You might have seen that I explicitly mentioned in the linked moderator re-evaluation that a forum moderator is NOT a spokesperson of OSM towards 3rd party.
The request by Julien was based on the 3rd party perception of OSM in which they expect a “moderator” to be someone with special powers and the improvement to speak for the community.
All the processes around the new community forum like elections/polls for moderator roles help to manifest this impression.
While those deeply involved in the forum know the difference, frequently it is not understood correctly from outside parties. And even some OSM members thought that a moderator has special decision powers.
I did raise concerns about this in a different thread where discussion was around moderator selection.
Specifically for Thailand, a local chapter like suggested by Andy seems out of reach for me, based on the numbers and structure of active community members. There had been attempts to increase OSM visibility by partnering with foss4g for the SOTM Asia 23.
I’m quoting again the initial justification for the application:
My aim is to launch a Chiang Mai mapping-focused Facebook group to promote OpenStreetMap awareness and attract new contributors.
While I recognize the modest responsibilities of the Community Moderator role, it’s crucial to highlight that its undocumented aspects may be unclear to newcomers, as I’ve shown before.
I believe any community-approved role brings a sense of trust, quality, and knowledge, and can help me attract new members to our small community.
@Tordanik It might have been my fault to post a request into the wrong category. Just to double-check: Does it really be a new topic in the “new category request” category? It would have been the first request of this kind ever there.
Based on the concerns raised here: Shall we start this process, or better wait for a further discussion by governance team?