# Mod only forums...what are they called? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 30, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-only-forums-what-are-they-called/314878 "2005-07-30T12:47:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hallowmass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Hallowmass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallowmass)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-only-forums-what-are-they-called/314878/21 "2005-07-31T13:49:56Z")
huh? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-only-forums-what-are-they-called/314878/22 "2005-07-31T14:07:13Z")
> [@Hallowmass](#): > > Evidently, they are called: > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=8](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=8) > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=9](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=9) > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=10](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=10) > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=11](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=11) > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=14](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=14) > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=15](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=15) (actually “works”) > and > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=16](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=16) > Assuming that those are all actually working forums, the Staff have almost as many additional playgrounds as the rest of us. > [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > You assume wrongly. There was a time when just linking to these forums was a bannable offense. It’s nice to see how enlightened we are now. ---
**Author:** ![Hallowmass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Hallowmass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallowmass)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-only-forums-what-are-they-called/314878/23 "2005-07-31T14:12:04Z")
Well, that was a silly rule, now wasn’t it? Just linking, with no way to actually read them? ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-only-forums-what-are-they-called/314878/24 "2005-07-31T18:30:33Z")
> [@Hallowmass](#): > > Evidently, they are called: > > Assuming that those are all actually working forums, the Staff have almost as many additional playgrounds as the rest of us. I believe some of those are the “archive” forums that disappeared magically when the board was transitioned from UBB to vB, due to some kind of incompatibility or other. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-only-forums-what-are-they-called/314878/25 "2005-08-01T01:29:05Z")
> [@](#): > > But I have seen more than I care to of those areas becoming a “haven from the Membership”, where the Staff talk about stuff that _should_ have been discussed on the general board or- in a few cases- where Staff gossips, whines, and gripes about the Members. Things can get cliquish really fast in those situations, and I have seen more than one perfectly good person unjustly demonized in the private forums to the point where almost everyone on staff had it in for them. Unless there is some probationary period I have failed to pass, yet, that would let me see some super-duper-secret forum, I can assure you that that is not happening on the SDMB. Sheer size and age mitigates against it. Even if we carefully screened applicants to prevent anyone who had ever been the target of kvetching from becoming a Mod, we have no way of knowing every poster who is a friend of a Mod or Mod candidate. Once a new Mod had access to the inner halls, a few vanity searches would reveal all the bitching ever posted about them or their friends. (And wouldn’t there be hell to pay, then?) A small board with very low turnover is a better location for that sort of silliness. Beyond that, we really do not have a **M** undane **P** ointless **S** tuff **I** **Mod** **S** hare forum. There are enough business fora that take enough maintenance that we are not really enticed to hang out there even longer just to gossip. ---
**Author:** ![Hallowmass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Hallowmass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallowmass)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-only-forums-what-are-they-called/314878/26 "2005-08-01T02:02:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Once a new Mod had access to the inner halls, a few vanity searches would reveal all the bitching ever posted about them or their friends. (And wouldn’t there be hell to pay, then?) A small board with very low turnover is a better location for that sort of silliness. Not every board is that far-sighted, even the larger ones. You might be surprised. Again, I’m not saying that such things are happening here. I’m not saying that I’m worried that such things _might_ be happening here. I was simply sharing my own experiences with what has happened elsewhere. Whether those experiences apply here, I have no way of knowing. I’m not laying judgment at anyone’s feet, simply passing on a very hard-learned lesson. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2005, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-only-forums-what-are-they-called/314878/27 "2005-08-01T02:16:22Z")
Just to end pointless speculation: the hidden Moderator forums are primarily for administrative purposes. - There’s a place to which where we move all the “bad” threads and posts. That way, we have them available to us if needed (rather than just deleting them), but they’re not visible to the membership. It’s mostly full of spam posts. - There’s a place where we record serious warnings issued to various members and guests, so that we can document (“OK, PosterX, this is the fifth time we’ve warned you about insults in CS” or whatever. That’s pretty much it. There are also separate forums for Cecil’s Mail and questions for the SDSAB, of course. It’s not really a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Hallowmass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Hallowmass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallowmass)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-only-forums-what-are-they-called/314878/28 "2005-08-01T02:21:25Z")
So, you’re still denying that there’s a Goat Forum? ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-only-forums-what-are-they-called/314878/29 "2005-08-01T02:25:26Z")
Well, given the recombinant DNA experiments they’ve been conducting in that forum, involving insertion of hamster genes into goat ova, they seem to believe they’ve still got plausible deniability. ---
**Author:** ![Hallowmass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Hallowmass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallowmass)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-only-forums-what-are-they-called/314878/30 "2005-08-01T02:26:41Z")
Now it has a thousand young. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-only-forums-what-are-they-called/314878/31 "2005-08-01T04:48:47Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > There are also separate forums for Cecil’s Mail and questions for the SDSAB, of course. And anyone who believes “there is no such thing as a stupid question” would have their bubble burst pretty quickly with just a brief rummage through the Mailbag. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mod-only-forums-what-are-they-called/314878.md?page=1)