View source for Wikipedia:FAQ/Administrators

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  |title = Administrators FAQ
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This page answers some questions related to [[Wikipedia:Administrators|Administrators on Wikipedia]].
{{For|information on the administration of Wikipedia|Wikipedia:Administration}}

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==<span id="POLICY"></span>How do policies get decided?==
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:[[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines]] describes how Wikipedia arrives at its policies and guidelines through a process of discussion and consensus. Discussion takes place in the various policy pages which form part of the "Wikipedia:" namespace. Sometimes policy is discussed off-wiki, but decisions always take place on-wiki.

==<span id="ADMIN"></span>What is an administrator? What is a sysop?==
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:Two words for the same thing. An administrator is simply a [[Wikipedia:Wikipedians|Wikipedian]] who can access some of the few restricted Wikipedia software functions: deleting articles and uploaded files, protecting and unprotecting pages, and blocking and unblocking users or IP addresses. The software internally uses the string "sysop" to flag their accounts, perhaps one reason that term is used. "Sysop" is simply a shortened term for '''sys'''tem '''op'''erator. They tend to be friendly folks who are willing to help you, if you post on their talk page. See the [[Wikipedia:List of administrators|current list of administrators]].

==<span id="BECOME"></span>How can I become an administrator?==
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:In short, you spend years developing a good edit history that shows you understand Wikipedia policies, have good judgement, a good temperament, and have a need for the administrator toolset. A nomination is then made at [[WP:RFA]] where the community decides if the user merits the tools. Administrators have no special status and are like any other editor, they simply have tools that would be irresponsible for the entire community to have. You can do probably 95% of tasks on Wikipedia without being an administrator.

==<span id="CONDUCT"></span>Who monitors the conduct of an administrator?==
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:Administrators monitor each other; nearly all admin actions are completely reversible by any other admin (including [[Special:Log/delete|page deletions]], [[Wikipedia:Protection policy|lockings]], and [[Special:Ipblocklist|IP bannings]]). The [[Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee|Arbitration Committee]] also has the power to discipline administrators, and has done so in several cases. In a truly rare case the [[Wikimedia Foundation|Wikimedia]] [http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Board_of_Trustees Board of Trustees] could step in. You can report problems with admins misusing their privileges at [[Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents]].

==<span id="IP"></span>How can I unban an IP?==
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:Only administrators can unblock IP addresses. Developers can unblock multiple IPs at once. To request that an IP address be unblocked, see [[Wikipedia:Appealing a block]] and follow the instructions there.

==How can I request for an admin to block a user or IP?==
:You can request for an administrator to [[Wikipedia:Blocking policy|block]] a user or IP that is blatantly vandalising at [[Wikipedia:Administrator intervention against vandalism|WP:AIV]] (see requirements on that page). More complex cases can be presented at [[Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents|WP:AN/I]]. 

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[[Category:Wikipedia adminship|Administration FAQ]]
[[Category:Wikipedia FAQs|Administration]]