So long, and thanks for all the fish

Question

It makes me slightly sad to write this, but after having been a moderator for more than five years, I will be stepping down later this month.

This is primarily because I don't have enough time and effort to devote to SE anymore, which is in turn because of Real Life. Most of you will no doubt have noticed that I haven't done much for the last year or so, and I thought it better to go gracefully :) Of course, I'm not disappearing completely; I'll probably post an answer every now and then, but I expect my activity on SE to be reduced (possibly even further than what it is now).

There will be an election later this month to replace both Todd's and my slots. At that point both of us will formally lose the diamond. If you enjoy participating on SE and want to have a (greater) voice in how things work, I hope that you consider nominating yourself. If you nominated before but weren't elected, please do consider nominating again. In my opinion, quite a number of people who didn't get elected would have been excellent moderators.

I'm glad to have been here for the last few years. When I started as a moderator, I knew very little and was rather hot-headed; I think it would have been fairer had I not been elected. Since then I've learnt a lot, both in terms of chemistry, as well as dealing with people—even if only virtually. Finally, I'd like to thank the other moderators (both past and present); you have all had a more positive impact on me than you might imagine.

Answer 1

I rarely post anything on meta but I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your work as a moderator.

We joined the site almost at the same time (52 days apart). Back then, I was just a newbie learning the ins and outs of the site but you made the site looks like child's play. In the feed, everywhere I saw your name, be it in editing or answering. You were skyrocketing in terms of gaining reputation points and also reputation between community members. You became the "hot-thing" right from the start and I instantly knew that this person is special and might fit to be a moderator someday. And my prediction came true. Now you are a moderator with 3x more reputation points than me (also n times more knowledgeable than me). This proves that although joining the site at the same time, there is a stark difference between you and me. That goes to show how much good of a user you are and why you are an able moderator.

I understood the hardwork you did behind-the-scenes as a moderator to ensure smooth flow of the site and I trusted your opinions and decision, be it controversial or not. A normal user won't realize how much work a moderator have to put and the time they have to commit to the site aside from their real life work and it would be an understatement to say you did an amazing job. Your activity has decreased certainly but I can say you have done enough to the site given you were moderator for over 5 years.

Beside moderation activities, you were an avid editor (user with 2nd most edits). This also goes to show that you like to see quality and always improve the post wherever there is an opportunity. You never abandon a post and if you see the question is good enough or you have posted a comment, you are likely to convert it to an answer, just like you did for one of my post.

I once again thank you (and Todd) for your work and time as a moderator and wish you all the best and I would like to see you continue to contribute to the site.