# Are some of the moderators awol? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 14, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-of-the-moderators-awol/426405 "2007-11-14T19:23:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Toast\_Museum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90ced4/32.png) [@Toast\_Museum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toast_Museum)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-of-the-moderators-awol/426405/1 "2007-11-14T19:23:48Z")
A few mods seem to do all the modding. I’ve checked the mod roster [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showgroups.php](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showgroups.php)? and some names never seem to appear. But then I can’t search, so I may just be in the wrong time zone to see them. ---
**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-of-the-moderators-awol/426405/2 "2007-11-14T19:36:14Z")
Well, the board’s secret police wouldn’t be very effective if you saw them working, would they? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-of-the-moderators-awol/426405/3 "2007-11-14T19:57:48Z")
::: shrug ::: From time to time, one moderator or another takes a vacation, or has some family or business activity that takes them away from the boards. Vacations can (obviously) last a few weeks. We usually have someone cover, often behind the scenes, at such times. And, some forums engender more activity that requires moderator attention than do other forums. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-of-the-moderators-awol/426405/4 "2007-11-14T21:34:06Z")
[QUOTE=C K Dexter Haven] Vacations can (obviously) last a few weeks. [/QUOTE] […drool…] I’m lucky when I get a Friday/Monday combination. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-of-the-moderators-awol/426405/5 "2007-11-14T22:33:09Z")
Sometimes a vacation from the board comes about because the staffer is too busy at work to be able to read effectively. Not much of a vacation! People have also been excused to recover from illness, to bury family members, etc. Not much of a break there either. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2007, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-of-the-moderators-awol/426405/6 "2007-11-14T23:38:40Z")
Also, not all moderator actions are visible. If a mod posts in a thread to say “Hey, you two, play nice”, everyone sees that (or at least, can). But when a mod unmakes a spammer and wishes all of its threads into the cornfield, there’s no evidence left over for the public eye. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-of-the-moderators-awol/426405/7 "2007-11-15T02:05:16Z")
[QUOTE=Toast Museum] A few mods seem to do all the modding. I’ve checked the mod roster [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showgroups.php](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showgroups.php)? and some names never seem to appear. But then I can’t search, so I may just be in the wrong time zone to see them. [/QUOTE] Actually, I think you just entered your own dimension. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-of-the-moderators-awol/426405/8 "2007-11-15T02:31:31Z")
Is it a volunteer position, or perhaps it is invitation-only, involving arcane rites of initiation? Are all mods former members? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-of-the-moderators-awol/426405/9 "2007-11-15T02:52:40Z")
[QUOTE=John DiFool] Is it a volunteer position, or perhaps it is invitation-only, involving arcane rites of initiation? Are all mods former members? [/QUOTE] Both. Some of us applied and some of us were drafted. You can apply by emailing **TubaDiva**. As far as I know, all mods have been members, except maybe **Tuba** who I believe has been an admin since the founding on AOL. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-of-the-moderators-awol/426405/10 "2007-11-15T02:53:18Z")
[QUOTE=Toast Museum] A few mods seem to do all the modding. I’ve checked the mod roster [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showgroups.php](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showgroups.php)? and some names never seem to appear. But then I can’t search, so I may just be in the wrong time zone to see them. [/QUOTE] Way to call attention on yourself. Now you are banned. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-of-the-moderators-awol/426405/11 "2007-11-15T03:41:21Z")
[QUOTE=Sapo] Way to call attention on yourself. Now you are banned. [/QUOTE] Actually, he was banned because of another of his persona’s faces. I hate Hydras. Closed. **samclem**