Does an admin have to do more of the technical stuff while mods are more focused on what goes on in the forums? The line seems blurry because there are many who are both.
Administrators get plates as well as coffee cups…
Actually, the major difference is what adminstrators can do with the software. In general, mods can edit, lock, delete, and move posts or threads whereas admins can do those things plus ban users, create and delete forums, and determine how the forum “looks” (so they can enable or disable specific options such as PM, who’s online, etc).
We don’t do a lot of customizing of the look and feel of the software. But that is a task reserved to administrators. Besides handling user requests the major part of an administrator’s time is usually taken up moderating his/her own forum, which is also what moderators do.
One can sum up the difference by saying that moderators can do things to posts and threads (editing, moving, closing, deleting), whereas administrators can also do things to users and fora (banning/unbanning, changing usernames, creating/deleting/closing/opening forums). In addition to TubaDiva, C K Dexter Haven, Lynn Bodoni, Gaudere, and Noodles, who are also moderators of particular fora, the administrators also include Ed Zotti, jdavis (the technical guy), various other Reader employees, and Cecil Adams (although he has a special title, and I don’t think he ever uses his administrative powers, but it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to not have them). So far as I know, all of the admins have the same powers (and they can all do the mod stuff, too, even those not assigned to a forum), but jdavis is probably the only one who regularly uses the Big Important Tools like changing board-wide settings and creating fora.
In addition, on my boards, administrators can enable/control moderators & moderators control users.
The only people above the administrators for us are the board owners.
Noodles? Who’s that? I’m confused…
And all this time, I thought the difference was wit and charm.
[pickin’ nose]And which ones is it we Mods is got again?[/pickin’ nose]
No, its just pay. Moderators get $0, and Administrators get double that.
He’s that guy right above me. See that next to his post?
Noodles
Administrator
Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Costa Mesa
California USA
Posts: 7418
Noodles!D
Got any sauce to go with them?
Cecil is the Perfect Master
Ahh… I understand far better now.