Editing Internet forum (section)

==Structure==
A forum consists of a tree-like directory structure. The top end is "Categories". A forum can be divided into categories for the relevant discussions. Under the categories are sub-forums, and these sub-forums can further have more sub-forums. The ''topics'' (commonly called ''threads'') come under the lowest level of sub-forums, and these are the places under which members can start their discussions or ''posts''. Logically, forums are organized into a finite set of generic topics (usually with one main topic), driven and updated by a group known as ''members'', and governed by a group known as ''moderators''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=What is a Forum Moderator? (with pictures)|url=http://www.easytechjunkie.com/what-is-a-forum-moderator.htm|access-date=2022-01-25|website=EasyTechJunkie|language=en-US}}</ref> It can also have a graph structure.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Debate_tools#Explore-Ideas.com |title=Debate tools |date=5 February 2010 |access-date=2011-03-31 |publisher=LessWrong |archive-date=2011-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110306075625/http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Debate_tools#Explore-Ideas.com |url-status=live }}</ref>
All message boards will use one of three possible display formats.
Each of the three basic message board display formats: Non-Threaded/Semi-Threaded/Fully Threaded,
has its own advantages and disadvantages. If messages are not related to one another
at all, a Non-Threaded format is best. If a user has a message topic and multiple
replies to that message topic, a semi-threaded format is best. If a user has a message
topic and replies to that message topic and responds to replies, then a fully threaded
format is best.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bulletinboards.com/ThreadHelp.cfm |title=Non-Threaded vs Semi-Threaded vs Threaded Formats |access-date=2010-05-27 |publisher=BulletinBoards.com |archive-date=2010-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629150243/http://www.bulletinboards.com/ThreadHelp.cfm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===User groups===
Internally, Western-style forums organize visitors and logged-in members into user groups. [[Privilege (computing)|Privileges]] and rights are given based on these groups. A user of the forum can automatically be promoted to a more privileged user group based on criteria set by the administrator.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.websitetoolbox.com/message_board/features.html |title=Message Board Features - Website Toolbox |access-date=2009-07-12 |publisher=Website Toolbox |archive-date=2009-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705070624/http://www.websitetoolbox.com/message_board/features.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A person viewing a closed thread as a ''member'' will see a box saying he does not have the right to submit messages there, but a ''moderator'' will likely see the same box, granting him access to more than just posting messages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/vb2_manual_cp_usergroups |title=vBulletin Manual: User Groups and Permissions |access-date=2008-11-04 |publisher=vBulletin |archive-date=2006-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061022092246/http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/vb2_manual_cp_usergroups |url-status=live }}</ref>

An unregistered user of the site is commonly known as a ''guest'' or ''visitor''. Guests are typically granted access to all functions that do not require database alterations or breach privacy. A guest can usually view the contents of the forum or use such features as ''read marking'', but occasionally an administrator will disallow visitors to read their forum as an incentive to become a registered member.<ref group="note">''read marking'' is the process through which a thread, post, or forum that has been viewed is distinguished from those that have not. The function is usually automatic with the addition of controls, like ''Mark All'' etc.</ref> A person who is a very frequent visitor of the forum, a section, or even a thread is referred to as a [[lurker]], and the habit is referred to as ''lurking''. Registered members often will refer to themselves as ''lurking'' in a particular location, which is to say they have no intention of participating in that section but enjoy reading the contributions to it.

