UDWiki:Open Discussion/Sysop Specialization

Notice

This is NOT a policy discussion. This is an Open Discussion about an issue regarding the wiki. Please treat it as such and contribute with that in mind.

Sysop Specialization

Author's Note: This is just a rough draft to get feedback on the core idea presented. This isn't indicative of what will be presented for vote if it goes that far. So don't worry so much about the actual wording, but the ideas.

Overview: Assign sysops various areas of the wiki to be responsible for. The idea being that if the sysop has one particular area that they are held accountable to manage that they can focus more of their time on that area. It will also benefit by having consistency in its’ ruling admin. The sysop is expected to be “knowledgeable” about the dealings and goings on in that area and how it relates to the wiki at large. The sysop will be responsible for the maintenance of that area.

By specializing the sysops not only does it make it clear for users who to contact for assistance but it also adds a measure of accountability to the sysops. Before it was whatever sysop was on hand was expected to deal with whatever issue. While the only pressing issues are active vandals expecting the “on duty” sysop to deal with areas that they aren’t familiar with can cause further issues.

The System

Basically, give each sysop an area to maintain (Protections - Move Requests - Deletions - Speedy Deletions - Undeletions) . That sysop is considered the “superior” voice in that area when any concerns are raised. No area gives a sysop more authority over a sysop in another area. If you are the A/MR sysop you have no more authority than the A/VB sysop outside of A/MR. It is a mild form of page ownership without the right of comment removal. All sysops are expected to follow established procedures however, in their area of “expertise” they are given a bit more leeway to use their discretion.

Every area will have at least one primary sysop and a back up sysop. There are exceptions that will be noted below.

Specialized sysops will have all rights and abilities of all sysops (delete, move, protect, ban user) however, it is requested that unless it is an emergency sysops respect the established boundaries and refer any concerns or actions to the appropriate sysop.

The majority of the section assignments will be decided by discussion among the sysops. If a sysop wishes to change their section (with one exception) they can should they be able to find a sysop willing to trade with them. It is suggested that sysops rotate sections every 6 months.

Exceptions

Vandal Banning, Arbitration, and Misconduct are the unique sections.

A/VB The A/VB sysop will be voted on by the community. There may need to be 2 sysops for that page which will work like the Crat system. Both must agree on the outcome of a case or agree to disagree as long as it yields a verdict.

Should an active vandal be dealt with by a sysop other than the A/VB one, the A/VB ops are expected to review the actions and approve or reverse them. The elected VB sysops have final say on the page, however, other sysops are encouraged to express their opinions. It is expected that the elected sysops are not only fair but also open minded and willing to listen to different opinions.

The only time the attending sysops can be over ruled is with 5 other active sysops voting against their ruling.

Changed Information On the talk page of the sysop list with the assignments, should the community desire it they may request the removal of the sysops. It will take 5 requests to start the process – minimum 25 votes with a clear majority determining the outcome. (Note: Also considering having them rotate every 6 months like Crats) Rotation is not mandatory.

De-escalations may be their own section and not necessarily under A/VB, but still adhering to the established policies.

A/M There is no change to A/M. No sysop shall have dominance over any Misconduct proceeding.

A/A The assigned sysop is responsible for maintaining the order on the page. Basically, they archive cases, move "off topic" conversations -within reason- to the talk page, and follow up on posted cases (seeing if a case is withdrawn if no arbitrator is agreed upon, contacting any party that may be delaying a case, and so on to ensure that a case isn't left in limbo.) The sysops are not arbitrators, but may be chosen to arbitrate or may offer solutions prior to a case starting. They will not interfere with the ongoing case they are not involved with directly.

Assignments:

With the exception of A/VB (which will be voted on by the community) the sysops may discuss which areas they will cover and reach an agreement. An updated list will be posted. If a sysop wishes to change areas he may trade with another sysop - except for A/VB.

The role of Crats:

Crats have no more authority over any area that they aren’t assigned than any other sysop.

Benefits

1. Consistency in management. No longer will a page be subject to the whim of the attending sysop that may or may not have all of the information needed to make a proper and fair decision.
2. With specialized sysop areas, more users can be promoted to sysop status with the understanding that that is their primary responsibility. In the past, candidates have been rejected for lack of experience in one field or another. However, if they are requesting promotion with the understanding that they expect to be the Move Request Admin or the Vandal Banning Admin then the community can tailor the Vouch/Against votes more towards that aspect rather than a blanket statement about the user. It also allows the sysop to learn the areas that they aren't experienced in without expecting them to be responsible for it from the start.
3. Users will know exactly who is responsible for what area. Rather than spamming questions or comments users will know where to find help with specific areas.
4. It should lessen burn out among sysops since they will not be dealing with all of the problems and drama all over the wiki. They are expected to handle any issues that arise on their pages fairly and promptly and within the policies.
5. With more active sysops the community will be better served and the wiki maintained.
6. Adding more specialized sysops will add more opinions to Misconduct cases.

Examples

Here an example on how some of this should work.

Active Edit War - When it is reported the page is locked by whatever sysop stops the vandals, but it is the responsibility of the Protections sysop to make sure it is locked in the right state. The A/VB sysops deal with the vandalism cases. (This prevents the sysop that is VBing the parties from locking the page to the version they want.)

Trial Period

Since there will be no actual change in status, but just a change in actions giving this a basic trial period should show if it is even viable.

If it is decided that 2 sysops per section are required for other sections then the A/VB sysops should take sections that aren't as busy for their secondary section and avoid Protections. (Undeletions and Arbitration are good secondary sections)