### 1. **Administrator (Admin)**
- **Responsibilities**:
- Full control over all aspects of the forum (settings, layout, user management).
- Manage user roles, permissions, and banned users.
- Handle technical issues, maintenance, and updates.
- Set up or modify categories, sections, and features.
- Oversee content moderation policies.
- **Permissions**:
- Access to all sections of the forum.
- Ability to delete, edit, or move posts and threads.
- Create, manage, and delete user accounts.
- Full access to configuration and customization settings.
- Oversee and manage moderators.
### 2. **Moderator**
- **Responsibilities**:
- Monitor user activity, ensuring forum rules are followed.
- Edit, delete, or move posts and threads as needed.
- Warn or ban users for rule violations.
- Resolve conflicts or inappropriate discussions.
- Assist members with forum-related queries.
- **Permissions**:
- Can moderate content within specific sections (depending on assignment).
- Can warn, mute, or ban users.
- Can edit and delete posts and threads within assigned sections.
### 3. **Member**
- **Responsibilities**:
- Participate in discussions, ask questions, and share knowledge.
- Follow the community guidelines and report inappropriate behavior.
- Engage with content posted by others.
- **Permissions**:
- Post threads and reply to others’ posts.
- Edit their own posts.
- Send private messages to other members.
- Access most public sections of the forum.
### 4. **New Member**
- **Responsibilities**:
- A temporary role for newly registered users or those with few posts.
- Limited ability to interact with the forum until they gain more trust or activity.
- **Permissions**:
- View threads and posts.
- Can only post in a specific "Introduction" or "New Members" section.
- Can only post a limited number of messages until they reach a higher trust level.
### 5. **Guest**
- **Responsibilities**:
- Non-registered users who can view public threads and content.
- **Permissions**:
- Read-only access to the public sections of the forum.
- Cannot post threads or replies.
- Cannot send private messages.
### 6. **Content Contributor**
- **Responsibilities**:
- Active users who provide valuable contributions such as tutorials, guides, or resources.
- Help maintain the quality of content on the forum.
- **Permissions**:
- Ability to post and edit high-quality content in specialized areas (such as guides, FAQ sections).
- May be granted additional permissions to help manage content-specific sections.
### 7. **VIP / Donor**
- **Responsibilities**:
- Users who have made a financial contribution or have supported the forum in other meaningful ways.
- Can access special features or areas of the forum reserved for supporters.
- **Permissions**:
- Access to exclusive sections or content (such as VIP-only forums).
- Special badges or recognition in the forum (e.g., “VIP Member” label).
- May have additional privileges, such as early access to certain content or direct communication with admins.
### 8. **Technical Support**
- **Responsibilities**:
- Responsible for helping users with technical issues related to the forum.
- Troubleshoot problems related to the forum's functionality or user accounts.
- **Permissions**:
- Can access technical settings (such as server logs or user troubleshooting areas) but not full admin control.
- Can moderate and assist in specific technical support sections of the forum.
### 9. **Bot (Automated Accounts)**
- **Responsibilities**:
- Automated accounts for maintenance, posting announcements, or notifying users.
- May be used for automated data collection, event reminders, or updating threads.
- **Permissions**:
- Restricted access to specific tasks or sections (e.g., updating certain areas with automatic posts).
---
### Suggested Role Permissions Table:
| **Role** | **View Posts** | **Create Posts** | **Reply to Posts** | **Edit Posts** | **Moderate Content** | **Ban/Warn Users** | **Access Admin Area** | **Access Private Sections** |
|-------------------|----------------|------------------|--------------------|----------------|----------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------|
| **Admin** | All | All | All | All | All | All | Yes | Yes |
| **Moderator** | All | All | All | Selected Areas | Yes | Yes | No | Selected Areas |
| **Member** | All | Yes | Yes | Own Posts | No | No | No | No |
| **New Member** | Limited | Limited | Limited | No | No | No | No | No |
| **Guest** | All Public | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| **Content Creator**| All | Yes | Yes | Own Content | No | No | No | Yes |
| **VIP / Donor** | All | All | All | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| **Bot** | Limited | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |