Bulbapedia:Blocking policy: Difference between revisions

Blocking is one way to actually enforce bans on Bulbapedia. There are three targets than can be blocked:

• User accounts
• Anonymous IP addresses
• IP ranges

Please note that blocking is not always the only way for a situation to be resolved. A user may simply be asked by an administrator to refrain from editing a certain type of article or a certain article for a period of time, between 48 and 96 hours. If the user follows these instructions, then no ban will be instituted. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a temporary block.

How to block

Any sysop can place a block by accessing Special:Blockip, or by using the [block] link located next to an anonymous user on an edits list.

When to block

Blocking will be put in effect if any of the following circumstances are met:

Vandalism

If pages are vandalized, the offending user's IP address will be banned for a sysop-determined amount of time based on the severity of the incident. Blocks for vandalism can last anywhere from 24 hours to an indefinite or permanant amount of time; serious vandalism will be cause for a very long block.

Page Editing

Repeated and pointless page creation/modification can be grounds for blocking. Creating a page entitled "MAGIC PEEKACHU", and then another called "MAGIC RAICHOO", and so on, is grounds for a temporary blocking, because it's quite simply unwanted. Anything that clutters up the Bulbapedia system like that will be removed and any user that creates it will be blocked for 24 hours on the first offense. Repeat offenders will be blocked for longer periods of time.

Threats and Edit/Revert Wars

Harassment in Talk/Discussion pages or editing wars can be grounds for a block. Harassing other users in talk/discussion pages is simply not permitted. Active, vibrant discussion quite obviously is wanted and necessary; however, when it decends into flaming, it will be put to a stop by temporary blocking of the offending party/parties. Also, all parties involved in an editing or reverting war will be banned; for help on someone modifying a page via a revert or edit, contact one of the sysops or Bureaucrats. Taking matters into the user's own hands will result in the temporary blocking of both parties involved, typically for 24 to 72 hours.

Users

Usernames and Bots can lead to immediate blockings under special circumstances. Usernames that are inflammatory or insulting to will be blocked; that's the rule. The "insulting" factor of a username will determined by a panel of 3 Bulbapedia staffers if there is any doubt as to the content of a username. Bots that are not approved by the Bulbapedia staff may also be banned, as they have the potential to add clutter in excess to the Bulbapedia site. Appeals on the grounds of decency will be considered by a larger panel of Bulbapedia staff members. See: username policy

Appeals

An attempt to appealing a block decision may be sent directly to evkl. Any emails sent should be titled "Appeal", include a reason why the block should be overturned, and also include any additional information that would factor into an appeals process. Appeals will be processed as promptly as possible by the Bulbapedia staff; if you feel that your email was not recieved, contact evkl on the Bulbagarden Forums via PM. Decisions handed down by an appeals committee are completely and totally final.

Temporary blocks of less than a week cannot be appealed.