# Mods are the non-coms. What do Admins do all day? Read field reports only? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 5, 2013, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049 "2013-09-05T02:50:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/21 "2013-09-05T20:06:18Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Pleeeze, seriously you guyz, is there sort of some publicly-available jobs description/management structure of SD? There isn’t that much structure. Cecil is Cecil. Ed approves the selection of mods and admins. Once in a rare while we will talk to Ed if we need some clarification about a particular problem, but mostly the mods handle their own forums and will discuss any tricky situations or possible problems. You can see the moderating assignments by clicking on the Forum Leaders link. It’s a volunteer position, so these things are fairly informal. > [@](#): > > Anyway, “eyeballs on threads–brain–decision–intervention or not” is how I see the notional structure of the mass of mods’ lives of quiet desperation. Pretty much, although the process often starts with a reported post. > [@](#): > > Occasionally in announcements of bannings and what not in ATMB you get a glimpse into the jury room. Potential-banner has no defender, per se. Not as such, no. But anybody can argue for or against a proposed ban or suspension (or warning, if it’s particularly controversial). > [@](#): > > So really, pretend this is Wiki and thank God it is not: how does one get to be an Administrator? One has to be a moderator first. > [@](#): > > What else do they do, are required, sort of, to do? Besides accept and reject hookers, blow, chocolate, etc. You handle things like account merges or name changes, mail or password problems, spammer bans and forum moderation as your schedule allows. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/22 "2013-09-05T21:08:58Z")
Do Admins receive a salary? ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/23 "2013-09-05T21:26:07Z")
> [@](#): > > So really, pretend this is Wiki and thank God it is not: how does one get to be an Administrator? A moderator would have to _arrange_ for a vacancy in the administrators. Sort of like the same way Mustrum Ridcully and his predecessors became Archchancellor of Unseen University, except they don’t, to my knowledge, have magical abilities. Which is why when moderators are in proximity, the admins only drink from sealed cans and bottled beverages. And they tend to switch dinner plates with people and make jokes like “You taste it first.” > [@](#): > > I think I heard they watch soap operas and eat chocolates all day long. Don’t forget the Swedish Massages. And bon-bons. LOTS of bon-bons. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/24 "2013-09-05T21:44:00Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Do Admins receive a salary? They get twice as much as mods do. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/25 "2013-09-05T21:59:26Z")
Mods are non-coms. Admin. are commissioned officers. Cecil is the figurehead Generalissimo. We are spear-carriers. Ed is…what rank do you suppose Gilligan was again? ---
**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:** [September 5, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/26 "2013-09-05T22:09:55Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Ed is…what rank do you suppose Gilligan was again? According to the theme song, he was “the mate.” Considering Gilligan’s general capabilities, I suspect he must have been Third Mate, even though there weren’t any others. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/27 "2013-09-05T23:50:45Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Mods are non-coms. Admin. are commissioned officers. Cecil is the figurehead Generalissimo. We are spear-carriers. And some of you are spear-_chuckers_. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/28 "2013-09-06T00:04:12Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Except on Tuesdays. That’s Marley’s day to be the hooker. Who gets to be the blow? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/29 "2013-09-06T00:27:02Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > So really, pretend this is Wiki and thank God it is not: how does one get to be an Administrator? It’s a progression. To become a moderator, you submit an application, all of the existing mods and admins weigh in, and then **Ed** makes the final decision. If the admins decide that they need another admin, they powwow with **Ed** and pick one of the existing moderators to ascend to the hallowed ranks of administrator. After a grueling crash course in administrative duties, the prospective admin receives the fabled turkey tattoo and keys to the executive washroom. They also get to trade in their jackboots for swim fins. > [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > No. I know an Admin can ban every single user with the click of a mouse button. What else do they do, are required, sort of, to do? Besides accept and reject hookers, blow, chocolate, etc. As **Marley** said, it’s basically … well … administrative stuff. There are sections of the control panels that moderators can’t access, and it takes an admin to do things like create new forums, change usernames, and so forth. > [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Don’t forget the Swedish Massages. And bon-bons. LOTS of bon-bons. Wait a minute! Swedish Massages? SWEDISH Massages? And all these years I’ve just been getting these SWORDFISH Massages. My back is scraped RAW, I tell you. ---
**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:** [September 6, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/30 "2013-09-06T00:28:18Z")
As a rule of thumb, moderators can do things to posts and threads, while administrators can do things to posters and forums. For the day-to-day work, the moderators keep an eye on their forums, both from reports and their own reading. The very first step to becoming a moderator, of course, is being an active member. You also develop an instinct for which threads are likely see problems cropping up-- It took me years to break the habit of opening up suspect threads I wasn’t interested in, just to see if there was a problem. When they see