would like to be considered for a board or executive position so that I can contribute to the community I've been a part of for the last 20 years or so.
And should we flourish in our new online home, April Fool's Day will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the forum declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!
@Tef
I have been the Governance Sub-Committee Lead since it started. My role as Lead was to coordinate, gain agreement, and push forward a set of governance policies for CoRe. I am very proud at how well the team has been able to deliver and I think my strategy of open, consultative, and collaborative decision making has paid dividends. I think the results from a diverse group of designers who prioritised direct community feedback and engagement are far better than anything I could dream up myself. More important than me making executive decisions is that a wide range of views and opinions were involved and we created something that truly reflects who we are as a community. I will bring this same attitude into my role as board member.
On a personal note, I suffered two very significant life events during the transition; an unexpected death in our close family, and a home invasion. In both cases, I was able to work through these issues with barely a delay my output in this project. I have demonstrated I am committed to CoRe, and will continue to be so in the future.
Finally, I have extensive (15+ years) in management roles from private business, to online social communities, to grassroots organising. I believe I have a deep understanding of how communities operate and most importantly, I appreciate the importance of building things for the long term and in a collaborative and consultative way.
On a personal note, I suffered two very significant life events during the transition; an unexpected death in our close family, and a home invasion. In both cases, I was able to work through these issues with barely a delay my output in this project. I have demonstrated I am committed to CoRe, and will continue to be so in the future.
Finally, I have extensive (15+ years) in management roles from private business, to online social communities, to grassroots organising. I believe I have a deep understanding of how communities operate and most importantly, I appreciate the importance of building things for the long term and in a collaborative and consultative way.
@amateurhour
Hello! I am amateurhour and I'm running for a board seat. I have no issues having my name be part of the paperwork and support what the community has done moving the forums over. I've worked in government procurement for a bit over 15 years and can provide a decent eye on documents or financial concerns. I've been here since roughly 2007. I like this place, I want to see it continue to thrive under new leadership. The transition team threads brought to light real concerns from multiple areas of the forum, and I feel like the work they've done addressing those is superb.
I mostly stick to D&D, only because that's where I landed when I found this place and I am a creature of habit. I don't have any ongoing or previous issues with other members of the forum or current/former mod staff. I like this place, have a pretty clear head, and so I figured I might be a good fit for a spot on the board. Thanks!
I mostly stick to D&D, only because that's where I landed when I found this place and I am a creature of habit. I don't have any ongoing or previous issues with other members of the forum or current/former mod staff. I like this place, have a pretty clear head, and so I figured I might be a good fit for a spot on the board. Thanks!
@ElJeffe
Hi, hello there! I've been a part of Penny-Arcade for over two decades; it is my home, and the people there are my family. As we embark on this exciting, terrifying new chapter in our story of the plucky little community that could, I want to do everything I can to help establish our footprint, and I think being a member of Coin Return's board will allow me to do that.
As a moderator (now retired) of almost 20 years, I've seen a lot, done a lot, and - most importantly - learned a lot. I understand what makes us tick. I understand the challenges that we face, and I believe I have strong ideas on how to overcome those challenges, guided by extensive experience and well-cultivated instincts. I believe a combination of those who understand our past and those who look to our future are the best shot we have to build a place where everyone feels comfortable and safe, and of which everyone is proud to call home.
Thank you for your consideration.
As a moderator (now retired) of almost 20 years, I've seen a lot, done a lot, and - most importantly - learned a lot. I understand what makes us tick. I understand the challenges that we face, and I believe I have strong ideas on how to overcome those challenges, guided by extensive experience and well-cultivated instincts. I believe a combination of those who understand our past and those who look to our future are the best shot we have to build a place where everyone feels comfortable and safe, and of which everyone is proud to call home.
Thank you for your consideration.
@Fishman
Hi, I'm Fishman!
I have a long association with the forums stretching back to 2002 and the earliest years of the community, mostly within SE++, but with light forays into other subforums along the way. My most notable contribution to the forums to date has been my epic X-com Let's Play, but even beyond that I believe I've been noted as a generally intelligent, perceptive, and considerate participant on the boards.
I have an analytical mind that is good at breaking down problems and working through solutions, traits that serve me well professionally in my role as a Public Servant and IT Technical Analyst, but also have been demonstrated here on the boards, both in my involvement during the transition process and also during community threads such as the SE++ 50 Greatest Games thread a few years back.
This community has given me much over the years, and I would be happy to give back should people feel I am one of the better candidates for a role on the board. I think my strengths and abilities lean towards being able to make a positive contribution toward governance, where I believe I could help continue to move the community forward. I have no strong agenda for growth, but feel we could do well to heal our current divisions and nurture the community we currently have.
I have a long association with the forums stretching back to 2002 and the earliest years of the community, mostly within SE++, but with light forays into other subforums along the way. My most notable contribution to the forums to date has been my epic X-com Let's Play, but even beyond that I believe I've been noted as a generally intelligent, perceptive, and considerate participant on the boards.
I have an analytical mind that is good at breaking down problems and working through solutions, traits that serve me well professionally in my role as a Public Servant and IT Technical Analyst, but also have been demonstrated here on the boards, both in my involvement during the transition process and also during community threads such as the SE++ 50 Greatest Games thread a few years back.
