Changes: Help:Blocking

Revision as of 19:05, 25 November 2015

Administrators can block users and individual IP addresses (or IP ranges; see the Should we block ranges? section further down the page). Blocked users or IP addresses will still be able to read the wiki, but won't be able to edit, upload files or add comments (and sometimes, disable talk page access).

Users can be blocked for many reasons. Each wikia may have slightly different blocking policies, but in general, blocks are generally given for:

Vandalism - repeated or initial.
Breaking policies.
Abuse of user rights.
Adding pages that are copyright violations.
Misleading usernames.
Spam.

Common block reasons

Editable at MediaWiki:Ipbreason-dropdown.

Inserting false information
Abusing multiple accounts
Spamming links into external sites
Intimidating behaviour/harassment
Removing content from pages
Inserting nonsense/gibberish into pages
Unacceptable username

Common block protocol

Admins are advised to give a warning to people before banning them.
Most blocks should be for short periods, especially if IP-based.

Appealing a block

If you feel you have been unfairly blocked, please contact the person who blocked you. Show them the entire message you get when you attempt to edit a page, so that they can make appropriate unblocks if they see fit. A list of admins on each wikia can be found by going to the Special:ListAdmins page on that wikia. If you are unable to edit at all on the wikia, leaving a message on {{#NewWindowLink:http://community.wikia.com%7CCommunity Central}} is advised. Note that harassing admins by messaging more than one, or leaving more than a single message - will probably result in them getting annoyed - and therefore keeping the block.

As a final resource, you can contact Wikia support for advice, Wikia staff do not normally interfere with local wikia issues by unblocking users directly.

Step-by-step

To block a user, admins can use the special page at Special:Block.

Enter the username or IP address of the user you want to block.
Select an expiry time for the block. Remember that usually (not always though) blocks are best kept as short as possible. If the timespan you want isn't in the dropdown list, you can type it in the box.
Enter a reason for the block. If a suitable reason isn't in the dropdown, then type it into the box below. Remember that the person blocked (as well as other users) will see this reason, so it helps to make it clear, informative and polite.
An IP block will block all users with that IP, whether they are logged in or not. Because IPs can be shared, you can over-ride this to leave logged in users unaffected by the ban. Make sure to leave the box "Prevent logged-in users from editing from this IP address" unchecked (bottom selection).
A side effect of this, is that an anonymous user could create a new account to bypass the ban. So you can counter this by checking the box marked "Prevent account creation".
If a logged in user is banned, then they could evade the ban by logging out and editing anonymously. To prevent this, you can set the block to include the IP address that the logged in user is using. Check the box marked "Automatically block the last IP address used by this user, and any subsequent IPs they try to edit from".
When you have finished filling in the form, click "Block this user" to complete the block.
The form also gives useful links, to allow you to edit the block reasons template, go to the unblock page, and view blocks that are already active.

Frequently asked questions about blocking

How do I block a user across all of Wikia?

If a user or IP is publishing spam or vandalism on your local wikia, and you feel that this may be happening elsewhere and the user or IP may need to be blocked on all Wikia wikis, then please contact Wikia staff or contact the {{#NewWindowLink:http://vstf.wikia.com%7CVSTF}}.

This ability is used sparingly and problems on one wikia don't necessarily mean that a user should be blocked across all of Wikia. In general, this is only used for large scale or persistent vandalism over several wikias, being underage or for impersonations. If there is a problem happening only locally, please contact the admins of that wikia, or if there are no active admins, see above.

What do I do if I am caught in a global block?

If you are accidentally caught in a global block or were blocked for something via a global block, the first step would be to try to contact the person who blocked you. If that doesn't work, please use Special:Contact to contact Wikia staff. In order to effectively locate the block and look into the matter, you must include all of the information in the box you see while you're blocked, especially the block ID.

What do we do about vandalbots?

A vandalbot is a script which automatically performs some kind of malicious edit or similar operation to a wikia at high rate. Since a vandalbot may be attacking other wikias too, it should be blocked as soon as possible. If you see one, try to contact a VSTF member in the {{#NewWindowLink:http://vstf.wikia.com/index.php?title=project:IRC#Gateway_Login_Form%7CVSTF IRC channel}} or staff via Special:Contact if nobody is available or if an admin or founder is also controlling the vandalbot(s) and there aren't any other admins available to handle the issue.

See MetaWikipedia:vandalbot for more details.

Should we block open proxies?

Anonymous or open proxies should usually be blocked, when identified. You can set the timestamp for "infinite".

Try not to block ISP proxies since this would affect a wide number of users.

Should we block ranges?

Range blocks aren't recommended unless you need to deal with severe and prolonged vandalism from a particular range of IP addresses, and you are very sure what these mean and how to use them.

Can I customize the text that a blocked user sees?

You may customize the block message by editing MediaWiki:Blockedtext on your wikia.

How can I block a user indefinitely?

On the block user screen, in the "Expiry:" section, choose "Other time:", and in the box, type infinite, or indefinite. Then, click "Block this user". Alternatively, you can add "infinite:infinite" option to the MediaWiki:Ipboptions and then select it through the expiry option.

Can I block everyone from the wikia so only one person can edit?

