Help:Group Rights

The are several user access levels on Zelda Wiki. User rights changes are decided by the current staff of Zelda Wiki. This page explains what the staff looks for in members to gain these rights.

See also: Special:ListGroupRights

User
Upon registering, an account is given the label of User, the most generic rank on Zelda Wiki. This rank enables one to edit, use talk pages, create a userpage, email other users (if enabled in the User Preferences), and other nominal, yet important tasks. This position is barred from editing protected pages, editing partially restricted segments of the wiki, and moving pages. Of all the user ranks, the User is the most populated.

Autoconfirmed Users
Autoconfirmed Users are able to edit semi-protected pages and move pages. A newly registered user automatically achieves Autoconfirmed status after a time window of 14 days and after submitting over 100 edits to Zelda Wiki. However, edits to User pages do not contribute to the required 100 edits.

Partially restricted areas of Zelda Wiki, such as this Help Guide, are accessible to Autoconfirmed users, in terms of editing. Furthermore, many pages are autoconfirmed-protected - only those of Autoconfirmed rank and higher have the privilege to these pages. Autoconfirmed protection helps in preventing unnecessary vandalism, spam, or nonconstructive editing to some of Zelda Wiki's most important pages and articles. The rank of Autoconfirmed is included as a package deal with Autopatrol, Patroller, Administrator, and Bureaucrat.

Awarded Positions
These positions—with the exception of Bureaucrat—are awarded based on continued, beneficial editing, activity, and a positive, helpful attitude on the wiki. The current staff collectively decides to award these positions when they believe a user is ready. Patrollers, administrators, and bureaucrats comprise the Zelda Wiki staff.

Autopatrol Users
 Autopatrol users  are reliable editors that rarely make editing mistakes, and are quick to fix the errors that they do make. The edits of an Autopatrol user are automatically marked as patrolled in Recent Changes.

Patrollers
 Patrollers  are excellent, reliable editors who are not only dedicated to the quality of their own edits, but to the quality and legitimacy of others' as well. Patrol users are granted the ability to mark edits on the Recent Changes "as patrolled" and the ability to rollback multiple edits made by one user.

Administrators
 Admininistrators  are highly trusted members of Zelda Wiki, who have gone above and beyond the call of duty as a user on Zelda Wiki. These wiki-role models are not only active on a daily-basis, but dedicated to improving the wiki, making sure other edits are of quality. In addition to patrolling rights, Administrators are given the rights to delete pages, ban users, and edit protected pages.

Bureaucrats
 Bureaucrats are administrators of Zelda Wiki who serve additional purposes outside the general administrative tasks of the wiki. They have the same powers as administrators, but often focus more heavily on a specific department of the wiki, such as server administration, or public relations. It is important to note that if a bureaucrat is listed as inactive on the staff page that he or she very rarely checks the wiki and is likely not a good person to contact with questions or concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question that is not listed here, please do not hesitate to leave a message at the Zelda Wiki:Discussion Center or on a staff member's talk page.

How can I get a promotion?
First of all, please do not make gaining rank your one and only goal at Zelda Wiki. Self-seeking editors often make lacklustre contributions and lack patience. Thus they fall short of their goal. The staff will only promote users who genuinely wish to help improve Zelda Wiki.

Keeping that in mind, users wishing to gain rank should show the staff that they are ready for the additional responsibilities.


 * Users wishing to become Autopatrol should demonstrate a solid grasp of grammar and wiki policy, especially the Quality Standards. Show the staff your mettle by creating wanted pages, expanding stubs, and improving articles. Properly cite your sources as you do so. Proof-read your edits carefully for mistakes using the "show preview" and "show changes" buttons. Users who consistently make beneficial contributions and few mistakes will doubtlessly become Autopatrol.


 * Autopatrol users wishing to become patrollers can monitor the Recent Changes and fix other users' errors. If you see a user is not following a certain policy, politely inform them of it on their talk page. Doing these tasks shows the staff two things: (a) you are interested in becoming staff, and (b) you would make for an able patroller.

''' Ranks cannot be skipped. ''' Only patrollers can become admins and only Autopatrol users can become patrollers.

Why haven't I been promoted yet?
Just because you have yet to be promoted does not mean your contributions aren't valued. Please don't take it as a personal slight!

If you believe you are a good candidate for promotion, you can express your concerns to a staff member on their talk page. You can also talk to one of them privately by email. The staff will inform you if there is something they feel needs to be improved before you can be promoted. The staff may have already considered your promotion and chose to hold off on it for a specific reason.

That said, please do not harass the staff or try to "win them over" with flattery. This does not increase your chances.

Above all, the staff asks that you please have patience. This is not a decision that can be rushed, especially for a staff position. The staff needs ample time to make sure you are ready.

Do higher-ranking editors have power over other users?
If a user is being unconstructive and is not following policy, administrators can ban them as a last resort. Otherwise, the staff does not have special authority. In regular wiki discussions, everyone has equal say, staff member or no. However, certain issues are to be handled by staff only.

Why don't user page edits count towards autoconfirmation?
Editing one's user page does not usually reflect a helpful contribution to the wiki. One can edit their user page 100 times and still know very little about editing at Zelda Wiki. Excluding user page edits assures that all autoconfirmed users have at least 100 edits of valuable experience.