Wikipedia power structure

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Hierdie blad is 'n opstel. Dit gee die mening en idees weer van enkele gebruikers op Meta-Wiki, wat besmoontlik nie deur almal gedeel word nie. Dit is ook nie 'n amptelike beleid of riglyn op Meta-Wiki nie, maar kan wel so geag word op ander Wikimedia-projekte. Voel asseblief vry om hierdie bladsy soos benodig by te werk, of gebruik die kletsblad om groot wysigings voor te stel.

هذه نصيحة. تعبر عن آراء وأفكار بعض مستخدمي ميتا-ويكي لكن قد لا تكون مدعومة على نطاق واسع. هذه ليست سياسة على ميتا-ويكي، لكنها قد تكون سياسة أو إرشاد في مشاريع ويكيميديا آخرى. لا تتردد في تحديث هذه الصفحة عن الحاجة، أو استخدم صفحة النقاش للتعديلات الجوهرية.

Esto ye un ensayu. Espresa les opiniones y les idees d'algunos wikimedistes o usuarios de Meta-Wiki, pero pue ser que nun tenga un sofitu ampliu. Esto nun ye una política de Meta-Wiki, pero pue ser una política o direutiva n'otros proyeutos de Wikimedia. Tien llibertá p'anovar esta páxina como necesite, o use la páxina d'alderique pa proponer cambeos importantes.

Гэта эсэ. Яно выражае думкі і ідэі некаторых вікіпэдыйцаў або мэта-вікійцаў, але не абавязкова зьяўляецца меркаваньнем большасьці. Гэта не старонка правілаў Мэта-Вікі, але можа зьяўляцца правілам або рэкамэндацыяй у іншых праектах Вікімэдыі. Вы можаце абнаўляць гэтую старонку як заўгодна, а можаце скарыстацца старонкай абмеркаваньня, каб прапанаваць істотныя зьмяненьні.

Ovo je esej. Sadrži misli i ideje nekih korisnika Meta-Wikija, ali ne mora nužno da bude široko prihvaćen. Ovo nije pravilo na Meta-Wikiju, ali može da budi pravilo ili uputa na drugim projektima Wikipedije. Slobodno promijenite ovu stranu po potrebi ili koristite stranu za razgovor za veće promjene.

Açò és un assaig. Expressa les opinions i idees d'alguns usuaris de Wikimedia o del Meta-Wiki però pot ser que no tingui un ampli suport. Això no és una política del Meta-Wiki, però pot ser política o guia d'estil en algun altre projecte Wikimedia. Sentiu-vos lliures d'actualitzar aquesta pàgina quan faci falta o utilitzeu la pàgina de discussió per a proposar-hi canvis d'importància.

Toto je esej. Vyjadřuje názory a náměty některých wikimedianů nebo uživatelů Meta-Wiki, ale nemusí mít širokou podporu. Toto není pravidlo Meta-Wiki, ale může to být pravidlo, doporučení či vodítko na jiných projektech Wikimedia. Můžete tuto stránku aktualizovat podle potřeby, nebo použijte diskusní stránku k návrhům větších změn.

Traethawd yw hwn. Mae'n mynegi barnau a syniadau o rai defnyddwyr Wicimedia neu Meta-Wici ond efallai nad oes ganddo gefnogaeth lydan. Nid yw hwn yn bolisi Meta-Wiki, ond y gallai fod yn bolisi neu ganllaw ar brosiectau Wikimedia eraill. Mae croeso i chi ddiweddaru'r dudalen hon wrth angen, neu ddefnyddio'r dudalen sgwrs er mwyn cynnig prif newidiadau.

Dette er et essay. Det udtrykker visse Wikimedia- eller Meta-Wiki-brugeres holdninger og idéer, som ikke nødvendigvis deles af et flertal. Dette udgør ikke en politik på Meta-Wikien, men det kan være en politik eller et regelsæt på et andet Wikimedia-projekt. Du er velkommen til at ændre denne side efter behov, eller til at foreslå større ændringer på diskussionssiden.

