User:AGK/Advice for new Administrators

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Activity level: full • Current activity: observing

This user is an administrator of the English Wikipedia.
This user is an administrator.
This user is an observer on the ethnic edit warring work group.
This user is an observer on the ethnic edit warring work group.
This user is a member of the Mediation Committee.
This user is a member of the Mediation Committee.
This user moderates the VandalSniper application.
This user moderates the VandalSniper application.
This user is a Clerk of the Arbitration Committee.
This user is a Clerk of the Arbitration Committee.
Congratulations on your recent acquisition of the mop. I offer to you a few words of wisdom:
  • Start slowly and carefully. There's a huge temptation to start flying through your new duties as soon as the 'crat pushes the button - resist it. Avoid close calls for your first week or two, and leave it to those who happened to get their tools a little earlier than you.
  • Be sure to connect in with other users on IRC, if you can. There's a whole pool of channels there where you can get assistance in your newly-acquired buttons, and get your new colleagues used to your name.
  • Be ready for criticism in your first few weeks, but at the same time don't be a push-over. If you feel worried over a decision, get another user to take a look at it.
  • When blocking, ask yourself if everything you've entered into that form will benefit Wikipedia: is the block length sufficiently long to prevent further disruption by a vandal, or is it so long that it will put them off ever returning? Is your protection just going to be a minor hiccup in the edit warrior's grand scheme of disruption, or will it hinder the growth of the encyclopedia?

Best of luck with your new buttons, and don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries.