taz levels up

September 30, 2011 11:32 AM

Modflation continues apace! We're adding a nighttime EU based mod to help cover our bases and that user is (drumroll...) taz! Welcome taz everyone as your new moderator overlord.

So yeah, taz brings ten years of mefi experience, tons of metachat involvement, a ground zero view of the financial market meltdown in Greece, and another pair of eyes to look over our contact email and flag pile.

We've done our best to answer emails in a timely fashion for the past few years but realized there was about a six hour window of no awake mods that sometimes left holes in coverage, so with this addition we'll be close to 24hrs of site coverage of 1-4 mods.

posted by mathowie to MetaFilter-Related at 11:32 AM (227 comments total)

I could not be happier about this.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:33 AM on September 30, 2011 [18 favorites]

Woo! I'm not the most junior anymore! I'll get the pudding! This is gonna be fun.

...Wait, that's the deal for everybody, right? The pudding? It wasn't just me. Right?

...Right?
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 11:34 AM on September 30, 2011 [23 favorites]

Goodonya taz! The perfect pick.
posted by peacay at 11:35 AM on September 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

Is there no safe time left for me to comment ?!?

Congratulations taz! Or sympathies as the case may be.
posted by mazola at 11:36 AM on September 30, 2011

Taz is the most awesome person ever. That is all.
posted by seanyboy at 11:36 AM on September 30, 2011 [11 favorites]

Great choice.
posted by eyeballkid at 11:37 AM on September 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

Hooray! Congrats taz!
posted by FishBike at 11:38 AM on September 30, 2011

Is vacapinta still moderating?

So what's the overall schedule then? We've got restless_nomad doing weekends, taz doing evenings...what about weekend evenings, etc.?
posted by Melismata at 11:39 AM on September 30, 2011

Yay!
posted by anotherpanacea at 11:39 AM on September 30, 2011

I don't think there ever will be a "todays moderator is:" sign on metafilter.

I'm guessing the whole thing is really just fluid, and having more people in different timezones means there is always someone checking the flag queue and all that stuff.
posted by mrzarquon at 11:42 AM on September 30, 2011

Woo, taz!
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:43 AM on September 30, 2011

Is vacapinta still moderating?

vacapinta has always had a super-volunteer position here [he has a real day job but checks in at night weekdays] and he's still doing his thing but is basically not around weekends. restless_nomad is the main person on weekends, cortex and I are the main people weekdays (him usually earlier, me usually later), taz will be putting out fires and hopefully getting up to speed on answering contact form email and fixing typos and that sort of thing. When the site is runnign smoothy, we check in a few times an hour and stay on top of email. When things are bumpier, we sort of camp out wherever we need to and stay on top of things. One more person means not only some night time coverage (US time) but also another set of eyes when one or more of us is actually afk for any length of time.

It's so great to work for a site that's really hopping and where there's so much going on, but it does make us a little nuts when we have to be away and we're just sort of idly hoping and wishing that nothign comes up. So, we decided to actually try to fill in some gaps with staff because prayer is remarkably ineffective.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:45 AM on September 30, 2011 [8 favorites]

Next, the mods get pepper spray.
posted by spitbull at 11:47 AM on September 30, 2011 [4 favorites]

Congrats, taz!
posted by juv3nal at 11:49 AM on September 30, 2011

This is an announcement I am extremely happy about. Congrats, taz!
posted by SpiffyRob at 11:50 AM on September 30, 2011

Go get 'em Taz!
posted by cashman at 11:51 AM on September 30, 2011

I can honestly say that I'm happy about this. (I was pretty bummed when I'd heard she stepped down from adminning MetaChat.)
posted by Gator at 11:51 AM on September 30, 2011

Yay taz! Congrats!
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 11:53 AM on September 30, 2011

Taz is awesome, ergo this is awesome.
posted by klangklangston at 11:53 AM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

spitbull: "Next, the mods get pepper spray."

Yep, and taz gets tazers, too.
(bah)
posted by dancestoblue at 11:55 AM on September 30, 2011

We're only seconds away from a "Don't Taz me, Bro!" statement..

too late...

Welcome Taz, and, if you're not getting hazardous duty pay for the "angry drunk Mefite" shift, you should be!
posted by HuronBob at 11:56 AM on September 30, 2011

I wanna be the Leap Year mod. Every 4 years I work a 24 hour shift and give the rest of the mods a well deserved day off.

Congrats to taz.

I am giving her three days before she see's her first meta callout for abusing mod power or inappropriate thread deletion. Any takers?
posted by cjorgensen at 11:57 AM on September 30, 2011

Hooray for taz!
posted by xingcat at 11:58 AM on September 30, 2011

Yeah, what is the schedule as of now anyway? How do you all expect us to plan out our drunken sock-puppet rants?!?
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 11:58 AM on September 30, 2011

Welcome aboard taz and I apologize in advance for my highjinks on this coming Sunday.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:59 AM on September 30, 2011

Oh never mind, it's cancelled. Will think of something else!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:01 PM on September 30, 2011

w00t!
posted by flex at 12:02 PM on September 30, 2011

Excellent news. Taz has always been good to me which is what counts ;-)
posted by i_cola at 12:03 PM on September 30, 2011

Now show us what you're made of and close this thread!

