# What's the difference between a moderator and an administrator? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 6, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373 "2004-11-06T18:50:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/1 "2004-11-06T18:50:36Z")
That is all. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/2 "2004-11-06T19:02:07Z")
The venomous dorsal spines. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/3 "2004-11-06T19:14:11Z")
Moderators can move, close and delete threads, edit posts and titles and have access to at least some of the private forums. Administrators can do all that, as well as post announcements, ban and unban members, make name changes and other modifications to registrations, and effect changes to the look and feel of the boards themselves. There may be other specific differences unique to this boardā€“the above is based on my experience with _other_ message boards (as a mod, an admin or both) and my reading of the information available on the vBulletin website. ---
**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 6, 2004, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/4 "2004-11-06T23:15:26Z")
Moderators moderate the boards. Administrators both moderate the boards and administrate the boards. And are paid twice as much. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/5 "2004-11-06T23:28:20Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > Moderators moderate the boards. Administrators both moderate the boards and administrate the boards. And are paid twice as much. You get _two_ coffee cups? ---
**Author:** ![vinniepaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@vinniepaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vinniepaz)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/6 "2004-11-07T06:52:42Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > Moderators moderate the boards. Administrators both moderate the boards and administrate the boards. And are paid twice as much. Yep. 2 times 0 is still 0. ---
**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 7, 2004, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/7 "2004-11-07T13:17:13Z")
OTOH, Administrator uniforms have braids on the shoulders. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/8 "2004-11-07T13:40:43Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > OTOH, Administrator uniforms have braids on the shoulders. And **Ed** gets four stripes, and collar insignia in the form of a gold turkey (Ć  la Signorino)? ( **Cecil** , of course, is above any rank markings, even when he lets himself be seen. Usually, of course, he uses his mind clouding powers to keep anyone from noticing him, as he has at most Dopefests.) ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/9 "2004-11-07T14:19:32Z")
> [@vinniepaz](#): > > Yep. 2 times 0 is still 0. Geez, doesnā€™t the Chicago Reader pay anybody? ---
**Author:** ![DoperChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@DoperChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoperChic)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/10 "2004-11-07T14:57:56Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > ( **Cecil** , of course, is above any rank markings, even when he lets himself be seen. Usually, of course, he uses his mind clouding powers to keep anyone from noticing him, as he has at most Dopefests.) I suspect this may be a whoosh, but Cecil goes to Dopefests? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/11 "2004-11-07T19:07:47Z")
> [@DoperChic](#): > > I suspect this may be a whoosh, but Cecil goes to Dopefests? That strange gust of wind was, as you expected, a whoosh. My assertion was ā€“ **If** Cecil goes to Dopefests, he uses his special abilities to keep from being noticed, and consequently lionized, there. Only he can say whether he actually does ā€“ and Iā€™m not holding my breath expecting him to post to this! šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![DoperChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@DoperChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoperChic)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/12 "2004-11-08T02:18:44Z")
Darn. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/13 "2004-11-08T05:34:43Z")
Iā€™ve heard that Cecil has gone to a few Dopefests using my identity. I donā€™t mind it at all. Heā€™s not as boring or foolish as I am, so my overall image is burnished a bit. šŸ†’ ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/14 "2004-11-08T07:08:01Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Heā€™s not as foolish as I am Recent promulgations notwithstandingā€¦ ---
**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 8, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/15 "2004-11-08T20:18:30Z")
> [@](#): > > (Cecil, of course, is above any rank markings, even when he lets himself be seen. Usually, of course, he uses his mind clouding powers to keep anyone from noticing him, as he has at most Dopefests.) Whoa, so heā€™s like Darth Vader? ā€œSee to it that theyā€™re found, _Administrator_ **xash** ā€ā€¦ On the OP, the way I explain it is that moderators can do things to posts and threads, while administrators can do things to members and fora. Both, of course, can do things to goats. ---
**Author:** ![Stormfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@Stormfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stormfield)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/16 "2004-11-09T01:50:10Z")
> [@KRM](#): > > Geez, doesnā€™t the Chicago Reader pay anybody? AFAIK, Ed Zotti, Jerry Davis, Lynn Bodoni, and TubaDiva are paid. And, of course, the hamsters get all the food they can eat. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/17 "2004-11-09T08:58:25Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > OTOH, Administrator uniforms have braids on the shoulders. But who gets to wear the codpiece? ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/18 "2004-11-09T12:56:09Z")
> [@Stormfield](#): > > AFAIK, Ed Zotti, Jerry Davis, Lynn Bodoni, and TubaDiva are paid. > And, of course, the hamsters get all the food they can eat. Jerry Davis? ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/19 "2004-11-09T15:41:50Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > But who gets to wear the codpiece? It rotates. Itā€™s like an employee of the month type thing. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/20 "2004-11-09T15:47:39Z")
> [@KRM](#): > > Jerry Davis? Heā€™s registered on the Board with the username, **jdavis**. Heā€™s the tech guy who installs and maintains the software and keeps the hamsters, errrrā€¦server, running properly. He doesnā€™t post much. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373.md?page=2)