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MarioWiki:Blocking policy: Difference between revisions
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There should be one user per account. Siblings and friends should create separate accounts, rather than share one name, as this leads to unnecessary confusion and complications regarding work attribution, talk page discussions and voting (i.e. on [[MarioWiki:Proposals]]). One person creating an account with the purpose of letting large amounts of people use it, i.e. by posting the password in public, is also not allowed and any accounts like this should be banned immediately, although the IPs of the people that used it should be left unblocked, so that they can create their own, separate accounts. | There should be one user per account. Siblings and friends should create separate accounts, rather than share one name, as this leads to unnecessary confusion and complications regarding work attribution, talk page discussions and voting (i.e. on [[MarioWiki:Proposals]]). One person creating an account with the purpose of letting large amounts of people use it, i.e. by posting the password in public, is also not allowed and any accounts like this should be banned immediately, although the IPs of the people that used it should be left unblocked, so that they can create their own, separate accounts. | ||
There is no good reason for more than one person to use a single account. Anyone can quickly create a username, and accounts are not limited to one per computer, household or even | There is no good reason for more than one person to use a single account. Anyone can quickly create a username, and accounts are not limited to one per computer, household or even email; as mentioned earlier, sometimes siblings or friends can be mistaken as sockpuppets, but if users explain themselves and are diligent about identifying relatives' accounts, any problems that do come up should be dispelled quickly. | ||
===When blocking may not be used=== | ===When blocking may not be used=== | ||
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The "reason" that the administrator fills in will be displayed to the blocked user when they attempt to edit, and will also appear in the [[Special:Log/block|block log]] and the [[Special:BlockList|list of blocked accounts and IP addresses]]. Common reasons are provided in a drop-down menu, but unless the admin is dealing with a simple case of vandalism or trolling, personalized messages outlining the exact reasons for the block are usually given. Sockpuppets are sometimes given links to the original account in their block summary, although this doesn't have to be done when dealing with chronic sockpuppeters already well-known by the admins, and/or when trying to block one or more socks as quickly as possible during an attack on the wiki, which is what the drop-down menu is for. | The "reason" that the administrator fills in will be displayed to the blocked user when they attempt to edit, and will also appear in the [[Special:Log/block|block log]] and the [[Special:BlockList|list of blocked accounts and IP addresses]]. Common reasons are provided in a drop-down menu, but unless the admin is dealing with a simple case of vandalism or trolling, personalized messages outlining the exact reasons for the block are usually given. Sockpuppets are sometimes given links to the original account in their block summary, although this doesn't have to be done when dealing with chronic sockpuppeters already well-known by the admins, and/or when trying to block one or more socks as quickly as possible during an attack on the wiki, which is what the drop-down menu is for. | ||
Finally, there are number of checkboxes present on the blocking page, two of which are automatically checked. "Prevent account creation" should only be unchecked when the user is ''supposed'' to create a new account (i.e. during a forced namechange). "Automatically block the last IP address used by this user, and any subsequent IP addresses they try to edit from" should also be unchecked when a user is supposed to create a new account, or when blocking non-malicious sockpuppets (i.e. ones created by accident, or if a user forgot their password and had to make a new account, etc.). Please note that the automatic blocks ("autoblocks") caused by the feature enabled by this second checkbox only last for 24 hours, and is not the same as directly blocking an IP address ([[#Blocking IP addresses|see below]]). The "Prevent user from sending | Finally, there are number of checkboxes present on the blocking page, two of which are automatically checked. "Prevent account creation" should only be unchecked when the user is ''supposed'' to create a new account (i.e. during a forced namechange). "Automatically block the last IP address used by this user, and any subsequent IP addresses they try to edit from" should also be unchecked when a user is supposed to create a new account, or when blocking non-malicious sockpuppets (i.e. ones created by accident, or if a user forgot their password and had to make a new account, etc.). Please note that the automatic blocks ("autoblocks") caused by the feature enabled by this second checkbox only last for 24 hours, and is not the same as directly blocking an IP address ([[#Blocking IP addresses|see below]]). The "Prevent user from sending email" box should never be checked except in extreme cases of trolling (i.e. unacceptable emails are part of the troll's attack), as email is the main way that users who feel their block was unnecessary get in contact with the admins to try and get the situation rectified. "Hide username from edits and lists" generally does not need to be checked since Bureaucrats physically rename accounts with inappropriate names to clear contributions and lists. Whether the blocking admin wants to check "Watch this user's user and talk pages" is their personal choice; they are not required to do so. | ||
A link to the block log is found before the blocking interface, near the top of the page, and links to the user's contributions and to [[Special:BlockList]] (as "View existing blocks") can also be found, in the bottom right corner of the page. If the user has been blocked in the past, the log is provided across the bottom of the page, beneath the list of links, for reference purposes. The bottom right list of links also gives the admin the option of unblocking the user (it shows up even if the user isn't currently blocked; see below). A fourth and final link, "Edit block reasons", changes the blocking reasons in the drop-down menu, and is not relevant to individual blocking cases. | A link to the block log is found before the blocking interface, near the top of the page, and links to the user's contributions and to [[Special:BlockList]] (as "View existing blocks") can also be found, in the bottom right corner of the page. If the user has been blocked in the past, the log is provided across the bottom of the page, beneath the list of links, for reference purposes. The bottom right list of links also gives the admin the option of unblocking the user (it shows up even if the user isn't currently blocked; see below). A fourth and final link, "Edit block reasons", changes the blocking reasons in the drop-down menu, and is not relevant to individual blocking cases. | ||