That's a joke. Congrats! And a great choice indeed.
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:03 PM on September 30, 2011

Hey, guys!! I'm here to say I've now seen the admin panel, and just like you always thought... it's full of stars.

I've also seen the anonymous question queue thingy, and just like they've always said, you totally can't tell who's posting. Not that I ever doubted... but you know. Will reveal more as I slowly, slyly penetrate the most sanctum of sanctorums.
posted by taz at 12:03 PM on September 30, 2011 [48 favorites]

Yay!
posted by EvaDestruction at 12:03 PM on September 30, 2011

Don't forget that tenner you owe, just because you're famous.
posted by Abiezer at 12:03 PM on September 30, 2011

Leap Year mod. Every 4 years I work a 24 hour shift and give the rest of the mods a well deserved day off.

I actually, seriously think this should be a Thing. Not necessarily you (or not you), but somebody.
posted by Gator at 12:05 PM on September 30, 2011

I thought of it. I get it. Them's the Leap Year mod rules.
posted by cjorgensen at 12:06 PM on September 30, 2011 [9 favorites]

taz is an awesome mefite, so hurrah!
posted by Dumsnill at 12:07 PM on September 30, 2011

With the growing modflation and the stagnating favorites count, it looks like the recovery is just not turning out to be what it was promised to be.
posted by backseatpilot at 12:08 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Taz was one of my first mutual contacts here, and I've always enjoyed her contributions. Congratulations.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 12:10 PM on September 30, 2011

Leap Year mod. Every 4 years I work a 24 hour shift and give the rest of the mods a well deserved day off.

A sort of the "Once every 100 years Death takes on mortal form for one day, to remind herself what life is like for those whom it is her task to dispatch" (paraphrase). Only the opposite: the moderated becomes the moderator.
posted by Prince_of_Cups at 12:10 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Excellent news.
posted by rjs at 12:13 PM on September 30, 2011

Taz is cool. Congrats.
posted by Splunge at 12:14 PM on September 30, 2011

Oh, I like taz. Congrats!
posted by FunkyHelix at 12:15 PM on September 30, 2011

Oh, this is just super news. First, it gives some spot of relief to the long-suffering and often much abused mod team, so yay for that.

And double yay for naming taz, who is sane, wise, creative, hilarious, and kind. She's stuck it out with us for all this time so she must have a thick skin. This was a great pick - who doesn't love taz?

We are so lucky to have such good mods here. And restless_nomad, you are aces. You have kept your good humor and wits about you through some kinda tough hazing, special kudos to you, too!
posted by madamjujujive at 12:15 PM on September 30, 2011 [9 favorites]

Yay! taz is awesome.
posted by gaspode at 12:18 PM on September 30, 2011

Count me in for a round of "taz is awesome!" Congrats, taz!
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 12:20 PM on September 30, 2011

As an unofficial representative and 50% of the Athens chapter, I'd like to take this opportunity to say we are all very proud of you.
posted by Dr Dracator at 12:21 PM on September 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

psssh, way to go with the safe choice that everyone likes. Cowards!
posted by Think_Long at 12:23 PM on September 30, 2011

The mole is in the burrow, I repeat, the mole is in the burrow.

OH SHIT WRONG CHANNEL, IGNORE PREVIOUS TRANSMISSION, AGENT NOD OUT.
posted by not_on_display at 12:23 PM on September 30, 2011

Leap Year mod. Every 4 years I work a 24 hour shift and give the rest of the mods a well deserved day off.

I'd like to be the leap second moderator.

(moderation window open)

This is not a good post for MetaF

(moderation window closed)

"Damn it!"

posted by FishBike at 12:31 PM on September 30, 2011

i have a swordfish.
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 12:32 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

OMG TAZ! Hurray!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:33 PM on September 30, 2011

In times like these, I'm reminded of these words of wisdom from philosopher Al Czervik: Hey everybody, we're all gonna get laid!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:34 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Yay taz!
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 12:34 PM on September 30, 2011

taz will be putting out fires and hopefully getting up to speed on answering contact form email and fixing typos and that sort of thing. When the site is runnign smoothy

You start the new mod out with the easy jobs, right?

This is a great choice! Congrats to Taz.
posted by Forktine at 12:34 PM on September 30, 2011 [3 favorites]

Will reveal more as I slowly, slyly penetrate the most sanctum of sanctorums.

