User:KeybladeSpyMaster/Gadget Lab/Project Page 1

REWRITE FOR ADMINISTRATION MANUAL and STAFF PAGE


 * Proposal: Move to KHWiki:Staff Manual
 * Note: This draft actually consists of six different pages: Slight modifications to the Staff page, and a rewrite of the Admin Guide, expanding it to four pages + the introductory page.

The Kingdom Hearts Wiki Staff are editors chosen to protect the wiki’s content from vandalism or edit warring, manage articles and files on site, and moderate and help resolve conflicts among users. They have additional rights and tools that allow them to carry out these tasks.

Current Staff
The Kingdom Hearts Wiki's current staff includes four types of editors:
 * Administrators – Administrators are responsible for blocking vandals and deleting unnecessary files and pages. Also known as "sysops," they have rollback rights and can move images.
 * Bureaucrats – Bureaucrats are just like administrators, but can change users’ rights as needed, such as adding users to staff groups or making changes to usernames. They are listed with the administrators in gold text.
 * Moderators – Moderators are charged largely with rolling back edits. They can edit fully-protected pages, move articles without having to worry about spam restrictions, rename files, suppress redirects, delete pages, and approve edits made by IP editors and new users.
 * Developers – These editors maintain the Kingdom Hearts Wiki itself. They can adjust the site's functions but do not maintain its articles and content.

Staff members who are temporarily inactive appear in grayscale. They are not able to help other editors right now, so any issues that arise should be brought to the attention of an active staff member.

More help
The Staff at the Kingdom Hearts Wiki are tasked with keeping order on site. They have many responsibilities, but they all tie back to managing content and media files, mediating in conflicts among users, and enforcing site policies and rules. They do this with additional user rights, allowing them to protect or delete pages, rollback edits to quickly revert vandalism, edit the site interface text, and temporarily block or permanently ban users for vandalism or other disruption, among other things.
 * KHWiki:Staff Manual: A guide to staff rights and responsiblities
 * Mailbox: A list of active editors who would love to lend a hand.

This manual is designed to help members of the site staff, as well as the community, understand their rights and responsibilities.

Table of contents

 * 1) Staff Rights and Tools
 * 2) Good Faith
 * 3) Conflict Resolution
 * 4) Personal Attacks, Vandalism, and Trolls

The Role of the Staff
Staff members are first and foremost, editors. They still have a responsibility to the wiki itself.

The wiki staff are elected by the community of the Kingdom Hearts Wiki as the community deems necessary, and are representative of the wiki's community.

Staff members show competence on the wiki, and have the edits to show their willingness, hard work, and dedication to the wiki. They are willing to work with and help other users, are level-headed, and are mature. They should be encouraging and welcoming, making a sincere effort to befriend anyone and everyone on the wiki.

They are leaders and role models on the wiki. They may not be universally popular or beloved, they may not even be friends with everyone on the wiki, but they should make an effort to do so, and at the very least, be able to work with anyone and everyone. They respond coolly, avoiding the escalation of arguments when possible. They should be approachable, and willing to work with others. Not all issues will result in happy-go-lucky, laughing, hand-in-hand results, and it's inevitable that stark differences will at times result in passionate debates, heated discussions, and extended dispute. But the staff should try and avoid escalating conflicts and finding themselves at the center of such incidents, especially too often, because it scares people off.

This is not a comprehensive list of all staff qualities, and not all staff can uphold all these qualities. Rather, a member of the staff should focus on the skills they excel at, whether that’s content-writing, template-coding, file management, or conflict-resolution. Or even just editing.

The site staff should not use any of their tools and rights to implement some sort of ownership or superiority on the Wiki. Administrators should not use their rights to gain advantages on the wiki such as blocking users they disagree with or protecting pages to preserve their own edits.

Contacting an Staff Member
An automatically generated list of administrators can be found at Special:Listadmins. You can find a manual list of the staff on the Staff page.

 Members of the Kingdom Hearts Wiki’s staff have several different rights and tools in order to enforce site rules and keep order on the wiki.

Protect
An administrator can protect pages, which prevents other editors from editing them. Pages can be protected on different levels. Pages can be protected from anonymous IP edits, newer users, or from non-staff users, and for varying degrees of time. Pages should be protected if the pages involved suffer recurring and targeted vandalism or if the pages are at the center of an edit war. This may happen around the time of a game launch, as the release of a new game may spur many edits of poorer and often false quality. However, pages should never be protected simply to preserve edits that are more favorable over edits that are more correct. Page Protection should be used in an edit war to encourage discussion on the edits, not to kill that discussion. Pages should also not be protected to eliminate editing related to new game releases, but rather to encourage better editing and prevent repetitive reverting or rollbacks.
 * Semi-protection is normally used to alleviate vandalism. It appears in the Protection Log as “edit=autoconfirmed”, and protects pages from being edited by unregistered users (anonymous IP addresses) and newer accounts. It should only be used in cases of heavy vandalism from multiple usernames or IP addresses.  Putting the page on your watchlist and reverting vandalism may be a better alternative.  Semi-protection may also be used on formatting templates or other major templates.
 * Full protection is generally used for protecting major site-wide pages. It appears in the Protection Log as “edit=sysop”, and only administrators can edit these pages. It can be used for important formatting templates, templates that require virtually no change or depict a special formatting character (such as ), or pages dealing with legal concerns such as the site's copyright notice. Full protection should rarely be used to prevent vandalism unless semi-protection fails to do so.  Full protection may be used, however, to alleviate edit wars between established users.
 * Protection can also be placed solely on moving a page, in case the page is a target of page-move vandalism or edit warring.

Rollback
A Rollback is simply an instant reverting of all recent edits on a page. This option will appear next to the history and undo options in Special:RecentChanges and in page histories, as well as User Contribution lists, but only for the most recent edit. Depending on the kinds of edits, Rollback will allow an administrator to revert multiple edits at once. An administrator doesn’t have any control on how many edits can be reverted, so be careful when using this tool. Rollbacks are perfect for reverting vandalism, especially if it occurs over multiple edits. Just as with Page Protection, Rollback should not be used to preserve edits based on favoritism over quality edits.

Moving
While all can move pages, Moderators and Administrators can move pages without creating a redirect page. This allows for a clean move, and is best used if there is a misspelling in article names or if an article has been named incorrectly altogether. Additionally, Moderators and Administrators can move files. This is perfect for managing files, especially to make files meet the Media Policy.

Delete
Delete completely removes a page, its associated talk page, and the related page histories from public view. Other administrators can still view the page in Special:Undelete and in the related Delete Logs. Pages should be deleted if they are irrelevant to the ‘’Kingdom Hearts’’ series, are replaced by other pages, are unnecessary redirects created by page moves, or are pages created for spam or as a result of page-move vandalism. Images may also be deleted if they violate copyright laws and site copyright rules, are uploaded for vandalism purposes, or violate the Wiki’s Media Policy. Categories may also be deleted if they are a result of manual category renaming. Remember to remove or replace the links to deleted pages by checking in Special:Whatlinkshere. To request a page be deleted, especially if there is question about whether or not it should be deleted, add the template at the top of the page. A list of pages set to be deleted can be found at Category:Articles for Deletion.

Blocks and Bans
An administrator can issue a block on a user's account, barring them from editing for a set amount of time. This should be done according to the wiki's User Account Policy, as a result of violations of the wiki's policies. Bans are blocks set of an indefinite amount of time, making them permanent blocks. Bans should be issued against a user who engages in disruptive behavior and shows indifference towards the Kingdom Hearts Wiki, its rules and policies, or the community. Blocks and bans should not be used to punish a user unfairly. They should be held as a last resort, especially bans. Blocks and bans are also appealable, if a fair argument can be made for removing them, including showing reformed behavior or justifiable misuse of the block.

MediaWiki
Administrators can edit MediaWiki pages, including the site’s CSS and Javascript pages and any site interface pages like the text on Special:Upload.

Manual

 * 1) Manual Main Page
 * 2) Next: Good Faith

 Public wikis like Wikipedia and the Kingdom Hearts Wiki rely on the assumption that all users are acting in good faith, which means that users on the site are trying to help the Kingdom Hearts Wiki accomplish its goals, not hurt it. This obviously doesn’t mean that one should assume good faith when a user is obviously engaging in vandalism or blatant disruptive behavior, but rather that there is a doubt, one should always assume first that the user in question is trying to help.

New Editors
It’s important to exercise good faith with new editors, as they often are not familiar with the wiki’s culture, rules, policies, or even editing wikis in general. New editors will often expect their edits to be accepted as initially presented, and they will often argue in favor of changing rules and policies that they don’t agree with. While these may seem to pose a threat to the wiki as we know it, such editors are usually trying to help the wiki grow, and their contributions and opinions should be dealt with fairly. Often, these new editors will come around and accept the wiki’s rules and policies as they are, while others will actually find their opinions and suggestions accepted by the wiki. There have been many changes to the Kingdom Hearts Wiki based on suggestions by new editors.

Disagreements
Exercise good faith when dealing with disagreements with other users, new and experienced alike. Be civil and strive to resolve the conflict. Do not engage in personal attacks or edit warring, which will get you demoted as a member of the staff and possibly blocked (see User Account Policy). It is easier to resolve the conflict if at least one side of those making the argument continue to act civilly and according to site policy, even if the other ceases to do so, and members of the wiki’s staff are obligated to act according to site policy at all times. The goal will always be to try and resolve the problem in such a way that the project as a whole improves.

Bad Faith
Bad faith is, as its name implies, the opposite of good faith. It is double-mindedness, and often involves intentional deceit of others. On the Kingdom Hearts Wiki, it’s the intention to not act according to site policies and rules. Do not assume bad faith unless there is blatant evidence (recurring vandalism, disregard for advice/warnings, consistent personal attacks, etc.). Even when bad faith is evident, continue to act civilly. For regular users and editors, such behavior, with evidence, should be reported to a member of the wiki’s staff. Efforts should be made to help the user involved change, but if not, the wiki’s policies and procedures for warnings, blocks, and bans should be implemented accordingly. Indeed, good faith doesn’t destroy or nullify the wiki’s rules, but rather emphasizes that one should assume good intentions on the part of the offending user as much as possible while still being fair and just to site policy.

