User:Emmett/Policy/Administration

SmashWiki is administered by members of the community with tools that general users do not possess; these members have the rights of a sysop, bureaucrat, or both. Sysops have the ability to block disruptive users, protect pages from edits, delete pages that the wiki doesn't need, and quickly revert vandalism with the rollback tool. Bureaucrats have the ability to manage the rights of other users; they are the ones who resolve requests for adminship. Admins can typically be relied on for assistance during disputes; however, their additional status should not be taken to mean that they have more say in content discussions, and all admins are expected to abide by consensus. It is also important to note that sysop/bureaucrat status is not required to enforce policy; if, however, the additional tools are needed to resolve a situation, please leave a message on the admin noticeboard so that an admin will know that something is happening.

Sysops
Sysops are users who have access to a few additional tools, including deletion, protection, and blocking. Sysops are appointed for life; once the user has had a successful request for adminship, no amount of inactivity will result in the loss of tools. That said, however, misuse of the tools may result in the revocation of rights, as determined by either the community or the active bureaucrats. Sysop actions should be in accordance with community standards. For example, it is not acceptable to block users based on personal history. Blocks for which there is no apparent precedent or reasoning should be thoroughly explained, and community consensus should be followed in nearly all cases.

Bureaucrats
Though many bureaucrats have the sysop tools in addition to the bureaucrat tools, their jobs are very different and distinct. Their work as bureaucrats includes:
 * Managing the rights of users. This includes requests for adminship, promotion of new bureaucrats, and (when necessary) revoking these privileges.
 * Bureaucrats may be required to arbitrate cases where the conflict has escalated beyond the control of the sysops.