[WikiEN-l] declining numbers of EN wiki admins Matt Jacobs

[Michael Peel]

On 28 May 2010, at 18:13, c h wrote:

> IMHO, etc...
> 
> The fundamental problem is the difficulty in *removing* SysOp, which *makes* it a big deal.
> 
> If it really was no big deal, RfA wouldn't need to be such an ordeal; if a user is competent, reasonably experienced and no DRAMA, we should +SysOp them (AGF). If they fuck up, remove it (No big deal).

Is this really true? This certainly describes how I view adminship... (although this might explain why I don't understand WP:RfA nowadays...)

> We block our precious new users at the drop of a hat, but an admin has to do something pretty damned horrific to even consider removing their status, and even then it takes months.

This depends on what you define as 'pretty damned horrific". I'd say that it's currently more that they have to do something high-profile (e.g. vandalise the main page) or controversial. 

> Imagine if it worked more like blocking - if an admin fucks up, remove their SysOp and have a chat about it. "Hi, I noticed that you speedy-deleted some files that do not appear to meet the CSD criteria; your SysOp staus has been removed _while we discuss it_". No big deal, the admins shouldn't mind.

This would depend on how many files it was that were deleted - one or two, it's easier to AGF and discuss it with them / undo their deletions for a bit. Something more systematic is a bigger issue, worth discussing at higher levels, and possibly temporarily removing adminship (although it might be lower key to just remove the ability do delete files for a bit, if such a thing could be done by another admin rather than involving a sysop).

Of course, files can be undeleted, so it's not normally a big issue (except on Commons) - I'd view the big issue as being needlessly blocking people, who then leave Wikipedia without returning...

Mike Peel