Help:Administrator's Handbook/Introduction

Sysops, more commonly known as administrators or "admins", for short, are users that have access to restricted software tools used for maintenance. These tools are not available to all editors because the tools can be used to create a rather more serious level of disruption than the generally-available editing tools. It's important that a track record of good-faith editing be established first before granting adminship.

Getting to know how the tools work is fairly easy, as for the most part they're quite intuitive thanks to our thoughtful developers and years of trial and error. Knowing how and when they should be used is a different issue, since there are a lot of things that should not be done, and admins should follow policies and guidelines regarding their use.

The golden rule is simple: never use an administrative tool unless you are sure it's the right thing to do. If in doubt, just leave it to a more experienced administrator, or just ask for advice.