Is it true that Cortex wears a wrestling belt around the office?! TMZ said he did...
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:36 PM on September 30, 2011

Whooh whooh! When I first joined Taz was one of the first MeFites whose name I started recognizing as a consistently reliable member. Great choice.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 12:39 PM on September 30, 2011

taz is the best at reading bedtime stories.
posted by Eideteker at 12:40 PM on September 30, 2011

taz is awesome, and I think this was an excellent choice.
posted by box at 12:41 PM on September 30, 2011

"Welcome aboard taz and I apologize in advance for my highjinks on this coming Sunday."

OCCUPY METAFILTER!
posted by klangklangston at 12:44 PM on September 30, 2011

Obviously, taz is a popular choice.
posted by Cranberry at 12:44 PM on September 30, 2011

Yay! taz, on behalf of everyone, I apologize for the next sixteen MetaTalk threads.
posted by shakespeherian at 12:46 PM on September 30, 2011

Riiiiiight on! Taz is such a great choice - fair-minded, funny, and sympathetic to human foibles. Thanks for taking it on, taz!
posted by Miko at 12:47 PM on September 30, 2011

> I slowly, slyly penetrate the most sanctum of sanctorums.

I misread that last word without the letter C and was really wondering what the heck goes on behind the scenes.
posted by Horselover Phattie at 12:48 PM on September 30, 2011 [4 favorites]

Taz is pretty rocking. Congrats!
posted by Phire at 12:49 PM on September 30, 2011

Congratulations, taz and the rest of team mod!
posted by lilac girl at 12:50 PM on September 30, 2011

What a great choice!

Congrats taz!
posted by quin at 12:53 PM on September 30, 2011

You should elect Taz as the president of the Metafilter Moderators Union (MMU). She's totally awesome.
posted by babbyʼ); Drop table users; -- at 12:54 PM on September 30, 2011

You did give the new kid the European edition of the manual, right? Oh, and thanks, Taz, for stepping up. This is all kinds of awesome.
posted by Lynsey at 12:56 PM on September 30, 2011

BTW, do the "new" mods also get mailed by the contact form?
posted by smackfu at 12:57 PM on September 30, 2011

More moderation, and less consistency in that moderation, is a bad direction for MetaFilter to be heading in.
posted by MrMoonPie at 1:00 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

[this is good]
posted by grouse at 1:00 PM on September 30, 2011

Yeah, both taz and I are on the contact form.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 1:00 PM on September 30, 2011

Congrats. With so many mods these days, maybe we could have their user names highlighted somehow? Maybe a burning gif with torches or the sides?
posted by Foci for Analysis at 1:00 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Congrats. With so many mods these days, maybe we could have their user names highlighted somehow? Maybe a burning gif with torches or the sides?

That is probably a good idea.
posted by Rock Steady at 1:02 PM on September 30, 2011

*edits Mefi Navigator userscript*

Congratulations, taz. You have been entrusted with the little white badge of adminhood. Wear it proudly.

Also, "shepherdess" sounds like a good qualification for this job.
posted by maqsarian at 1:02 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

More moderation, and less consistency in that moderation, is a bad direction for MetaFilter to be heading in.

This is an attempt to have less inconsistency in the availability of moderator eyeballs on the site, not an attempt to increase raw moderator output or something. We're not giving taz a quota to fill, we're trying to make sure that when crazy shit goes down while everybody's sleeping there's a better solution than "let shit pile up for several hours".
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:03 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Great news :)
posted by doctor_negative at 1:04 PM on September 30, 2011

Ha. That's what I get for not previewing. Foci for Analysis, here's Mefi Navigator for Greasemonkey. It'll highlight your admins, and do many other awesome things besides.
posted by maqsarian at 1:04 PM on September 30, 2011 [4 favorites]

OCCUPY METAFILTER!

I never log out and I'm never more than ten feet from a machine that allows me to read and comment! (and I know I'm not alone). I'd say we've got this place pretty damn well occupied.

Now, we just need to start having pizzas delivered.
posted by quin at 1:06 PM on September 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

maqsarian, that userscript looks sweet. I'm going to to see if it works with Opera.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 1:08 PM on September 30, 2011

Congratulations on making the move to Moddom, taz! (but don't let them send you to Grarmorrah).
posted by jamjam at 1:10 PM on September 30, 2011

Yes, it does :) * starts looking for burning gif *
posted by Foci for Analysis at 1:10 PM on September 30, 2011

More moderation, and less consistency in that moderation, is a bad direction for MetaFilter to be heading in.

I used to feel the same way, but I've changed my mind: Moderate more heavily, more brutally, and we might have a better (niche) general interest site.
posted by Dumsnill at 1:12 PM on September 30, 2011

It's good to see none of them Europeans got employed to do this, if there's one thing I can't stand its those Yurps tryin to tell us how to run Metafilter.
posted by sgt.serenity at 1:15 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Booo!
posted by chugg at 1:16 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

More moderation, and less consistency in that moderation, is a bad direction for MetaFilter to be heading in.