This community has given me much over the years, and I would be happy to give back should people feel I am one of the better candidates for a role on the board. I think my strengths and abilities lean towards being able to make a positive contribution toward governance, where I believe I could help continue to move the community forward. I have no strong agenda for growth, but feel we could do well to heal our current divisions and nurture the community we currently have.
@kime
Hi! I've been an active member of the forums for more than 15 years at this point, closing in on 20. Over that time, I've posted a whole bunch in most of our biggest sub-communities (CF, G&T, and D&D in particular), and lurked in most of the rest. So, I'd like to think I have a pretty good and varied experience of our forums, a pulse on a lot of the folks and conversations. I've had disagreements with folks over the years, but never made any archenemies (despite my best efforts)! I've been posting a bit less recently, but still keeping up with everyone and the excitement of the move!
I'm used to working on teams with other folks professionally, where we have to figure out the best path forward and make decisions that would be best for folks. I am adept and comfortable with weighing the pros and cons of different decisions, talking it through with people, and then committing to actually doing one of them. I also recognize that making the decision doesn't mean that we can't come back and change things if we realize it isn't working out the way we wanted.
I'm excited to help the community forge this new path forward. Forums are a rare thing anymore. But more than that, *this* forum is a pretty unique thing. It's had its ups and downs, we all can recognize, but overall it's been a stellar place online that exemplifies some amazing ways people can build a wonderful community. I'd love to be a part of the Board to help us continue that moving forward.
I'm used to working on teams with other folks professionally, where we have to figure out the best path forward and make decisions that would be best for folks. I am adept and comfortable with weighing the pros and cons of different decisions, talking it through with people, and then committing to actually doing one of them. I also recognize that making the decision doesn't mean that we can't come back and change things if we realize it isn't working out the way we wanted.
I'm excited to help the community forge this new path forward. Forums are a rare thing anymore. But more than that, *this* forum is a pretty unique thing. It's had its ups and downs, we all can recognize, but overall it's been a stellar place online that exemplifies some amazing ways people can build a wonderful community. I'd love to be a part of the Board to help us continue that moving forward.
@Kelor
Hola!
Up front, I don't have executive experience. I work in a niche field of high end construction. The TT's work after taking the reins once we found out the forums were going to be closed has a lot of the traits I value in trades; A willingness to take feedback, using initiative to deal with things before they become problems for other people and doing good work.
What I'd like to accomplish as a board member would be three things:
1. Empower the TT to complete the job they have started. I don't agree with every decision that has been made, but I also trust them to complete this with the same community facing skill they've shown so far.
2. As I said above we're shifting this community, something I have been part of for over two decades at this point to a new space. We've had some drama lately and my argument has always been, as someone who uses all the parts of the forum (check my usage graph!) that it be welcoming and it's forumers excellent to each other.
3. The board members are going to have one particularly big role that will effect everyone, choosing a slate of mods for everyone to vote on. So I just want to give you an idea of the kind of people I'd be inclined to select. Organichu was someone who I recognised but didn't know much personally until he got modded and Chu put in some real effort to connect and communicate with everyone and establish trust there in a period that was shaky. Sterica has been similar forever as well, both in G&T and SE++. Bahamat likewise was fantastic as the first of a series of new SE++ mods. I want to find people like this of those who have applied that are active members of the community. Particularly so now that mod responsibilities will extend across the entire board.
Also this is a one term deal. I just want to get things established and ensure it's in good hands into the future.
And you, special forumer of my heart?
Keep it sleazy.
Up front, I don't have executive experience. I work in a niche field of high end construction. The TT's work after taking the reins once we found out the forums were going to be closed has a lot of the traits I value in trades; A willingness to take feedback, using initiative to deal with things before they become problems for other people and doing good work.
What I'd like to accomplish as a board member would be three things:
1. Empower the TT to complete the job they have started. I don't agree with every decision that has been made, but I also trust them to complete this with the same community facing skill they've shown so far.
2. As I said above we're shifting this community, something I have been part of for over two decades at this point to a new space. We've had some drama lately and my argument has always been, as someone who uses all the parts of the forum (check my usage graph!) that it be welcoming and it's forumers excellent to each other.
3. The board members are going to have one particularly big role that will effect everyone, choosing a slate of mods for everyone to vote on. So I just want to give you an idea of the kind of people I'd be inclined to select. Organichu was someone who I recognised but didn't know much personally until he got modded and Chu put in some real effort to connect and communicate with everyone and establish trust there in a period that was shaky. Sterica has been similar forever as well, both in G&T and SE++. Bahamat likewise was fantastic as the first of a series of new SE++ mods. I want to find people like this of those who have applied that are active members of the community. Particularly so now that mod responsibilities will extend across the entire board.
Also this is a one term deal. I just want to get things established and ensure it's in good hands into the future.
And you, special forumer of my heart?
Keep it sleazy.
@Solysp
Howdy folks, my name is Cameron Stapleton (He/Him), I joined the forums way back in 2004 at the extremely mature age of 16 to post about Nintendo games and Dungeons & Dragons. After the G&T Chat thread got shut down I started posting in SE++ and in 2008 or so I dipped my toe into D&D to talk about this exciting new Obama fellow. I think over the years I've posted in very nearly every sub-forum; except maybe the PAX ones. If I've done my math correctly, I'm 37 now; I'm married and have two kids and a house; four things I would not have called as ever happening when I joined up. My interests these days include Nintendo games, D&D (some things never change), PC games, Board games, hoping my kids have a planet worth living in to grow up to and history.
