This article is part of the Wiki series: MSDN/TechNet Forums.

 

Credits

This information originally comes from MVP, Richard Mueller.

 

Table of Contents

How To

Current method

Currently, the only way to do it now is to search for the "Moderator" word on the forum thread list pages to try to find a Moderator who is currently posting on the site.

Previously

NOTE: This was a previous way to find out who the moderators are (but the feature no longer exists):
  1. Go to a forum page in TechNet or MSDN Forums. For example: http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/reportabug/threads

    NOTE: This can't be a thread page. To find the moderators in a specific forum, go to the main forum page. To find all moderators in a group of forums, go to the page that lists the forums (such as the Using Forums group).

  2. On the right, below your "My Forums Link" box, take a look at a box that says something like "Recent Visitors".
  3.  Above that box and to the right of it, click Next. The next list you see (after "Recent Visitors") should be "Recent Moderators".

What the Moderators List Tells You

NOTE: This feature no longer exists. It would have to be re-created.

That list does not tell you who the Owner or Administrator is (but you can sometimes still find out another way). The list also does not include anyone with the Answerer title for that forum.

The list only displays the ten most recently active Moderators. If there are fewer than ten Moderators in the list, all Moderators are displayed.

The Moderators are listed in descending order by most recent activity (the Moderator that's most recently active is listed first).

 

How to Find the Owner or Adminstrator

NOTE: This list also no longer exists in the new forum redesign.

The Owner is the person in charge of the forum. Likewise, the Administrator also has executive control of the forum. The Moderators sometimes go to the Owner/Administrator for assistance with any specific issues.

Click Next again to get the "Top Answerers". This list might include the Owner/Administrator and the Moderators.

Click Next again to get the "Top MVP Answerers". This list might include Moderators or Answerers.

Click Next again to get the "Top Microsoft Answerers". This is the list that is most likely to include the Owner or Adminstrator, plus any Moderators who are Microsoft employees.

In order to confirm if someone is an Owner, Administrator, Moderator, or Answerer, you'll need to see their name in a thread on that forum.

To confirm if someone is an Owner, Administrator, Moderator, or Answerer:

  1. Click their name to go to their profile. Example profile.
  2. Click the Activity tab on their profile. Example.
  3. Filter the tab by Forums.
  4. Find a forum thread (in the desired forum) that starts with the text "Answered the question," "Contributed," "Marked", or "Replied."
  5. Click the thread link.
  6. On the thread page, find the person's user name, and see what title is next to it. (Editor means Answerer. See the Roles of Forums.)

Also see if there are any sticky notes at the top of the forum. Those notes are most often placed by an Owner/Administrator. Examples: 1, 2.

If you still cannot find the forum Owner/Adminstrator and have a good reason to do so, please leave a comment on this page or email me at edprice at Microsoft.

Why You Might Want to Know Who the Moderators Are

There are several reasons why this might be useful.

  1. You would like to build relationships in order to become a Moderator or Answerer on the forum. (Recommended for people who want to become MCCs or MVPs.)
  2. You want to report an issue of abuse. First, start by using the "Report As Abuse" links on the forum thread pages. If an issue gets out of hand, you might want to escalate the issue and talk to Moderators or the Owner about it.
  3. You haven't seen any action from the Moderators, and the forum is suffering for it. Usually a good solution is to recruit community members to become Answerers or Moderators: more hands makes less work.
  4. You're just curious.

 

The Challenge - No Way to Contact Moderators

You might be asking, "So? What's the point of finding out who they are? I still can't contact them!"

True, it's certainly not as easy as sending them a personal message (that feature is currently being planned). However, there are a few things you can do...

  1. You now have access to their threads, so you can respond to their threads and start to build a relationship... or ask them if you could email them.
  2. If the person is a Microsoft employee, you might check if the person has a blog. If they have an MSDN/TechNet blog, then there's a link on their blog with an email form where you can send a message to their email.
  3. If the person has a Twitter account or other link to a social media account (such as LinkedIn), then you can send them a private message through that tool.
  4. You'll have to network a little and ask around until you connect with the Moderators and build relationships with them.
  5. If the person's a Microsoft employee or if they frequent my forums, you can just ask me. I might know how to get you in touch with them. (I need a full name, and a role and group helps. I might not be able to contact the person because they might have left, they might not respond, or because their profile name might not match their real name.) Leave a comment on this article or email me... edprice at Microsoft.

See Also

Other Languages

NOTE: If you have more reasons why you want to know who the Moderators are, please add them to this Wiki article or leave them in a comment at the bottom of this page.

 

This article is part of the Wiki series: MSDN/TechNet Forums.