Adminship on the English Wikipedia was originally no big deal, and is ideally supposed to be given to "anyone who has been an active and regular Wikipedia contributor for a while, is familiar with and respects Wikipedia policy, and is generally a known and trusted member of the community." Times have changed, to an extent, and the current standards people use to support or oppose someone for the mop and bucket are varied and variegated.
Personally, I feel that the candidate (in descending order of importance):
- must be able to converse clearly and civilly on talk pages and discussions across the wiki. This is my strongest criterion, and is non-negotiable; note that I did not say they must be a en-5/en-N speaker.
- should have solid answers to the obligatory questions, and most non-nonsensical optional questions posed. I prefer candidate interaction, including responding to statements made during the discussion or in opposition.
- should have some edits in the following namespaces: Main, Talk, Wikipedia, Wikipedia_talk, User_talk. Discrepancies in the number of mainspace edits compared to others will be taken into account for "specialized" types of admins.
- must do more than vandal-whacking. New Pages Patrol, Recent Changes Patrol, AWB, and related automation tools have made overall edit counts largely irrelevant. I want to see that you have the ability to utilize the knowledge and familiarity you have with Wikipedia's policies, guidelines, and customs to help the project, not how many times you can click a mouse in an hour.
- must have a "good" edit summary usage percentage in articlespace; this is vital to smooth functioning of the project, as page loads to check unknown edits take up valuable time and resources.
- must have been around the project at least three months more-or-less continuously, preferrably six or more. As mentioned above, use of automated tools to rack up edits like this is a game of Space Invaders doesn't give you the real hands-on, get-dirty experience needed to deal with many of the nuances of Wikipedia's culture.
- while the candidate has little control over this factor, association with/nomination by/opposition by certain users will make me take a closer look, and possibly weigh in on a candidacy I would have ordinarily passed by. This is especially true in close races.
Admin bots
editI would support a bot with sysop tools so long as:
- the code is available for general review, at least to the degree that would not compromise the function (i.e. regexp criteria for an anti-vandalism bot does not need to be public). 'secret' data could be vetted by a smaller group at RFBA, but that should be an extraordinary circumstance.
- it obtained only the additional tools that it needed to perform its functions; a bot authorized to edit protected pages could have that ability and no others; a bot authorized to block proxies should have that tool and no others. Under no circumstances should a bot have the unblock tool, to prevent rogue/compromised actions. (I realize this is not generally feasible now, but is a requirement for my support)
- it is sent to both Requests for Adminship and Requests for Bot Authorization for approval.
RfAs I have participated in
edit- Note: I don't tend to participate in snowball candidacies (up or down), people I don't know, or when I don't have time to spot-check their edits myself.
- December 2005
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Nightstallion - opposed (passed)
- January 2006
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Crotalus horridus - neutral (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Dsmdgold - oppose (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Lulu of the Lotus-Eaters - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Interiot - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Can't sleep, clown will eat me - neutral (did not pass)
- February 2006
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Aaron Brenneman (second nomination) - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/MegamanZero 2 - oppose (did not pass) [now User:Randall Brackett]
- Wikipedia:Requests for bureaucratship/Titoxd - neutral (did not pass)
- March 2006
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Cyde - support [regretfully in retrospect] (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Adrian Buehlmann - oppose (withdrawn) [now User:Ligulem]
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/AzaToth - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Oscarthecat - neutral (did not pass)
- April 2006
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Tawker2 - oppose (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Can't sleep, clown will eat me 3 - support (passed)
- May 2006
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Lar - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Robchurch 4 - oppose (did not pass)
- June 2006
- Wikipedia:Requests for bureaucratship/Redux 3 - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Silence - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Cuivienen - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Herostratus - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Jaranda 2 - oppose (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Getcrunk 2 - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Badlydrawnjeff - neutral (did not pass)
- July 2006
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Mboverload - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/ScienceApologist - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Preslethe - neutral (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Werdna648 2 - oppose (did not pass) [now User:Werdna]
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Kylu - neutral (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Sean Black 2 - oppose (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Centrx - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Eluchil404 - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Catamorphism - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Wickethewok - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Jersey Devil - oppose (did not pass)
- August 2006
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/GHe - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Ambuj.Saxena - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Ryulong - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Stephen B Streater - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/RandyWang - oppose, later neutral (did not pass) [now User:Daveydweeb]
