[WikiEN-l] declining numbers of EN wiki admins

[Matt Jacobs]

> Date: Wed, 26 May 2010 20:04:43 -0400
> From: Gwern Branwen <gwern0 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] declining numbers of EN wiki admins
> To: English Wikipedia <wikien-l at lists.wikimedia.org>
> Message-ID:
>        <AANLkTilwKLP_WoGqQAW9dZZDqGukSWbCUT-RtzvBVV0u at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> On Wed, May 26, 2010 at 7:34 PM, David Goodman <dgoodmanny at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Are you saying that a _declining_ number of administrators means a
> > _growth_ in bureaucracy? ?It would normally mean the opposite, either
> > a loss of control, or that the ordinary members were taking the
> > function upon themselves. ?What I see is a greater degree of control
> > and uniformity, not driven by those in formal positions of authority.
>
> If you assume that administrators are identical to the bureaucracy or
> some non-shrinking proportion thereof, then that does look like a
> falsehood.
>
> If you assume that administrators reflect rather the number of
> committed long-term contributors, and their numbers wax and wane
> pretty independently of the need for administrators, then that makes
> sense. Little kills enthusiasm and participation as surely as
> bureaucracy. Why are so few even trying for adminship?
>

My guess is that it's because the bureaucracy has become too intimidating.
I suspect many editors do not want to commit the time and effort to learning
it all.