I consider my politics to be fairly milquetoast which of course means I'm a raging socialist in American terms. As far as I know I haven't had any major disagreements with anyone on the forums except when I got a bit heated arguing for Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri as the best game ever made. I am a member of the queer community; though as a bisexual in a heterosexual marriage I feel a bit like a poser when I say that.
I currently work in quality control for a company that makes jet engines, primarily civilian, but also some military which was merged into a major US arms dealer a few years after I was hired much to my dismay. Unfortunately, it turns out there's no real way to work in aerospace without getting subsumed by the military-industrial complex and ultimately my kids need to eat, but I still don't love it. If that's a deal breaker for anyone I understand completely.
These forums have been a source of entertainment, laughter, education and joy for nearly half my life now; my safe haven on the internet practically since I was on the internet. In a very real way these are the streets I've grown up on and you all are my neighbors. Weird neighbors, but neighbors I love all the same. I think it is becoming increasingly obvious that communities like this one are important to foster and maintain as the internet and world overall become more hostile and isolating. My hope is that when my kids are old enough to go online (so, like 30 years from now or so) a place like this exists for them to join instead of some horrible AI fed slop machine.
Thank you for your time and consideration
I consider my politics to be fairly milquetoast which of course means I'm a raging socialist in American terms. As far as I know I haven't had any major disagreements with anyone on the forums except when I got a bit heated arguing for Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri as the best game ever made. I am a member of the queer community; though as a bisexual in a heterosexual marriage I feel a bit like a poser when I say that.
I currently work in quality control for a company that makes jet engines, primarily civilian, but also some military which was merged into a major US arms dealer a few years after I was hired much to my dismay. Unfortunately, it turns out there's no real way to work in aerospace without getting subsumed by the military-industrial complex and ultimately my kids need to eat, but I still don't love it. If that's a deal breaker for anyone I understand completely.
These forums have been a source of entertainment, laughter, education and joy for nearly half my life now; my safe haven on the internet practically since I was on the internet. In a very real way these are the streets I've grown up on and you all are my neighbors. Weird neighbors, but neighbors I love all the same. I think it is becoming increasingly obvious that communities like this one are important to foster and maintain as the internet and world overall become more hostile and isolating. My hope is that when my kids are old enough to go online (so, like 30 years from now or so) a place like this exists for them to join instead of some horrible AI fed slop machine.
Thank you for your time and consideration
@Disco11
I am a long time member that has been an active part of the community for 2+ decades and have seen the shifts in attitudes and personalities that have occurred in that time. I mostly post in D&D and G&T but lurk quite a bit in other spaces as well.
I think the founding of coin return is a great opportunity to create a vibrant and inclusive space. In these times of AI and social media, the human element of the current PA forums is the #1 reason I have stayed active. Forums are seen as a relic of the past by some but the format has always been a great sounding board for thought and debate, with the slower pace allowing for more reasoned thought. I would love to serve in any capacity that would help solidify coin return as a safe space where everyone that needs a place to talk respectfully, be it about politics or sandwiches, has a home.
I do not have the time availed for moderation but can absolutely commit to regular duties on the board.
About me:
I am a CIS Canadian Man in my 40's with 3 x grown children and a teenager. I have limited management experience but my professional career has been in sales. I am an account executive for a large office furniture supplier and just starting my 20th year in that role. Big MTG/commander player on top of the piles of video games that I regularly play and where what brought me to the forums in the first place.
Thank you for the consideration!
I think the founding of coin return is a great opportunity to create a vibrant and inclusive space. In these times of AI and social media, the human element of the current PA forums is the #1 reason I have stayed active. Forums are seen as a relic of the past by some but the format has always been a great sounding board for thought and debate, with the slower pace allowing for more reasoned thought. I would love to serve in any capacity that would help solidify coin return as a safe space where everyone that needs a place to talk respectfully, be it about politics or sandwiches, has a home.
I do not have the time availed for moderation but can absolutely commit to regular duties on the board.
About me:
I am a CIS Canadian Man in my 40's with 3 x grown children and a teenager. I have limited management experience but my professional career has been in sales. I am an account executive for a large office furniture supplier and just starting my 20th year in that role. Big MTG/commander player on top of the piles of video games that I regularly play and where what brought me to the forums in the first place.
Thank you for the consideration!
@Inquisitor77
I am an American who was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. As someone who is both deaf and of Chinese descent, I feel I have some life experiences which may help to represent the broader Coin Return community. I have lived in several different countries, including the UK and Australia, and have been fortunate enough to have a professional career spanning fields such as HR consulting and software development. I have significant experience consulting corporate leaders and board rooms, as well as managing large, diverse, global teams and engagements with multi-million dollar budgets. In addition, I currently work in the field of software development and am familiar with the broader field of technology but also am directly and intimately familiar with related issues such as AI, privacy, and assessing legal risks and liabilities in a global, multi-jurisdictional context as part of my "day job". All this is to say that I am comfortable operating in a "corporate" context and can appreciate the concerns an independent organization such as Coin Return may face in assessing and navigating that space. On a slightly more personal note, for the past 7 years (and counting!) I have volunteered as a Big Brother.
