Talk:English Wikipedia Functionaries User Group

Money

In my view, this group represents the Wikipedia editors who are most able to increase crowdsourced recruitment and engagement of highly active Wikipedia contributes. I think this demographic is most responsible for Wikipedia's success, and that this small group of people does things which make 80% of Wikipedia's socio-technical processes work.

I do not think this group is well represented in governance or representation or access to Wikimedia Movement funds. Right now all money goes either to Wikimedia movement affiliates or Wikimedia Foundation staff. There is no obvious process for getting funding and power representation to people who are powerful in the Wikipedia platform, but who decline to participate in off-wiki bureaucracy. I wish there were a good way to connect this group with power and money.

At the Wikimedia Foundation, teams which speak for the members of this user group include Community Tech and those who touch the Community Wishlist Survey. I do not think that the interests of this group align with those. While Wikimedia Affiliates are often more aware of functionary needs, and while I think that affiliates could speak for functionaries more accurately than the WMF, I still do not think the current affiliate structure is sufficient representation.

I am not sure what should happen but somehow I wish that this group were better organized as an affiliate itself, and that it could make demands or have its own wishlist, and that it could oversee the development of both code and social infrastructure to support the group. I wish this group had a path to accessing its own staff or contractors, and making its own budget decisions. Bluerasberry (talk) 15:58, 5 April 2024 (UTC)

Thoughts...

Just an idea if we could revise the scope of the group and have Users with Extended Rights from other projects as well? Wikimania Narobi's pre-conference having such users is in itself a good proof of why such collectives are important. Perhaps something like WikiAdmins Community User Group or so. This would probably help guide other communities as well and be promising in several other perspectives. @Barkeep49? How reasonable do I seem here? _signed, Aafi ^(talk) 09:17, 15 February 2026 (UTC)

Well everything is on pause right now. That said the reason given for denial of this user group - in a criteria for which there was no chance to address ahead of the denial - was overlap with other user groups. It seems to me that would only be more true for Users with Extended Rights. That said, I do see some value in that user group though it's needs and point of view aren't quite the same as this ones. Best, Barkeep49 (talk) 18:14, 15 February 2026 (UTC)