====Moderators====
The ''moderators'' (short singular form: "mod") are users (or employees) of the forum who are granted access to the [[#Post|posts]] and [[#Thread|threads]] of all members for the purpose of ''moderating discussion'' (similar to [[arbitration]]) and also keeping the forum clean (neutralizing [[Spamming|spam]] and [[spambot]]s, etc.).<ref name="Administrator seeking moderators to control spam abuse.">{{cite web |access-date=2010-04-20 |publisher=ddforums.com |title=Administrator seeking moderators to control spam abuse. |url=http://www.ddforums.com/showpost.php?p=12566&postcount=9 |archive-date=2010-05-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507060659/http://www.ddforums.com/showpost.php?p=12566&postcount=9 |url-status=live }}</ref> Moderators also answer users' concerns about the forum and general questions, as well as respond to specific complaints. Common privileges of moderators include: deleting, merging, moving, and splitting of posts and threads, locking, renaming, and [[#Thread|stickying]] of threads; [[Block (Internet)|banning]], unbanning, suspending, unsuspending, warning the members; or adding, editing, and removing the polls of threads.<ref name="vBFAQModAdmin">{{cite web |access-date=2008-09-14 |publisher=vBulletin.com |title=vBulletin FAQ: Moderators and Administrators |url=http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/faq.php?faq=vb3_reading_posting#faq_vb3_mods_admins |archive-date=2011-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717192728/https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/faq.php?faq=vb3_reading_posting#faq_vb3_mods_admins |url-status=live }}</ref> "Junior modding", "backseat modding", or "forum copping" can refer negatively to the behavior of ordinary users who take a moderator-like tone in criticizing other members.

Essentially, it is the duty of the moderator to manage the day-to-day affairs of a forum or board as it applies to the stream of user contributions and interactions. The relative effectiveness of this user management directly impacts the quality of a forum in general, its appeal, and its usefulness as a community of interrelated users.

Moderators act as unpaid volunteers on many websites, which has sparked controversies and community tensions. On [[Reddit]], some moderators have prominently expressed dissatisfaction with their unpaid labor being underappreciated, while other site users have accused moderators of abusing special access privileges to act as a "cabal" of "petty tyrants".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Chen|first=Adrian|date=2015-07-21|title=When the Internet's 'Moderators' Are Anything But|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/magazine/when-the-internets-moderators-are-anything-but.html|access-date=2021-07-19|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=2021-07-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719225931/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/magazine/when-the-internets-moderators-are-anything-but.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On [[4chan]], moderators are subject to notable levels of mockery and contempt. There, they are often referred to as janitors (or, more pejoratively, "jannies"<ref group="note">singular "janny"</ref>) given their job, which is tantamount to cleaning up the imageboards' infamous [[shitposting]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Man Who Helped Turn 4chan Into the Internet's Racist Engine|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-man-who-helped-turn-4chan-into-the-internets-racist-engine/|access-date=2021-07-19|website=Vice.com|date=2 November 2020 |language=en|archive-date=2020-11-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118014552/https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7aap8/the-man-who-helped-turn-4chan-into-the-internets-racist-engine|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Administrators====
The ''administrators'' (short form: "admin") manage the technical details required for running the site. As such, they have the authority to appoint and revoke members as [[#Moderators|moderators]], manage the rules, create sections and sub-sections, as well as perform any [[database]] operations ([[Backup|database backup]], etc.). Administrators often also act as [[#Moderators|moderators]]. Administrators may also make forum-wide announcements or change the appearance (known as the skin) of a forum. There are also many forums where administrators share their knowledge.<ref name="vBFAQModAdmin"/>

===Post===
A ''post'' is a user-submitted message enclosed in a block containing the user's details and the date and time it was submitted. Members are usually allowed to edit or delete their own posts. Posts are contained in threads, where they appear as blocks one after another. The first post<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Marone|first=Vittorio|year=2015|title="Keep in mind that I will be improving": The opening post as a request for absolution|journal=Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies|volume=5|issue=1|pages=136–158|doi=10.29333/ojcmt/2499|doi-access=free |issn = 1986-3497 }}</ref> starts the thread; this may be called the TS (thread starter) or OP (original post). Posts that follow in the thread are meant to continue discussion about that post or respond to other replies; it is not uncommon for discussions to be derailed.

On Western forums, the classic way to show a member's own details (such as name and avatar) has been on the left side of the post, in a narrow column of fixed width, with the post controls located on the right, at the bottom of the main body, above the signature block. In more recent forum software implementations, the Asian style of displaying the members' details above the post has been copied.