Dies ist ein Essay. Es drückt die Meinungen und Ideen einiger Meta-Wiki-Benutzer aus und wird eventuell nur von wenigen Benutzern unterstützt. Dies ist keine Richtlinie aus dem Meta-Wiki, kann aber Richtlinie oder Leitsatz in anderen Wikimedia-Projekten sein. Aktualisiere diese Seite falls nötig, oder benutze die Diskussionsseite, um größere Veränderungen vorzuschlagen.

Dies ist ein Essay. Er drückt die Meinungen und Ideen einiger Meta-Wiki-Benutzer aus und wird eventuell nur von wenigen Benutzern unterstützt. Dies ist keine Richtlinie aus dem Meta-Wiki, kann aber Richtlinie oder Leitsatz in anderen Wikimedia-Projekten sein. Tun Sie sich keinen Zwang an und aktualisieren Sie diese Seite falls nötig, oder benutzen Sie die Diskussionsseite, um größere Veränderungen vorzuschlagen.

Αυτό είναι ένα δοκίμιο. Εκφράζει τις απόψεις και τις ιδέες κάποιων χρηστών του Meta-wiki αλλά ενδέχεται να μην έχει ευρεία υποστήριξη. Δεν είναι πολιτική του Meta-wiki, αλλά ενδεχομένως είναι πολιτική ή οδηγία σε κάποιο άλλο εγχείρημα του Wikimedia. Μπορείτε να ενημερώσετε αυτή την σελίδα αν χρειάζεται, ή χρησιμοποιήστε την σελίδα συζήτησης για να προτείνεται μεγαλύτερες αλλαγές.

This is an essay. It expresses the opinions and ideas of some wikimedians or Meta-Wiki users, but may not have wide support. This is not policy on the Meta-Wiki, but it may be a policy or guideline on other Wikimedia projects. Feel free to update this page as needed, or use the discussion page to propose major changes.

Este es un ensayo. Este texto expresa opiniones e ideas de algunos usuarios, pero pueden no tener un amplio consenso. Esta no es una política de Meta pero puede sí serlo en otros proyectos. Usted tiene libertad para actualizar esta página o usar su página de discusión para proponer cambios mayores.

See on essee. See tekst väljendab Meta-Wiki kasutajate ideid ja arvamusi, kuid sellel ei pruugi olla laiapõhjalist toetust. Tekst ei ole Meta-Wiki ametlik poliitika, aga võib olla ametlik poliitika või juhtnöör mõnes teises Wikimedia projektis. Vastavalt vajadusele võite seda lehte uuendada või kasutada arutelu lehte, et pakkuda välja suuremaid muudatusi.

Jen eseo. Ĝi esprimas la opiniojn kaj ideojn de iuj Vikipediistoj aŭ uzantoj de Meta-Wiki, sed eble ne havus vastan subtenon. Ĝi ne estas la regularo de Meta-Wiki, sed ĝi eble estas regularo en aliaj projektoj de Wikipedia. Laŭvole ĝisdatigu ĉi tiun paĝon laŭ bezono, aŭ uzu la diskuto-paĝon por proponi grandajn ŝanĝojn.

این صفحه یک انشا است. این صفحه نظر و ایدهٔ برخی از کاربران فراویکی را بیان می‌کند اما ممکن است از حمایت گسترده‌ای برخوردار نباشد. این صفحه یک سیاست در فراویکی نیست، اما ممکن است سیاست یا رهنمودی در دیگر پروژه‌های ویکی‌مدیا باشد. آزادانه آن را به روز کنید، و برای تغییرهای بزرگ از صفحهٔ بحث استفاده کنید.

Tämä on essee. Se ilmaisee joidenkin wikimedialaisten tai Meta-Wikin käyttäjien mielipiteitä tai ajatuksia, mutta sillä ei välttämättä ole laajaa kannatusta. Tämä ei ole Meta-Wikin käytäntö, mutta saattaa olla käytäntö tai ohje muissa Wikimedia-hankkeissa. Päivitä tätä sivua tarpeen mukaan tai ehdota isoja muutoksia keskustelusivulla.

Ceci est un essai. Il exprime les opinions et les idées de certains contributeurs de Meta-Wiki, mais peut ne pas rencontrer le soutien des autres. Il n'est ni une règle ou une recommandation sur Meta-Wiki, mais peut l'être sur d'autres projets Wikimédia. N'hésitez pas à modifier cette page si besoin est, ou à proposer des changements majeurs sur la page de discussion.

