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Administrator guidelines

Contrary to popular belief, administrators are not exempt from local policies just because they are administrators. In reality, administrators actually have to follow more rules than normal users. They have their rights to protect and maintain a community, keeping the weight off the shoulders of the other users.

Use of rights

Be open and responsive. Communication is key. Many users, especially new ones, will look to you for guidance and advice. Being a friendly and approachable face, as well as addressing users in a timely manner, is important to creating an open and welcoming environment on the wiki.

Do not act as the “owner” of the site. Wikis belong to the community, and ideally admins should not be considered “in charge,” even if they’re the founder of the wiki. They are experienced users who are trusted to use a few extra tools for the betterment and protection of the community as a whole, not for personal gain. Do not protect large numbers of content pages. The majority of pages on a wiki should remain unprotected to encourage all users in the community to edit. Page protection should only be implemented if it serves the betterment of the community for reasons such as preventing persistent vandalism or “edit warring.” Protection should not be used to lock a page on a version you prefer, to reserve the page to be edited later as an admin project, or to mark any page as “complete” - there is always more to be improved. Do not revert edits made in good faith without explanation. Rewording should always be considered before resorting to reversion. If the edit is incorrect or cannot be reworded or revised, then a clear explanation should be provided to the user that made the edit as to why it was reverted. Do not shut out the opinions of other users. Everyone in the community should feel encouraged and empowered to speak up and engage in reasonable discussions about topics that pertain to the wiki, even if their opinions differ from that of an administrator. Do not play favorites. All editors should be given the opportunity to learn and grow in the community. Understand your limits. Being an admin on a wiki can be rewarding, but it can also be tiring. If you need to take a break or leave the wiki, it is okay. Talk to your fellow admins and let them know.

Blocking policy:

A user should not be blocked for petty reasons, such as personal bias in the part of the blocker. To remove someone from a community is a very serious matter. Blocking a user should only be done following not only repeated violation of the guidelines or Fandom's ToS, but also discussion with other staff members. If a user's actions are objectively bad and warrant an instant ban, then it's acceptable, but in any other cases a ban should be considered a last resort.

Warning system:

  • 1st offense = Warning (Either in discussions or via message wall)
  • 2nd offense = Short block (2-5 days)
  • 3rd offense = Long block (3 months - permanent)

As stated above instant permanent blocks are allowable if the users action's are objectively egregious. The punishments for different actions will vary, and the 2nd-3rd offense block may change to accommodate that. A user must receive the ban only if the warning covered the same offense. For example, if a user was warned for plagiarism, they can not be banned instantly for a separate small offense such as spam and instead must get a separate warning.

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