Guild Wars 2 Wiki:Adminship 2009-11-13

This page is a suspended policy proposal. It has been superseded by a list of common wiki practices. The Guild Wars 2 Wiki has no policies. All former proposals are kept for historical preservation.

(This version taken from the one posted by Mgrishpon, and adjusted heavily by 42)
The English language Guild Wars 2 Wiki (GW2W) is administered by the Community. New Administrators are selected by a Democratic process in the English language GW2W. There are two levels of adminship: Sysop and Bureaucrat.

Administration and ArenaNet

ArenaNet is not formally involved in the Administrator selection process. Wiki Community decisions may not be appealed to them. ArenaNet staff may participate in the Administrator selection process just as any other contributor in good standing, but their opinions are given equal weight as any other Members of the Community.

Adminship Responsibilites

(For specific responsibilities of Sysops and Bureaucrats, see their respective section.)
In regard to the operation of the Wiki, the admins are expected to give guidance to Users, and, when necessary, enforce accepted policy. In regards to the decision of the acceptance of a new, or change to an existing, policy, adminship has no more power to influence the acceptance of new policy above that of any other User.

If the number of Sysops and Bureaucrats should fall below an acceptable level (3 Bureaucrats, and whatever number of Sysops is needed for efficient operation of the Wiki) due to resignation of the individual(s), then promotion of a registered User to Sysop or Bureaucrat status shall be allowed. The selection process shall be followed as listed below, and in the case of a Bureaucrat, the term shall be the remaining balance for that of the vacant position.

Sysops

Responsibilities

A Sysop's primary role is site maintenance. They are Users nominated via Adminship Position Ballot (APB), and voted for or against by the qualified Users of the Wiki, and empowered to ban Users, delete pages, and rollback edits. Sysops also protect critical or unusually contentious pages from editing. Sysops are strongly encouraged (but not required) to provide a publicly reachable e-mail address or other means of private contact.

Sysops are additionally charged with mediation of disputes between Users. However, the sphere of their influence extends to any endeavor necessary to ensuring a high level of professionalism and decorum on this Wiki. As such, they are granted semi-autonomy, limited by policy, but not limited to policy. Decisions not dictated by policy are left to the discretion of the Sysop.

However, Sysops are also expected to lend credence to the dictates of User consensus, and, in cases in which they are personally involved, they are expected to defer to an unbiased Sysop. While the only true check on the power of a Sysop is a Bureaucrat, because all Sysops are considered autonomous, Sysops may at times counteract other Sysops. In these cases, the reverting Administrator is obliged to leave a message on the talk page explaining the reasoning behind the countermeasure. The Administrator who has been countermanded is expected to oblige the revert, and should not re-institute their action without discussing it with the "reverting" Administrator.

There is no set limit on the number of Sysops who may be selected.

Term of Office

Sysops are appointed for 2 years starting from the date they are accepted; however, they may voluntarily resign before the end of their term. Their status may also be formally examined by the Bureaucrats and the Community for removal from sysop status. Prolonged, unexcused absence, may also result in their demotion.

For a complete list of Sysops, see Special:Listadmins/sysop.

To start a new nomination, see Guild Wars 2 Wiki:Adminship Position Ballot.

Bureaucrats

Responsibilities

Bureaucrats are the ultimate authority on a Wiki. The group of Bureaucrats, currently 3, form an Arbitration Committee (ArbComm), who are the final arbiters on the English language GW2W of User conduct (but not content decisions), including that of Administrators.

• If the Wiki grows sufficiently to warrant it (upon Community consensus), an additional 2 Bureaucrats may be selected.

However, perhaps more importantly, while they are expected to act on the consent and advice of the Sysops and the users, the Bureaucrats have the deciding vote on APBs and the final say on policy decisions. They are also given the authority to demote Sysops (with just cause). In Bureaucrat elections in which a clear majority does not emerge, those Bureaucrats not up for election have the authority to make the final decision. It is their prerogative to decide whether or not to do so. If their vote comes down to the deciding vote, they are expected to do so.

Although Bureaucrats are considered to be Sysops (and are endowed with the same powers and responsibilities thereof), in order to prevent conflicts of interest, they are expected to use those powers only when a Sysop is unavailable. While ArbComm injunctions and rulings may involve those powers, the enforcement of such is generally left to Sysops. Bureaucrats are additionally charged with the mediation of disputes between Sysops.

Due to their important role in the Community, Bureaucrats are held to a higher standard than Sysops. All Bureaucrats are expected to provide explanations for the use of their powers, and they are additionally expected to respond to any questions about their actions from anyone, including via e-mail. All Bureaucrats are required to list a publicly reachable e-mail address.

Bureaucrats are considered members of the ArbComm based upon the date the request for arbitration is made. If a Bureaucrat loses their seat during an arbitration, they still act as a member of ArbComm for that case until the arbitration is complete. Similarly, if a User attains a Bureaucrat seat in the middle of an arbitration, they are ineligible to participate in that arbitration. If an ArbComm or a complaint is against that Bureaucrat, the remaining Bureaucrats are to decide the issue being discussed.

Term of Office

A Bureaucrat is elected for a term of 12 months in staggered terms of office, so as to keep at least 2 Bureaucrats active in case of any potential issues arising during the election of a new Bureaucrat. Any Bureaucrat may be removed from office shown sufficient reason.

Becoming an Admin

Applying for Adminship

• Any registered User may be nominated by any User by use of an APB.
  • Any registered User may nominate themselves.
  • IP Users may not be nominated, but may nominate a registered User.
• This User may be nominated for Sysop or Bureaucrat.
  • In the case of Bureaucrat positions, nominations are only accepted during the timeframes listed below.
  • In the case of Sysop positions, nominations may be made at any time. However, nominations more often than once every two months will not be considered. (The only exception being for the transition process listed below.)

Selection Process

• An admin Candidate is understood to be in favor of themselves. Because of the responsibilities of the position, their vote for themselves shall not be counted. They are allowed to present reasons why they think they would or would not be a good Candidate for this position, and refute any points made by opposition to their view.

Bureaucrats

Three Bureaucrats

First Position

• Nomination may begin February 5^th and will last 2 calendar weeks.

Second Position

• Nomination may begin June 5^th and will last 2 calendar weeks.

Third Position

• Nomination may begin November 5^th and will last 2 calendar weeks.

Five Bureaucrats

Fourth Position

• Nomination may begin April 5^th and will last 2 calendar weeks.

Fifth Position

• Nomination may begin August 5^th and will last 2 calendar weeks.

Sysops

• Nomination may be done at any time.

All Positions

• Voting and discussion for each Candidate can start as soon as that Candidate is nominated.
• To allow all potential Candidates to be considered, the voting and discussion period will last 2 weeks past the end of the nomination period.
• At the end of the voting and discussion period, votes for each Candidate will be counted. The Candidate with the majority of the votes for them will be declared the winner.
  • In the case of a tie, the tied Candidates will be voted on again by the Community and any Bureaucrat not up for vote. This second voting period will last for 7 calendar days to allow all potential voters time to decide and cast their vote. All eligible Bureaucrats are expected to vote in this vote.

Who May Vote

• As this is a new Wiki made well before the release of the associated game, any registered User who has been actively involved in this Wiki for a period of at least 30 days shall be considered eligible to vote.
• Once the full version of the game has been released, any new User shall qualify for voting status upon completion of 20 main space edits.
• Users who are qualified to vote under the time involved on the Wiki shall not lose their eligibility to vote upon game release.

Removal from Admin Status

• Any admin may voluntarily step down at any time for any reason.
• Any User can request review of Administrator status, but must present valid facts for the reason to request this review.

Bureaucrat

• Any Bureaucrat may be removed from position for repeated violation of the accepted policy.
• A review will be conducted by the remaining Bureaucrats, and if sufficient cause is found, that Bureaucrat will be removed from office.
  • If a Bureaucrat is removed, the remaining Bureaucrats will assign a temporary status promotion to a Sysop. The term served by this temporary Bureaucrat will be the remainder of the existing term.
  • If the temporary Bureaucrat wishes to continue in office, they must submit an APB at the time allowed for the term they are currently in. They may not apply for another Bureaucrat position if one becomes available before the end of their temporary term.
• If a Bureaucrat is removed from office, it will be decided by the remaining Bureaucrats to give that User Sysop status, or demotion to regular User.

Sysop

• Any Sysop may be removed from position for repeated violation of the accepted policy. A review will be conducted by the sitting Bureaucrats, and if sufficient cause is found, that Sysop will be removed from office.

Transition Process

Because of the grandfathered status of the current adminship, this process should be done as smoothly as possible to maintain the integrity of the Wiki.

Time Line

The time line for this transition process for both adminship levels will start as soon as this policy is adopted.

Bureaucrat

The current Bureaucrats, to remain in office, must apply via APB for the postion next available according to the dates listed above. As each position of Bureaucrat in GW2W is filled under this policy, the grandfathered positions will be phased out.

Sysop

Any nomination for the position of Sysop may be made at any time after this policy is adopted.

The grandfathered positions will start to be phased out after this policy is adopted. To continue in office, these Sysops will have to re-apply for the position by use of an APB. To ensure smooth transition, one position at a time shall be brought up for vote at the timing decided by the Bureaucrats, until all grandfathered positions are phased out. To ensure a fair exchange process, this timing shall not take an unreasonable amount of time. Any Sysops brought from GWW shall have the same opportunity as any User to apply for that position here.