Dit is in essay. It jout mieningen en ideeën wer fan guon meidoggers op Meta-Wiki, mar it is net sein dat eltsenien it der mei iens is. Dit is ek gjin offisjeel belied of rjochtline op Meta-Wiki, al kin dat wol sa wêze op oare Wikimedia-projekten. Fiel jo frij om dizze side wêr't dat nedich is bij te wurkjen of om grutte wizigings út te stellen op de oerlisside.

Isto é un ensaio. Expresa as opinións e ideas dalgúns wikimedistas ou usuarios de Meta-Wiki pero poida que non teña un amplo apoio. Non é unha política en Meta-Wiki, pero si pode selo noutro dos proxectos da Wikimedia. Síntete libre de actualizar esta páxina se cómpre ou fai uso da páxina de conversa para propor grandes cambios.

Des isch e Essay. Är druckt d Meinige un Idee vun e baar Meta-Wiki-Benutzer uus un wird unter Umständ nume vu wenig Benutzer unterstitzt. Des isch kei Richtlinie us em Meta-Wiki, cha aber Richtlinie oder Leitsatz in andere Wikimedia-Projäkt syy. Due der kei Zwang aa un due die Syte wänn netig aktualisiere, oder bruuch d Diskussionssyte go greßeri Veränderige vorschlaa.

עברית: דף זה הוא מאמר. הדף מבטא את הדעות והרעיונות של חלק מהמשתמשים במיזמי קרן ויקימדיה או במטא־ויקי, אך ייתכן שאין להם תמיכה נרחבת. דף זה הוא לא דף מדיניות במטא־ויקי, אך ייתכן שהוא דף מדיניות או דף הנחיות במיזמי ויקימדיה אחרים. הרגישו חופשיים לעדכן את הדף לפי הצורך, או השתמשו בדף השיחה להצעת שינויים משמעותיים.

Ovo je esej. Izražava mišljenja i zamisli nekih wikimedijaca ili nekih suradnika Meta-Wikija, ali ne mora nužno biti široko prihvaćenim niti imati veliku potporu. Ovo nije pravilom na Meta-Wikiju, ali može biti politikom ili smjernicom na drugim Wikimedijinim projektima. Slobodno ažurirajte ovu stranicu po potrebi ili rabite stranicu za razgovor radi predlaganja većih izmjena.

Ez egy esszé. Néhány Wikimédia- vagy Meta-Wiki-felhasználó véleményét fejezi ki, de lehet, hogy nem kapott széles körű támogatást. Nem irányelv a Meta-Wikin, de irányelv vagy útmutató lehet más Wikimédia-projektekben. Szabadon frissítheted ezt a lapot, ha szükséges, vagy használd a vitalapot, ha nagyobb változtatást szeretnél javasolni.

Isto es un essayo. Illo exprime le opiniones e ideas de alcun wikimedianos o usatores de Meta-Wiki, ma pote esser non appoiate per le consenso general. Isto non es un politica del Meta-Wiki, ma pote esser un politica o directiva in altere projectos de Wikimedia. Sia libere de actualisar iste pagina in caso de necessitate, o usa le pagina de discussion pro proponer major alterationes.

Ini adalah sebuah esai. Esai ini menyatakan pendapat dan gagasan dari beberapa Wikimediawan atau pengguna Meta-Wiki dan mungkin tidak didukung oleh komunitas secara meluas. Esai ini bukan kebijakan Meta-Wiki, tapi mungkin saja merupakan kebijakan atau pedoman di proyek-proyek Wikimedia lainnya. Silakan memperbarui halaman ini seperlunya, atau gunakan halaman pembicaraan untuk mengusulkan perubahan besar.

Questo è un saggio. Esprime le opinioni e le idee di alcuni utenti di Meta-Wiki, ma potrebbe non incontrare il sostegno di altri. Non è una raccomandazione o una linea guida di Meta-Wiki, ma potrebbe esserlo su altri progetti Wikimedia. Non esitate a modificare questa pagina, se occorre, o a proporre modifiche rilevanti nella sua pagina di discussione.

