Introduction

Since WiserEarth is a community-driven site, its success depends on the participation of its community of users. This page includes a description of the 4 different types of roles that are available: Guest, User, Editor, and Administrator.

Guest

Anyone visiting the WiserEarth site has Guest status until they log on or create a personal profile. A Guest cannot edit but can browse and search through all content.

User

Users are registered on WiserEarth and are able to search and browse through all the content on WiserEarth. Users are also able to add and edit content.

A user can:

• Create a personal profile
• Add a resource or an organization
• Join or set up a group
• Post a job
• Post a event to the calendar so that the WiserEarth community can know what's happening
• Add a new article by creating a WikiPage
• Edit any unprotected pages

To become a user, you will need to register first and create your profile. Read the Tutorial for directions on how to set up your profile. See the current list of users.

Editor

Editors are registered WiserEarth users who can also:

• Change the Page Status for pages and comments that do not meet WiserEarth Content Standards.
  
• Edit protected pages such as the Area of Focus pages.

You can make a request to become an editor by sending a message to Peggy or one of the Administrators.  See the current list of Editors.

Administrator

Administrators manage the user experience. They are registered on WiserEarth and can perform a few restricted functions within WiserEarth, in addition to those functions of an editor:

An Administrator can:

• Change users to editors
• Change editors to administrators
• Delete any user
  
• Protect and unprotect WikiPages
• Block and unblock IP addresses

To become an Administrator, you will need to show the community that you have built up a deep understanding of every aspect of the site, its user-base, and the needs of the WiserEarth community. You can make a request to become an Administrator by sending a message to one of the other Administrators. You must be willing to spend a significant amount of time on the site to become an administrator. See the current list of administrators.

Help Us Define What "Editors" and "Administrators" Are.

We are currently developing expectations, responsibilities and privileges/rights for editors and administrators, and we invite the community to participate in this discussion in the WiserEarth Editor's group. More recently, similar discussions is hosted by the WiserEarth Governance group. Both are "open" groups, so you're invited to join and contribute your thoughts.