Manual

 * 1) Previous: Staff Rights and Tools
 * 2) Manual Main Page
 * 3) Next: Conflict Resolution

 Conflict Resolution is the effort made to resolve disputes and arguments caused by differing opinions on an article’s content or specific edits made to an article. Often, these will stem from disagreement with site policies, but they may stem from things such as whether one revision is better for the article than another.

Good Faith
When dealing with a conflict between two or more users, whether that includes you as a member of the staff or you are involved to help mediate, remember to assume good faith on the part of all parties involved.

Addressing Conflicts involving Content
In attempting to resolve a conflict, always seek to help those involved understand, learn, and grow. Do your best to act according to site rules, for disregarding them will make it difficult to side with you. Seek to keep a good discussion going with the other party or parties involved. “Discussing heatedly or poorly – or not at all – will make other editors less sympathetic to your position.” Seek to negotiate and be willing to compromise to find a solution to the conflict. Do not engage in edit warring, which will worsen the situation. If the issue is due to content, simply implement a temporary protection on the page and encourage a discussion on the article’s talk page. If it’s related to an editor’s behavior, address the issue on that editor’s talk page, not on the article talk page or other places where it will be overly public and distracting. Again, always seek to remain calm and try to resolve the issue. Focus on the content involved, not on the editor; this goes back to assuming good faith. Bringing up the conduct of an editor or attacking their behavior will only exacerbate the situation instead of making it better. Maintain this stance even if the other party or parties engage in personal attacks. It doesn’t help the situation if your response is uncivil or unkind. Consider removing yourself from the wiki temporarily if the issue gets too heated, or seek help and opinions from other staff members or the community. At no time should you lose your temper during the conflict. Trolls and personal attacks will not be tolerated on this wiki.

Addressing Conflicts involving User Behavior
As always, if there’s an issue with a user’s behavior, begin by assuming good faith. While disruptive behavior is hurtful and distracting, unless there is clear evidence the user is seeking the Wiki’s harm, we should always assume the editor involved is trying to make the site better, not worse. Do not involve behavior as an issue when there’s a conflict based solely on disagreement over content. Begin by addressing the editor’s behavior directly on their talk page. Be fair and understanding; again, the aim is to help the editors grow and learn, not scare them off or shame them. Show that you care and want to help them improve, as well as improve the site. If the editor is still not understanding, you may consider quoting the site policy and explaining it to them, as well as getting other staff members and community veterans to help explain the issue. At no time should an attempt to address a user’s behavior turn into a personal attack on the user, and mob mentality tactics should definitely not be used on the wiki against any user. At all times, consider the Wiki’s policies and rules, and their proper enforcement. If an editor still resists change, follow appropriate suspension procedures as found in the site’s User Account policy.

Manual

 * Previous: Good Faith
 * Manual Main Page
 * Next: Personal Attacks, Vandalism, and Trolls

 All Wikis face various forms of vandalism and disruptive behavior from different users. This article details how to deal with users who engage in intentional bad behavior, in accordance with the site’s User Account Policy.

Personal Attacks
Personal attacks are attacks levied against a specific user, and are usually about that user’s behavior, actions, or opinions. They are ad hominem attacks, trying to justify an action or behavior of one user by attacking the other person making the argument rather than the central issue of the argument itself. Personal attacks can be ignored if the affected user desires to do so, but it is usually best to address the issue directly. Issuing warnings are best if the attacks are isolated and appear to be a result of a momentary lapse of judgement. Further warnings and blocks must be issued if the attacks are recurring, targeted, or are particularly offensive or disruptive (such as physical threats or attacks based on race, gender, site activity, religion, nationality, etc.). While good faith should be exercised where possible, note that personal attacks are not acceptable behavior on the Kingdom Hearts Wiki

Vandalism
Vandalism is the intentional altering of content to harm an article or multiple articles, or the Kingdom Hearts Wiki as a whole. These range from attacks on content articles, to attacks on user pages, to spam, which is unrelated linking to other websites for advertising or click-bait purposes. None of these are acceptable behavior on the Kingdom Hearts Wiki, and should be met with direct and resolved action. Issue blocks where needed if the issue is not severe, but otherwise, vandalism is always addressed through permanent bans.

Trolls
Trolls are people who sow discord and seek to start conflicts on site. They’ll often do so by posting inflammatory, controversial, or off-topic messages, seeking an emotional response. They’re main goal is to disrupt otherwise normal discussion, solely for entertainment. Often, this will include harassment, and is synonymous with personal attacks. Trolling is strictly prohibited on the Kingdom Hearts Wiki, and users engaging in intentional disruptive behavior with such aims should be blocked or banned as needed.

Manual

 * Previous: Conflict Resolution
 * Manual Main Page