A Wiki Gnome works behind the scenes to tie up little loose ends, adding ISBNs of books that people mention, tracking down the authorship of "someone once said" quotes, correcting Broken Links, fixing Broken Whitespace, answering Answer Mes, tirelessly replacing Chat Mode with content, fixing misspellings, and, when appropriate, making ordinary words into Words Smashed Together Like So.
A very diligent Wiki Gnome regularly searches for Edit Hints (c2.com 
) left behind by Meta Wiki Gnomes and cleans them up or even takes on major projects, such as breaking down the barriers around Walled Gardens.
Wiki Gnomes love to work in the shadows making what some would call Stupid Little Edits. Look at Recent Changes and you may even spot one!
They are the wiki version of the mythical "menuhunes" of hawai'i - little people who go around and fix things when no-one's looking. (wikihune's?)
Wiki Gnomes are basically good, along with Wiki Faeries and Housekeeping Zombies, unlike Wiki Gremlins.
If you would like to give gnomes a hand you might click on a title to find places where help is asked. Remember, Gnome Is As Gnome Does. eh?
When a Wiki Gnome corrects a text of a Wiki Author, the author has to pay him Gnome Fees.
If you want to find a Wiki Gnome, you might want to peek at Volunteer Housekeeper.
Q: Are gnomes designated or they are just users who correct things here and there in the background?
A: Anyone who is doing these things is a wiki gnome.
Q: A gnome deleted something of mine. Should they give me some warning so I can back it up first?
A: That was not a gnome. Wiki Gnomes only delete what everybody wants deleted. But we can help you: Edit Copy and History Pages can be used to retrieve recent deletions. But please also see Delete Once Restore Once - differences of opinion need not become battles.
Given that Wiki lives in the Wiki Now, it is also wise to make a copy of anything you don't want erased as you create it. Having said that, it is courteous for gnomes to make some sort of archive when they make non-trivial changes - if a comment is signed, rather than deleting it, a gnome often moves it to the homepage of the author. Of course, some Wiki Gnomes are new in the business and may make mistakes, so don't ever depend on that.
Q: Should I set my User Name to Wiki Gnome while gnoming, or sign my edit?
A: No, please don't. Wiki Gnome is not a User Name. If you want to be anonymous, simply act anonymously, with no User Name at all, and no signature. Your refactorings must stand on their own, and the Wiki Gnome signature cannot lend them special legitimacy or authority.
Q: I like to think I am a Wiki Gnome but am worried I may just be a nit-picking pedant... how can I be sure? -- Andrew Cates
A: If your changes improve Wiki, that's all that matters. If you're still worried, please arrange a session with Dr Wiki.
Q: What motivates the Wiki Gnomes?
A: ObSouthPark:
Clean up zillions of Wiki Pages.
???
PROFIT!!!
Q: Do gnomes ever disagree? That is to say, does someone become a gnome by doing gnomish things, like "changing things everybody wants changed" and/or "only delete what everybody wants deleted"? If they are wrong and someone restores or changes what they have done, are they obliged to leave the change alone, since at least one of the everybodies (perhaps even another gnome) does not want the change or deletion? What happens then if they do decide to change the changes back - do they lose ther gnome status or is status merely assumed? I guess what I'm asking is this: are there good and bad gnomes? Or is it a matter of It Depends?
A: By definition there are only good Wiki Gnomes, so there cannot be disagreement. That's also because a good refactoring is orthogonal to any other refactoring. Opinionated edits are not the domain of gnomes.
Q: How can I collect the above-mentioned gnome fees for doing gnome work? Do I send a WikiGnomeBill, and if so, to whom?
A: No. Giving the Gnome Fee is a voluntary task. It cannot be claimed.
Q: Is Wiki Hune a better name than Wiki Gnome? Cf. menahune.
A: Define "better".
It needs to be reiterated, apparently, that Wiki Gnome is not a legitimate signature. We have lots of wiki gnomes who are either anonymous or they sign minor edits with their real name (special thanks to those folks who work relentlessly to improve existing pages). This is exceedingly important as they take on a delicate task, and by signing they take responsibility for the quality of their editing.
Wiki Gnome is a humble position. To paraphrase a famous person, "It is not those who think they have done enough to deserve the title, but those who think they haven't done enough that are really the Wiki Gnomes."
en.wikipedia.org
The Wiki Pedia has been using an image which used to be here but isn't here any longer. Does anyone know where it came from? Please discuss on -- Sy
web.archive.org
This is the URL for the image:
web.archive.org
From the directory of the above image, this photo was found, and this may shed some light on this whole affair:
For images and works representing Gnomes and Brownies
See Palmer Cox
See Wiki Agent, Housekeeping Zombie, Red Pen Obsession, Wiki Gnome Poem, Lazy Wiki Gnome, Updated Page
See original on c2.com