We've also been acutely aware that this site functions better for the people whose schedules are loosely the same as the working mods. You get answers to questions more quickly, you can get typos on your posts fixed before people see them, you get threadshitting in your threads dealt with within a decent timeframe, someone is around to answer MeTa questions before people show up and start goofing in your thread. And though we talk a good game about trying to have an internationally diverse [if English-speaking] userbase, we felt that we could do better.

So, this is our drive towards more consistency, not less. There is literally no way to have a site that is moderated by humans that is totally consistent because humans need to sleep and, in our dream world for people who work here, have lives outside of this website. I'm well aware that there are people who think that more attentive moderation is not a good thing for this site, but I feel this is similar to what happened even back when I started. It's not so much that I moderated the site differently from mathowie, but that there were now people moderating more of the time which meant more stuff deleted which displeases some people. What we'd like is to not have situations show up in MeTa where someone posts something that would, by this site's guidelines, be deleteworthy but that sits around festering for six hours so by the time anyone sees it, it's entrenched in the thread and has started a several-hours-old MeTa thread and everyone's feeling pretty bad about the whole situation.

I'm not saying that this isn't a topic on which reasonable people may disagree, it certainly is, but that we think it solves a few problems (overworked cranky moderators being the main one, round the clock mod available being the next main one) and is in line with the way this site has run for the last five years at least.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:16 PM on September 30, 2011 [6 favorites]

I mean, YAAAY!
posted by chugg at 1:16 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

I think taz would be an excellent enforcer of the "all AskMes about cats must contain cat pictures" rule.
posted by desjardins at 1:23 PM on September 30, 2011 [4 favorites]

Taz is the bestest person y'all could have chosen for that spot. She's brilliant, level-headed, good-hearted and loves animals. What more could we need?
posted by deborah at 1:28 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Good for taz and good for the site.
posted by bukvich at 1:29 PM on September 30, 2011

Great choice!
posted by ericb at 1:32 PM on September 30, 2011

I could not be happier to hear this news. I consider taz to be one of the finest examples here, a comrade and a friend.

Way to go, powers that be. The establishment just got a little cooler.
posted by item at 1:34 PM on September 30, 2011

And the fucking statists drive yet another nail into the coffin of freedom.

I slowly, slyly penetrate the most sanctum of sanctorums.

I bet it's full of censership!
posted by fleacircus at 1:42 PM on September 30, 2011

Συγχαρητήρια και καλή τύχη!
posted by googly at 1:44 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Yay taz!
posted by Stewriffic at 1:47 PM on September 30, 2011

Yay!
posted by trip and a half at 1:48 PM on September 30, 2011

Does this change anything for us super-secret invisible unspoken mods? No? I'll just carry on, then.
posted by ColdChef at 1:48 PM on September 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

1. I also think taz is excellent.
2. taz has already banned and de-banned me elsewhere, so we're starting from an established business relationship - and I like to do business with the people I do business with.
3. I am sorry that I never got the chance to meet you when I was next door in Bulgaria, but maybe someday somewhere eh?
4. Good luck. Inshallah this will be an excellent job for you.
posted by Meatbomb at 1:50 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

And the fucking statists drive yet another nail into the coffin of freedom.

Yeah, but it'll be back as a zombie.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:51 PM on September 30, 2011

That is a really great decision.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:53 PM on September 30, 2011

Whoop! Yay taz!
posted by carsonb at 1:57 PM on September 30, 2011

Nice one, Taz!
posted by willpie at 1:58 PM on September 30, 2011

Metafilter: prayer is remarkably ineffective.
posted by Mitheral at 1:58 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Woo! I'm not the most junior anymore! I'll get the pudding! This is gonna be fun.

...Wait, that's the deal for everybody, right? The pudding? It wasn't just me. Right?

...Right?

Um. We've been meaning to tell you this, but that not only isn't standard initiation, that person wasn't even a mod. They're not even from this website.

Also, go taz!
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 2:04 PM on September 30, 2011

Great choice.
posted by Rumple at 2:07 PM on September 30, 2011

Don't forget that tenner you owe, just because you're famous.

Taz is a fantastic choice and I'm glad we now have an official EU moderator (next japan or china time imho) but I wouldn't remind her right now about debts if I were you
posted by infini at 2:08 PM on September 30, 2011

BEST. MOD I KNOW FROM TWITTER. EVAR.
posted by Jofus at 2:09 PM on September 30, 2011

Perhaps this should be sidebarred so there is some visible clue about it for people who don't habitually read MetaTalk.
posted by Wolfdog at 2:11 PM on September 30, 2011

Tis a good thing, this.
posted by TheDonF at 2:12 PM on September 30, 2011

Um. We've been meaning to tell you this, but that not only isn't standard initiation, that person wasn't even a mod. They're not even from this website.

