With over 50 million articles and 370 million readers, Wikipedia is the fifth largest website in the world. It is also one of the most trusted resources for information. But behind every article and user account, there is an administrator who helps keep everything running smoothly.
These administrators are responsible for keeping vandalism to a minimum, monitoring activity on individual pages, and maintaining neutral guidelines by adding or removing content as necessary.
What is a Wikipedia Admin?
They are also known as sysops or admins in Wikipedia. These are editors granted the technical rights and permission to carry out particular actions on the Wikipedia page.
Some notable activities include blocking and unblocking IP addresses and user accounts. Wikipedia administrators are volunteers and must undergo a community review process before being granted the ability to perform their duties.
How to Become a Wikipedia Admin?
As for the English Wikipedia, there is no official requirement. However, before requesting a nomination, you should be an active and long-term Wikipedia editor. You should also understand the practices and procedures of Wikipedia while respecting the policies in place. Editors will also ask whether you have ever edited Wikipedia for remuneration. A discussion will happen for about seven days to determine whether you are suitable to become an admin.
Be An Editor First
As seen in the process of becoming an administrator, you must be an editor for Wikipedia first. From being an editor, you will easily learn the practices and procedures of Wikipedia. You will understand and appreciate its policies. The community will also trust you, which is a massive advantage of being an administrator.
Role of the Wikipedia Admin
Ultimately, an administrator on Wikipedia’s role is to uphold the platform’s guidelines. These responsibilities include:
Conduct
Administrators are expected to lead by example and behave respectfully. They should follow all the Wikipedia policies while performing their duties diligently. Even though mistakes are acceptable since no one is perfect, consistently poor judgment or lousy faith editing is not acceptable.
Accountability
Admins should be accountable for every action they take involving administrator tools. They should promptly respond to editors’ questions about their administrative activities. Administrators that act contrary to community and Wikipedia guidelines will have their administrator rights revoked.
Security
According to Wikipedia policies, Wikipedia administrators must have strong passwords. They must also adhere to appropriate personal security practices. That is because a single erroneous edit could cause massive damage to the site. All compromised admin accounts are blocked, and the admin rights are taken away due to site security.
In Closing: Becoming a Wikipedia Admin
Are you interested in becoming an administrator on Wikipedia? We hope this article helps you reach that goal. Browse the Wikipedia FAQ site for more tips on Wikipedia.
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