# A couple of questions about mod tool use **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 18, 2021, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744 "2021-07-18T08:17:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/1 "2021-07-18T08:17:21Z")
If none of these are top secret: 1. Why do the blue mod notes that say things like " the post below was modded for reasons" not appear on the actual post that was modded, but is usually at least one post above? I wish I would have remembered to note one to link to because this is a terrible explanation but I can’t think of a better way to explain. 2. Is the yellow highlighting on mod posts automatic or do you do it manually on every post? I remember there would be occasional problems with this on the old board, so I was wondering if this was a Discourse feature or a mod workaround for better visibility. 3. Some actions require a mod to close a thread and then reopen it when they are done. Can we know which ones they are? If I posted while this is happening would I just get a thread is closed notice or does my post hang in limbo until the thread is open? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/2 "2021-07-18T08:45:55Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Why do the blue mod notes that say things like " the post below was modded for reasons" not appear on the actual post that was modded, but is usually at least one post above? It’s called a Staff Notice and it appears above the post because that’s where Discourse puts it. > [@mordecaiB](#): > > Is the yellow highlighting on mod posts automatic or do you do it manually on every post? We have to click on “Add Staff Color”. The actual color varies depending on what theme you use. On some it’s yellow on others it’s green. There may be other variations as well. > [@mordecaiB](#): > > If I posted while this is happening would I just get a thread is closed notice or does my post hang in limbo until the thread is open? I believe you’ll get a thread closed notice, but mods can post to closed threads so we never see that message. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/3 "2021-07-18T09:04:06Z")
So staff notices are automatically placed and are always blue, mod notes may be different colors according to theme and are manual, and I’ll get a thread closed notice. Thanks! Is it fair to say that thread closed/opened notices are for things that are more complicated than a mod note? Something where the mod is actively working on an action, and doesn’t want anyone to post until the action is finished? Like banning a spammer? ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/4 "2021-07-18T15:54:25Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > If none of these are top secret: Since Discourse is open-source, anything you want to know is freely available online. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/5 "2021-07-18T16:09:18Z")
Fascinating! I had no idea mods were high enough on the evolutionary scale to use tools. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/6 "2021-07-18T16:27:07Z")
Well, we certainly drop hard-shelled seafood onto rocks to open them. And I’ve heard rumors that some of us have stripped leaves off of twigs to get termites out of holes, but I’m not sure that that’s confirmed. The only mod action that I know of that temporarily closes a thread while it’s being done is merging threads (which is implemented in this software by moving all of the posts from one thread into the other thread). I imagine that locking in this process is so you don’t end up with a new post being added to the old, otherwise-empty thread. Oh, and the “Staff Color” thing is done after the fact, after the post is already created. So you might sometimes see an official moderator post before it gets colorized, especially if it’s a complicated bit of modding. For instance, if it’s necessary to give someone a Warning, then I might make a post to that effect, then officially issue the Warning itself and PM the offender (these are the same step), then add a mod note to the offending post, then do our own level of documentation (we like to keep track of more detail than the system does automatically), and only then add staff color to my post. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/7 "2021-07-18T16:45:52Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > Since Discourse is open-source, anything you want to know is freely available online. Can you link me to where I would find answers to this kind of stuff? Not technical stuff, which I probably wouldn’t understand, but a “How to do this” link would be great. Thanks. > [@74westy](#): > > Fascinating! I had no idea mods were high enough on the evolutionary scale to use tools. I’m still not sure of that myself. They _say_ they can use tools, but I’ve never seen film of it. I suspect their keeper helps them out. My original title was “Question about mod tools” but I thought that may be misunderstood. > [@Chronos](#): > > and only then add staff color to my post. Wouldn’t it be easier to do right when you are writing out the warning instead of having to go back and add it after? Or is that not possible? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/8 "2021-07-18T16:48:51Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > My original title was “Question about mod tools” but I thought that may be misunderstood. Much like > **[Cow tools](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_Tools)** > > "Cow tools" is a cartoon from The Far Side by American cartoonist Gary Larson, published in October 1982. It depicts a cow standing behind a table of bizarre, misshapen implements with the caption "cow tools". The cartoon confused many readers, who wrote or phoned in seeking an explanation of the joke. In response to the controversy, Larson issued a press release clarifying that the thrust of the cartoon was simply that, if a cow were to make tools, they would "lack something in sophistication"... ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/9 "2021-07-18T16:52:49Z")