I believe very strongly in the rights of all people, particularly minorities and the oppressed, to live and love as they see fit. I feel that the Penny Arcade Forums have been one of the few bright lights on the internet where such rights have been protected and where members have been able to participate, communicate, and build a community free from harassment or persecution. The reason I am volunteering is that some members of the community expressed that they would like to volunteer but are concerned about putting their government names on the necessary documentation. Since I don't particularly have those concerns, I felt compelled to put myself out there as an option to support the community, help to keep the lights on, and protect fellow members. I would work hard to ensure that Coin Return not only survives, but thrives during my stint.
I don't feel that my own contributions to the Penny Arcade Forums have been particularly special or noteworthy during its history, but I have been an active member in good standing for 15+ years and have been active across multiple subforums and threads. You'll likely have seen me in the Heroes of the Storm, Diablo, Slay the Spire, X-COM, NBA, and various Star Trek, Star Wars, film, and MCU threads. In terms of the development of Coin Return I helped to draft and analyze the results of the initial survey due to my previous experience as an organizational/employee engagement consultant.
I believe very strongly in the rights of all people, particularly minorities and the oppressed, to live and love as they see fit. I feel that the Penny Arcade Forums have been one of the few bright lights on the internet where such rights have been protected and where members have been able to participate, communicate, and build a community free from harassment or persecution. The reason I am volunteering is that some members of the community expressed that they would like to volunteer but are concerned about putting their government names on the necessary documentation. Since I don't particularly have those concerns, I felt compelled to put myself out there as an option to support the community, help to keep the lights on, and protect fellow members. I would work hard to ensure that Coin Return not only survives, but thrives during my stint.
I don't feel that my own contributions to the Penny Arcade Forums have been particularly special or noteworthy during its history, but I have been an active member in good standing for 15+ years and have been active across multiple subforums and threads. You'll likely have seen me in the Heroes of the Storm, Diablo, Slay the Spire, X-COM, NBA, and various Star Trek, Star Wars, film, and MCU threads. In terms of the development of Coin Return I helped to draft and analyze the results of the initial survey due to my previous experience as an organizational/employee engagement consultant.
@Moridin889
Once upon a time in highschool choir, a friend of mine came in with a printed collection of a webcomic. It was full of jokes about video games and absurd situations. That comic was Penny Arcade. I was hooked from there. If it had just been about a webcomic, I am sure I would have eventually drifted away or lost interest as time passed, but there was a community attached I was introduced to as well. Since then I have travelled and met forumers all over the world. I have lived with forumers, worked for forumers, given jobs to forumers. I've attended weddings of forumers, donated to help out forumers going through a rough spot, and of course played games with forumers. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the forum has shaped every aspect of my life. Through interacting with this community, I have learned so much about empathy and the everyday struggles everyone can face. It really helped me become a much better person just by being there and supporting each other. These days I lurk more than I post, but I still value this community as much as ever.
Now that the forums are undergoing such a drastic change, I feel it is upon each of us to give back as we can to try and continue the wonderful community that spawned all of this and keep it moving forward into the future. I would like to assist it by being a board member. In my offline life, I help run a local Seattle attraction frequented by millions of people a year. A big part of my job is to make sure it is a welcoming and safe space for a diverse cast of team members and guests alike. I've done business management for decades now, and would love to utilize my expertise to keep my favorite community on the internet going strong.
Now that the forums are undergoing such a drastic change, I feel it is upon each of us to give back as we can to try and continue the wonderful community that spawned all of this and keep it moving forward into the future. I would like to assist it by being a board member. In my offline life, I help run a local Seattle attraction frequented by millions of people a year. A big part of my job is to make sure it is a welcoming and safe space for a diverse cast of team members and guests alike. I've done business management for decades now, and would love to utilize my expertise to keep my favorite community on the internet going strong.
@Infidel
I have been active on the forums since 2006, primarily in ODAM/CF as a PbP gamer and a phalla Big Name Player. I've done a lot of community support including: programming thread OP and regular, Game of the Year poll runner (after mcc transfered it over), phalla game coordinator, PAX event coordination for phalla community, the PA Forum Year over Year, running the WoW Classic PA guild.
At my day job I am director of engineering at a large corporation. I spend most of my day coordinating people and projects to understand and tackle our problems and initiatives. This precludes me from being active and available enough for a moderation role, and I don't want to try to steal Tech Admin from Delz (I swear!...), so the board seems most suitable for my contributions of both time and experience.
I not only have served on multiple boards of tech business, I've also served on community boards such as curling clubs and dog sport clubs. I even wrote the bylaws and founded one club, which I chaired afterwards and multiple other clubs have leveraged my bylaws since. I created a tech startup that caters to the non-profit/charitable fundraising segment and so have experience there as well. I've mediated arguments and conflicts in the workplace and in communities, and I think people have respected my judgment and fairness when it comes to governance.
At my day job I am director of engineering at a large corporation. I spend most of my day coordinating people and projects to understand and tackle our problems and initiatives. This precludes me from being active and available enough for a moderation role, and I don't want to try to steal Tech Admin from Delz (I swear!...), so the board seems most suitable for my contributions of both time and experience.
