Hello!

I've quietly followed this thread to see if you come up with anything new about AM management. We (in Sweden) just appointed some Champs (I'm one) and, just,like you, investigates how to best manage AM applications and guidelines for AM management.

I will not interfere how you solve this! This is just some thoughts I'd like to share...

Like sirKitKat says, becoming an AM (today) isn't much more than a label.
But you can put more in to that label than there is today. Like responsibility.

Wikipedia says:

Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization (a group of one or more people or entities) or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal.

I therefor think that becoming an AM isn't about getting rights, it's fulfilling obligations. Every user can edit in WME (besides locks) but an AM is supposed to control these edits and directing the editors.

It's not about:
- getting an area and having the explicit rights to edit in that area.
- doing the most editing in an area.
- earning points.
- being a better Wazer.

It's about leading and guiding editors in that area to minimize workload and maximize usability.
Leading and guiding could be:
- answer questions that comes up.
- contact editors to correct their strategy.
- pointing editors to the Wiki, FAQ, and Forums.
- report abuse to Champs.

As petervdveen said in his first post, it's about communication (not editing).

Some questions then...

Do you have a guideline for managing existing (old) AMs?
Do they have to reapply and does their AM (not rights but) obligation expire at some point?
Can you contact and sustain contact with existing AMs?
Do you even know who applied (earlier) and are an approved AM?