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Sysop
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<p>A sysop is an administrator of a multi-user computer system, such as a <a href="/facts/Bulletin_board_system/22d9c9s2">bulletin board system</a> (BBS) or an <a href="/facts/Online_service_provider/MSe2Ta87">online service</a> <a href="/facts/Virtual_community/D4cucP5G">virtual community</a>. The phrase may also be used to refer to administrators of other <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">Internet</a>-based <a href="/facts/Computer_network/3w5RM99p">network</a> services. Sysops typically do not earn money, but donate their activity to the community. </p><p>Co-sysops are users who may be granted certain admin privileges on a BBS. Generally, they help validate users and monitor discussion <a href="/facts/Internet_forum/bRuqfQfN">forums</a>. Some co-sysops serve as file clerks, reviewing, describing, and publishing newly <a href="/facts/Upload/SclWHQAb">uploaded</a> files into appropriate <a href="/facts/Download/qN7fWmyI">download</a> directories. </p><p>Historically, the term <i>system operator</i> applied to operators of any computer system, especially a <a href="/facts/Mainframe_computer/nrBR6rWa">mainframe computer</a>. In general, a sysop is a person who oversees the operation of a server, typically in a large computer system. Usage of the term became popular in the late 1980s and 1990s, originally in reference to BBS operators. A person with equivalent functions on a <a href="/facts/Internet_hosting_service/kGcQcePr">network host</a> or <a href="/facts/Internet_server/dEaYFD7r">server</a> is typically called a <i>sysadmin</i>, short for <a href="/facts/System_administrator/zNhThrh9">system administrator</a>. </p><p>Because such duties were often shared with that of the sysadmin prior to the advent of the <a href="/facts/World_Wide_Web/wvnTrWFq">World Wide Web</a>, the term <i>sysop</i> is often used more generally to refer to an administrator or <a href="/facts/Forum_moderator/bRuqfQfN">moderator</a>, such as a <a href="/facts/Internet_forum/bRuqfQfN">forum administrator</a>. Hence, the term <i>sysadmin</i> is technically used to distinguish the professional position of a network operator. </p>