I don't know if we have explicitly pointed this out, so bad on us if we haven't, but Guardian Wolf and BladeCollector have both been elevated to the rank of Administrator. Because the four of us (these two plus Valkrist and I) all own the site together equally, it is only appropriate that we all share the same title and abilities. So hats off to GW, who was elevated some time back, and BC, who accepted the Administrator role during the migration!

Congrats!

Yes, congrats and my hat is off to all 4 of you for the migration. Seems to be working well.

Congratulations! The admin team is now an awesome foursome!

Congrats and THANKS to all of you! You've done a hell of a job for this little community, and I can't thank you enough. Collecting and my interest in Middle-Earth would have been the passing fad of a youth if I hadn't had this community to keep me interested and excited and give me people to share my interest with.

On a side note, is there really much of a difference between Mod and Admin?

Spelling...and 'Admin' has more letters than 'Mod'

Okay, you got me!

Deimos wrote:Spelling...and 'Admin' has more letters than 'Mod'

Oh Deimos, whatever shall we do with you...

To answer your question, Fin, the difference is:

An Administrator is someone who (in the case of this forum) is part owner and has a say in the decisions that affect all aspects of this website. The Admin also has unfettered access to all the higher functions and tools that the forum software provides, and can make changes, fixes, create and remove entire sections of the site, etc, and deal with member registration approval.

A Moderator, on the other hand, is charged with ensuring that the forums rules, as set out by the Admins, are being followed, and to enforce them upon occasion when they are broken. A Mod can delete or edit your posts, lock a thread or even delete it, and even ban users if the situation calls for it.

Currently, we have no one that is strictly in the role of Moderator, as myself, Olorin, GuardianWolf, and BladeCollector are all Admins ,but we also perform all the functions of Moderators as well. This was not always so, and each one of us did start out as a Mod, hence the title distinction and the green names that some of you may recall from the past. BC has really been and Admin for a long time, but he liked his green name so much better than gold that he opted to remain listed as a Mod.

I always got a kick out of the particular Forum Rule that said not to request to be made a Moderator, that the Admins will decide who they want, based on a number of criteria. "In other words, don't call us, we'll call you."

I can well imagine the personality type who would have a burning desire to be a combined policeman, censor and disciplinarian; and for that very reason should never be given the opportunity.

Deimos wrote:I always got a kick out of the particular Forum Rule that said not to request to be made a Moderator, that the Admins will decide who they want, based on a number of criteria. "In other words, don't call us, we'll call you."

I can well imagine the personality type who would have a burning desire to be a combined policeman, censor and disciplinarian; and for that very reason should never be given the opportunity.

Trust me, there were times, in my early Mod career here, I had some regrets. I was on the receiving end of a lot of hate from people. But that was years ago, and now that I have been around for 10 years, I am glad I stuck around, so I can be part owner of this great little community we have now.

Is this your roundabout way of applying for a UCF badge?

BladeCollector wrote:Trust me, there were times, in my early Mod career here, I had some regrets. I was on the receiving end of a lot of hate from people. But that was years ago, and now that I have been around for 10 years, I am glad I stuck around, so I can be part owner of this great little community we have now.

Was it a case of a lot of people giving you a jab here or there, or mostly a relatively few (and the same) people giving you heavy flack?

Because it has been my experience that it's usually just a few people in any group who have "problems with authority" and from whom you get the most [and often hostile] push-back.

And, not surprisingly, the latter types are exactly those ones I described earlier, who are just aching to be made judge, jury and executioner and ban people they personally dislike or even with whom they merely disagree.

Deimos wrote:

BladeCollector wrote:Trust me, there were times, in my early Mod career here, I had some regrets. I was on the receiving end of a lot of hate from people. But that was years ago, and now that I have been around for 10 years, I am glad I stuck around, so I can be part owner of this great little community we have now.

Was it a case of a lot of people giving you a jab here or there, or mostly a relatively few (and the same) people giving you heavy flack?

Because it has been my experience that it's usually just a few people in any group who have "problems with authority" and from whom you get the most [and often hostile] push-back.

And, not surprisingly, the latter types are exactly those ones I described earlier, who are just aching to be made judge, jury and executioner and ban people they personally dislike or even with whom they merely disagree.

Mainly the few giving me heavy flack, personal insults, etc. But like I said, that was all in the past, and the forums have grown into a better, much more friendly place.

But also getting back the original question and to elaborate on what Val said, in larger forums, where there are many more daily posts than what we have here, Mods would have sections they would focus on to moderate, but our community is small, that as of this moment in time, the 4 admins do the adminning and modding ourselves.

Deimos wrote:

BladeCollector wrote:Trust me, there were times, in my early Mod career here, I had some regrets. I was on the receiving end of a lot of hate from people. But that was years ago, and now that I have been around for 10 years, I am glad I stuck around, so I can be part owner of this great little community we have now.

Was it a case of a lot of people giving you a jab here or there, or mostly a relatively few (and the same) people giving you heavy flack?

Because it has been my experience that it's usually just a few people in any group who have "problems with authority" and from whom you get the most [and often hostile] push-back.

And, not surprisingly, the latter types are exactly those ones I described earlier, who are just aching to be made judge, jury and executioner and ban people they personally dislike or even with whom they merely disagree.

Your perceptions really are making it more like for us to call on you the next time we need a new mod.

Many years ago and in a different but equally passionate fandom, I ran a mailing list. It was the same scenario . . . lots of great people, but a few "problem children" who were very intense and labor/time intensive to deal with. It was literally a 90-10 kind of thing. Those 10% often made the administrative/moderation duties very unpleasant, indeed. The way I viewed it, though, was that if I took the flack and dealt with them in the background it made for a more pleasant experience for everyone else on the list.

Hats off to the UCF admins for the incredible job they do running this forum. This is a truly special little corner of the Internet.

Well, things are easier around here since certain got

Constant vigilance. Constant. Vigilance.

Buckeye wrote:Many years ago and in a different but equally passionate fandom, I ran a mailing list. It was the same scenario . . . lots of great people, but a few "problem children" who were very intense and labor/time intensive to deal with. It was literally a 90-10 kind of thing. Those 10% often made the administrative/moderation duties very unpleasant, indeed. The way I viewed it, though, was that if I took the flack and dealt with them in the background it made for a more pleasant experience for everyone else on the list.

Hats off to the UCF admins for the incredible job they do running this forum. This is a truly special little corner of the Internet.

"Problem children".....good way of putting it.
And the 10-90 thing also works like this: the 10% comprising the "toxic personalities" consume 90% of your time and energy.

Olorin wrote: Your perceptions really are making it more like for us to call on you the next time we need a new mod.

You are very kind (delusional, but still kind). However..."If nominated I will not run; if elected I will not serve."

It is more the exception than the rule to have a woman in a position of authority who acts prudently and fairly.
(Not including primary grade teachers here )

Fingolfin wrote:Well, things are easier around here since certain got

Constant vigilance. Constant. Vigilance.

Actually this conversation had me wondering if the new forum might allow them back in; as I cringe the thought alone.

Anyway, you guys are great. Doing an excellent job

One for each of you.

They might try to sneak in....
But our "Constantly Vigilant" Admins (especially Val) will not be out-sneaked.

We brought in the banned IP list from the old forum. However, if they use a different computer, or even have a dynamic IP, as is common today, they can re-register. It then falls to us to sleuth them out by recognizing behavior or other tells. However, if someone comes back in under a new name and behaves, then it shouldn't be much of a problem, at least IMHO.

Indeed....it would be interesting to see if the proverbial leopard can change its spots.
(I'm betting not...)