'[WikiEN-l] Rename admins to janitors' - MARC

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List: wikien-l
Subject: [WikiEN-l] Rename admins to janitors
From: "Erik Moeller" <erik () wikimedia ! org>
Date: 2007年03月06日 13:17:52
Message-ID: b80736c80703060517k56dfabadg2e9f9bf3720cb3a9 () mail ! gmail ! com
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I'm sick and tired of people misunderstanding what an "administrator"
of Wikipedia is. It was a misnomer to begin with, and we've had
nothing but trouble with this name ever since. Users misunderstand it
(and ask admins to make editorial decisions). Media misunderstand it
(and either do not explain it, or connect it to power and influence).
And it's no wonder. "Administrator" could refer to a manager, or
someone appointed by a court; it typically describes someone in an
important official position.
When the role of "bureaucrat" was created, the name was chosen
specifically so that people would not treat it as a status symbol. It
should be something nobody really _wants_ -- something people do
because it needs doing, not because it gains them credibility and
influence. This seems to have worked reasonably well for the most
part.
Why don't we do the same thing with administrators? No need to do a
global search & replace, just change the key pages and MediaWiki
messages and leave old mentions of "adminship" on talk pages and such
around. But change it to something like "janitor". Or at least
something less formidable than "administrator", like "trusted user."
Seriously, people.
-- 
Peace & Love,
Erik
DISCLAIMER: This message does not represent an official position of
the Wikimedia Foundation or its Board of Trustees.
"An old, rigid civilization is reluctantly dying. Something new, open,
free and exciting is waking up." -- Ming the Mechanic
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