Lesson 1
editPlease find for me the template that lists the principles of the project and subst it at the top of this page.
Lesson 2
editPlease state why you want to be an administrator. Also, please answer the standard admin questions as best as you can. The answers will probably change as you experience more areas.
1. What sysop chores do you anticipate helping with? Please check out Category:Wikipedia backlog and Category:Administrative backlog, and read the page about administrators and the administrators' reading list.
2. Of your articles or contributions to Wikipedia, are there any with which you are particularly pleased, and why?
3. Have you been in any conflicts over editing in the past or do you feel other users have caused you stress? How have you dealt with it and how will you deal with it in the future?
Lesson 3
editYou have an interest in the Britain and Japan. Why so and how did you choose your username?
Lesson 4
editList all the tools admins there are. Describe a circumstance where an admin should not use them, despite a valid issue existing.
- There are several answers depending on which tool you pick. Some are obvious and some I wouldn't expect you to get at this point.
Lesson 5
editLook over the deletion debates page. Summarize which ones you've participated in as a nominator and an !voter. Do you consider yourself a deletionist or inclusionist?
Lesson 6
editHow are Good Articles different than Feature Articles? Where does Peer Review fit into the article life-span process?
Lesson 7
editWhat is cascading protection? Can it be set by an Admin? A user comes to Request for Page Protection saying an IP-vandal has been attacking a page and requests semi-protection. You see that IP 256.256.256.256 is vandalizing the page. When should you not semi-protect the page.
- You only need to answer the non-trick part of it:
A user comes to Request for Page Protection saying an IP-vandal has been attacking a page and requests semi-protection. You see that IP 256.256.256.256 is vandalizing the page. When should you not semi-protect the page.
- Don't worry though if you can't, its not a trick, but its also not an obvious answer.
Lesson 8
editIs the Administrator's Noticeboard and Administrator's Noticeboard/Incidents on your watchlist? It should be. Despite the name, non-admins are welcome to contribute to discussions they understand.
Lesson 9
editOne thing I've taken an interest in is Template:Editabuselinks. Do you use any of the noticeboards regularly? Most of them do not require admin tool to work on. Some like Reliable Sources and Fringe Theories can require lengthy investigations. Others like 3RR are more fastpaced. Its all about finding the right fit for you.
Lesson 10
editWho can warn an administrator? Who can block an admin? What editing policies may admins violate?
Lesson 11
editSkim over the Durova Arbcom. Why was she right in checking with others off-wiki before acting? Why does a confirmation bias make even off-wiki double-checks risky? Even though others did not oppose her off-wiki, who was ultimately responsible?
Lesson 12
editDo you use IRC or the Mailing Lists? Do you have EmailUser enabled? Do you realize that sending an email through the EmailUser interface discloses your email? Are you aware of this incident? It did happen in real life as described. (Basic privacy questions). Send me an email. If you use IRC, we can chat there.
Lesson 13
editApply for rollback rights if you don't already have it. Do you use any tools such as: Twinkle, NewPageWatcher, AutoWikiBrowser, popups, and VandalProof? If you don't use Firefox, I reccommend downloading it just for Wiki-work. Many tools and scripts only work in FF.
Lesson 14
editGo to http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Newpages&hidepatrolled=1&hidebots=1&limit=500&offset=0 , click on "show" in 'Show patrolled edits' and just look it over. You may find an article that appears to be a conflict of interest. A big clue is a user name that is nearly the same as the article title. Then go to WP:COIN and pick a COI case and tell me what you think should happen, give a link.
- The standard format (from WP:COIN) is:
- Describe the dispute using the following format:
* {{article|article name}}
* {{userlinks|username}} - brief explanation ~~~~
Lesson 15
editWhat is an open proxy and TOR servers? They are banned by the Foundation. What commonsense technical reason are they banned for?
Lesson 16
editPlease go to Special:Newpages and welcome ~75 users who have red-linked usernames using Friendly, AWB, or a means of your choice. This exercise has two purposes. One, a lot of admining is doing repetitive tasks that no one ever notices. Two, when you welcome a user, they're likely to come to you if they need help or have a problem. Its a great way to help out and build experience.
Lesson 17
editGo visit the Help desk. Try and find an unanswered issue that you know the answer to, jump in and solve a problem.
Lesson 18
editReview Wikipedia:Autoblock. This is one of the most common mistakes an admin makes. In our haste to block an obvious vandal, we may kill off a corporate gateway or a dynamic IP. If you need to block quickly, remember to leave enough of an explanation that another Admin can figure out if its a real Autoblock issue or just a user trying to evade a block.
Lesson 19
editRead Wikipedia:Administrators open to recall. You will get this question at an RfA. You will need to give a yes or no answer. You will be judged on your answer, regardless of which way you go. It's unfair that you will get an Oppose regardless of your answer, but its part of the process.
Lesson 20
editReview our policy on Office Actions. Pay close attention to who can perform Office Actions. If you feel the need to undo any admin action by someone on that list, its almost always better to ask at AN than to do it yourself. Take a look at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents/My desysop of Zscout370. There was no wheel war here by the conventional definition. It was more of an action by Jimbo in his role as founder. Just like I wouldn't do an unblock of a user Raul654 did without checking AN, there is something to the idea that we don't always know the whole story and others who do things like checkuser, OTRS, oversight, etc, probably do. At the same time, remember WP:IAR and that admins aren't always perfect.
Lesson 21
editWhat is the difference in a block and a ban? What types of bans are there? The difference in a block and a ban is probably the most common misunderstandings on wiki.