Things are about to get messy!

Lisa Martinez82 said:That’s pretty much the core sentiment from the moderation team regarding the announcement that Richard Perez3 has accepted my recommendation to step up as a moderator for the POTUS subforum.

So, I wanted to let all you forum regulars know that starting today, we’ll have a female perspective in the mix—someone who is sharp, fair, and ready to keep things in line. Please join me in wishing Smart good luck, and hopefully, she’ll have enough patience to deal with both you guys and the rest of the mod team! 🙂

On another note, we’re planning to roll out some updates to the rules and community guidelines for the POTUS section very soon, so stay tuned for those details.

Smart, once again from my side: best of luck!

Man, what a wild username she chose!

Alright, good morning to everyone—including all the haters lurking here to tear down my welcome thread.

Let's break this down.

Look, I’m hoping I can actually help mediate some of the drama here. My goal is to find common ground where both sides—or even more—can actually walk away feeling satisfied. I want to try and make this place useful, working alongside the rest of you. To be honest, I didn't even think about doing this until a few people told me I was actually capable of handling it. So, hopefully, that answers coppermarlin13's question. If not, my bad.

Also, just to set the record straight: I am definitely NOT a co-owner of this forum. coppermarlin13 clearly got their wires crossed on that one. You don't have to wish me luck, but hey, at least don't wish me bad luck either. I'm trying not to ask for too much here.

Thanks, everyone. 🙂

Sarah Edwards38 said:Well, good morning to everyone—both the well-wishers and the skeptics who have gathered here for my welcome thread.

Let's take this one step at a time.

I truly hope I can act as a bridge to help resolve conflicts. My goal is to find common ground that leaves all parties involved feeling satisfied. I want to work alongside everyone else to try and make this space genuinely useful. To be honest, the motivation to step up actually came from others who suggested I might be capable of this; before they spoke up, it hadn't even crossed my mind. I hope that answers coppermarlin13's question. If not, my apologies.

On another note, I also want to clear up the misconception that I am a co-owner of this forum. It seems coppermarlin13 made a bit of a leap there, which isn't the case. You don't necessarily need to wish me luck, but please, let's skip the bad vibes too. I hope I’m not asking for too much by simply asking for a level playing field.

Thanks, everyone. 🙂

So, smart, since when did you start dividing people into "good guys" and "bad guys"? Did you pick that up from your inner circle over brunch? And how do you view those who ask critical or even just standard questions about how you intend to run things? Are they considered "malicious" just because they aren't offering congratulations? Should we all just shower you with praise since we don't actually know what your roadmap looks like yet?

By the way, I recall you mentioning once how much the crowd surrounding POTUS gets on your nerves. At the time, I assumed you meant the users who complain, but now that I see the list of people being picked for moderator roles, it feels like a mountain of new questions is being forced on us. This new moderation team seems to be pulled straight from your tight-knit group of friends, which makes me immediately skeptical about whether things will stay fair and objective.

Personally, I think it’s just basic courtesy for a new moderator to introduce themselves to the community—basically presenting a "plan of action"—if they want people to actually welcome them or wish them well.

P.S. Regarding the ownership thing, you might have a point there. I had just assumed Bellwether was Anderson's wife. But honestly, it doesn't really matter for the context of my post. Whether she's his spouse or his right-hand woman, the whole idea just struck me as a bit ridiculous.

P.P.S. As for your welcome to this subforum, I'm staying pretty neutral. I suspect you won't change the status quo and that you'll lean toward subjectivity, but that doesn't mean you aren't an interesting person to talk to. It just means you don't fall into one of my favorite "categories." 😉

coppermarlin13 said:smart, since when did you start talking about "good" vs "malicious" categories? Did you pick that up from your little clique back at the farm? What are people who ask critical or even just totally normal questions about your future role—people who might actually want to wish you luck or congratulate you—to you? Malicious? And am I supposed to just kiss your ass because we don't even know what you're planning to do here yet, just so we can be labeled the "good guys"?

I wasn't expecting you to go and put yourself in a category specifically. I don't know why you did that if your posts aren't meant to imply anything like that. But look, you can't deny there have been malicious comments on here, even if I didn't label yours that way.

coppermarlin13 said:By the way, I remember you once saying you couldn't give a damn about the crew over at POTUS, and when you said that, you meant the forum users who complain. Now, on top of all the questions already asked, a ton of new ones are being shoved down my throat, especially seeing who’s being picked for moderator. This new mod team is just your tight circle of forum buddies, so right out of the gate, I'm skeptical about any fairness or objectivity.

I hope I can change your mind. And if not, hey, I'll keep trying. Not just with you, obviously. But seriously, don't take everything so heavy. Sometimes I say stuff in conversation just to say it. Just letting loose, so to speak. If I was actually living that life, I'd need a massive bank account. 😁 That doesn't change the fact that I'm gonna do my best to stay objective.

coppermarlin13 said:Personally, I think it's basic decency for a new moderator on any subforum to introduce themselves to the community (you know, lay out a plan and everything) if they actually expect anyone to congratulate them or wish them luck.

Well, there. I did it. Happy now?

coppermarlin13 said:P.S. To me, it looked totally ridiculous.

