It’s not a secret… we know it exists
So why not let us view this forum, but disable posting privileges for non-staff? What are you hiding? Hmmm?
Could {Note: link deleted. Lynn} be a link to the lost forum? Hmmm, I think it’s very probable.
[Edited by Lynn Bodoni on 11-13-2001 at 11:11 PM]
Okay, so? 
“You do not have permission to view this page.” You put me in mind of certain chintzy video game demos, where all you get is 30 seconds of chasing the sparkling glowlight thingie, and it dances you right up to the Black Fortress door but you can’t open it until you buy the game, nyah nyah…
We must allow the mods their privacy, MSK. Bless their peapickin’ little hearts, they deserve a private spot where they can talk about us without fear of retribution. Goodness knows, we certainly talk about them with complete impunity. All the time.
Actually, no, that’s NOT the staff boards. But it’s private. And in the future, you might want to EMAIL someone if you have a question about something like this.
Lynn
For the Straight Dope
They also have a private moderators’ board at Fathom I noticed, and at a lot of other MBs I’ve seen, seems a bit odd…it is probably legitemate board business that goes on in these private forums, but it seems a tad unfriendly somehow, hmmm (there’s always the sneaking suspicion that they are talking about the posters! heh)
[sup]okay I admit it! I’m reeeealy nosy!
[/sup]
Yes, we do have a Moderator Forum at Fathom and, yes, we do talk about all you little people. 
Actually, it is mostly mundane stuff about who might be away from the boards for a few days or pointing out technical problems. The most common reference to posters is a running “heads up” thread regarding new posters.
Have we ever discussed what appeared to be a troll or otherwise disruptive poster? Sure, kathaksung got a thread. However, none of us have the time to sit around passing gossip on posters–particularly when we can do the same thing in public Fora and get more responses < eg > .
Having a clickable, on-hand Forum is simply an easier way to share information quickly than setting up e-mail groups.
I suspect that the same dynamics are true here at the SDMB.
Another thing we do in the Fathom moderator forum is discuss moderating issues. Like should we take action on a post or leave it… we discuss our decisions after the fact too, in an attempt to stay on the same page and keep each other in check. Also we typically move threads there rather than deleting them, just in case we need to reference them later or restore them for some reason.
It isn’t anything sinister, I promise, and I’m sure the one here at the SDMB is the same way.
Does it really matter to begin with?
What the Admins or Mods do behind the scenes is no concern of us. Yes, at Fathom it’s visible but that is Fathom and this is the SDMB. Two different boards with two different reasons for being around.
BTW, Fathom’s mod forum is pretty dang benign. Discussions of new ideas to take to the “public,” the occasional discussion of questionable posts, etc…it’s not some round table to see who is the next victim. I suspect that the SDMB is similar.
But really? Does it matter? Two boards with different objectives. What one does does not mean the other should do as well.
You seem to have changed the question (to one with lots of baggage about Fathom, which is extaneous), when the question seems simple enough-
If the link was to a forum that no one could enter without special permission, why bother to delete the link?
If we don’t want you to see something, chances are it’s a post we found actionable on our part and saved to show to an offender’s ISP, the Reader, or other authorities.
Thankfully, those examples are few.
We removed them from view because we didn’t want them on the public board. If we had meant for them to be viewable, we’da left them for you to read. Most of you object to them in the first place and send us emails bringing such objectionable material to our immediate attention.
The rest of our private communications tend to be concerning the application of policy to individual posts and/or the conduct of individual posters. I dunno why you think any discussion we might have on these subjects would be exciting, I doubt if anyone’s heart would go pit-a-pat over the fine points of moderating.
your humble TubaDiva
Administrator
On the board on which I am a moderator (actually an administrator, though I need training before I attempt to do the additional stuff that authorizes), the purpose of such a forum includes: (a) discussing what ought to be general policy and how what is already is working, (b) deciding how to deal properly with a poster whom most of us like just fine but who “pushes the envelope” on announced limits to posting, and © asking for coverage when someone is going to be unavailable to moderate his/her forum. Not earthshattering stuff, but not exactly the sort of thing you want to make public – especially the courtesy factor to poster X in “how to deal with X to avoid conflict situations in the future.” Oh, and (d) gentle kidding of each other’s foibles.
I have no reasons to believe the forum here is any different. In addition, I accidentally got into the Moderator Forum at Fathom once, and found it to be much the same. (I deleted the link, and won’t say how it happened, except to Opal if she finds it necessary to know.)
“Paranoia strikes deep / Into your life it will creep…”
How about I take a stab at it.
It is a restricted area. Making a general link to the area removes one level of security. Yes, a “serious” hacker could find it anyways. But a casual, or non-serious one, or just someone playing around would not find it. And if 10,000 people try messing with something, it is possible that someone is going to, by blind luck or persistance, find a way into it.
Due to be 20,000 by Christmas, if the trends continue and the roads aren’t closed with snow!
Okay folks,
For your safety, please keep all hands and objects inside the vehicle at all times. Do not attempt to circumvent the safety harness or restraining bar. Please remain in the vehicle at all times. Do not go into restricted areas. Do not play with the machinery. Ignore the man behind the curtain.