MA Help:User groups

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This page lists and explains the various user groups held by users on Memory Alpha.

Logged-out users

Anyone can read Memory Alpha articles, including users without a user account. Any non-banned user is free to create a user account.

Logged-in users

All users who have created a Fandom account and logged in can:

• customize the appearance and features of Memory Alpha by setting their preferences; and
• maintain a watchlist.

Users with a confirmed email address are automatically added to the emailconfirmed user group, which allows them to:

• enable email-dependent tools like email notifications in their preferences;
• create new pages and edit existing pages;
• create and edit their personal CSS and JS;
• mark their own contributions as minor edits;
• rename pages; and
• upload files.

Autoconfirmed users

User accounts that are at least four days old are automatically added to the autoconfirmed user group. Provided that an autoconfirmed user is also emailconfirmed, they can:

• edit semi-protected pages;
• rename a page without leaving a redirect; and
• upload over existing files.

Bots

A bot is an automated process, program, or script that performs edits that would be tedious if done manually. When a bot makes many edits in quick succession, the recent changes log can sometimes be overtaken by quick and repetitive edits, making it harder to spot more substantial edits by regular users. Giving an account a "bot flag" hides these edits from recent changes (although any editor can still choose to see them by removing the "Human (not bot)" filter).

On Memory Alpha, users who wish to use a bot should set up a separate account for it and start a discussion at Memory Alpha talk:Bots or Ten Forward to determine if its edits should be hidden. This depends on the bot's purpose, and how well the bot user is trusted by the community. If the community agrees that the bot account should be flagged, an admin will contact Fandom Staff to request the bot flag.

Quick answers editors

Quick answers editors are users who have been granted the right to edit the AI-generated quick answers that accompany some Memory Alpha articles. Quick answers editors can access Special:QuickAnswers, which contains a list of all quick answers on Memory Alpha, grouped by page, and allows one to delete, edit, and publish quick answers.

Quick answers editors must be diligent in reviewing quick answers for accuracy and compliance with Memory Alpha's policies and guidelines. In particular, quick answers editors should make sure to remove or contextualize apocryphal information, maintain the proper tense in accordance with Memory Alpha's point of view, and remove real-world information from in-universe quick answers.

See Special:ListUsers/quick-answers-editor for a list of quick answers editors.

Rollbackers

The rollbacker group is designed for users who spend large portions of their time finding vandalism and reverting it. It allows users to revert a series of consecutive edits to a page made by a single editor in one click by using the rollback link on page diffs, user contributions feeds, the recent changes feed, or page history feeds. Any user can do this manually, but having this right makes it quicker and easier. Rollbackers also have the ability to edit quick answers.

There are currently no active rollbackers on Memory Alpha.

Thread moderators

Thread moderators are responsible for moderating threads on Discussions. In addition to the moderate quick answers right, thread moderators have the following abilities:

• Admin Dashboard: Thread moderators have access to Special:AdminDashboard, which contains a directory of useful links to special pages and system messages.
  • Announcements: Through the Admin Dashboard, thread moderators have access to Special:Announcements, which allows for the creation of wiki-wide announcements. This feature should be used sparingly.
• Thread moderators can delete and undelete posts and replies.
• Thread moderators can edit posts and replies.
• Thread moderators can close and reopen posts.
• Thread moderators can manage the Discussions categories.
• Thread moderators can move posts from one Discussions category to another.

See Special:ListUsers/threadmoderator for a list of thread moderators.

Content moderators

Content moderators have several additional rights allowing them to better manage the wiki's content, including all rollbacker rights and the following additional rights:

• Protecting pages: Content moderators can protect pages from further changes in cases of vandalism or content disputes. This should happen only in certain rare circumstances. Content mods may also edit protected pages, although this is mostly prohibited (see protection policy).
• Deletion and undeletion: Content moderators can delete and undelete pages and files from Memory Alpha. This happens more frequently, but it is necessary to restrict permissions to this feature in order to prevent abuse (see deletion policy).
• Recent changes patrol: Content moderators can mark new pages and edits as "patrolled." This alerts other content moderators and admins browsing recent changes that an edit has already been checked out by an experienced editor and is in compliance with the relevant policies. Edits by content mods are automatically marked as patrolled.
• Rename files: Content moderators can rename pages in the "File" namespace. This right is restricted from most users to avoid improper renames and file redirects.
• Assign tags: Content moderators can add and remove arbitrary tags on individual revisions and log entries.
• Content model edit: Content moderators can change a page's content model.

There are currently no content moderators on Memory Alpha.

Administrators

Administrators have full "system operator" (or "sysop") rights. This includes all rights of content moderators and thread moderators in addition to the following tools:

• Block and unblock: In extreme cases, admins can block users from contributing to Memory Alpha, either for a specific amount of time or indefinitely. Admins may also unblock themselves.
• Merge page histories: Admins can use the Special:MergeHistory page to seamlessly merge page histories.
• Edit system messages: Admins may edit any whitelisted system message. A system messages is a page in the MediaWiki namespace used to define the text of the user interface.
• Limited user group management: Although most user group management may only be conducted by bureaucrats, admins can grant (and revoke) the thread moderator, quick answers editor, and rollbacker groups through Special:UserRights.
• Rename categories: Admins can rename pages in the "Category" namespace. This right is restricted from most users because renaming a category also requires editing each child page to fix the category tag.
• Tag management: Admins can create, activate, delete, and deactivate tags.
• Abuse filters: Admins can create and modify edit filters and Discussions abuse filters.
• Theme Designer: Admins can make various changes the design of Memory Alpha through Special:ThemeDesigner. Minor fixes and corrections to the theme may be made without discussion, but any changes of substance should be discussed before hand.
• Template types: Admins can bulk edit template types by category.
• Edit mobile main page: Admins can modify the structured content presented on the mobile main page using Special:CuratedContent.
• Wiki Features: Admins can access the Wiki Features panel on the Admin Dashboard, which allows admins to enable or disable certain features. This tool may not be used without prior discussion, as it can produce major and potentially destructive changes to Memory Alpha.
• Analytics: Admins have access to Memory Alpha's web analytics via Special:Analytics.

To avoid misusing these tools, admins are expected to be familiar with Memory Alpha's policies and guidelines. For more details, read the administrators' how-to guide and the best practices for administrators.

Bureaucrats

Bureaucrats have the power to grant (and revoke) the rollbacker, quick answers editor, content moderator, and admin user groups through Special:UserRights. They can also grant the bureaucrat group (but cannot remove it) and remove the bot group (but not grant it). All changes in user groups are recorded at Special:Log/rights. Additionally, bureaucrats have the ability to block and unblock other users, and unblock themselves.

Bureaucrats often serve as referees when disputes arise between other users, particularly disputes involving administrators. To best serve in this capacity, they should always act in a level-headed, neutral, and diplomatic manner.

Currently, User:Sulfur and User:Renegade54 are the only bureaucrats on the English Memory Alpha. A procedure for creating more bureaucrats has not yet been clearly defined, though it is generally accepted that there is no need for more than two active bureaucrats.