Wikipedia:Mushroom effect
This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
This page in a nutshell: Editors who have passed RfA should act no differently than they did prior to the RfA. |
Going through the
Because being an administrator on Wikipedia is designed to be
One area to be especially aware of the potential for the mushroom effect is in project discussions. Following an RfA, it is possible to feel emboldened and offer an opinion in a discussions which one might not have or in a way one might not have before. While there can be times where this can benefit the project, admins should be careful. They are still essentially the same editor as before. The reasons which restrained them in the past were probably good ones and continuing to show that kind of restraint is in keeping with the trust they've earned as an editor.
The administrator's toolset is large and because interests change over time, administrators are encouraged to be thoughtful before entering new maintenance areas. For instance, if an administrator has a long track record at
Being aware of the mushroom effect and pausing before taking bolder actions or acting in new ways around maintenance and project tasks can help ensure that the administrator builds on, rather than deviates from, the track record that earned them the community's trust.
See also
- Wikipedia:Super Mario Effect
- Wikipedia:Don't edit for power