Diablo Wiki:Blocking Policy

Blocking is the method by which administrators may technically prevent users from editing Diablo Wikia. Blocks are used to prevent damage or disruption to Diablo Wikia, not to punish users. Blocks are not punitive in the sense that they aren't retribution. Blocks sometimes are used as a deterrent, to discourage whatever behavior led to the block and encourage a productive editing environment.

Any user may request a block on this article's talk page. Users requesting blocks should supply credible evidence of the circumstances warranting a block. Administrators are never obliged to place a block and are free to investigate the situation themselves.

Except in cases of unambiguous error, administrators should not undo other administrators' blocks without prior discussion.

Appealing a block
An appeal to a block should be made on the user's talk page which they should still be able to edit. Give the reason for which you think the block is not deserved.

Purpose and goal
All blocks ultimately exist to protect the project from harm, and reduce likely future problems. When lesser measures are inadequate, or problematic conduct persists, appropriate use of a block can help achieve this in four important ways:


 * 1) Preventing imminent or continuing damage and disruption to Diablo Wikia.
 * 2) Deterring the continuation of disruptive behavior by making it more difficult to edit.
 * 3) Encouraging a rapid understanding that the present behavior cannot continue and will not be tolerated.
 * 4) Encouraging a more productive, congenial editing style within community norms.

For the purposes of protection and encouragement, blocks may escalate in duration to protect Diablo Wikia while allowing for the cessation of disruptive editing and the return to respected editing.

When blocking may be used
The following are the most common situations when blocking may be used. This is not an exhaustive list; blocking may be used in other situations, particularly situations addressed by more specific policies dealing with particular issues.

Even though this is not an exhaustive list, if a situation is not listed below, then a block is more likely to be controversial than otherwise. A rule of thumb is when in doubt, do not block; instead, consult other administrators for advice.

Protection
A user may be blocked when necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of the Diablo Wikia, its users or the public. A block for protection may be necessary in response to:
 * persistently making personal attacks;
 * making personal, professional or legal threats (including outside the Wikia site);
 * performing actions that place users in danger;
 * disclosing personal information (whether or not the information is accurate);
 * accounts that appear to have been compromised, as an emergency measure.

Disruption
A user may be blocked when his or her conduct severely disrupts the project; that is, when his or her conduct is inconsistent with a civil, collegial atmosphere and interferes with the process of editors working together harmoniously to create an encyclopedia. A block for disruption may be necessary in response to:
 * persistent vandalism;
 * persistent gross incivility;
 * persistent harassment;
 * persistent spamming;

Furthermore, some types of user accounts are considered disruptive and may be blocked:
 * public accounts (where the password is publicly available or shared with a large group);
 * accounts with inappropriate usernames;
 * sock puppets

Evasion of blocks
An administrator may reset the block of a user who intentionally evades a block, and may extend the duration of the block if the user engages in further blockable behaviour while evading the block. User accounts or IP addresses used to evade a block may also be blocked.

Securing accounts of deceased editors
If an editor is confirmed as deceased, their account may be indefinitely blocked to prevent the password from being hacked.

Disputes
Administrators must not block users with whom they are engaged in a content dispute; instead, they should report the problem to other administrators. Administrators should also be aware of potential conflicts of interest involving pages or subject areas with which they are involved.

Cool-down blocks
Blocks intended solely to "cool down" an angry user should never be used, as they inevitably serve to inflame the situation.

Self-requested blocks
Sometimes people request that their account be blocked, for example to enforce a wikibreak. Typically, such requests are refused.

Unblocking
Administrators should not unblock users blocked in good faith by other administrators without first attempting to contact the blocking administrator and discuss the matter with them. It may not necessarily be obvious what the problem necessitating blocking was, and it is a matter of courtesy and common sense to consult the blocking administrator. If the blocking administrator is not available, or if the administrators cannot come to an agreement, then a discussion is recommended.

If a block is the result of an unambiguous error and not a judgment call (for example, if the blocking administrator obviously misspelled a username), and the blocking administrator is not available, then it is not necessary to discuss prior to unblocking. Where there is ambiguity, discuss the block before removing it.

Since administrators are strongly discouraged from reversing one another's blocks, it is of particular importance that blocking admins respond to good-faith requests to review blocks they have made. Similarly, administrators who perform independent reviews of unblock requests are expected to familiarize themselves with the full facts of the matter before marking the unblock request "declined."

Altering block options
Administrators may unblock a user in order to re-block them with different blocking options selected, where that is necessary (for example, if a block on a registered account is causing significant collateral effects to a shared IP address)

Temporary circumstances blocks
Some types of blocks are used in response to particular temporary circumstances, and should be undone once the circumstance no longer applies:


 * blocks of malfunctioning bots should be undone once the bots gain approval or are repaired;
 * blocks for making legal threats should be undone once the threats are confirmed permanently withdrawn and no longer outstanding.

Education and warnings
Before a block is imposed, efforts should be made to educate the user about our policies and guidelines, and to warn them when their behavior conflicts with our policies and guidelines.

Warning is not a prerequisite for blocking (particularly with respect to blocks for protection) but administrators should generally ensure that users are aware of policies, and give them reasonable opportunity to adjust their behavior accordingly, before blocking. Users who have been made aware of a policy and have had such an opportunity, and accounts whose main or only use is forbidden activity (sock-puppetry, obvious vandalism, personal attack, and so on) may not require further warning.

IP address blocks
There are special considerations to take into account when blocking IP addresses. IP address blocks can affect many users, and IPs can change. Users intending to block an IP address should at a minimum check for usage of that address, and consider duration carefully. IP addresses should rarely, if ever, be blocked indefinitely.

Duration of blocks
The purpose of blocking is prevention, not punishment. The duration of blocks should thus be related to the likelihood of a user repeating inappropriate behavior. Longer blocks for repeated and high levels of disruption is to reduce administrative burden; it is under presumption that such users are likely to cause frequent disruption or harm in future. Administrators should consider:
 * the severity of the behavior;
 * whether the user has engaged in that behavior before.

Blocks on shared or dynamic IP addresses are typically shorter than blocks on registered accounts or static IP addresses made in otherwise similar circumstances, to limit side-effects on other users sharing that IP address.

While the duration of a block should vary with the circumstances, there are some broad standards:
 * incidents of disruptive behavior typically result in 48 hours blocks and double the duration of the last block for repeated offenses;
 * edits that are of a personal or discriminatory nature typically result in a 1 week block and triple the duration of the last block for repeat offenses;
 * accounts used primarily for disruption are blocked indefinitely;
 * protective blocks typically last as long as protection is necessary, often indefinitely.

Indefinite blocks
An indefinite block is a block that does not have a fixed duration. Indefinite blocks are usually applied when there is significant disruption or threats of disruption, or major breaches of policy.

Setting block options
There are several options available to modify the effect of blocks, which should be used in certain circumstances.


 * prevent account creation should typically be disabled when blocking accounts with inappropriate names (to allow the user to create an account with an appropriate name), though it should be enabled when blocking bad-faith names (for example, clear attacks on other users) or vandalism only accounts.

A "softblock" is a block with autoblock disabled, account creation not disabled, and blocking only anonymous users enabled. The effect is to block anonymous users but allow registered users to continue editing. Softblocks are commonly used when blocking shared IP addresses.

Reasons and notification
Administrators must supply a clear and specific block reason which indicates why a user was blocked. Block reasons should avoid the use of jargon as much as possible so that blocked users may better understand them. Administrators should also notify users when blocking them by leaving a message on their user talk page unless they have a good reason not to. It is often easier to explain the reason for a block at the time than it is to explain a block well after the fact.