Ambassador selection process transparent accountability

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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