Well, dammit, I was wondering why she didn't look familiar.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 2:14 PM on September 30, 2011

Taz is the best. She'll make a great mod.
posted by jrossi4r at 2:14 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Happy happy joy joy!
posted by Specklet at 2:18 PM on September 30, 2011

Yay taz!
posted by supercrayon at 2:19 PM on September 30, 2011

Good news, everyone!

Don't forget to update the FAQ.
posted by exogenous at 2:20 PM on September 30, 2011

Updated!
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:23 PM on September 30, 2011

Updated!

But it's not October 1 yet!
posted by Melismata at 2:26 PM on September 30, 2011

slyly penetrate the most sanctum of sanctorums

This comment reads way differently now that I realize it is not about santorum.
posted by elizardbits at 2:29 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Excellent!
posted by OmieWise at 2:29 PM on September 30, 2011

This comment reads way differently now that I realize it is not about santorum.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who made that connection and knew the word. We should form a club! But not that kind of club.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:33 PM on September 30, 2011

Jessamyn: There is literally no way to have a site that is moderated by humans

So we are getting Robot Mods?
posted by Infinite Jest at 2:35 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

If you took all the awesome people here and put them in a pile, Taz would stand head and shoulders above the rest. This is a fantastic choice in every way.

Congratulations Taz and I'm glad the other mods will get some more back-up. I've noticed they seem a bit busier lately and hope they get a chance to sit back and breathe occasionally now.
posted by dg at 2:59 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Athens is the new Bangalore I guess. I perhaps would have expected an Australian or New Zealand mod.

But regardless, congratulations and good luck, Taz!
posted by GuyZero at 3:05 PM on September 30, 2011

Great choice. Taz is one of my faves.
posted by Devils Rancher at 3:14 PM on September 30, 2011

Yay taz!
(Jessamyn, you should have TOLD me the place needed prayer....hmph. )
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 3:18 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

I approve of this.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 3:23 PM on September 30, 2011

Hurray for taz! Wonderful choice.
posted by vers at 3:24 PM on September 30, 2011

Congrats taz, glad to hear this.
posted by salvia at 3:25 PM on September 30, 2011

Congratulations! At last it can be said that the sun never sets on the MeFi empire!
posted by TedW at 3:25 PM on September 30, 2011

So Taz will be featured on the next podcast then?

She has a solid four weeks to play in the admin area! Congrats, Taz!
posted by TangerineGurl at 3:27 PM on September 30, 2011

Nice choice! Congratulations, Taz!
posted by zarq at 3:36 PM on September 30, 2011

Yay! One of my favorite people gets famous! Sometimes good things do happen to good people! Hurrah!
posted by mygothlaundry at 3:44 PM on September 30, 2011

I like Taz. Well done Team Mod.
posted by b33j at 3:56 PM on September 30, 2011

On the issue of consistency, all that I've seen from taz tells me she is very close to the mindset of mathowie and jessamyn, maybe even closer than cortex. And vacapinta and restless_nomad I've actually seen less from over the years, so I dunno. All I know is there is an important reason MeFiTechie pb is not moderating - dude would turn this place into Slashdot in a half-day.

Anyway, congrats taz. No matter how crazy the 'Filter may get, at least it'll take your mind off what's happening in Greece.
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:57 PM on September 30, 2011

matt
mattamyn
mattamyntex
mattavacamyntex
mattavacamynnomatex

mattavacamyntaznomatex

head asplode
posted by pixlboi at 4:16 PM on September 30, 2011 [3 favorites]

Go you Tazzie Tiger!!!! Now we just need an Australian mod and all will be right with the world. And it's timezones. Ubu???
posted by taff at 4:19 PM on September 30, 2011

Taz???!!! Wow! I'm thrilled. What a truly inspired choice.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 4:25 PM on September 30, 2011

Good choice!
posted by SpacemanStix at 4:32 PM on September 30, 2011

This is great! Congrats!
posted by rtha at 4:34 PM on September 30, 2011

YAY, taz!
posted by brina at 4:35 PM on September 30, 2011

Hooray taz!
posted by pemberkins at 4:50 PM on September 30, 2011

Godspeed taz.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:55 PM on September 30, 2011

restless_nomad I've actually seen less from over the years

Victory!

More seriously, though, while we all have different touches, we all pull together pretty much the same. I'm excited to have taz onboard because it should reduce some of the "well why did you let THIS horrible thing stand, then?" when "this" was something posted at 3-5am mod time on a Sunday.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 5:00 PM on September 30, 2011

I used to feel the same way, but I've changed my mind: Moderate more heavily, more brutally, and we might have a better (niche) general interest site.

God, no. Shoot me now. A recipe for insularity and cliquishness!

That said, adding a mod who will be more often around during the hours when the America-based mods are usually sleeping doesn't seem like a recipe for brutal, inconsistent moderation. Unless taz decides to launch a moderation jihad against cat posts or something.

