Hello everyone,
As many of you are aware, last September a large majority of the moderation team resigned in protest regarding the Steering Committee (SC) intervention in their operations and membership. Dependable moderation is an important aspect of keeping a healthy community, so we would like to work with moderators to build what we would like to call the Community Team, whose primary responsibility is moderation.
Today, we are formally announcing a plan—approved by SC vote—to move forward. The SC is establishing a Community Team Bootstrap Group to serve during an interim period ending in April 2026.
Our primary goals are
- Alleviate moderation workload in the immediate term by extending the moderation team
- Define the baseline rules for community interactions
- Better understand and to the best of our capability resolve conflict between the Steering Committee and Moderation Team
This group will be composed of volunteer alumni moderators drafted from the team that resigned and earlier moderation teams.
Their core objectives are:
- Interim Management: Handling day-to-day moderation across Nix community platforms.
- Recruitment: Sourcing and vetting candidates for a new, permanent Community Team.
- Strategic Alignment: Partnering with the SC to reach a mutual agreement on a moderation philosophy, future organizational structure, and clear oversight mechanisms.
If agreed to be useful, a mediator will be brought in to help the SC and the Bootstrap team reach an agreement on these fundamental points.
To ensure the integrity of this process, the proposal includes several key constraints for the interim period:
- Non-Intervention: The SC will not intervene in day-to-day moderation or the sourcing of new candidates (though the SC may set high-level constraints, such as ensuring geographic representativity).
- Collaborative Approval: While the SC will provide final approval for the new team, the selection process remains in the hands of the alumni moderators.
- Mutual Resolution: Both the SC and the Bootstrap team have the right to end this interim period if it is determined that a state of agreement cannot be reached.
We believe this collaborative process provides the immediate stability our shared spaces need while creating a transparent and accountable path toward systemic improvement. We are currently reaching out to alumni moderators to finalize the Bootstrap team and will provide further updates as the team begins its work.
Finally, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to @Lassulus and @Aleksana for their tireless commitment to moderation since September. Their efforts have been vital to the community during this difficult transition.
– The Steering Committee
Questions & Answers
1. Why work with “Alumni” moderators instead of opening applications immediately?
To restore trust, we need an interim team that already understands the community’s historical context and moderation practices. By starting with experienced former moderators—including those who recently resigned—we ensure stability while we take the time to build a more robust, long-term recruitment process.
This bootstrapping process will include conversations and discussions.
Expect transparency about that as they progress.
2. Will the Steering Committee (SC) directly interfere or perform moderation?
The approved proposal creates a “firewall” during this interim period. The SC has formally committed to zero intervention in day-to-day moderation decisions and will not be involved in the initial sourcing or vetting of new candidates. The SC’s role is limited to setting high-level structural constraints (like ensuring geographic diversity) and providing final approval on the team as a whole.
3. What happens if the SC and the Bootstrap Team cannot reach an agreement?
The goal is to reach a shared vision through collaboration and, if necessary, professional mediation. However, the proposal includes a “mutual exit” clause: if either the SC or the Bootstrap Team determines that an agreement is impossible, they can unilaterally end the interim period. This ensures that no party is forced into a structure they believe is detrimental to the community.
The SC is constitutionally accountable for moderation. If this process fails, we will attempt others.
4. How was the duration of the interim period chosen?
Healing institutional trust and codifying a new moderation philosophy cannot be rushed. Giving them multiple months until April 2026 allows the Bootstrap Team to manage day-to-day needs while carefully building a permanent structure that is designed to last years, not just months.
We aim to have the permanent team in place well before the April deadline if possible.
5. I’m interested in joining the permanent community team. How do I apply?
The Bootstrap Team will be responsible for defining the recruitment process for the future Community Team. Once they have established the criteria and workflow, the process for becoming part of the community team will be published.
6. What is the role of the “Mediator” mentioned in the proposal?
If the SC and the Bootstrap Team find themselves at an impasse regarding moderation philosophy or oversight mechanisms, a neutral third-party mediator may be brought in. Their role is not to make decisions, but to facilitate a productive dialogue and help both parties find common ground that serves the community’s best interests.
7. How will the “Moderation Philosophy” be decided?
This will be a collaborative effort between the SC and the Bootstrap Team. We want to move away from ad-hoc decisions toward a clear, written set of principles that the community can see, understand, and hold us accountable to.
We expect to share drafts of this philosophy for community feedback as it develops. Expect that this moderation philosophy or community team document will be an elaboration on the Nix Community Values.