Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Internet forum
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
===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"/>
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)