No, blocking everyone to make it so nobody can edit except you (even if you are the founder of the wikia) in order to make the wikia private is not allowed, as Wikia is based around the concept of openly-editable communities. If you notice this happening, feel free to contact Wikia Staff through Special:Contact to get it resolved.

Further help and feedback

Browse and search other help pages at Help:Contents
Check Fandom Community Central for sources of further help and support
Check Contacting Fandom for how to report any errors or unclear steps in this article

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 # Enter the '''username or IP address '''of the user you want to block.
-# Select a '''time''' for the block. Remember that usually (not always though) blocks are best kept as short as possible. If the timespan you want isn't in the dropdown list, you can type it in the box.
+# Select an '''expiry time''' for the block. Remember that usually (not always though) blocks are best kept as short as possible. If the timespan you want isn't in the dropdown list, you can type it in the box.
 # Enter a '''reason''' for the block. If a suitable reason isn't in the dropdown, then type it into the box below. Remember that the person blocked (as well as other users) will see this reason, so it helps to make it clear, informative and polite.
-# An IP block will block all users with that IP, whether they are logged in or not. Because IPs can be shared, you can over-ride this to leave logged in users unaffected by the ban. Check the box marked "'''Block anonymous users only'''" to do this.
+# An IP block will block all users with that IP, whether they are logged in or not. Because IPs can be shared, you can over-ride this to leave logged in users unaffected by the ban. Make sure to leave the box "'''Prevent logged-in users from editing from this IP address'''" unchecked (bottom selection).
 # A side effect of this, is that an anonymous user could create a new account to bypass the ban. So you can counter this by checking the box marked "'''Prevent account creation'''".
 # If a logged in user is banned, then they could evade the ban by logging out and editing anonymously. To prevent this, you can set the block to include the IP address that the logged in user is using. Check the box marked "'''Automatically block the last IP address used by this user, and any subsequent IPs they try to edit from'''".
@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 If a user or IP is publishing spam or vandalism on your local wikia, and you feel that this may be happening elsewhere and the user or IP may need to be blocked on all Wikia wikis, then please [[Special:Contact|contact Wikia staff]] or contact the {{#NewWindowLink:http://vstf.wikia.com|VSTF}}.
-This ability is used '''sparingly''' and problems on one wikia don't necessarily mean that a user should be blocked across all of Wikia. In general, this is only used for large scale or persistent vandalism over several wikias, being underage or for impersonations. If there a problem happening only locally, please contact the admins of that wikia, or if there are no admins, see above.
+This ability is used '''sparingly''' and problems on one wikia don't necessarily mean that a user should be blocked across all of Wikia. In general, this is only used for large scale or persistent vandalism over several wikias, being underage or for impersonations. If there is a problem happening only locally, please contact the admins of that wikia, or if there are no active admins, see above.
 ===='''What do I do if I am caught in a global block?'''====
@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 ===='''What do we do about vandalbots?'''====
-A vandalbot is a script which automatically performs some kind of malicious edit or similar operation to a wikia at high rate. Since a vandalbot may be attacking other wikias too, it should be blocked as soon as possible. If you see one, try to contact a [[Special:ListUsers/vstf|VSTF member]] in the {{#NewWindowLink:http://vstf.wikia.com/index.php?title=project:IRC#Gateway_Login_Form|VSTF IRC channel}} or staff via [[Special:Contact]] if nobody is available.
+A vandalbot is a script which automatically performs some kind of malicious edit or similar operation to a wikia at high rate. Since a vandalbot may be attacking other wikias too, it should be blocked as soon as possible. If you see one, try to contact a [[Special:ListUsers/vstf|VSTF member]] in the {{#NewWindowLink:http://vstf.wikia.com/index.php?title=project:IRC#Gateway_Login_Form|VSTF IRC channel}} or staff via [[Special:Contact]] if nobody is available or if an admin or founder is also controlling the vandalbot(s) and there aren't any other admins available to handle the issue.
 See [[MetaWikipedia:vandalbot]] for more details.
@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 ===='''How can I block a user indefinitely?'''====
-On the block user screen, in the "Expiry:" section, choose "Other time:", and in the box, type infinite, or indefinite. Then, click "Block this user".
+On the block user screen, in the "Expiry:" section, choose "Other time:", and in the box, type infinite, or indefinite. Then, click "Block this user". Alternatively, you can add "infinite:infinite" option to the [[MediaWiki:Ipboptions]] and then select it through the expiry option.
+===='''Can I block everyone from the wikia so only one person can edit?'''====
+No, blocking everyone to make it so nobody can edit except you (even if you are the founder of the wikia) in order to make the wikia private is not allowed, as Wikia is based around the concept of openly-editable communities. If you notice this happening, feel free to contact Wikia Staff through [[Special:Contact/general|Special:Contact]] to get it resolved.
 ==See also==
 *[[Special:BlockList]] - lists currently blocked addresses and usernames.
 *[[Special:Log/block]] - shows all blocks and unblocks.
-*[[Special:Block]] - use this to block or a user.
+*[[Special:Block]] - use this to block a user.
 *[[Special:Unblock]] - use this to unblock a user.