Selection:
When a new Bureaucrat is needed, the current active admins will ask the community for recommendations from among the current Administrative staff. Any member of the community can suggest names of people to be considered. No additional vouching is required. The ideal people are those that the community knows and trusts, and who quickly come to mind when the question is asked "who should the next bureaucrat be?"
Each suggestion will then be discussed by the community via a special forum set up for this discussion, to give an opportunity for everyone to give their opinions on the suitability of the candidates. The discussion will remain open for at least a week.
It's not necessary for everyone commenting to agree on a new bureaucrat, but there should be general agreement, especially from other well-respected community members. Overall, a successful candidate will have general support from the community, support from at least two existing admins, and no strong objections from any admin. Views from unknown commenters (including people from other wikis) may be part of the conversation, but should be read in context. For example, an allegation that someone has been rude on an unconnected Wikia wiki might be useful data in reviewing a potential Bureaucrat, or might be a biased and distorted view that shouldn't affect this wiki. Equally, a large number of supports from unknown people might show that the person is popular with readers of the wiki, or might show that uninvolved people (without actual knowledge of the wiki or its community) are getting pulled in from elsewhere.
Once everyone has had a chance to suggest and comment on candidates, and once the generally preferred candidate (one per discussion) is clear, a review will be done by the administrative team. All currently active administrators must come to a consensus on any candidate for Bureaucrat. This does not mean that they must all agree with the selection, but any who disagree must clearly state that they can set aside their concerns and work with the candidate as a Bureaucrat. As with any vetting process, if the result is that the Admin team disagrees with the community decision, a clear and candid message must be provided to the candidate and the community as to the reasons, with guidance for improvement. The ideal is for the community to have at least two, and no more than four, active bureaucrats (although this may take some time to achieve).
Attribution: Sources used (with appreciation): Terraria Wiki, Wikipedia,
Selection:
Anyone can nominate someone as a candidate to become an administrator, but nominations will only be accepted for candidates who meet certain conditions:
- The candidate must have been a either a Chat Moderator for at least 3 months or a Wiki Moderator for at least 2 months.
- The candidate needs 3 other users to vouch for him/her within a week. One of these users must be an Administrator. The staff member giving the voucher must create a written post on the nomination discussion board explaining the reasons for supporting the nominee.
- The candidate must not also have received a ban on this Wiki's chat site (This applies for 6 months from the end of the ban period).
- The candidate cannot be nominated more than once per 3 months.
- If a nomination is refused due to the candidate not meeting requirements, then it is not considered a nomination and the candidate can be nominated again once the other requirements are met.
- If a nomination is refused due to the candidate not accepting it, then it is not considered a nomination and the candidate can be nominated again at any other time.
Once the nomination is made and appropriate vouchers are received, a member of the Administrator team will leave a message for the candidate asking if s/he accepts the nomination. Upon acceptance, a highlighted discussion forum will be opened to allow members of the DragonVale Wiki community to discuss the candidate's qualifications.
Discussion Process:
- Within 24 hours of opening the discussion, the nominee must post a comment providing information as to why s/he is interested in the position and what qualifications s/he has for the role.
- Within 48 hours of opening the discussion, the Administrator who provided the voucher for the candidate must post a comment providing information as to why s/he supports the candidacy.
- After the community discussion has been open for 7 days, one of the current administrators will open the Voting Process, wherein community members can indicate whether they support or oppose the candidacy.
Voting Procedure:
- Clearly state whether you support or oppose.
- One vote per person.
- A small explanation of your vote can be provided but people aren't expected to answer to it. This is meant to vote, not discuss.
- Participant must be a registered user for at least one month prior to the vote of the candidate.
- Sockpuppeting will result in a cancellation of the votes and a block of all perpetrators.
- No questions or discussions allowed. Any non-vote will be deleted.
- Voting will last for a week from the time it started.
Voting Results:
- If at least 80.0% of the community votes cast are in "Support" of a candidate then the candidate will automatically become a staff member on the DragonVale Wiki in that role.
- If 60.0% to 79.9% of the community votes cast are in "Support" of the candidate then the candidate will go through a one month probation period with the tools. At the end of the one month if more than 80.0% of the community votes cast are in "Support" of the candidate keeping the tools the candidate will keep them. If less than 80.0% of the community votes cast are in "Support" after the probation period the tools will be removed.
- Users that do not support the candidate in the post-probation voting thread should list at least one point that the user could improve in the probation period, so that the user can use it to improve; the points should be reasonable and not being personal reasons.
- If less than 60.0% of the community votes cast are in "Support" in the vote then the candidate does not receive the tools or a probation period.
