| “ | These are community projects, not personal websites. They are not owned by their founders, nor does the founder’s opinion carry more weight in disagreements than any other user’s opinion. Consensus and cooperation should be the primary means for organizing a community. | ” |
| ~ Fandom Community Creation and Content Policy |
Consensus is wiki group decision-making basis. The concept embodies democracy as a necessary conclusion of wiki openness and egalitarian values. Generally speaking, reaching a consensus requires most participants to agree to a decision regarding a given element. It is usually achieved by discussing said element and reaching a (usually) supermajority in a vote. Administrators must promote, respect, and execute community consensus instead of making decisions unilaterally. Staff roles do not make administrators different from any community member.
Why consensus
Being open to everyone, wikis often house decision makers. By adopting majoritarian democracy, simple majority would be overturned frequently by new members. Member instability may lead to policy instability. Therefore, consensus for changing policies is required to ensure the stability of said policies.
Sometimes, requiring supermajority is not a good idea because of the impossiblity of perpetuating former policy, where simple majority should replace it. Remember that consensus is not unanimity.
See also
- Learn how to build a community by promting consensus.