Dragon Ball Encyclopedia talk:Administrators

Changing this article

I'm not really sure if the article should be kept the way it is, as Dragon Ball Wiki doesn't really seem to follow the whole "4 project heads" and the fact that it's hard enough to understand as it is. I'm wondering if the whole article should be changed around, but I'd like to get some opinions first before hand.

talk contr

04:21, 9 August 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, we pretty much handle all sorts of different things, so I guess it would be limited to just say we each do one. The basis of limiting it to "4 project heads" seems to be faulty only to the extent that we all agree on setting this up more accurately. I assume what we can do is get input from Nonoitall and see if we can come to a better construct for this article's setup. - PrinceZarbon talk contrib 04:57, 9 August 2009 (UTC)

I agree. We've never really conformed to these guidelines. (In fact, we never even bothered to change the name Marpedia to Dragon Ball Wiki.) Given that we only have a few administrators and we all simply perform whatever task an occasion calls for, I don't see why we couldn't just say that, and then have a list of the wiki's admins. --  talk contr 07:57, 11 August 2009 (UTC)

I went ahead and changed it around, tell me what you guys think and tweak as necessary of course.

talk contr

04:16, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

Applications (currently inactive)

I grafted an application in regards to this. It would help us in future selection if the need for an administrator arises. Some formal questions for applications in the future, and a construct for proper application format would be as follows.

Administrator Application

This questionnaire created for administrative position applicants

1. Q: If you were chosen as an administrator, would you fulfill all the necessary actions described, but not limited to, in the basic guidelines? Please describe.
2. Q: If you were chosen as an administrator, would you promise to try your best to maintain an accurate encyclopedic resource? As an administrator, would you promise to leave out your opinion from articles and sustain factual coherency and actual material? Please describe.
3. Q: If you were chosen as an administrator, what editing skills do you think you could bring that would benefit the wikia most? Please describe.
4. Q: If you were chosen as an administrator, would you promise to maintain a proper temperament and mature tone, and always treat other members with respect where needed? Please describe.
5. Q: If you were chosen as an administrator, how often do you think you would be able to check up on the wikia's updates and edits on a systematic basis? How many articles do you think you can track, watch and maintain? Please describe.
6. Q: Do you have any basic knowledge of formatting and editing templates? Please describe.
7. Q: Do you have any basic knowledge of editing images, formatting articles, maintaining a proper outline, and following the Manual of Style as a proper reference and guideline for editing? Please describe.
8. Q: If you were chosen as an administrator, would you promise to stop edit warring where witnessed, delete inaccurate material, and revert false material where found?
9. Q: If you were chosen as an administrator, would you promise to block users or unknown IP's who create problems for the wikia? How lenient would you be in terms of administrative duties and punitive measures/blocks? Would you be strict where necessary and lenient where applicable? Please describe.
10. Q: If you were chosen as an administrator, would you work alongside fellow administrators and aid them where needed, listen to them where appropriate, and follow instructions when applicable? Would you treat your fellow comrades with respect and ensure to help them in all instances? Would you go along with their requests and be flexible, and oftentimes understand when they may be facing problematic circumstances? Please describe.
11. Q: Do you have any distinct knowledge of article formatting, proper line breaks, removing useless line breaks, improper formatting, and the initial construct of an article? It's imperative that you be able to follow proper formatting. Please describe.
12. Q: How well do you know about the series' episodic and movie dimensions? How well do you know the differences between canon and non-canon material, filler and manga-originated material, and improper and proper dubbing? Please describe.
13. Q: How well do you know about trivia in relation to the series and manga? What do you think makes for proper trivia material in an article? Please describe.
14. Q: Do you promise to maintain and sustain grammar and spelling accuracy in articles? How confident are you of your writing, spelling, and grammar skills and capabilities? Please describe.
15. Q: Who is your favorite character in the Dragon Ball universe, and why? Please describe.

This should be a nice formal account for responses to the questionnaire; the application holds grounds for maintaining a proper resource, and formulates the grounds necessary for selecting proper candidates in the future. What do you think SSJGoku93? - PrinceZarbon talk contrib 05:14, September 12, 2009 (UTC)

Ultimately I'm not sure how useful an application will be in the long run. In general, suitable candidates for admin-ship will demonstrate that suitability without ever being asked a question. It might be more beneficial to have a list of guidelines, which candidates should already be demonstrating an ability to follow when they are considered for admin-ship.

In any event we don't need to get too ultra-formal here. (This is a wiki that should be fun, not a job interview. :-D) If it turns out that someone selected to be a sysop can't fit into that role, it's a fairly simple matter for any bureaucrat or staff member to revoke the flag. Not that we should just go passing out sysop flags like they're candy, but like I said, it's not the end of the world if a new admin doesn't turn out perfectly.

My biggest concern for a user being considered for admin-ship is that he be able to use the added power discreetly. Technically speaking, admins just get a few more buttons than standard users: Deletion/restoration, un/blocking and un/protection. An admin should be dispassionate when he must use those functions. (This may mean that the admin must yield his own preference to the consensus of the community or the good of the wiki.)

That aside, it's always ideal when an admin has the literacy to write in a polished manner, or the technical expertise to create templates, or the knowledge to know what's canon and what's not. But I wouldn't say those are strict requirements. Any standard user can fill in those gaps, and it's better to have an unlettered, objective admin than a literate, rash admin.

I'm sure you guys already know that stuff, but I'm just pointing out what I think the focus of the guidelines/questionnaire/whatever should be. Hope I didn't come across as harsh — I do think it's a good idea to have standards set for this sort of thing and I do think you're headed in the right direction getting something written up. Anyway, that's my two cents. :-) --  talk contr 06:47, September 12, 2009 (UTC)

Looks just about perfect to me, I do agree with Nonoitall in the sense that "should be fun not a job interview" but being an admin does takes a lot of responsibility, and we'd need to find the most reputable users for the job. Any whom, the application looks fantastic, would not change a thing.

talk contr

17:33, September 12, 2009 (UTC)

The last question I tossed in, I meant to be a fun one, so it breaks the ice. But I think I covered all the aspects in terms of a basic outline for administrative abilities. - PrinceZarbon talk contrib 18:10, September 12, 2009 (UTC)