ASTT’s website is built on a WordPress platform which defines, and sometimes limits, the level of functionality that it can offer to users.   “User Roles” are one example of the functionality that the platform offers, each role level being assigned “permissions” that define what users can do on the website.
WordPress’s default setting defines five User Roles as follows (starting from the lowest level):
Subscriber:  Users at the “subscriber” level can login and update their user profiles and change their passwords. They cannot write posts, view comments, or do anything else inside the “back end” admin area.
Contributor: Users at the contributor level can add new posts and edit their own posts, but they cannot upload files (i.e. they cannot add images on their posts) and they cannot publish posts of their own.  When writing posts they cannot create new categories and therefore have to choose from existing categories. However, they can add tags to their posts.   Contributors can view comments even those awaiting moderation, but they cannot approve or delete comments.  Contributors do not have access to the site’s settings, plugins, or themes.
Author: Authors can write, edit, publish and delete their own posts.  Like Contributors, Authors cannot create categories, so have to choose from existing categories, however they can add tags to their posts.   Likewise Authors can view comments but cannot moderate, approve, or delete them, and they do not have access to the site’s settings, plugins, or themes.
Editor:  Editors are granted full control over the content sections of the website: i.e. they can add, edit, publish, and delete any posts including the ones written by others.  An editor can moderate, edit, and delete comments as well.  Editors do not have access to the site’s settings, plugins, or themes, and they cannot add new users.
Administrator:  Administrators can add new posts, edit any posts by any users on the site, and delete any posts.  They can install, edit, and delete plugins as well as themes.  Most importantly, Administrators can add new users to the site, change information about existing users including their passwords as well as delete any user.
Each new member of ASTT is assigned a “user” role when they are registered on the website.  At present, all members have been registered as Contributors, with only the webmaster and his daughter (who set up the site) registered as Administrators.
Members wishing to make greater use of the website are encouraged to write to the webmaster to request adjustments to his User Role and/or Permissions.
Note:  The website Forum is controlled through a separate plug-in called BBPress which defines a different set of roles and permissions for users of the Forum.  These are defined on the Forum User Roles page.