この記事はエッセイです。何人かのメタウィキの利用者の意見と考えを表していますが、幅広い支持を得ているとは限りません。メタウィキの方針ではありませんが、他のウィキメディア・プロジェクトの方針かガイドラインであるかもしれません。必要に応じてこのページを遠慮なく編集し、大きな変更の提案にはこの記事のノートを使用してください。

이 문서는 수필입니다. 이것은 일부 사용자의 의견을 나타낸 것으로, 총의를 얻지 않았을 수 있습니다. 이 문서는 메타위키 정책은 아니지만, 다른 위키미디어 프로젝트에서 정책이나 지침으로 사용하고 있을 수도 있습니다. 이 문서를 편집하거나 주요 내용을 바꿔야 한다면 토론 문서를 이용해 주세요.

Dat hee ess ënë Opsatz. Dat hejß, dat ët dë Mejnonge un Ideeë vun elke Wikimediaanere odër Meta-Wikie Benotzere widdërjiff, äwwër onger Ömständen kejne wejtrejschende Ongerstötzung jeneeß. Ët ess allsu kej Vürschreff op Meta-Wiki, künnt äwwer ë Fürschreff oder Reschtleenije op aandere Wikimedia-Projekten sinn. Ihr künnt jään dë Sigk aktuwaliseere, odër de Klaafsigk för öm wejtjrejfende Ändëronge vürzoschlaage.

Tai yra Vikipedijos rašinys.

Čia pateikta vieno ar keleto naudotojų (o gal ir visos bendruomenės) nuomonė kai kuriais Vikipedijos tvarkos klausimais. Jis skirtas ne pačiai meta viki o kitiems Vikipedijos projektams. Tokius rašinius gali taisyti visi, tačiau siūlytume esminius pakeitimus pirmiausia aptarti aptarimų puslapyje.

Fanoharana no eto amin'ity pejy ity. Maneho ny hevitry ny mpandray anjara sasan'i Metawiki, ka mety vitsy ny mpanohana azy. Tsy manolotra fitsipika, na torohevitra ofisialy ny votoatin'ity pejy ity, fa mety ho izy eo amin'ny tetikasa Wikimedia sasany. Raha ilaina dia ovay ity pejy ity, na mikasa fanovana lehibe eo amin'ny pejin-dresany.

Ова е есеј. Во него е искажано мислењето и идеите на извесни викимедијанци или корисници на Мета-Вики, но не значи дека тоа ужива широка поддршка. Ова не претставува правило на Мета-Вики, но може да виде правило или напатствие на други проекти на Викимедија. Најслободно менувајте ја страницава, или пак користете ја страницата за разговор ако сакате да предложите некои поголеми промени.

ഇതൊരു പ്രബന്ധം ആണ്. വിക്കിമീഡിയയിലേയോ മെറ്റാ വിക്കിയിലേയോ ചിലരുടെ അഭിപ്രായം മാത്രം ആണ് ഇത്. ഇത് പൊതുവേ അംഗീകരിക്കപ്പെട്ടിട്ടുള്ള ഒരു മാർഗ്ഗരേഖ അല്ല. എങ്കിലും ഇതെ മറ്റേതെങ്കിലും ഒരു വിക്കിപ്പീഡിയയിലെ മാർഗ്ഗരേഖയായി കണക്കാക്കപ്പെടുന്നുണ്ടാകാം. ഈ താൾ താങ്കൾക്ക് സധൈര്യം തിരുത്താവുന്നതാണ്. എന്തെങ്കിലും മാറ്റങ്ങൾ നിർദ്ദേശിക്കാനുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ സംവാദം താളിൽ കുറിപ്പ് എഴുതുക.

हा एक निबंध आहे. यामध्ये काही विकिपीडिया सदस्यांची किंवा मेटा-विकि सदस्यांची मते आणि कल्पना मांडण्यात आल्या आहेत. त्यांना बहुतांशांचा पाठिंबा असेलच असे नाही. हा निबंध मेटा-विकिवरील धोरण मांडत नाही, पण इतर काही विकिमीडिया प्रकल्पांमध्ये हा निबंध धोरण किंवा मार्गदर्शक तत्व म्हणून वापरला जात असणे शक्य आहे. आवश्यक असेल तेव्हा विनासंकोच हे पान संपादित करा किंवा काही मोठे बदल सुचविण्यासाठी चर्चा पानाचा उपयोग करा.

