User:Rwlesses/WikiCharacterClasses

• Hunter-Gatherer - collects information indiscriminately and dumps it into the appropriate page. Not much of an organizer, but an excellent gatherer. A Hunter-Gatherer who is more discriminating in his or her data collection is called an Archaelogist.
• Librarian - organizes information into standardized formats, wikifies and categorizes, and keeps up list. A Librarian is often surround by 'bots who do much of the scut work. When a Librarian can get a page organized to standardized format in less than fifteen minutes, they graduate to Archivist.
• Scribe - writes down information on a page without regard to notability, sources, neutral point of view. May be an excellent writer but sometimes ignores grammar, punctuation or spelling rules. Scribes who can write a page, source it, maintain neutrality without recourse to weasel words, avoid trivia, and make it sound original without actually being original are called Authors.
• Critic - a Critic offers little in the way of content (originality is not a virtue on Wikipedia), but rather provides useful comments on notability and point of view. A Critic who can do this consistently without causing revert wars, explaining each change in a friendly and helpful way and smooth and soothe, is called a Judge.
• Redactor - a Redactor strips away excess verbiage, simplifies, cuts and pastes entries seamlessly, rearranges pages to the final product: a consistent, neutral and totally unoriginal article. If the Redactor can do this even on topics about which she or he is totally unfamiliar he or she is dubbed a Senior Editor.
• Builder - a Builder operates on a different level - offering Project topics, writing 'bots, designing criteria for assessing the quality and importance of an article. A Builder who does this across multiple disciplines is called an Architect. A Builder who concentrates on automating routine processes through 'bots is called an Engineer.
• Priest - the Priestly class, in some ways above the character classes described above, is divided into different orders:
  • Acolyte - Usually a jumped-up Judge or Architect, this entry-level position has long hours, poor pay and a high drop-out rate. An Acolyte's duties include preparing articles, series of articles or Projects for the ever-elusive Wikipedia 1.0. An Acolyte who can do this without burning out is promoted to Vicar.
  • Vicar - Having proved himself or herself by long hours at the thankless task of bringing projects to fruition, this Character class concentrates on coming up with standards for projects. Usually an Architect with ambition who has somehow avoided acolyte duty. A Vicar who harmonizes individual Projects with the over-arching Wikipedia aims becomes a Theologist.
  • Theologist - Often a Judge with plenty of time on his or her hands, a Theologist guides and guards the principles of Wikipedia from the smallest article to the vastest cross-language Projects. Does not suffer fools gladly. This is kind of a dead-end position, and after awhile a Theologist may actually get a real job.
  • Finally, there are the High Priests. Nobody knows where they come from or what they do.

In addition to these classes, there are mirror images for each class; they are usually short-lived but fertile.

• Vandal - destroys data either for the fun of it or for obscure reasons of his or her own.
• Anarchist - does not believe in standards and believes she or he owns the articles he or she creates or expands. While often brilliant and funny, they are frequent source of controversy, revert wars and subject of blocking. May employ anonymous IP addresses or short-lived accounts to achieve his or her purpose.
• Zealot - a Critic who does not believe in neutral point of view. Believes in freedom of expression to the utmost. Rigid and inflexible.
• Crazy Eddie (see The Mote in God's Eye) - Suggests ridiculous topics or categories, such as People Who Are Shorter Than Five Feet Tall Who Run for Governor of Massachusetts, i.e. A Builder without judgment.
• Heretic - foe of the Priests of Wikipedia, seeks to democratize the process completely; may insert political points of view not only into obviously controversial topics, but even inocuous ones. Does not work well or play with others, even other Heretics.