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Admins should avoid blocking IP addresses except when dealing with anonymous vandals, persistent sockpuppeters and users who are ban-evading by editing anonymously. In these cases, however, the IP addresses should still only be blocked for a couple months at most, and never indefinitely, as this could potentially prevent innocent users with the same IP from editing in the future. Please note that if the vandal in question has a dynamic IP, blocking the IP for longer than a few days isn't even necessary, since their IP address will automatically change within a day or so of being blocked, allowing them to evade the ban. In these cases, short range blocks can be used instead. If a blocked user anonymously continues to make bad edits, the IP should be temporarily banned and the block imposed on the user's actual account should be doubled (or made indefinite, if they were already caught ban-evading once before), the same as if they were sockpuppeting to avoid their ban. | Admins should avoid blocking IP addresses except when dealing with anonymous vandals, persistent sockpuppeters and users who are ban-evading by editing anonymously. In these cases, however, the IP addresses should still only be blocked for a couple months at most, and never indefinitely, as this could potentially prevent innocent users with the same IP from editing in the future. Please note that if the vandal in question has a dynamic IP, blocking the IP for longer than a few days isn't even necessary, since their IP address will automatically change within a day or so of being blocked, allowing them to evade the ban. In these cases, short range blocks can be used instead. If a blocked user anonymously continues to make bad edits, the IP should be temporarily banned and the block imposed on the user's actual account should be doubled (or made indefinite, if they were already caught ban-evading once before), the same as if they were sockpuppeting to avoid their ban. | ||
Blocking IPs involves the same process as blocking user accounts, but the autoblock and "hide username from edits and lists" checkboxes are not included. Instead, a new checkbox is provided: "Prevent logged-in users from editing from this IP address", which may be checked depending on the circumstances. "Prevent account creation" is once again present as an automatically checked box. "Watch this user's user and talk pages" is also presented, however clicking it is not necessary. Finally, since anonymous IPs cannot send | Blocking IPs involves the same process as blocking user accounts, but the autoblock and "hide username from edits and lists" checkboxes are not included. Instead, a new checkbox is provided: "Prevent logged-in users from editing from this IP address", which may be checked depending on the circumstances. "Prevent account creation" is once again present as an automatically checked box. "Watch this user's user and talk pages" is also presented, however clicking it is not necessary. Finally, since anonymous IPs cannot send emails through the wiki, the box reading "Prevent user from sending email" serve no functional purpose and can be ignored. | ||
===Range blocks=== | ===Range blocks=== | ||
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When used, range blocks should be as brief as possible. | When used, range blocks should be as brief as possible. | ||
The range block feature is difficult to use correctly because it requires an understanding of binary arithmetic. It has certain limitations inherent in its implementation, requiring the starting and ending IP addresses to be an exact multiple of the distance between them, which must be a power of two. For details, see [[ | The range block feature is difficult to use correctly because it requires an understanding of binary arithmetic. It has certain limitations inherent in its implementation, requiring the starting and ending IP addresses to be an exact multiple of the distance between them, which must be a power of two. For details, see [[mw:Help:Range blocks|range blocks]]. | ||
===Unblocking=== | ===Unblocking=== | ||
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==Effects of being blocked== | ==Effects of being blocked== | ||
Blocked users can still see all wiki pages, but they cannot login or edit. Instead, hitting the "edit" link brings them to [[MediaWiki:Login-userblocked|a notification page]], which provides the | Blocked users can still see all wiki pages, but they cannot login or edit. Instead, hitting the "edit" link brings them to [[MediaWiki:Login-userblocked|a notification page]], which provides the email that they can contact if they want to protest the block. | ||
The duration of the block depends on the expiry time that was entered at the time of the block, and can be found in the [[Special:Log/block|block log]]. If the expiry time is "infinite", the ban will not run out, and the user can only edit again if an admin physically removes the block. | The duration of the block depends on the expiry time that was entered at the time of the block, and can be found in the [[Special:Log/block|block log]]. If the expiry time is "infinite", the ban will not run out, and the user can only edit again if an admin physically removes the block. | ||
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==Accidental blocks== | ==Accidental blocks== | ||
Occasionally, users with floating IPs will find that they have been blocked accidentally, because their present IP was previously used by a banned user. These blocks will disappear if IP change can be forced. If that is not possible, the block should be reported to the first readily available administrator via | Occasionally, users with floating IPs will find that they have been blocked accidentally, because their present IP was previously used by a banned user. These blocks will disappear if IP change can be forced. If that is not possible, the block should be reported to the first readily available administrator via email - see the [[Special:Listusers/sysop|list of administrators]] for some likely candidates, or [[Special:EmailUser/MarioWiki Admins|use this form]], which is made explicitly for protesting blocks (or reporting misunderstandings or accidental blocks). | ||
Users who try to impersonate a previously banned user, or who pretend to engage in vandalism are also likely to be blocked as sockpuppets or vandals themselves, even if they were doing it in jest. The logical solution is to simply behave in a way that will ''not'' draw unwanted attention and suspicion onto oneself. If users conduct themselves maturely and follow the rules, they will not be blocked: it's as simple as that. | Users who try to impersonate a previously banned user, or who pretend to engage in vandalism are also likely to be blocked as sockpuppets or vandals themselves, even if they were doing it in jest. The logical solution is to simply behave in a way that will ''not'' draw unwanted attention and suspicion onto oneself. If users conduct themselves maturely and follow the rules, they will not be blocked: it's as simple as that. | ||
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*[[MarioWiki:Warning policy]] | *[[MarioWiki:Warning policy]] | ||
{{ | {{MarioWiki}} | ||
{{Shortcut| | {{Shortcut|SMW:BLOCK|SMW:BP}} | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Policies]] | ||