Ini adalah sebuah karangan. Ia menyatakan pendapat serta buah fikiran sesetengah ahli wikimedia atau pengguna Meta-Wiki tetapi tidak semestinya mempunyai sokongan yang meluas. Ini bukannya polisi di Meta-Wiki, tetapi ia mungkin merupakan polisi atau garis panduan di projek-projek Wikimedia lain. Silakan mengemaskini laman ini jika perlu, atau gunakan laman perbincangannya untuk mengusulkan perubahan-perubahan yang besar.

Dit is een essay. Het geeft de meningen en ideeën van enkele gebruikers op Meta-Wiki weer, maar wordt waarschijnlijk niet door iedereen gesteund. Dit is ook geen officieel beleid of richtlijn op Meta-Wiki, maar dat kan het wel zijn op andere Wikimedia-projecten. Voel u vrij om deze pagina als nodig bij te werken, of om de overlegpagina te gebruiken om grote wijzigingen voor te stellen.

Dette er et essay. Det uttrykker meningene og ideene til enkelte wikimedianere eller Meta-Wiki-brukere, men har ikke nødvendivis stor støtte. Dette er ikke en retningslinje på Meta-Wiki, men kan være retningslinje på andre Wikimedia-prosjekter. Du er fri til å oppdatere siden om det trengs, eller skrive på diskusjonssiden for å foreslå større endringer.

Aquò es una redaccion. Exprimís las opinions e las idèas d'unes contributors de MetaWiki, mas pòt rencontrar pas lo sosten dels autres. Es pas una règla o una recomandacion sus MetaWiki, mas o pòt èsser sus d'autres projèctes Wikimèdia. Esitetz pas a modificar aquesta pagina se fa mestièr, o a prepausar de cambiaments màgers sus la la pagina de discussion.

Ten artykuł jest esejem. Wyrażone są w nim opinie i pomysły niektórych wikimedian lub użytkowników Meta-Wiki, ale niekoniecznie mają szersze poparcie. Nie jest to zasada obowiązująca na Meta-Wiki, ale może to być zasada lub zalecenie na innych projektach Wikimediów. Możesz aktualizować tę stronę w razie potrzeby lub skorzystaj ze strony dyskusji artykułu aby zaproponować większe zmiany.

Isto é um ensaio. Ele expressa as opiniões e ideias de vários wikimedianos ou usuários do Meta-Wiki mas pode não ter grande respaldo. Isto não é uma política no Meta-Wiki, mas pode ser uma política ou orientação em outros projetos da Wikimedia. Sinta-se livre para atualizar esta página quando necessário, ou use a página de discussão para propor alterações maiores.

Acesta este un eseu. Aici sînt exprimate opiniile şi ideile unor utilizatori de pe Meta-Wiki, dar este posibil să nu aibă accepţiune majoritară. Aceasta nu are titlu de politică pe Meta-Wiki, dar poate fi politică sau ghid de reguli pe alte proiecte ale Wikipediei. Poţi să îmbunătăţeşti această pagină după cum crezi adecvat, sau să foloseşti pagina de discuţie pentru a propune schimbări majore.

Это эссе. Оно выражает мнения и идеи некоторых пользователей Мета-вики, но может не пользоваться широкой поддержкой. Эссе не является правилом Мета-вики, но, вероятно, может быть правилом или руководством в других проектах Викимедиа. Вы можете обновлять эту страницу как считаете нужным или воспользоваться страницей обсуждения, чтобы предложить значительные изменения.

This is an essay. It expresses th' opinions 'n' ideas o' some wikimedians or Meta-Wiki users bit kin nae huv wide support. This insae policy on the Meta-Wiki, bit it kin be policy or guideline oan ither Wikimedia projects. Cop free tae update this page as needed, or uise th' collogue page page tae propose major changes.

Toto je esej. Vyjadruje názory a námety niektorých wikimedianov alebo používateľov Meta-Wiki, ale nemusí mať širokú podporu. Toto nie je pravidlo Meta-Wiki, ale môže to byť pravidlo, odporúčanie či vodidlo na iných projektoch Wikimedia. Môžete túto stránku aktualizovať podľa potreby, alebo použite diskusnú stránku na návrhy väčších zmien.

