An archive of tools written and used by moderators of Usenet newsgroups now exists. In the past, most moderators were forced to write much of their posting software by themselves, though sometimes other experienced moderators would share their sources when asked. Until recently there has not been a single archive where moderators could make what they had available for all to use.
Moderators both new and existing can see how others with similar types of newsgroups are doing their job. A much wider set of support software is becoming available to the moderating community as we all bring our tools out of the closet. There is no reason new moderators need to develop their own software/support environment from scratch as has been the norm in the past. To make the tools most useful, the moderator will probably need to be familiar with the 'C' language, UNIX shell and perl scripts, in order to adapt them to their own group's needs.
The contents of the moderators' tools archive have been generously made available in an "AS IS" condition. The archive is a snapshot of existing tools, as they are being used, rather than a formal release of polished software. Many of the sources, scripts, and supporting documentation are not as pretty as their authors might wish, but they work. The tools are being made available so that other moderators can see working examples of how the tasks are handled, and potentially use them as a starting point for their own custom tools.
If you would like to contribute, either send your tools to
or send email explaining where the tools can be picked up.
The moderator's tool archive is available via HTTP or FTP from
http://www.landfield.com/moderators/
or
ftp://ftp.landfield.com/moderators/
ftp://ftp.uu.net/networking/news/moderating/