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Carnildo 3 - oppose (passed on a probationary status)
- September 2006
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Werdna - oppose (withdrawn)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Thatcher131 - support (passed)
- October 2006
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/TawkerbotTorA - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Rory096 2 - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Adambiswanger1 - considered, asked question but did not vote (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Crzrussian 2 - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/MER-C - oppose (withdrawn)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Elonka - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Alex9891 - neutral (passed, now Majorly)
- November 2006
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/AnonEMouse - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Kafziel 2 - oppose, later neutral (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Daveydweeb - support (passed)
- December 2006
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/J.smith - neutral (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/asams10 - neutral (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Wikiwoohoo 3 - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Pmanderson 2 - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Royalguard11 - oppose (passed)
- January 2007
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/ProtectionBot - oppose (withdrawn)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/BigDT 2 - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/AzaToth 3 - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/BozMo - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Wizardry Dragon - oppose (withdrawn)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Newyorkbrad - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Ryulong 3 - oppose (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Werdna 2 - oppose (did not pass)
- February 2007
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Kafziel 3 - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/SMcCandlish - nominated (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Amarkov - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Heligoland 2 - oppose (passed)
- March 2007
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Chacor 2 - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/AzaToth 4 - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Hex 2 - support (did not pass)
- April 2007
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Danny - oppose (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Moralis - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Badlydrawnjeff 2 - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Slgrandson oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Eukesh - support (did not pass)
- May 2007
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Errabee - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/MZMcBride - support (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Pastordavid oppose (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Gracenotes - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Hmwith - oppose (did not pass)
- June 2007
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Armedblowfish - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/DoomsDay349 - oppose (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Pax:Vobiscum - oppose (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/CharlotteWebb - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/DrKiernan - oppose (passed)
- July 2007
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Jaranda (reconfirmation) - oppose (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for bureaucratship/Deskana 2 - oppose, later neutral (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Cometstyles 2 - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for bureaucratship/Andrevan3 - oppose (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for bureaucratship/Ral315 - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/R - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Butseriouslyfolks - oppose (passed)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Elonka 2 - support (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Eluchil404 2 - nominated (passed)
- September 2007
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Betacommand 2 - oppose (did not pass)
- November 2007
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Majorly - oppose (did not pass)
- Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Kathryn NicDhàna - support (ongoing)
Possible candidates
edit- See Category:Wikipedia administrator hopefuls and User:BigDT/List of potential RFA re-applications for more candidates.
- SynergeticMaggot (talk · contribs · count · logs · page moves · block log) - experience fine, Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/SynergeticMaggot did not pass because he was new but it has been another six months. Active at AFD. Clean block log, no sign of talk page problems. Still need to spot-check edits. - declined due to inactivity at this time. 17:57, 9 February 2007 (UTC)
- Cynical (talk · contribs · count · logs · page moves · block log) - name seems familiar, experience is more than sufficient. Some unorthodox opinions on inclusion and IAR but probably deserves another shot at it. Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Cynical failed pretty solidly in October though, will need to inquire further. Asked on 30 April 2007. - declined due to busy schedule, check back in June 2007
- alan.ca (talk · contribs · count · logs · page moves · block log) - offered to admin coach him, but questions/activity have been fairly limited. Not enough to nominate perhaps, but would probably endorse him at RFA. Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Alan.ca 30 April 2007 - declined adminship at this time
- Ambuj.Saxena (talk · contribs · count · logs · page moves · block log) - review of original RFA seems fine, provided he's dealt with the concerns outlined there he would be a fine candidate. - have asked on 30 April 2007. - declined on May 6, 2007, would rather stay a user than a janitor at this time.