On 3/21/07, Steve Bennett stevagewp@gmail.com wrote:
But clearly, there is widespread confusion about Jimbo's role in Wikipedia that needs resolving.
At Foundation level, he's a board member. But you can put that out of your mind for the minute because it's not presently relevant.
At English Wikipedia level, he has an informal status as a leader among the community. Historically - as a leader in the community - he exercised various functions (arbitration, for example) until those functions were delegated down (to the ArbCom, for example).
His functional role has lessened over time as it is further delegated out into the community. His role as a leader within the community remains.