Wookieepedia:What adminship is not

This page describes what adminship is not.

General
Administrators do not have "command authority" in the sense that some imagine. They can draw a line based on policies and norms and judgement, and enforce that line with the tools, they often have good insight and suggestions to users, and they should be good at gaining others' co-operation and working with people. But they do not, ever, act as "managers" to people in the business sense. They implement policies which the community in broad has agreed upon. Thus for example:


 * They do not "decide what people see". An administrator who deletes a page can only do so under circumstances the community has decided pages should be deleted, and in accordance with that communal decision, for the majority of the time. They implement this, they do not decide the policy. Likewise they implement a standard of editorship and use of blocking and protection which has already gained consensus via a discussion in which admins have absolutely no special authority of any kind.


 * They do not need to know how "everything works". Every administrator has their strengths and weaknesses&mdash;some more than others. However, admins need to know enough not to misuse their sysop tools, and to conduct themselves well in the eyes of the community. The emphasis is on "Not making mistakes", rather than being able to "do it all". Users do things, admins just handle the few exceptions where for practical reasons we don't let every new user do so. Even very experienced admins, including those elected to higher positions than administrator, don't know how "everything" works usually. However, work as a team&mdash;draw on each other's strengths, augment each others weaknesses, and built a strong and solid Admin-team.


 * Administrators are users the community trusts. Simply put, they are trusted to operate the sysop tools provided by Wikia. This is very very simple: Administrators should act responsibly in whatever (if anything) they do act upon.


 * Admins should gain broad respect, but frankly no user is obligated to respect or listen to them (it's not a requirement of editing), and many will not. The only way you're ever going to gain respect is to first be respectful of others. This doesn't mean being a push over, or not using your position to protect the community. Simply put, you're in a position that was given to you by the community&mdash;don't, in turn, disrespect the community by thinking you're above them. Blocking is not merely a tool used due to failure to know how to talk to people. Re-read that last sentence. After that...read it again.

High standards are needed, but many people will have misconceptions of what it is, that admins actually do. Mostly, admins are:
 * users the community has decided based on experience that it trusts...
 * users who act to a consistently good standard on general conduct as editors...
 * who are allowed to act as custodians of those tools that for pragmatic reasons need to be restricted in their access (due to the presence of many people on the internet who would use them for purposes that don't help the project)...
 * and who are trusted to only use them to enact a decision within the standards that the community has decided, and not otherwise.

Adminship is not diplomatic immunity
Every administrator must keep in mind that admins are tools of Wookieepedia, and thus Wikia, as a whole. This means that all policies apply to admins just as they do to any user&mdash;in some cases, even more so. Admins can be and will be readily blocked, stripped of admin powers, or banned if they continually, or even just one, demonstrate that the community can longer trust them. Never think that your status as an administrator gives you free reign to do whatever you want, treat others as bad as you want, or generally be a dick. Eventually, users and your fellow admins will take action, and it's doubtful you'll enjoy the ensuing process. Admins must always follow all Wookieepedia's policies, such as the three-revert rule, and uphold consensus and a neutral point of view, and always operate in a way to avoid a conflict of interest&mdash;such as closing a Consensus Thread you're heavily engaged in.

Adminship is not a trophy
Administrator status does not place you in an elevated status within Wookieepedia. It is not the user-equivalent of a good article or featured article. It does not affirm a user's contributions as an editor and is not an award for good editing or other good service. You will not gain respect simply by being an administrator. It may help to consider the other meaning of the word administrator, that is one who facilitates, rather than one who controls.

Adminship is simply a statement that the individual is a normal user whom the community views as likely to use the extra tools responsibly if allowed access to them. An admin is just a normal user with a mop and a bucket. It certainly does not give you any Sergeant-like authority in most instances. That being said, Administrators are required, and expected, to stand up those instances when it is required. However, protect the community in such a way that those you're helping don't start to think they've made a mistake in voting you into the Administration.

Adminship is not an entitlement
High edit counts and a dedication to Wookieepedia often demonstrate reliability and aptitude for adminship. However, candidates with high edit counts sometimes fail to pass a Request for adminship, because RFA is about a user's approach to situations, their attitudes, and their integrity&mdash;the RFA process is not about "how much they do for the site". This is not personal, so don't take it as such; it does not mean that the community fails to appreciate your contributions. A number of exceptional editors are not admins and will never be, some through choice, some through communal consensus. A number of admins regularly ask to drop their adminship, to leave behind administrative chores and get back to editing instead. Sometimes good contributors simply do not have the proper temperament to be admins; but they are still valuable. Remember: No number of edits or length of time on Wookieepedia entitles one to adminship.

Likewise, if you are an administrator who does not want the responsibility of adminship anymore, remember that there is no shame in stepping down, if that's what you truly think is best. Before making the decision to step down, however, it is recommended that you speak with a bureaucrat, in an effort to gain some help and perspective on the situation.

Your adminship is neither compulsory nor necessary for Wookieepedia's continued growth
Administrators have access to useful tools not available to other users, and are able to use these to serve Wookieepedia in additional ways. However, some Wookieepedians do not wish to become administrators, despite having the expected levels of experience, integrity, and community support. Users may always reject the opportunity or nomination to stand for adminship. Additionally, many tools and site areas exist for ordinary users to help in ways they might not have initially considered. Users can even label the way in which they are helping by, for example, joining WookieeProjects and using the relevant Userboxes.

Adminship is not a game
Putting yourself up for or nominating other Wookieepedians for RFR, RFA, or RFB is not a game and is to be taken seriously. You don't nominate users for userrights simply because they are your "friend", or considered to be part of the "Old Guard" of some group. Users should only be nominated for userrights if they have demonstrated the dedicated and integrity that the various positions require. When you are an administrator you don't just block and unblock who you want, you don't delete and undelete what you want, you don't just go around editing protected pages when you want, and you can't just go protecting and unprotecting what you want. If you are, or have been, contributing in these ways, you might want to read the section "Adminship is not diplomatic immunity" on this page again.

Adminship is not for sale
You, and only you should have access to the extra tools. Your access can be, and will be revoked if you are caught allowing someone else to use your account.