The Wiki Administrators is responsible for with keeping everything in order on the wiki, and ensuring that there is no vandalism or inappropriate posting. Today we meet with the Lt. Commander Robin Hopper so we can learn more about this important part of our community!
DeVeau: Thank you for joining us. Can you please start by giving us a short overview on the Wiki Administrators and how it supports our StarBase 118 community?
HOPPER: This might be an unfamiliar analogy to some, but wiki administration reminds me of working as a stage manager. When we’re doing it well, and everything’s working, you might not even really know we’re there. Since the wiki is largely meant to be self-serve (that is, members access it and update it themselves), and we have the wiki ops guild and wiki-web-help channel on Discord (where most questions can be fielded), the wiki admins’ primarily serve as a sort of eye-in-the-sky… ensuring the overall integrity and quality of the content, working on the more ‘sensitive’ / locked templates and pages, and fixing any issues that may crop up.
What is your favorite thing about working on this taskforce?
I’ll throw another analogy out there! It sort of feels like getting your full driver’s license. Up ‘til now, there have been additional safeties imposed on your usage of the wiki, but now you’ve demonstrated you’re trustworthy, you’ve got good wiki habits, and you’ve got a record of quality wiki-ing under your belt, enough that everyone agrees you should get to take the keys and drive on your own. I think there’s a feeling of achievement and pride that comes with that, and a feeling of belonging in knowing that you’ve earned the ability to serve the community in a new way. It’s warm and cozy, but also sort of liberating!
Who can join this taskforce?
Requirements for becoming a wiki admin are outlined on (you guessed it) the wiki – but, the cliffnotes necessities are: hold a rank of Lieutenant or above, actively participate on the wiki, and have made over 2,500 contributions. I know that last one sounds like a lot, and it is, but it’s probably not as much as you think! That said – ultimately, wiki administration is more about being available as a last line of defense; a behind-the-scenes janitor. It’s not glamorous, but it is necessary, and it can even be fun.
How would a new member join this taskforce?
Honestly, the best way to work your way up to this would just be diving into the wiki and getting familiar with it. Start by keeping your character profile updated, helping to write your ships’ mission reports, updating species’ pages and ILI entries, and so on. Once you’ve gotten confident with that, look into participating more actively via Wiki Ops and/or learning to use the Source Editor to make more fine tweaks to pages and formatting. If you’ve got the capacity and interest to learn how to edit or develop templates… incredible. The more time you spend wiki-ing it up, the better fit you’ll be (and the more contributions you’ll have under your belt!)
What is the most fun thing about working on this taskforce?
For me, the most fun thing about serving as a wiki admin is overseeing the removal of all content marked for deletion. Usually, it’s fairly routine things (“whoops, I made a typo in the page name” or “I didn’t mean to upload this!”). Every now and then, though, it requires some sleuthing – trying to figure out who wants something deleted, and why, by tracking them down on Discord. Nothing truly scandalous has come my way yet, but I’ve got my fingers crossed for something juicy down the line.
Thank you so much for your insights on the Wiki Administration Team!
You can read more about Wiki Administrators on the wiki.