I not only have served on multiple boards of tech business, I've also served on community boards such as curling clubs and dog sport clubs. I even wrote the bylaws and founded one club, which I chaired afterwards and multiple other clubs have leveraged my bylaws since. I created a tech startup that caters to the non-profit/charitable fundraising segment and so have experience there as well. I've mediated arguments and conflicts in the workplace and in communities, and I think people have respected my judgment and fairness when it comes to governance.
@ahava
I have been online since I was 13, back in the early days of 1994. Through the years I have run and managed many message boards, wrangled many cats, and have always been seen as being fair, honest, and tough. I am often thought of as filling the "Mom" or "Big Sister" role amongst both friend groups and work departments. I am exceptional at behaving professionally and politely with a variety of people, including those for whom I have personal reasons for distaste and even animosity. I excel at written communication and have a degree in English language and literature that can be applied to get complicated points across in a short space of text, as needed. I have the capacity to find the root of a problem and drill down to find common ground to build consensus to bring a discussion back from the brink of argument.
I have been on the Forums since early 2008 and have been fortunate enough to build my entire adult life from things and people found here. I have formed lasting friendships, created strong bonds with found siblings, and found a love so true that moving halfway around the world for it was the easiest the decision I have ever made. My marriage, a direct result of my time on these forums, has lasted for over 10 years and we have a 9 year old child. I have taken the lessons that I have learned from all of my forum contacts over the years to help me embrace not only ways to be a better person, a better wife, but also a better mother. To be able to understand my child in all of their quirks and personality, but also to better understand myself and come to grips with what it is like to be an adult in this day and age of the internet and world events.
The Forums have been my rock and my home through bad times and through outstanding times. I owe a lot of who I have become to the people of the Forums, and the friendships and community I have gathered around me. I am hoping to use this opportunity as a means of giving back to the people who have given me so much.
I have been on the Forums since early 2008 and have been fortunate enough to build my entire adult life from things and people found here. I have formed lasting friendships, created strong bonds with found siblings, and found a love so true that moving halfway around the world for it was the easiest the decision I have ever made. My marriage, a direct result of my time on these forums, has lasted for over 10 years and we have a 9 year old child. I have taken the lessons that I have learned from all of my forum contacts over the years to help me embrace not only ways to be a better person, a better wife, but also a better mother. To be able to understand my child in all of their quirks and personality, but also to better understand myself and come to grips with what it is like to be an adult in this day and age of the internet and world events.
The Forums have been my rock and my home through bad times and through outstanding times. I owe a lot of who I have become to the people of the Forums, and the friendships and community I have gathered around me. I am hoping to use this opportunity as a means of giving back to the people who have given me so much.
@Fencingsax
I have been part of the forums for over 20 years. This is my primary social outlet and third space. I believe in what Penny Arcade Forums mean, and want to contribute back to the community. I have no formal executive experience, but I don't think that is particularly necessary with a community such as the forums.
I feel that with my history with the forums, I have a grasp of its goals as a community, and the inclusivity is an incredibly important aspect that I cherish.
I feel that with my history with the forums, I have a grasp of its goals as a community, and the inclusivity is an incredibly important aspect that I cherish.
@DrZiplock
I honestly think that the community coming together in the way that it has done so is inspiring - and I'd like to help. I don't have it within my bandwidth to take on a more direct role as a moderator, but I believe that there is the opportunity to bring my skills to the table were I to serve on the Board.
Out in the real-world I've been working in marketing and PR in the geek and gaming space for almost 20 years now - which is about the same amount of time that I've been a member of the Penny Arcade Forum Community.
Within my professional life I have been, and still am, directly responsible for managing teams of community managers and customer service representatives. I've taken lessons learned from here and other sources and helped shaped welcoming internet communities at places like ThinkGeek, Sideshow Collectibles, and others.
I also have extensive experience dealing directly with gaming and geek related media - from reputable news outlets to streamers just trying to make a name for themselves. I wouldn't expect that this would be directly helpful at the moment, but that paired with my academic background, which focused in crisis communication and management, means that should there be an incident there is someone trained at handling such things...though let us hope that that particular skill is never needed.
Currently I've been in my role as VP of Marketing for 7 years - while also serving as co-chair of our company's DEI committee.
A few people around the boards know the company I work for, but without getting into too much detail I also spend a lot of my days representing and uplifting indigenous voices - having gone so far as to speak at the United Nations on World Indigenous People's Day.
None of this is to brag, really, but just as a way of saying I understand the sensitivities that come with speaking on behalf of a very diverse and often marginalized community.
What's my relationship to the Forum? It's a singularly unique place. I found my voice during the old SE++ Forum Battles, attended the first PAX East with a group met from here, attended countless other PAXs as a professional, have had people reach out when I expressed that my anxiety was at a peak, celebrated with folks when I landed my job at ThinkGeek, cried on shoulders when I walked in on my fiancé and someone else, and have met people I call my family...all here.
It is not hyperbole when I say that I wouldn't be who I am personally or where I am professionally without this place.
Serving as a board member is the least that I can do.
Out in the real-world I've been working in marketing and PR in the geek and gaming space for almost 20 years now - which is about the same amount of time that I've been a member of the Penny Arcade Forum Community.
Within my professional life I have been, and still am, directly responsible for managing teams of community managers and customer service representatives. I've taken lessons learned from here and other sources and helped shaped welcoming internet communities at places like ThinkGeek, Sideshow Collectibles, and others.
I also have extensive experience dealing directly with gaming and geek related media - from reputable news outlets to streamers just trying to make a name for themselves. I wouldn't expect that this would be directly helpful at the moment, but that paired with my academic background, which focused in crisis communication and management, means that should there be an incident there is someone trained at handling such things...though let us hope that that particular skill is never needed.
Currently I've been in my role as VP of Marketing for 7 years - while also serving as co-chair of our company's DEI committee.
A few people around the boards know the company I work for, but without getting into too much detail I also spend a lot of my days representing and uplifting indigenous voices - having gone so far as to speak at the United Nations on World Indigenous People's Day.
None of this is to brag, really, but just as a way of saying I understand the sensitivities that come with speaking on behalf of a very diverse and often marginalized community.
What's my relationship to the Forum? It's a singularly unique place. I found my voice during the old SE++ Forum Battles, attended the first PAX East with a group met from here, attended countless other PAXs as a professional, have had people reach out when I expressed that my anxiety was at a peak, celebrated with folks when I landed my job at ThinkGeek, cried on shoulders when I walked in on my fiancé and someone else, and have met people I call my family...all here.
It is not hyperbole when I say that I wouldn't be who I am personally or where I am professionally without this place.
Serving as a board member is the least that I can do.
@Richy
I've been a member of the PA Forums for over 20 years, mostly in D&D. To say these forums have been a part of my life is an understatement. They were formative in my political opinions, my understanding of the world, even my sense of humour. When I moved across provinces, the Forums were my constant, the place I could still come home to.
Today I’m much older and more mature than I was back when I first came here, so I wish to join the board to keep the Forums alive and well and give back to this community. I want to keep the PA Forums a safe and welcoming haven for the next generation of forumers, so that this community may have a positive and beneficial impact on their lives as it did mine.
IRL I have served on the executive of a national AI association and of a local Rotary Club, so I do have experience managing community groups that I am happy to contribute to the team.
Today I’m much older and more mature than I was back when I first came here, so I wish to join the board to keep the Forums alive and well and give back to this community. I want to keep the PA Forums a safe and welcoming haven for the next generation of forumers, so that this community may have a positive and beneficial impact on their lives as it did mine.
IRL I have served on the executive of a national AI association and of a local Rotary Club, so I do have experience managing community groups that I am happy to contribute to the team.
@Raijin Quickfoot
I’ve been a part of the Penny Arcade forums for almost 25 years. I was a moderator for Games & Technology, I have experience working with people and I’d like to be a part of shaping the forums going forward. I spend a lot of time posting and running various events, I’d like to have hand in making decisions related to those events as needed.
@Initiatefailure
I've been here since I was in college, and I've changed a lot through that time. Sometimes I was hyper-focused just a single game in G&T, or some show thread in D&D, or the SE++ job thread whenever work (or more searching for work) sucked or I made the questionable decision of grad school. Some iteration of a quiltbag thread was the first place I opened up about identity feelings. The forums as a whole have always been a third space for me and I've grown up valuing that. I was only able to help indirectly with funding during the business set up process, but want to have a more direct involvement as well.
My field is user experience design. Sometimes my day job gets bogged down in garbage corporate compromises, but It's fundamentally about designing for how people understand things. I'm currently in Grad School studying Human-Computer interaction to really deep dive into those relationships. I've had the chance to offer a little advice and stress test the CoRe beta from that perspective and am excited to see the continued future of this community. It's definitely biased by my experience here, but often in my field we'll discover this desire for users to build a community connection. For me, the obvious solution is always "we should have a forum." It's hard to convince businesses to fund that, but I've been so stoked at how we just said "then we'll build our own forums!"
For the last three years I've been on the board for AIGA Chicago, which is a design community group. I'm also involved with my local Friends of the Library group. I work with my local mutual aid group regularly. Somehow - and I never thought this would come up as relevant again - I held multiple board positions with my college fraternity including VP and Chronicler (liaison position between local and national organization). Don't get me wrong- It was definitely a college frat- but those roles both focused on interfacing with outside and sometimes legal authorities to manage both the cool, fun community aspects and also smart, serious safety compliance aspects. It could be a weird thing to balance but not dissimilar to the vibes I get on this project.
I'd love to be on this board. I've basically spent time on all parts of the forum and value them all. Critique is a huge part of design, and I've grown up in a space where you need to both hold values and your own opinion and be open to accept feedback and rejection at the same time; or where you need to give harsh responses without it becoming harmful. It's something I think makes me well suited for an executive position here. I'm somehow always busy but also on here every day and checking into conversations across boards, or steam chat, or discords, or wherever I find this group communing.
My field is user experience design. Sometimes my day job gets bogged down in garbage corporate compromises, but It's fundamentally about designing for how people understand things. I'm currently in Grad School studying Human-Computer interaction to really deep dive into those relationships. I've had the chance to offer a little advice and stress test the CoRe beta from that perspective and am excited to see the continued future of this community. It's definitely biased by my experience here, but often in my field we'll discover this desire for users to build a community connection. For me, the obvious solution is always "we should have a forum." It's hard to convince businesses to fund that, but I've been so stoked at how we just said "then we'll build our own forums!"