- Candidates can be nominated again three months from the end of their probation/end of the vote.
- If the candidate is accepted for promotion, a bureaucrat will make the user rights changes. If there are no bureaucrats, then one of the administrators should send a message to Wikia staff at Special:Contact/general with a link to the discussion/vote and a request to promote the user.
ADMINISTRATORS CAN BE NOMINATED HERE
Selection:
Anyone can nominate someone as a candidate to become a Wiki Moderator, but nominations will only be accepted for candidates who meet certain conditions:
- The candidate must have been a Rollback for at least 2 months.
- The candidate needs 3 other users to vouch for him/her within a week. One of these users must be Wiki Moderator or Administrator.
- The candidate must not also have received a ban on this Wiki's chat site (This applies for 6 months from the end of the ban period).
- The candidate cannot be nominated more than once per 3 months.
- If a nomination is refused due to the candidate not meeting requirements, then it is not considered a nomination and the candidate can be nominated again once the other requirements are met.
- If a nomination is refused due to the candidate not accepting it, then it is not considered a nomination and the candidate can be nominated again at any other time.
If these conditions are NOT met, then the nomination is automatically disqualified.
Once the nomination is made and appropriate vouchers are received, an Administrator will notify the candidate through Message Wall, asking if he/she accepts the nomination.
Confirmation of Nomination:
If the user does NOT accept, then the nomination process is automatically stopped.
Upon acceptance, a discussion forum will be opened with the set date that will be agreed upon with the Administrator opening the forum and the candidate. The Discussion Forum will be opened to allow members of the DragonVale Wiki community to discuss the candidate's qualifications.
Discussion Process:
- Within 24 hours of opening the discussion, the nominee must post a comment providing information as to why s/he is interested in the position and what qualifications s/he has for the role.
- Within 48 hours of opening the discussion, the Wiki Mod or Administrator who provided the voucher for the candidate must post a comment providing information as to why s/he supports the candidacy.
- After the community discussion has been open for 7 days, one of the current administrators will open the Voting Process, wherein community members can indicate whether they support or oppose the candidacy.
Voting Procedure:
- Clearly state whether you support or oppose.
- One vote per person.
- A small explanation of your vote can be provided but people aren't expected to answer to it. This is meant to vote, not discuss.
- Participant must be a registered user for at least one month prior to the vote of the candidate.
- Sockpuppeting will result in a cancellation of the votes and a block of all perpetrators.
- No questions or discussions allowed. Any non-vote will be deleted.
- Voting will last for a week from the time it started.
Voting Results:
- If at least 80.0% of the community votes cast are in "Support" of a candidate then the candidate will automatically become a staff member on the DragonVale Wiki in that role.
- If 60.0% to 79.9% of the community votes cast are in "Support" of the candidate then the candidate will go through a one month probation period with the tools. At the end of the one month if more than 80.0% of the community votes cast are in "Support" of the candidate keeping the tools the candidate will keep them. If less than 80.0% of the community votes cast are in "Support" after the probation period the tools will be removed.
- Users that do not support the candidate in the post-probation voting thread should list at least one point that the user could improve in the probation period, so that the user can use it to improve; the points should be reasonable and not being personal reasons.
- If less than 60.0% of the community votes cast are in "Support" in the vote then the candidate does not receive the tools or a probation period.
- Candidates can be nominated again three months from the end of their probation/end of the vote.
- If the candidate is accepted for promotion, a bureaucrat will make the user rights changes. If there are no bureaucrats, then one of the administrators should send a message to Wikia staff at Special:Contact/general with a link to the discussion/vote and a request to promote the user.
WIKI MODERATORS CAN BE NOMINATED HERE
Selection:
Anyone can nominate someone as a candidate to become a Chat Moderator, but nominations will only be accepted for candidates who meet certain conditions:
- The candidate must be a registered user for at least three months.
- This requirement is meant to demonstrate that they have some knowledge of chat environments and policies.
- The candidate cannot be nominated more than once per 3 months.
- If a nomination is refused due to the candidate not meeting requirements, then it is not considered a nomination and the candidate can be nominated again once the other requirements are met.
- If a nomination is refused due to the candidate not accepting it, then it is not considered a nomination and the candidate can be nominated again at any other time.
- The candidate must not also have received a ban on this Wiki's chat site (This applies for 6 months from the end of the ban period).
- Chat Mod nominee must receive 3 vouches: one voucher from an Admin AND one from a Chat Mod who does not also serve as an Admin (although holding a Wiki Mod position does not make him/her ineligible to provide the Chat Mod voucher).
- If there is no vouch received from an Admin, a Wiki Mod of 3 or more months may vouch in their place. However, in this case the Wiki Mod must provide a written explanation of support on the nomination.
