[WikiEN-l] The admin problem

[Peter Mackay]

> From: wikien-l-bounces at Wikipedia.org 
> [mailto:wikien-l-bounces at Wikipedia.org] On Behalf Of charles matthews

>  "Leif Knutsen" wrote
> 
> > * Admins should strive for transparency in their workings. 
> Backchannel 
> > communications should be an exception limited to very 
> specific problems.
> 
> That at least is not really practical.  There is constant 
> need to share information, that should not be posted on the 
> Wikipedia sites.  (Think about it - so we really want 
> discussions of users by admins, including necessary detective 
> work, on the site?).

Because the alternative is that admins are seen as arbitrary and callous by
the general community of editors. Nothing is quite so poisonous as a group
of privileged people telling the population "We had good reasons for doing
what we did, but we can't tell you what they are."

The reaction after hearing that line two or three times is pure cynicism.

Now, I'll exempt privacy issues from any need to be open, and I think
Wikipedia has a pretty good handle on that, but the sort of thing that
builds trust and confidence is what we usually see on WP:ANI where issues
get investigated, links and diffs are posted, and a complete picture
emerges.

Peter (Skyring)