Yes, exactly. I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t really want to see any mod tools. Some things you just can’t unsee. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/10 "2021-07-18T16:54:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So you might sometimes see an official moderator post before it gets colorized, especially if it’s a complicated bit of modding I have seen that. I thought it was my browser glitching. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/11 "2021-07-18T16:55:41Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Yes, exactly. I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t really want to see any mod tools. Some things you just can’t unsee. Is staff color contagious? ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/12 "2021-07-18T17:10:48Z")
I have heard rumors to that effect. And they admit it has different variants, as sometimes it’s green. Or maybe it starts yellow and turns green later. There is much we don’t know about this problem. That’s why I always use rubber gloves while typing on the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/13 "2021-07-18T17:12:33Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > > > Since Discourse is open-source, anything you want to know is freely available online. > > Can you link me to where I would find answers to this kind of stuff? Not technical stuff, which I probably wouldn’t understand, but a “How to do this” link would be great. Thanks. [This](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-moderation-guide/63116) might be helpful. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/14 "2021-07-18T17:21:25Z")
And a couple of fun admin-only ones. How certain are we that mordecaiB [started this thread](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-mods-to-change-post-ownership/21112)? And what if Ed wanted to be mordecaiB [for a while](https://meta.discourse.org/t/impersonating-a-user-and-returning-to-admin-user/119683)? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/15 "2021-07-18T17:24:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Well, we certainly drop hard-shelled seafood onto rocks to open them. Wait. What? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/16 "2021-07-18T17:36:15Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Wouldn’t it be easier to do right when you are writing out the warning instead of having to go back and add it after? Or is that not possible? All of those steps I described can be done in any order (well, except that I can’t add the color to the post before it exists). I do it in roughly that order because that’s what I feel makes sense in terms of priorities, but most of the steps are mostly copying and pasting, and are about equally easy in any order. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/17 "2021-07-18T20:04:27Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > [This](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-moderation-guide/63116) might be helpful. Thank you, that’s kind of what I was looking for. > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > How certain are we that mordecaiB [started this thread](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-mods-to-change-post-ownership/21112)? This one would come in handy for something I said in another thread. If you get a sock that starts a thread that gets a lot of replies, just ban the sock and rename it to something like Loser or Jerk. > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > And what if Ed wanted to be mordecaiB [for a while](https://meta.discourse.org/t/impersonating-a-user-and-returning-to-admin-user/119683)? I’m not so sure I like that one. What if I’m stashing my good porn in my PM files to hide it from my wife, and mods just start taking my porn? Or making fun of me? Just because I like tentacle porn doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > Wait. What? See? I knew it wasn’t true. Lies, all the way down. > [@Chronos](#): > > All of those steps I described can be done in any order (well, except that I can’t add the color to the post before it exists). I do it in roughly that order because that’s what I feel makes sense in terms of priorities, but most of the steps are mostly copying and pasting, and are about equally easy in any order Okay, thanks. Recently I saw a thread where it was opened and closed either 4 or 6 times in a row. I _think_ they were pretty much all at the same time. Mod finger slip or had to go back and do something over again or nobody knows? I can’t remember where I saw it, I read too many threads here. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/18 "2021-07-18T20:25:13Z")
Could be multiple mods taking action on the same thread at the same time (because none of them realized the others already were). I’ve certainly cross-modded with others before. If you had a link, we might be able to say. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/19 "2021-07-18T20:48:54Z")
If I can think of where I saw it, I’ll post it here. Thanks for the answers. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744/20 "2021-07-18T20:56:33Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I have seen that. I thought it was my browser glitching. I’ve seen it too; I thought the mod had forgotten and had edited the post to add it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-mod-tool-use/946744.md?page=2)