- The candidate will be notified that they have been nominated by leaving a message on their message wall.
- If the candidate does not wish to be nominated, they can give a statement saying that they decline the nomination, at which point the discussion will be closed.
- If the nomination/vouching requirements are met, and the candidate formally accepts the nomination, a Wiki Admin will open a highlighted discussion forum to allow the community to discuss the nomination.
Discussion Process:
- Within 24 hours of opening the discussion, the nominee must post a comment providing information as to why s/he is interested in the position and what qualifications s/he has for the role.
- Within 48 hours of opening the discussion, the staff member who provided the Chat Mod voucher for the candidate must post a comment providing information as to why s/he supports the candidacy.
- After the community discussion has been open for 7 days, one of the current administrators will open the Voting Process, wherein community members can indicate whether they support or oppose the candidacy.
Voting Procedure:
- Clearly state whether you support or oppose.
- One vote per person.
- A small explanation of your vote can be provided but people aren't expected to answer to it. This is meant to vote, not discuss.
- Participant must be a registered user for at least one month prior to the vote of the candidate.
- Sockpuppeting will result in a cancellation of the votes and a block of all perpetrators.
- No questions or discussions allowed. Any non-vote will be deleted.
- Voting will last for a week from the time it started.
Voting Results:
- If at least 80.0% of the community votes cast are in "Support" of a candidate then the candidate will automatically become a staff member on the DragonVale Wiki in that role.
- If 60.0% to 79.9% of the community votes cast are in "Support" of the candidate then the candidate will go through a one month probation period with the tools. At the end of the one month if more than 80.0% of the community votes cast are in "Support" of the candidate keeping the tools the candidate will keep them. If less than 80.0% of the community votes cast are in "Support" after the probation period the tools will be removed.
- Users that do not support the candidate in the post-probation voting thread should list at least one point that the user could improve in the probation period, so that the user can use it to improve; the points should be reasonable and not being personal reasons.
- If less than 60.0% of the community votes cast are in "Support" in the vote then the candidate does not receive the tools or a probation period.
- Candidates can be nominated again three months from the end of their probation/end of the vote.
- If the candidate is accepted for promotion, a bureaucrat will make the user rights changes. If there are no bureaucrats, then one of the administrators should send a message to Wikia staff at Special:Contact/general with a link to the discussion/vote and a request to promote the user.
CHAT MODERATORS CAN BE NOMINATED HERE
Selection:
Anyone can request to be promoted to Rollback, but nominations will only be accepted for candidates who meet certain conditions:
- The candidate must have been a registered Wiki user for at least 2 months prior to nomination.
- The candidate must have 50 QUALITY edits on main namespace pages(to see if you qualify, you can go here and enter your wiki name). This requirement is meant to demonstrate that they have some knowledge of editing and using templates.
- The candidate cannot be nominated more than once per 3 months.*
- The candidate needs 3 other users to vouch for him/her within a week. These can be admins studying the candidature should no one else know said candidate due to low social activity.
- This cannot be stressed enough: The candidate must have been making QUALITY edits. Upon nomination, at least one admin will ensure that by looking at the candidate's contributions.
- The candidate must not also have received a ban on this Wiki's chat site (This applies for 6 months from the end of the ban period).
- The candidate must not also have received a ban on this Wiki's chat site (This applies for 6 months from the end of the ban period).
- If these conditions are not met, then the nomination is automatically disqualified. Otherwise, the candidate is automatically promoted to Rollback.
*The once per three months limit applies only if you can't get three vouchers within a week. For people without necessary edits, all that's needed is to come back once that criteria is met.
ROLLBACK REQUESTS CAN BE MADE HERE
Complaints about a Staff Member:
- Complaints about a staff member can be made by any registered user.
- They can be issued on any Administrator's wall where a discussion will ensue between the plaintiff, the accused and at least one neutral Administrator. No one else is to get involved in this discussion. Should someone else have a similar complaint to make, it shall be done on a new thread.
- Should the issue not be resolved in this manner, a request for demotion can be made by the plaintiff. It's a right that should always be used in Good Faith for the interest of the wiki.
- Upon such a request, a one week public discussion on the forum will begin where people can discuss matters with both the accused and the plaintiff. At the end of the week, if 5 or more registered users are in favor of the demotion, voting will begin.
- Voting will follow the same rules as for staff selection-users must be registered before the discussion begins in order to vote.
- 70% vote in support of demotion is required for such a process to take place.
Here are some of the reasons that could lead to demotion:
- If an administrator is abusing the tools given to them, the community can examine examples of abuse to decide whether the administrator should keep the tools assigned to him or her.