We've also been acutely aware that this site functions better for the people whose schedules are loosely the same as the working mods. You get answers to questions more quickly, you can get typos on your posts fixed before people see them

In seven years I believe I can count on one finger the number of times I contacted a mod with a question. But then I didn't realize the mods were our personal typo fixing crew! This is going to be epic. Prepare for the typocalypse.
posted by Justinian at 5:10 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

What an inspired choice, how lovely.
posted by smoke at 5:14 PM on September 30, 2011

congratulations, taz! we all win with this move.
posted by batmonkey at 5:16 PM on September 30, 2011

taz is awesome and a Good Internet Pal.

I am still awaiting the tap on the shoulder to be Metafilter's Asian Bastion. I suspect the wait will continue, sadly.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:24 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Mefi's been va-Tazzled! yay!
posted by dash_slot- at 5:31 PM on September 30, 2011

Cool. Always liked taz.
posted by dobbs at 5:45 PM on September 30, 2011

If you took all the awesome people here and put them in a pile...

I'm pretty sure if you did this it means you're one of the bad people. Seriously, who piles people?
posted by cjorgensen at 5:54 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

taz is awesome. she would have been one of the first people I would have thought of if you were to ask me, "exlotus, who do you think would make a good new mod?" Plus, she's like, an editrix, and what's not to like about that?

STET, mofo!

of course, no one would ask lil' ol' me anyways. *scuffs toe in the dirt*
posted by exlotuseater at 5:59 PM on September 30, 2011

yay taz!

I support the kittycat moderator movement.
posted by winna at 6:12 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

This is good. Well done, y'all.
posted by theora55 at 6:16 PM on September 30, 2011

taz is awesome, this is great.
posted by ifjuly at 6:28 PM on September 30, 2011

taz? taz-taz? That's fantastic.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 6:54 PM on September 30, 2011

hooray for taz!
posted by sleepy pete at 7:23 PM on September 30, 2011

I approve.
posted by maggieb at 8:11 PM on September 30, 2011

I pretty much love this. Yay taz!
posted by rhapsodie at 8:26 PM on September 30, 2011

Yay taz!
posted by sperose at 8:33 PM on September 30, 2011

Does this change anything for us super-secret invisible unspoken mods?

So there is a cabal.
posted by killdevil at 8:34 PM on September 30, 2011

Commence countdown to the first six mod thread!
posted by Rinku at 8:50 PM on September 30, 2011

Cool. Congratulations, taz, and god speed.
posted by Curious Artificer at 9:26 PM on September 30, 2011

Yay for Taz! This is a good choice, I can tell this because we're 160 comments in and no WWIC (Why Wasn't I Consulted) comments.
posted by arcticseal at 9:35 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

Fantastic choice!
posted by lalex at 9:39 PM on September 30, 2011

I think you guys mean fanTAZtic.
posted by Eideteker at 9:44 PM on September 30, 2011

Yay! One more of my spouses is a mod!
posted by a humble nudibranch at 9:57 PM on September 30, 2011

This is a good choice, I can tell this because we're 160 comments in and no WWIC (Why Wasn't I Consulted) comments.

I started to write one of those, objecting to the choice on the grounds that a three-letter pseudonym lacked the proper gravitas* to shepherd our merry band of shady operators, but I was afraid that someone would take it as a jumping-off point for some dreadful diatribe and all would be made sad.

*this was the only grounds on which I could conceive an objection, even a fake one.
posted by winna at 10:25 PM on September 30, 2011 [2 favorites]

BRAVA!
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 10:37 PM on September 30, 2011

winna: "objecting to the choice on the grounds that a three-letter pseudonym lacked the proper gravitas"

Taz is an excellent name and also that of my childhood dog. He was loyal, loving and used to put my teddy bear back in my pram after I had thrown it out; which I think we can all agree is a useful skill when it comes to handling Mefites.
posted by arcticseal at 11:00 PM on September 30, 2011 [5 favorites]

It's kind of silly, because when I signed up I hadn't thought about a name at all, oddly. So I decided to use my initials... despite the fact that it gave the impression I was a sub-verbal cartoon character. I don't think I expected that I would ever really post or comment much, so it wouldn't matter. Nine years later, and at least half the people I know call me Taz in real life. If I had known I was actually acquiring a whole new identity, I would have made myself sound smarter. :/
posted by taz at 11:12 PM on September 30, 2011 [1 favorite]

This is good news
posted by Sailormom at 11:17 PM on September 30, 2011

I asked this last time, but what does this do to the org chart. Is everyone reporting to mathowie? Do Cortex and/or jessamyn get team lead titles?

