User blog comment:EternalMagma/Now../@comment-1823154-20100726131056

Dan was promoted back when the required mainspace edits were smaller than the current one we have now. You were as well, I think.

However, the mainspace edits aren't the main criteria to become an administrator. Sometimes if someone is deemed fit enough and really deserves it, they may become an admin. Other times, someone may become an admin because they have skills only they can fulfill, but are hindered by article protections or other administrative defenses.

Power isn't everything though. Sysops / Bureaucrats / Rollbacks are of the same value as any other user - the only difference is that the staff have access to wiki tools whereas the userbase doesn't. Most if not all cases, its the users that do far more for the wiki than a staff member does.

Personally, I don't see why people would want power because they end up as the most hated out of a userbase. Admins get yelled at by the decisions they make, they have to constantly think and rethink their decisions - its like a mine field; step on the wrong path and you trigger the explosive.