User blog comment:Loney 97/What The Young Man Said In The Face Of Progress/@comment-4845243-20150321182732

Actually, I just want to say, it's not an either/or—it can be a both and.

You reminisce about "admins being like older siblings and role-models for other users," but that's not something that has to change. Admins can and for the most part should be knowledgeable, mature, and reasonable users who set a positive example and are go-to people for advice. Being a janitor doesn't mean we can't be role models.

See, there's a difference between coercion and influence. Admins shouldn't be allowed to coerce the community into following their will by punishing people who don't obey their rules (not saying coercion has been prevalent here, just that it's made possible by the system). Coercion is when we get to enforce our will on the community.

Influence, however, is power that comes from our ability to sway the opinions of others, to make compelling arguments, to communicate our ideas. Influence comes from people respecting you and valuing your opinion. Influence is something admins have had and still have and will continue to have. Influence is what makes us like older siblings.

And that's something we can keep. :)