Anyway congratz on the new job taz!
posted by Ad hominem at 11:22 PM on September 30, 2011

Because I think it is only fair that cortex and jessamyn get a bump and maybe a quarterly bonus of say... 10% of new signups each?
posted by Ad hominem at 11:30 PM on September 30, 2011

I found out about this when I made a series of escalating typos and got them fixed by taz before I had time to fret about them (literally, about 60 seconds later). Yay taz!!
posted by therewolf at 12:13 AM on October 1, 2011

Congratulations to Taz!
posted by By The Grace of God at 12:40 AM on October 1, 2011

Woooo!

Also, I've met taz in the real world and can confirm: she has a cute dog, is witty in the real world as well as online, is nine feet tall, and can shoot laser beams from her eyes. Great mod choice!
posted by TheophileEscargot at 12:45 AM on October 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

tazer beams, surely?
posted by infini at 1:02 AM on October 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Aw hell yeah, this is great! Taz is a kickass human being. I think she'll be a great mod!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 1:56 AM on October 1, 2011

Shooting laser beams from your eyes sounds like a super handy mod skill. Congrats, taz! Good news indeed.
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 3:06 AM on October 1, 2011

+1
posted by adamvasco at 3:19 AM on October 1, 2011

As an unofficial representative and 50% of the Athens chapter, I'd like to take this opportunity to say we are all very proud of you.

33% (still being taxed there). Congrats, taz.
posted by ersatz at 4:56 AM on October 1, 2011

ooooh, taz is good value. great choice.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:12 AM on October 1, 2011

If I had known I was actually acquiring a whole new identity, I would have made myself sound smarter. :/
First of all, the cartoon taz is fucking awesome.
(b) I doubt that you could sound smarter and that's got nothing to do with your name.

Anyway, the idea of using your initials as a username is not to be sneezed at. It's good too know I wasn't the only one that had a sudden realisation that I had not even considered what I would call myself here when I was finally presented with the (at the time) holy grail that was the sign-up page. I'm also now known by at least half the people who know me in real life by my Mefi name (not that they know the origin of it, because I don't speak of MeFi in real life).
posted by dg at 7:27 AM on October 1, 2011

Not a Trekkie, eh taz?
posted by carsonb at 7:30 AM on October 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

(How did it feel, your first?)
posted by carsonb at 7:32 AM on October 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Aww, I didn't mean to pick a fake complaint that might sound like a real one. Taz is a fine name for many reasons. First, it is short, so it is easy to type. Second it is easily pronounced, so no one has to mull over the problem of mental pronunciation while reading your comments. Third, it has a jaunty charm due to the z. Fourth, I will speak of my cat...

No, wrong type of list.

I should have picked a fake complaint no one would ever consider, like I cast the bones and taz being a mod is actually one of the signs of armageddon. Except someone totally probably would.
posted by winna at 8:39 AM on October 1, 2011

taff: "Go you Tazzie Tiger!!!! Now we just need an Australian mod and all will be right with the world. And it's timezones. Ubu???"

stavrosthewonderchicken: "I am still awaiting the tap on the shoulder to be Metafilter's Asian Bastion. I suspect the wait will continue, sadly."

We've got more than enough eastern Pacific Rim members to make this happen.

But for God's sake NOT STAV.
I kid.
posted by hangashore at 8:41 AM on October 1, 2011

I picked my username because it's my name. If cjorgensen wasn't available I probably wouldn't have signed up. I'm fickle that way. I am almost every cjorgensen out there except on Facebook and some painting site. The rest are me though. Well, for the most part.
posted by cjorgensen at 8:44 AM on October 1, 2011

excellent choice, congrats taz! and congrats to other mods for hopefully better sleep.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:54 AM on October 1, 2011

Oh, hey. Yay Taz. So is Metachat like a farm league for mods?
posted by octothorpe at 9:09 AM on October 1, 2011

Huzzah! Congratulations, taz!
posted by smirkette at 10:19 AM on October 1, 2011

mattavacamyntaznomatex

Don't forget the inflatable emergency mod.
posted by XMLicious at 11:41 AM on October 1, 2011

For context's sake, I'll quote jessamyn [star] back from when the Midnight Mod™ was first mooted, in March 2008: "There's usually a window of about 3-6 hours when no one's at the wheel and it's been our general assertion that nothing can go THAT wrong in that amount of time." But it wasn't really a question of things going THAT wrong: more that MeFi's circadian rhythm has a different impact on readers in timezones outside UTC-[5-8]. So the consistency argument makes complete sense to me, and I wish taz the very best.
posted by holgate at 1:11 PM on October 1, 2011

Now we just need an Australian mod and all will be right with the world. And it's timezones. Ubu???"

Yeah, I can see that being a real winner. "This post was deleted for the following reason: piss off, c***"
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:11 PM on October 1, 2011 [6 favorites]

Fantaztic choice.

Eh? Eh?

...

Meh, screw the lot of you.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 2:40 PM on October 1, 2011

Aw shit, I made a joke someone else made already because I didn't read the thread all the way through! I hate when people do that!

