Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-4832646-20140607004850/@comment-5448890-20140607183414

If I may put my two cents in.

On my home wiki, w:c:mhfanon, where I am bureaucrat/admin at, we have a prerequisites listing and we don't allow applications (because there's some users who really don't deserve or can't handle the position, but would get voted in because it'd be a popularity contest), but rather give rights on an as-needed basis. We keep a steady number of administrators and bureaucrats (3 and 3 respectively, I think), Chat Moderators, and Rollbacks, because it (like this wiki) is a sleepy Wiki. It's more active now than ever, but it's still sleepy. With our system, we can ensure that at least one user with administrator rights, one chat moderator, and one rollback is, at point in day-to-day operation, present to handle vandalism and spam--which are really some of the only problems that exist in literature wikis; edit wars, information checking, and keeping updated are almost completely nonexistent in literature wikis, since it goes on an each-to-his-own basis.

Maybe you could have a system of user-rights in which users can display their desire, but not be voted upon, for a position (a page like "Interest in Administration" or "Interest in RCaDC", etc.), so that the admins know a good starting point if they're ever suddenly left without good enough staffing.

Another idea is like how central does it: a secure google docs or something, in which is contained a small list of viable applicants for positions. When in need, use it to find users.

As far as Applications go, I see them as almost a popularity contest in some wikis, considering how a vandal pr other nonconstructive editor that just happened to be really liked could get into the position.