Ambassador selection process transparent accountability

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a little while back, i decided to do something i never thought i would - apply to become an ambassador. this wasn’t something i ever wanted to pursuit, but decided to attempt it after suggestions and encouragement from community members - i figured, instead of being critical from the outside, experience the application process, then if - BIG IF -accepted, i’d then be in a position to provide more informed critique from an internal influential vantage point.

despite me knowing that i most likely wouldn’t get accepted - i decided to try none the less.

even after being rejected, stating " We currently do not have enough open positions in the moderation team and overstaffed" - despite not believing it, i just shrugged it off none the less - partly because i didn’t get my hopes up and anticipated this very outcome. i also considered the possibility of grudge holders - who have since become insiders - having had an influence on the decision. however, a new post of a community member stating their new position as an ambassador moderator … who would have been from the same batch that i would have been evaluated in - apparently got accepted!?!?!?

the (impersonal template) email read:

Thanks for your Cardano Ambassador nomination. You are almost there!

Hello!

Thank you very much for taking the time to apply with our Ambassador Program. We’re always happy to see people reach out to us and show interest in our project and the program!

Unfortunately, we have to notify you that you did not qualify to become an Ambassador. But please do not be discouraged or give up just yet! There are still plenty of chances to become an Ambassador! Let us explain the why and how;

Why did this happen?

We currently do not have enough open positions in the moderation team and overstaffed.

It is important to note that Ambassador status is something that must be earned. Please understand that our current Ambassadors have been very active weeks to months prior to earning their status and joining the program!

We believe in decentralization, and that a strong community should be led by those who contribute to it. We hope this helps clarify a few things, and if you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via community@cardano.org.

We are looking forward to seeing you reapply! In the meantime, we wish you good luck.

Thank you for your time and understanding.

Kind Regards,

Community Management Team,

Cardano Foundation

so, glossing over the poor copy writing with grammatical syntactical errors, is it that there are no positions, or that apparently a community member with near daily community engagement over years apparently doesn’t count as earned contribution - or both?

so in the name and spirit of transparent accountability @Cardano - i’d like to request the minutes of the meeting relating to the decision. (redacted if need be)

additionally, curious to learn (it should be evident in the minutes) if the person who had the sociopathic pleasure of ironically emailing me the good news (assuming they also had a say in the decision that resulted in a rejection) had disclosed their history of personal conflict with me.

love, A

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So to address this here–the decision on which applicants are approved to become Ambassadors is made collectively by the entire Community Team. There are currently seven of us, including several people who I’m sure you’ve interacted with in the past. The person who resolves disputes when there are disagreements is myself, so in that sense I have the final authority on the decision. If you’re not happy with the decision–or with the copywriting in the email you received–then the buck stops with me.

For obvious reasons I’m not able to share the minutes or meeting notes, but I can perhaps shed a bit of light on the decision here. There were a few factors that went into the decision not to select you to become a Moderator Ambassador.

Firstly, we were not being facetious or witholding when we indicated to you above that there were no positions available. Moderator applications are specifically evaluated based on the need not just for a general pool of moderators, but specifically based on the needs we have for moderation on each individual platform. The other Ambassador whose nomination ahead of you that you seem concerned about was evaluated and approved to become a Moderator Ambassador on Reddit, a platform where (as you say) they had contributed for some time, and where we had an outstanding need for additional moderators. Your request specified that you were looking to become a Moderator here on the forums, where we don’t currently have a need for additional help. This is why your rejection email specifically referenced the lack of open positions.

However, we also consider other factors when discussing whether a candidate is suitable as an Ambassador. Moderators, more than perhaps any other Ambassador role, must be people who are relentlessly positive, upbeat, encouraging, accepting, and seek the best in others wherever possible. The blurb about Ambassador eligibility for Moderators on https://www.cardano.org/ambassadors/en/ambassador-roles/moderators/ specifically indicates that the candidate should be “recognized as a contributor to a positive, friendly and welcoming atmosphere.” They are the first line of defense against frustration and negativity in the community, and as such must by nature remain level-headed and thick-skinned at all times–perhaps the most important characteristic of a moderator must be their ability to remain calm under pressure, and never take things personally no matter how personal they may feel.

Your posts on the topic of your application–both this one, where you indicate that you never had any particular desire to become a moderator as well as expressing frustration with “grudge holders” within the Community Team, and the other one referenced here where you jump into a friendly thread welcoming a new Ambassador to the program with a side-note about your own frustration at not being accepted–both serve to reinforce the Community Team’s unanimous decision that you aren’t a suitable candidate to be a Moderator Ambassador.

This isn’t a reflection of your character, or even of your contributions to the community or the forum. It’s only a note that not everyone is suited to every role, and this isn’t where your contributions the the project would be most valuable or effective. It’s my sincere hope that, since becoming a Moderator Ambassador isn’t something you seemed to expect or particularly desire, that this won’t affect your desire to contribute to the Cardano project in other ways.

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One small note here though–your criticism of the email template is completely valid. All the template emails we use for this program can probably benefit from another pass. I’ll take a look at this one myself.

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