/Flags prior instance as 'Offensive', hopes mods don't look too closely at the flagged comments on Saturdays
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 2:43 PM on October 1, 2011

Not a Trekkie, eh taz?
(How did it feel, your first?)

I was just about to ask a variation on these two questions. Either way that was a pretty epic first deletion reason. I guess that fpp wasn't so bad it was good....it was just plain bad. :(
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 3:15 PM on October 1, 2011

Awesome! Best of luck taz!
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 4:06 PM on October 1, 2011

Not exactly off to a good start.
posted by Crabby Appleton at 4:06 PM on October 1, 2011

Taz taz taz taz taz taz tatatata ta-taz!
posted by Divine_Wino at 4:59 PM on October 1, 2011

when the Midnight Mod™ was first mooted

Is this the right of passage to modliness - mooting? The mooting of the mods? Is there a formal mooting ceremony, or can a moot simply happen by fiat? Should regular users take on any kind of celebratory obeisance when a new mod is mooted, or honor the mooting in any way?
posted by Miko at 7:01 PM on October 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Yay taz!
posted by gomichild at 7:03 PM on October 1, 2011

I'm in the moot for love.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:18 PM on October 1, 2011

Mootlight in Vermont
posted by Miko at 7:56 PM on October 1, 2011

Fly Me To the Moot
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:01 PM on October 1, 2011

Miko: The mooting of the mods?
posted by arcticseal at 8:16 PM on October 1, 2011

Arrgh. Mooting of the mods.
posted by arcticseal at 8:18 PM on October 1, 2011

Let the hazing begin!
posted by krinklyfig at 8:31 PM on October 1, 2011

Hurray for the goddess of Mecha!
posted by brujita at 9:41 PM on October 1, 2011

Is there a formal mooting ceremony, or can a moot simply happen by fiat?

So mote it be.
posted by holgate at 9:58 PM on October 1, 2011

Let the hazing begin!

Let the tazing begin!
posted by BurnChao at 10:12 PM on October 1, 2011

Don't Taz me, bro!
posted by Forktine at 10:26 PM on October 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Hate to be the wert blanket here but if none of the other mods are going to step up I'll remind you all that we are straying into murky legal ground here. Please let's stay on topic - remember that you are talking to MetaFilter, not your "shithole buddies".
posted by Meatbomb at 1:25 AM on October 2, 2011

what
posted by Gator at 1:29 AM on October 2, 2011 [1 favorite]

Hate to be the wert blanket here but if none of the other mods are going to step up I'll remind you all that we are straying into murky legal ground here. Please let's stay on topic - remember that you are talking to MetaFilter, not your "shithole buddies".

It's like you can't even see the lines Taz is enforcing, Meatbomb. The curvature of the earth may hide them from where that comment sits...
posted by jaduncan at 2:12 AM on October 2, 2011

Oh, hey. Yay Taz. So is Metachat like a farm league for mods?

Good god. Can you imagine...
posted by seanyboy at 3:07 AM on October 2, 2011

Nice, congrats (if that is the appropriate sentiment) Taz.
posted by meinvt at 8:46 AM on October 2, 2011

Just as a clarification, I'm normally one to use favorites as bookmarks. But this favorite means that I approve. I approve so very much. Yay, taz!
posted by .kobayashi. at 10:40 AM on October 2, 2011

Wooo!
posted by safetyfork at 11:36 AM on October 2, 2011

Yay Taz!
posted by schyler523 at 8:10 PM on October 2, 2011

tazel mov
posted by Horselover Phattie at 10:47 PM on October 2, 2011 [7 favorites]

I can honestly say that hugging taz in real life is on my bucket list. Yay taz!
posted by mudpuppie at 8:40 AM on October 3, 2011

Oh, hey, this is great! Way to go taz, mathowie, and metafilter!
posted by owtytrof at 10:10 AM on October 3, 2011

So, we decided to actually try to fill in some gaps with staff because prayer is remarkably ineffective.

As an HR pro and a non-atheist, I gotta say you're doing everything wrong.
posted by hal_c_on at 2:19 PM on October 4, 2011 [1 favorite]

Are you saying prayer should be an effective moderation tool? Can you link to a forum using this method of moderation?
posted by Mitheral at 6:07 PM on October 4, 2011

Congratulations, Taz! Yeah, MeFi/24/7/365.
posted by PROD_TPSL at 12:14 AM on October 5, 2011

Jessamyn's star is gone!!!!! :-(
posted by schmod at 8:18 AM on October 6, 2011

Fell to Earth. Covered here.
posted by XMLicious at 8:20 AM on October 6, 2011

There's a script to add it back in if you've got a browser capable of running such a thing.

That, combined with some editing of MeFi Navigator to remove the old "Admin" labels, (edit the relevant line to read: var mfn_admins = []; ) and the de-uglification of the staff labels, has made me okay with the change.

For now.
posted by SpiffyRob at 8:50 AM on October 6, 2011