Ово је есеј. Садржи мисли и идеје неких корисника Мета-Викија, али не мора да буде широко прихваћен. Ово није правило на Мета-Викију, али може да буде правило или упутство на другим пројектима Викимедије. Не устручавајте се да промените ову страну по потреби или користите страну за разговор да бисте предложили веће промене.

Den här sidan är en essä. Den är inte en av Wikimedias policys eller riktlinjer, och återspeglar kanske endast författarnas åsikter. Uppdatera sidan om det behövs eller diskutera innehållet på diskussionssidan.

หน้านี้เป็นข้อเขียน แสดงถึงความคิดหรือไอเดียของผู้ใช้วิกิมีเดียหรือเมต้าวิกิบางคนซึ่งอาจจะยังไม่ได้รับการสนับสนุนกว้างอย่างขวางนัก นี่ไม่ใช่นโยบายบนเมต้าวิกิ, แต่อาจเป็นนโยบายหรือแนวทางของโครงการอื่น ๆ ของวิกิมีเดีย อย่ากังวลในการแก้ไขหน้านี้ตามที่คุณต้องการ หรือใช้หน้าอภิปรายในการเสนอการเปลี่ยนแปลงใหญ่ ๆ

Це - есе. Воно виражає думки й ідеї деяких користувачів Мета-вікі, але може не користуватися широкою підтримкою. Есе не є правилом Мета-вікі, але, імовірно, може бути правилом або керівництвом в інших проектах Вікімедіа. Ви можете підкорегувати цю сторінку безпосередньо, якщо вважаєте за необхідно, або скористатися сторінкою обговорення, щоб запропонувати значні зміни.

Đây là một bài luận. Nó thể hiện ý kiến và ý tưởng của một số thành viên Wikimedia hoặc Meta-Wiki và có thể không được đồng tình một cách rộng rãi. Đây không phải là quy định tại Meta-Wiki, nhưng nó có thể là quy định hoặc hướng dẫn tại các dự án khác của Wikimedia. Xin hãy thoải mái cập nhật trang này nếu cần, hoặc sử dụng trang thảo luận để đề xuất những thay đổi lớn.

这是一篇论述。它只表达了部分维基人或元维基使用者的意见及观点，此等观点可能未获得广泛支持。这不是元维基的政策，但可能是属于其他维基计划的政策或指引。如有需要，欢迎更新本页面，或在讨论页提出修改的建议。

這是一篇論述. 它只表達了部分維基人或元維基使用者的意見及觀點，此等觀點可能未獲得廣泛支持。這不是元維基的政策，但可能是屬於其他維基計劃的政策或指引。如有需要，歡迎更新本頁面，或在討論頁提出修改的建議。

呢篇係一篇論述。佢只表達左部分維基人或者維基元使用者嘅意見同埋觀點，呢啲觀點可能未獲得廣泛支持。呢個唔係元維基嘅政策，但可能係屬於其他維基計劃嘅政策或者指引。如果有需要，歡迎改呢版，或者係討論頁度提出修改嘅建議。

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The power structure, in terms of the various bodies of editors seen therein and the way they interface with other bodies, of Wikimedia might seem a bit complicated at first. This document tries to describe the status quo for Wikimedia as a whole. See elsewhere on meta for suggestions on how this could or should be changed, such as the ideal Wikipedia board, more heat than light, Wikimedia charter, Wikimedia public relations, Wikipedia Peace Process.

Wikimedia's present power structure is a mix of anarchic, despotic, democratic, republican, meritocratic, plutocratic, technocratic, and bureaucratic elements:

Anarchy[edit]

Wikimedia pages can be edited collaboratively by anyone, including IP users, with no hidden strings attached. Rarely, they can be lost over time (see below) but if our policies (e.g. policies of the English wiki) are followed, it is possible for anyone to become a respected editor.

Respected editors also respect the anarchic "accept all comers" approach to this collaborative endeavour. Newcomers are a valued resource.