- If an administrator feels like he or she does not need the administrator specific tools he/she can demote him/herself and request a vote to be made Wiki Moderator.
- If an administrator proves to cause problems on the wiki or gets in conflicts(not just disagreement, full out conflicts) with other people on a frequent basis.
Bureaucrats:
Removal of Rights:
If any community member (registered or not) has concerns about a Bureaucrat's use of the tools granted, the member should first contact the Bureaucrat directly to discuss concerns. If the member does not feel the concerns are addressed appropriately, the member must contact a different Bureaucrat (or an Admin, in the absence of another Bureaucrat) to request intervention. All conversations will be held on the message wall of the "disinterested" Bureaucrat/Administrator, and no other members are to intervene. (Intervention/comments by anyone except the three interested parties will be removed and subject the intervening member to temporary wiki block).
In the event the complainant does not feel that the concerns are appropriately addressed, the complainant is encouraged to contact Wikia staff via Special Contact for additional guidance and assistance. In no case it is appropriate to triangulate the situation by involving other members in non-public discussions of the problem.
A Bureaucrat will not request the removal of rights of another Bureaucrat without a public community discussion in which the situation is explained and the community agrees in general (full consensus is not required, but a larger number of members must agree to the removal than those who disagree).
In the case of truly inappropriate behavior, Bureaucratic tools can be removed based upon the agreement of the Bureaucrat/Admin team. Some examples of inappropriate behavior include: Inappropriate blocking of users for no apparent policy violation; major changes to Wiki content or staff with no discussion/agreement among the community; overall rudeness to users giving the appearance of being "better than" others. Any administrator or bureaucrat who feels this behavior is occuring must discuss it with the "offending" Bureaucrat and must gain consensus agreement of other active Admininstrators/Bureaucrats. In no case shall one Bureaucrat take this option without consultation and agreement of others.
Bureaucrat rights can be removed ONLY by the Bureaucrat (not another Bureaucrat) or a member of Wikia staff via Special Contact.
Attribution: Sources used (with appreciation): Terraria Wiki, Wikipedia
Special Circumstances:
Generally, the community will follow the Removal processes to determine if rights should be removed from any user. However, there may be situations in which the Administrator team feels that it is critical that rights be removed more quickly than a 2-3 week process allows. These situations must be such that allowing the user to retain tools will be detrimental to the Wiki, and any such removal must be agreed to by at least two Administrators and followed by a community discussion. If a situation is extreme and only one Administrator is available, the one who views the situation should issue a temporary block on the staff member and only request rights removal when able to confer with at least one other Administrator.
Rights removal can be accomplished under defined rules (i.e., Administrators can modify Chat Moderator rights; all other rights removal must be performed by a Bureaucrat or Wikia staff).
Not all situations for which this exceptional step would be considered can be captured, but some examples include:
- A staff member is in the process of a demotion discussion or vote and begins to vandalize the Wiki during this time frame. Severe vandalism may result in blocking the account, but in the interest of ensuring that the user can participate in the discussions, the staff tools are removed until the end of the discussion/voting period.
- A staff member returning from inactivity is pending community discussion/vote uses staff tools inappropriately and does not cease even at the request of an Administrator.
- A Chat Moderator continually exceeds his/her authority in kicking and banning users, with no justification, and does not cease this even after discussion with an Administrator. While there is leeway in the guidelines for when a ban is issued and the appropriate length of the ban, all bans should be performed within the general policies. A Chat Moderator who abuses this tool may be determined to be violating policies that cover not abusing, harassing, or threatening others.
- A Chat Moderator continually violates Chat Policies to an extreme extent, including using inappropriate language, discussing unreleased content, asking for "friend" information in main chat.
- An Administrator removes Chat Moderator rights from a user with no discussion with other Administrators and the community, and for no valid reason.
- A Wiki Moderator or Administrator continually blocks users without justification, even after discussion with other staff members.
- A staff member vandalizes the Wiki in such a way that both a block and removal of rights is warranted under site policies.
In any situation where it is determined that behaviors warrant immediate removal of rights, the user must be notified via Message Wall, and the removal must immediately go to the community in the form of a Forum discussion that will remain open for at least one week, and no more than two weeks. This discussion will be followed by a community vote that will last for one week. Only users who were registered prior to the rights removal will be eligible to vote, and the community must support a reversal of the rights removal with an 80% majority (80% of the voters must agree that the user rights are to be restored). Upon achieving that 80% mark, the users rights that were removed will be restored immediately.
As with all staff-related votes, users are encouraged to participate in discussions prior to voting, or to read through the discussion, in order to understand the situation fully and develop an informed decision.