Posts have an internal limit, usually measured in characters. Often, one is required to have a message with a minimum length of 10 characters. There is always an upper limit, but it is rarely reached – most boards have it at either 10,000, 20,000, 30,000, or 50,000 characters.

Most forums keep track of a user's postcount. The postcount is a measurement of how many posts a certain user has made.<ref name="postcount">{{cite web |access-date=2009-11-11 |publisher=TechnoFyed.com |title=Postcount Information |url=http://www.technofyed.com/showthread.php?tid=219 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043241/http://www.technofyed.com/showthread.php?tid=219 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> Users with higher postcounts are often considered more reputable than users with lower postcounts, but not always. For instance, some forums have disabled postcounts with the hopes that doing so will emphasize the quality of information over quantity.

===Thread===
{{see also|Conversation threading}}
A ''thread'' (sometimes called a ''topic'') is a collection of posts, usually displayed from oldest to latest, although this is typically configurable: Options for newest to oldest and for a threaded view (a tree-like view applying logical reply structure before chronological order) can be available. {{anchor|OP}}A thread is defined by a title, an additional description that may summarize the intended discussion, and an opening or '''original post''' (common abbreviation '''OP''', which can also be used to refer to the '''original poster'''), which opens whatever dialogue or makes whatever announcement the poster wishes. A thread can contain any number of posts, including multiple posts from the same members, even if they are one after the other.

====<span id="Bumping"></span>Bumping====
{{Wiktionary pipe|bump#Noun|bump}}
A thread is contained in a forum and may have an associated date that is taken as the date of the last post (options to order threads by other criteria are generally available). When a member posts in a thread, it will jump to the top since it is the latest updated thread. Similarly, other threads will jump in front of it when they receive posts. When a member posts in a thread for no reason but to have it go to the top, it is referred to as a ''bump'' or ''bumping''. It has been suggested that "bump" is an acronym of "bring up my post";<ref>{{cite web |url=http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/BUMP |title=BUMP |access-date=2010-01-17 |publisher=The Free Dictionary |archive-date=2017-10-18 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171018163859/http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/BUMP |url-status=live }}</ref> however, this is almost certainly a [[backronym]], and the usage is entirely consistent with the verb "bump" which means "to knock to a new position".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/bump|title=bump: definition|website=[[Answers.com]]|access-date=2012-12-18|archive-date=2008-10-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007122533/http://www.answers.com/bump|url-status=live}}</ref>

On some message boards, users can choose to ''sage'' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|a:|g|ei}}, though often {{IPAc-en|s|eɪ|dʒ}}) a post if they wish to make a post but not "bump" it. The word "sage" derives from the [[2channel]] terminology 下げる ''sageru'', meaning "to lower".

====Stickying====
Threads that are important but rarely receive posts are ''stickied'' (or, in some software, "pinned"). A ''sticky thread'' will always appear in front of normal threads, often in its own section. A "threaded discussion group" is simply any group of individuals who use a forum for threaded, or asynchronous, discussion purposes. The group may or may not be the only users of the forum.

A thread's popularity is measured on forums in reply (total posts minus one, the opening post, in most default forum settings) counts. Some forums also track [[Pageview|page views]]. Threads meeting a set number of posts or a set number of views may receive a designation such as "hot thread" and be displayed with a different icon compared to other threads. This icon may stand out more to emphasize the thread. If the forum's users have lost interest in a particular thread, it becomes a ''dead thread''.

{|align=left
|-
|[[File:PhpBB3 topic.png|thumb|left|280px|phpBB Thread (viewing as moderator)]]
|[[File:PhpBB forum.png|thumb|left|280px|phpBB Forum (viewing as moderator)]]
|[[File:TreeExample480px.jpg|thumb|left|280px|Forum (Fully Threaded display format)]]
|}
{{clear}}