Look, I don't care if people want to laugh at stuff like that. Honestly. But if I hadn't been given a heads-up, it would have looked like I was some shady person trying to sneak a new mod onto the site behind everyone's backs. And if I had just started the thread myself? People would’ve called me an arrogant jerk for bragging. Dammit, you seriously can't win with these people. It's never good enough.

coppermarlin13 said:P.S. Regarding that little welcome speech you gave on this subforum—honestly, I couldn't care less. I don't think you're actually going to change anything around here, and let's be real, you aren't exactly bringing any objectivity to the table. That doesn't mean I don't find you interesting to follow, though. You're still one of my favorites on here. 😉

Alright, fine. Looks like I'm the one stuck proving everyone wrong.

I’m already losing my mind here. Seriously. 😢

Hey there 👋
Honestly, I feel like you could just sit down on a street corner in Chicago with me and end up having the most endless conversation about everyone who's been banned from this place 😁

Sarah Edwards38 said:I honestly didn't expect you to go out of your way to pigeonhole yourself into one specific category like that. I’m not entirely sure why you felt the need to draw those lines, especially since your posts haven't really carried that kind of subtext until now. That being said, you can't exactly deny that there have been some malicious comments thrown around in this thread—even if I personally didn't label yours that way.

It’s funny how that works—my girlfriends are constantly putting me in that specific category, so I guess it’s no wonder I eventually started seeing myself that way too. 🤣

Sarah Edwards38 said:I really hope I can change your mind on this one. And if I can't? Well, don't expect me to stop trying. I’m not just targeting you, either—though you’re certainly the current focus. Honestly, though, try not to take everything I say quite so heavily. Every now and then, I like to throw a little curveball into the conversation just for fun. It’s what we call "letting off some steam," so to speak. If I actually meant what I said back then, I must have been sitting on a massive fortune. 😁 Look, that doesn't change the fact that I’m going to give it my absolute all to stay objective here.

Alright, there we go. Is that better?

Look, I really don't mind if people poke fun at stuff like that. Honestly. But there’s a bit of a catch-22 here: if I don't announce something, it looks like I'm trying to sneak a new moderator under the radar. But if I go out of my way to start a whole new thread just to say it, then I look like I'm just bragging or fishing for attention. It's one of those situations where you can't win—no matter which way you play it, someone's going to find a reason to roll their eyes.

Alright, looks like I’m the one left holding the bag to prove the exact opposite.

I’m already starting to feel the jitters. 😢

Alright, here it is—after reading that last post of yours, I have to say, I like you even more than I did before. 😉
And finally, just so you don't think I'm rooting against you—especially when it comes to the whole process of seeing sense in all this—I want to say: good luck. 😉

Thanks, I'm gonna need it. 🙂

Sarah Edwards38 said:I’m really hoping I can help mediate things here. I just want to find a way to make everyone involved feel satisfied. Maybe we can all work together to actually make this place useful.

Me too, honestly. Though, let's be real, the mods always seem to side with the mods, which feels kind of pointless. It's like one person gets stubborn, then everyone else gets stubborn too, instead of just making Reddit a better community or whatever.

Anyway, good luck with being smart! 🙂🎉🙂

p.s. I'm definitely not being mean

Sarah Edwards38 said:Thanks, I'm certainly going to need it. 🙂

I would have argued that luck is actually required by those who spend their time complaining. 🤣

When I first joined this forum, I operated under the assumption that there was more whip than smart to be found here 😍 but after witnessing firsthand how some of these users handle their business during a late-night binge 😁 I realized the ratio is actually much more smart than whip. 😉

Best of luck in the new role. 🙂

I’d give it a five out of five, provided you strip away that one guy, normall. If there was anyone here showing blatant bias or proving they were too incompetent to moderate this thread, it was definitely him.

Sarah Edwards38 said:Well, good morning to everyone—the friendly folks and the trolls lurking in the shadows—to my welcome thread.

Alright, let's break this down.

I really hope I can help mediate some issues here. Maybe, just maybe, I can find a way to make both—or even all—sides feel satisfied. My goal is to work together with everyone else to try and make this place actually useful. Honestly, I hadn't really thought about doing this until others started telling me they thought I was capable of handling it, which gave me the push I needed. I think that answers what coppermarlin13 was asking. If not, well, sorry about that!

Also, just to clear the air, I am definitely not a co-owner of this forum. I think coppermarlin13 might have jumped to the wrong conclusion there, because that's just not the case. You don't necessarily have to wish me luck, but hey, don't wish me bad luck either! I guess I'll just try not to ask for too much.

Thanks, everyone. 🙂

I have to say, this is such a lovely post.

Smart, 👍

-Stipe

In my estimation, Smart should have been appointed to lead this subforum ages ago; frankly, there isn't a more qualified candidate in the entire country 👍

And I wish you nothing but the absolute best of luck 😍

Good luck, Smart👍

swiftscout8 said:I’d give them all five stars, provided you get rid of that "normall" guy. If there was anyone biased or completely out of their depth handling the moderation here, it was definitely him.

Honestly, I can’t recall a single moderator for POTUS who was more incompetent than that... though your Politics section might give him a run for his money.