Similarly, our guidelines and policies, based in tradition are evolving through collaborative editing and the search for consensus and compromises. Besides the talk pages of the respective policy pages, the meta wiki and mailing lists are used to discuss these matters. The mailing lists once carried more active discussion than they do presently.

The smaller national language Wikipedias have less structure due to their smaller sphere of contributors.

Precedent[edit]

As a practical matter, most Wikimedia policy is a matter of tradition. Certain foundation issues are considered, for practical purposes, beyond discussion. Other matters are currently handled according to tradition despite an overall consensus that the status quo is not ideal (cf. en:Wikipedia:Articles for deletion and en:Wikipedia:Requests for adminship).

To understand this aspect of the Wikimedia power structure, realize that many, perhaps most, contributors consider it impractical to revisit difficult issues as consensus seems unlikely to them. As in other organizations, change most often comes when it must rather than when it should.

However, one is not compelled to follow this point of view; indeed, one should probably work against it in a constructive way, for instance by making alternative proposals.

Bureaucracy[edit]

Over time, as the project has grown, a complex collection of policies, procedures, user groups, and conventions have grown up to assist in its organization and improvement. Theoretically these are mostly transparent, informal, and neutral, but in practice they give an advantage to those who understand them. New or less frequent users may simply be overwhelmed by requests to adhere to the Manual of Style, use the correct categories and templates, or understand the complexities of deletion policy.

Deliberately using greater understanding of the processes to further your own agenda is actively discouraged. Moreover, wherever possible new editors should be encouraged to be bold and get involved, and more experienced users should actively help them through the complexities of the system. See "Please do not bite the newcomers".

Despotism[edit]

User:Jimbo Wales used to be the "Benevolent dictator" but has turned over control to the Wikimedia Board of Trustees. He originally paid for all of Wikipedia's operations with no financial return whatsoever, and retained a veto right on all decisions. He also sometimes unilaterally announced certain decisions, such as user bans, and has elevated some guidelines to the status of enforced policies. Other than holding certain foundation issues in high regard, his active participation in the power structure was increasingly limited.

Jimbo at one time was involved in nearly all proposed bans of a signed-in user. After the ban of EntmootsOfTrolls in November 2003, Jimbo issued few new bans, instead relying on the en:Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee to approve bans. Users whose edit history is solely vandalism can be blocked by any administrator. So too can any "reincarnation" of a previously banned/blocked user, though in many cases it is impossible to prove that a user is a reincarnation to the satisfaction of the community without the use of the CheckUser tool.

Wales largely left non-English Wikipedias to get on with it, due to language difficulties. This suggests that his influence was actually more symbolic than effective. Others acted under his authority and general rule statements.

Democracy[edit]

Not all conflicts can be resolved through consensus, and in many cases, simple votes are organized using only the wikipages as a tool. Virtually all existing voting methods have been tried and used, and no standard has been agreed upon yet.

In March 2003, with Wales' approval, User:Eloquence organized the first official project-wide vote on a Wikipedia policy, on the subject of which articles to include in the Wikipedia total article count (see Article count reform). The voting method used was average voting. The result was accepted, and more official votes on contentious subjects may follow.

Basically, whenever you feel like it, you can try to start a vote on a talk page, but people will probably not participate in it if they think discussion has not yet been exhausted as a way to resolve conflicts of opinion. In general Wikimedia follows a deliberative democracy model, where nothing is in a hurry... it could evolve towards consensus democracy if Wikipedians chose to do so.

While Jimbo remains skeptical of voting, he has suggested that he is more willing to accept votes on the non-English Wikipedias, where he is less able to oversee the decision making process. It is most likely for original structures to emerge in such areas.

Republic[edit]

Some Wikipedias, such as the English, French, Dutch and Swedish Wikipedias, have a class of administrators (formerly "sysops"). For information on the specific powers and guidelines for administrators, see:

See also Administrators of Wikimedia projects/Wikipedias for other languages.

Though each language has a different culture, generally administrator actions are limited and controlled by "the people at large": most administrators see themselves as servants of the community, not masters (see also Administrators on your wiki). For example, page deletions are transparently logged at (for example) Wikipedia's log. The nomination process for administrators also differs among the various languages.

While administrators are not technically elected, they are representatives of the larger group of Wikimedia users. Their power is strictly limited, and abuse results in the removal of administrator powers from the abuser (though in practice this is rare).