a problem, they take action. Sometimes it’s simple: You see blatant spam, you nuke it, along with the spammer. You see a thread starting to get uncivil, you put in a mod note, and maybe, in extreme cases, a warning or close the thread. Someone accidentally put a thread in the wrong forum, or it’s drifted into another forum’s territory, you move it. All of this, a moderator can do by themselves. But then there are situations where one moderator alone can’t handle it. In these cases, they don’t go up the hierarchy, like you might think. Or rather, they do, but they don’t _just_ go up: They go sideways. The mod that first noticed the problem e-mails all of the other mods, and they discuss the situation behind the scenes and come to an agreement about what to do. I think warnings also go into this moderator loop, even though a mod can issue them solo (this has gotten a bit more formal since my day). This is the sort of process you get before a banning, or the like. There’s also a behind-the-scenes forum on the board, only visible to moderators, that is used for documenting and sharing information. I don’t know all the details of this, though, since it was after my time. ---
**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:** [September 6, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/31 "2013-09-06T01:41:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I think warnings also go into this moderator loop, even though a mod can issue them solo (this has gotten a bit more formal since my day). In straightforward cases, such as insults, moderators will generally issue warnings on their own. Sending them to the loop would be too time consuming (especially if a fight is breaking out or a thread is being derailed), and most cases are clear cut. It’s only in borderline cases, or where the precedent may not be clear, that consultation may be called for. ---
**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:** [September 6, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/32 "2013-09-06T02:19:34Z")
I meant, the moderator issues the warning without consultation, but then tells all the other mods it’s been issued, so someone causing minor trouble all over the place doesn’t go unnoticed. Not so? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/33 "2013-09-06T02:49:54Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Do Admins receive a salary? > [@twickster](#): > > They get twice as much as mods do. What a gyp! They should negotiate for triple. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/34 "2013-09-06T03:15:53Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > No. It’s not even remotely possible. As my boss would say, hard and impossible are not synonyms. Reading every post is very possible, just unnecessary and inefficient. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/35 "2013-09-06T03:41:17Z")
[QUOTE=Ranger Jeff] Don’t forget the Swedish Massages. And bon-bons. LOTS of bon-bons. [/QUOTE] [quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:29, topic:668049”] Wait a minute! Swedish Massages? SWEDISH Massages? And all these years I’ve just been getting these SWORDFISH Massages. My back is scraped RAW, I tell you. [/QUOTE] Oh. Did I let the cat out of the… :smack: No. I made a typo. Admins do not get Swedish Massages. Or new Alienware computers every year. Or season tickets. Those are just false rumours. Yeah, that’s the ticket. I don’t know how those get started. But nothing like that ever happens. Honest. Remember, you can trust me. I’m not like the others; I’m your friend. 🙂 ---
**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:** [September 6, 2013, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/36 "2013-09-06T03:47:50Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I meant, the moderator issues the warning without consultation, but then tells all the other mods it’s been issued, so someone causing minor trouble all over the place doesn’t go unnoticed. Not so? We don’t need to do that with the automatic warning system we went to some years ago. When a warning is issued, a notice is posted in a separate forum, and a notation is placed on the poster’s profile. So checking the warning forum will show who’s been causing trouble recently regardless of who issued the warning. When I issue a warning I usually check a poster’s profile to see if they have other recent infractions. If so, then I may alert the rest of the mods. Sometimes when we get a newbie who is particularly trollish or snarky we may alert the loop to keep an eye on them. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/37 "2013-09-06T13:21:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Except on Tuesdays. That’s Marley’s day to be the hooker. …and blow… \ ---
**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:** [September 6, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/38 "2013-09-06T14:54:26Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Not yet. You haven’t locked everyone out lately. 😃 Man, that’s harsh. You ban everybody just one time and nobody ever lets you forget it. ---
**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:** [September 6, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/39 "2013-09-06T15:01:26Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Do Admins receive a salary? No. It’s all unpaid. We do this out of love. And the hookers and blow, of course. And the power and the glory. ---
**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:** [September 6, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049/40 "2013-09-06T15:05:39Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Oh. Did I let the cat out of the… :smack: > > No. I made a typo. Admins do not get Swedish Massages. Or new Alienware computers every year. Or season tickets. Those are just false rumours. Yeah, that’s the ticket. I don’t know how those get started. But nothing like that ever happens. Honest. Remember, you can trust me. I’m not like the others; I’m your friend. 🙂 [del]YAnd you left out the part about unlimited draft beer and the mini marshmellows in the hot cocoa.[/del] But nevermind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-are-the-non-coms-what-do-admins-do-all-day-read-field-reports-only/668049.md?page=3)