For the last three years I've been on the board for AIGA Chicago, which is a design community group. I'm also involved with my local Friends of the Library group. I work with my local mutual aid group regularly. Somehow - and I never thought this would come up as relevant again - I held multiple board positions with my college fraternity including VP and Chronicler (liaison position between local and national organization). Don't get me wrong- It was definitely a college frat- but those roles both focused on interfacing with outside and sometimes legal authorities to manage both the cool, fun community aspects and also smart, serious safety compliance aspects. It could be a weird thing to balance but not dissimilar to the vibes I get on this project.
I'd love to be on this board. I've basically spent time on all parts of the forum and value them all. Critique is a huge part of design, and I've grown up in a space where you need to both hold values and your own opinion and be open to accept feedback and rejection at the same time; or where you need to give harsh responses without it becoming harmful. It's something I think makes me well suited for an executive position here. I'm somehow always busy but also on here every day and checking into conversations across boards, or steam chat, or discords, or wherever I find this group communing.
Hahnsoo1 on
+2
Posts
Mostly God bless that football player for making it impossible to Google search my name and find out anything about me specifically.
Absolutely.
I’m hoping I can run Saints until I die…or we somehow reach a point where it’s not needed.
Ok but what about the Little Drummer Boy thread?
LDB will never die.
If this ends up also having some “around the table” questions for people to speak on each, I’m game for that too.
We can take this chance on paused voting to help inform people of their options. And good luck to the rest of the candidates!
Whatever you think it is!
https://tubitv.com/movies/310154/12-angry-men
Sure it's basically a what not to do on a jury documentary but it's still a very compelling watch.
Yes.
Is a pizza also a sandwich then?
Early in this process I posited a possible standard that in the Political Subforums, Thread Titles should be refrained from including stuff like "Oh no" or "We're in trouble", or even stuff like "he did WHAT". I think we can agree the emotional bandwidth in dealing with modern political discussion has increased dramatically. Can't do anything about the dead doves actually in the threads, Caveat Lector and all that, but what do the candidates feel about a commitment to keeping political thread titles to a relatively neutral keel, something to the example of how Hahnsoo1 titled every thread about it "The 2024 Election", with the hope of avoiding psychic landmines for those focusing their emotional budget elsewhere?
Open face sandwich yes.
Ok, bat or knife?
Edit: beaten!
Knife or bat?
I am broadly in favor of neutral titles for threads where more provocative titles could cause harm to other users. Lord knows I've stepped back from reading about politics after November for my own sanity and I think people more effected than me probably don't need to see a "You specifically are even more fucked now" thread title every day.
It seems like a little thing to help out the most vulnerable of our users but of such little kindnesses community is made.
Knife for sure, no one wins a knife fight. Put me and a clone of me in a space together and we're probably just gonna make out rather than fight though.
I’ve personally felt that the gallows humour thread titles don’t land well all the time, and would be supportive of avoiding humour for serious topics.
I hadn’t thought much about neutral titles outside of the jokes, so I would be very eager to hear from more voices on the issue before I form my final opinion. In the face of it, it seems to only give upsides with few downsides so my first reaction is to support it
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better
bit.ly/2XQM1ke
You’re in a desert walking along in the sand when all of a sudden you look down, and you see a tortoise, it’s crawling toward you. You reach down, you flip the tortoise over on its back. The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can’t, not without your help. But you’re not helping. Why is that?
Celeste [Switch] - She'll be wrestling with inner demons when she comes...
Octopath Traveler - MY BLADE IS UNBENDING
I don't want, do not request, and will deny access of any board member in the moderation forums.
The Board will take the issues forum members have directly from the community manager. I never intend to discuss anything moderation related with a mod themselves unless the board is voting on that mod and it's necessary.
That's it.
That's my pitch.
Past that y'all Be Gay and Do Crime.
That turtle knows what it did.
Legos are cool, MOCs are cool, check me out on Rebrickable!
Because the tortoise is my estranged father and I still haven’t forgiven him for leaving when I was 6.
I would say if someone wants to ask a specific person a question, please @ the person. But also please remove @s from quotes so the same person doesn't get @'d fifteen times for a quote chain.
Legos are cool, MOCs are cool, check me out on Rebrickable!
I run a lot games and events here and it’s important to me that I can be a part of making sure those things are protected. I care about this place, I want to be a part of making it what it will hopefully someday be.
I think I land in the same space. Part of the fun of this place is the clever thread titles people create, and I love that. And ten years ago, that applied to political threads as well. But, uh... times are different.
Especially as we're moving to a more shared space with a more diverse set of views on what might be funny versus what might be triggering, I think it's important to be mindful of folks. I would be up for more discussion if this going forward, and I think the best solution might be largely case by case (a thread about a bill supporting cannabis legalization can maybe have a lighter tone than one about civil rights abuses) with leaning towards a default of neutral and sober if there's any question.
Legos are cool, MOCs are cool, check me out on Rebrickable!
1)When you look at moderation what are the most important aspects to a mod?
2)How do you plan to support the moderation team if they are harassed, villainized by segments of the community, or attacked? Moding is not always fun and games and you will anger people enforcing the rules.