Administrators' power chiefly derives from the latitude in interpreting rules and consensus. For example, administrators may determine at their discretion when a page qualifies for deletion, either under "speedy deletion" guidelines or as a result of a !vote. Deletions are rarely overturned by other sysops except in high-profile cases or where it is clear a mistake was made. In like fashion, page protection guidelines are vague, and administrators as a rule do not overrule each others' decisions on page protection.

Meritocracy[edit]

Wikimedia is very much a meritocracy. Quality is the abiding goal of Wikimedia, and so those contributors who provide the best quality work are most likely to see their contributions come to influence specific articles. They are less likely to be edited and corrected by other users as they gather respect and influence within the community or sub-community of topic area. Wikipedia articles are explicitly stated to have no author, but users only have to check page history to see who has provided the most positive influence in the development of an article. The needs of personal ego can thus be subtly met.

If meritocracy is understood as a community where merits can be accumulated in a power status that afterwards is rendered untouchable whatever the quality of further contributions (or deletions), then Wikimedia is not a meritocracy: the quality of every separate contribution is, in this respect, considered in its own right, and for example, "votes for deletion" take little or no account of the persons that contributed to the questioned content, neither does any wikipedian's vote have more or less weight according to "merit" in such case.

Plutocracy[edit]

"Those who pay the bills make the rules" is a common adage. It is hardly true on Wikipedias, and whether it is becoming on such a project as Wikipedia, considering the nature of the effort, could be debated, but the openness of Wikipedias allows anyone with enough financial resources to fund extensive development in a specific area or work on a specific range of topics. This work could then be used in discussions as leverage to implement certain policies -- generally, people who contribute a lot are less questioned because they enjoy the respect of the community.

Certainly this is the weakest element in the Wikimedia power structure, but it will grow in importance now that the Wikimedia Foundation has begun to take donations -- when money is explicitly involved, the influence of those who have it tends to increase. See the Disinfopedia for some analysis of the impact of money on opinion in the larger world.

See User:Qq/Voting power is not allocated by donations.

Technocracy[edit]

Underlying all of the above is a technocracy. Some people have power to develop and change code. Others have the power to change article histories and discover the IP addresses of logged-in users. And underlying all that, someone — the Wikimedia Foundation, though Bomis occasionally lends servers — owns the hardware. Sometimes a Wikipedia Vicious Cycle with strong elements of technological escalation, use of bots, many accounts, access to server logs, etc., takes over, and it is resolved ultimately by "who has the technological power."

As an electronic community, Wikimedia depends to a high extent on the software it uses. This software is developed as open source by volunteer developers. New developers have to submit patches to the existing coders and, if their patches are of high quality, ultimately get write access to the code and can make their own changes. (The write access is somewhat less open than on the wiki itself, because the software should remain functional at any given time.) Very highly involved developers may get access to the Wikipedia servers, giving them even greater technical power over the project. The controlling process at work, at least theoretically, is that those developers with the greatest ability (and motivation) should have the highest access level in the system.

This is viewed by some as a form of militarism, with whoever has the best technological "weapons" able to cut off input from others. This may be better at Wikipedia than on most "web sites", but, it's far from an equal-power relationship. After all, it is a very rare phenomenon to elect developers, sysops, or server admins, although it happens from time to time.

Developers at present play a less prominent and more specialised (if no less influential) role in decision-making than was once the case. Most developer effort has been directed towards capacity issues and other operational matters, including startup of the dozens of related projects in a plethora of languages, and the implementation of feature requests and developments. However, sometimes the systems administrators will decide not to implement changes that have community consensus, see Limits to configuration changes.

Wikipedia organisational chart[edit]

NOTE: This article describes how Wikipedia is currently organised. To propose changes to how it should be organised, go to the Wikipedia namespace.

Wikipedia power structure

Contents

Anarchy[edit]

Precedent[edit]

Bureaucracy[edit]

Despotism[edit]

Democracy[edit]

Republic[edit]

Meritocracy[edit]

Plutocracy[edit]

Technocracy[edit]

Wikipedia organisational chart[edit]

Wikimedia[edit]

Wikipedia[edit]

See also[edit]

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