# 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:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**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 9, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/21 "2004-11-09T22:00:32Z")
> [@](#): > > It rotates. It’s like an employee of the month type thing. And you do NOT want to know what happens when two mods are tied for Mod of the Month… ---
**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, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/22 "2004-11-09T22:26:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And you do NOT want to know what happens when two mods are tied for Mod of the Month… Is it like WWF Smackdown with goats? ---
**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 9, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/23 "2004-11-09T22:31:42Z")
> [@](#): > > But who gets to wear the codpiece? > [@Cluricaun](#): > > It rotates. It’s like an employee of the month type thing. I hope they wipe it off, first… :eek: 😉😃😛 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/24 "2004-11-09T23:27:44Z")
> [@Stormfield](#): > > AFAIK, Ed Zotti, Jerry Davis, Lynn Bodoni, and TubaDiva are paid. > And, of course, the hamsters get all the food they can eat. And just where, pray tell, did you get THIS piece of misinformation? :dubious: I don’t get paid. I’ve received one staff mug, that’s it. Ed is an editor at the Reader, and Jerry is the tech support at the Reader, and both have duties other than the SD. I wouldn’t know about TubaDIva. ---
**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 10, 2004, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/25 "2004-11-10T13:26:29Z")
The only payment we need is the joy in the eyes of the little children around the world who appreciate what we do. Or, paraphrasing the immortal Lena Lamont: “If we can bring a little joy into your humdrum lives, then we feel that what do ain’t in vain for nothin” ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/26 "2004-11-10T13:32:46Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > He’s registered on the Board with the username, **jdavis**. He’s the tech guy who installs and maintains the software and keeps the hamsters, errrr…server, running properly. He doesn’t post much. **Jerry** is, however, the holder of a world record, and this board gave it to him. What other Head IT Wonk for a newspaper, anywhere in the world, is recognized and his work appreciated by public postings by thousands of people on a regular basis? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/27 "2004-11-10T15:17:35Z")
I’m the owner and administrator of a vBuleltin-based site. What **Q.E.D.** said is spot on. There are actually two types of administrators; administrators and _super administrators_. An administrator cannot remove the account of a super administrator, who is typically the person that owns (and installed) the board. **A mod or admin should delete the following if they feel it gives too much away. These features are [discussed publically on the vBulletin site](http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/) and support forum, and other bulletin boards catering to forum administrators/owners.** This is what the moderator back-end menu looks like. The extent of what a moderator can ultimately do is controlled by the board’s administrator when defining the settings for the moderator group. > [@](#): > > **Announcements** > Add New Announcement > Forum Manager > > **Moderation** > Moderate Threads > Moderate Posts > Moderate Attachments > Moderate Events > > **Users** > Search for Users > Ban User > View Banned Users > Search IP Addresses > > **Usergroups** > Join Requests > > **Thread** > Move > Prune Here’s the hierarchy of a vBulletin adminstrator menu. Many of the menu items below control freatures that are not implemented on the SDMB or many other vBulletin-based sites > [@](#): > > **vBulletin Options** > vBulletin Options > > \*\*Styles & Templates \*\* > Style Manager > Search in Templates > Replacement Variable Manager > Download / Upload Styles > Find Updated Templates > > \*\*Languages & Phrases \*\* > Language Manager > Phrase Manager > Search in Phrases > Download / Upload Languages > > \*\*FAQ \*\* > FAQ Manager > Add New FAQ Item > > \*\*Announcements \*\* > Announcement Manager > Add New Announcement > > \*\*Forums & Moderators \*\* > Forum Manager > Add New Forum > Forum Permissions > Show All Moderators > View Permissions > > \*\*Calendars & Moderators \*\* > Calendar Manager > Add New Calendar > Calendar Permissions > Holiday Manager > > \*\*Threads & Posts \*\* > Prune > Move > Unsubscribe > Strip Poll > Who Voted > > \*\*Moderation \*\* > Moderate Threads > Moderate Posts > Moderate Attachments > Moderate Events > > \*\*Attachments \*\* > Search > Moderate Attachments > Attachment Statistics > Attachment Storage Type > Extensions & Sizes > > \*\*Users \*\* > Add New User > Search for Users > Merge Users > Ban User > Prune / Move Users > Private Message Statistics > Referrals > Search IP Addresses > View Banned Users > Send Email to Users > Generate Mailing List > Access Masks > > \*\*Usergroups \*\* > Usergroup Manager > Add New Usergroup > Join Requests > Promotions > Forum Permissions > Administrator Permissions > > \*\*User Titles \*\* > User Title Manager > Add New User Title > > \*\*User Ranks \*\* > User Rank Manager > Add New User Rank > > \*\*User Reputations \*\* > User Reputation Manager > Add New User Reputation > View Reputation Comments > > \*\*User Profile Fields \*\* > User Profile Field Manager > Add New User Profile Field > > \*\*Subscriptions \*\* > Subscription Manager > Add New Subscription > Test Communication > > \*\*Avatars \*\* > Avatar Manager > Add New Avatars > Upload Avatar > Avatar Storage Type > > \*\*Post icons \*\* > Post Icon Manager > Add New Post Icon > Upload Post Icon > > \*\*Smilies \*\* > Smilie Manager > Add New Smilie > Upload Smilie > > \*\*Custom BB Codes \*\* > BB Code Manager > Add New BB Code > > \*\*Scheduled Tasks \*\* > Scheduled Task Manager > Add New Scheduled Task > Scheduled Task Log > > \*\*Statistics & Logs \*\* > Statistics > Control Panel Log > Moderator Log > Scheduled Task Log > > \*\*Import & Maintenance \*\* > Database Backup > Repair / Optimize Tables > Update Counters > Diagnostics > Execute SQL Query > View PHP info Admins and mods can access additional features under the “Quick Links”, “Forum Tools” and “Thread Tools” menus everybody sees; they don’t have to go into log onto a special admin page to edit or move posts or perform the most-used admin and mod functions. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/28 "2004-11-10T17:39:28Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > It rotates. It’s like an employee of the month type thing. Ouch. Just Ouch. I don’t want to know anything about rotating codpieces. Just thinking about it hurts, and I don’t even have the correct bits for one. ---
**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 11, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/29 "2004-11-11T16:36:56Z")
I should mention that we have turned off many of the functions and do not use them in our configuration of vB. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/30 "2004-11-11T17:25:54Z")
It might be worth mentioning that under “vanilla” VBB a Moderator has moderating rights in only one forum (or a few forums if he/she should moderate more than one). All our SDMB Moderators are technically “Super Moderators” under VBB parlance, able to exercize Demigodlike Moderation Powers in every forum, and to wear a red “S” in a blue keystone-shaped shield on their underwear and Mod Hats\*. - I have no substantive evidence that they actually do wear this – but they’re entitled to. 😉 ---
**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 11, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/31 "2004-11-11T20:41:27Z")
> [@](#): > > Ouch. Just Ouch. > > I don’t want to know anything about rotating codpieces. Just thinking about it hurts, and I don’t even have the correct bits for one. I’m not sure what you’re thinking of, but it’s my understanding that a codpiece doesn’t attach to anything other than underpants, if that. So one might end up getting one’s undies in a twist, but I can’t see that it’d have any effect on one’s correct bits. ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373/32 "2004-11-11T21:11:37Z")
I can’t eliminate this image of it rotating while being worn, kind of like a propellor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-moderator-and-an-administrator/273373.md?page=1)