3)How will you work with others on the committee that hold differing views from you? How do you normally work towards a compromise?
"Relatively neutral" seems entirely reasonable, but I also don't really think stifling any amount of creativity in titles is necessarily the right thing to do, personally? This shouldn't emotionally hurt/drain folks, but you are allowed to have a bit of levity with it is kind of where I'm at.
Let me pick out a few D&D threat titles right now, and let me know if you think these are crossing the line?
"[Elon Musk]: Speedrun Ted Faro any%"
"[Trump Presidency] #2: "You can't stop the Signal.""
"It's the [Economy] thread, *censored*"
"[Canadian Politics Thread] A poll-arizing and elect-rifying time!"
"[Hiberno-Britannic Politics] - It's okay, AI will solve everything (Oh no)"
(I'm expecting not all of these you'd agree with, just wanting to understand more
Turtle stew for dinner!
I think.... if someone is the right person for the job, and they are literally chosen to be the right person by so many folks to beat out ~15 other candidates or whatever across the entire community. Maybe if a small number of posters so stridently disagree with what everyone else wants, that maybe this just isn't a good match?
Ideally we keep everyone as one big happy family. But people grow, we change, we drift apart. Trying to keep some folks to stick with the bigger group even if they super duper disagree with fundamental values of the bigger group is maybe just not the goal.
(This is assuming that any one person being elected would actually cause folks to leave and that they actually do get elected.)
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I see it as a good idea to encourage titles that are clear about the purpose, since the title ends up setting the tone more than the OP ever does in practice, especially since many threads have title changes to keep up with recent events and hardly anyone is going back to an OP.
I'm a fan of the snark, myself. I don't think anything would need to be enforced outside of what all threads must adhere to (following the rules and codes of the forum) but I am personally not a fan of ragebait/clickbait titles that socials are really bad for these days, and would discourage those.
A hotdog has bread on three sides and is open at the top and the front and back ends. Thus it is a taco.
Also candidates:
Favorite video game?
Favorite movie?
Trigger or Cross?
Thank you.
I think that's fair.
One thing to keep in mind is that even if someone you absolutely hate gets on the board, they are ultimately one voice among many. Five board members plus four executives plus ten-ish mods means that any one person has their impact diluted, such that if you trust the other folks, that one person shouldn't be a deal breaker.
It's very possible that there will be people who leave because of what they see as a poor board choice, and that's unfortunate. There will be people who leave because the vibe of the new place is weird, or because change is hard, or because PA was a habit and CoRe had yet to become one. Each person who doesn't make the transition is a loss. I hope the number is as small as possible. And I also hope that everyone realizes that none of the decisions made now are permanent or immutable. Board positions are temporary for a reason.
Legos are cool, MOCs are cool, check me out on Rebrickable!
Let me ask you this: why is a turtle, an aquatic animal, walking in the desert? The only logical explanation is that it's a ninja disguised as a turtle to fool me into dropping my guard before he attacks me. I have not turned a turtle, I have defeated a cleverly-disguised enemy.
A Link to the Past
A tie between the Back to the Future trilogy and Army of Darkness
Trigger
- Chrono Trigger
- Princess Bride. Or maybe Brazil. Ask me in five minutes for a new answer!
- You can probably figure it out.
- You're welcome!
Legos are cool, MOCs are cool, check me out on Rebrickable!
FF8 is my favorite game and everyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. (Persona 4 Golden is a close second, see the av
Favorite movie fluctuates. Probably most consistently Spirited Away or Mulan (the animated one, obviously)
I know this is controversial, but I played Chrono Cross before Chrono Trigger, so I like that more. I'm sorry don't mob me
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Steam profile
Final Fantasy VI
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Trigger
1) Are you will to support parts of the forum you have disagreements with? We are all mostly on the same page here just usually disagree on path not the goals on a lot of things at times. I know this is me mostly being D&D showing. But the board should be making sure the board is welcoming to all folks that aren't nazis, bigots, transphobes, or antisemites.
2)I forgot though I did mention it (if I did write this I am on 5 hours of sleep from my 2 month old), if we are contacted by a legal entity what is your immediate reaction on how to handle it? Especially since we live in interesting times. Also considering some of these positions will include people's real names.
I'm ostensibly a data analyst for the state, but more broadly I work as a liaison between individuals and groups of different skill sets and occupational styles. I work to take the views of one group and reframe then to present to another group in order facilitate communication. And as a data analyst, a big part of my job is taking complicated ideas and boiling them down to concise statements that are easily digestible. (It's always fun to prepare a three page analysis full of nuance and be told, "Okay, turn this into two bullet points.")
I like numbers... okay, I fucking LOVE numbers... but I am a communicator at heart.
Legos are cool, MOCs are cool, check me out on Rebrickable!
I don't know who you are, your name and avatar are completely unfamiliar to me. You may not be the only candidate in this boat. I don't know if you've done a name change or we've just somehow never meaningfully crossed paths in all these years across the forums or the holiday forums.
Assuming that we have never had such an interaction, how specifically will you make my time on CoRe safe and welcoming, if you have no perspective of my forum experience, especially given the hostile climate in the country the entity is incorporated in? How have you thus far contributed positively to the Transition and what will you do to continue that work post Transition? How have you grown as a forum citizen and what steps are you taking to grow further?