Bulbapedia:Blocking policy

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

• User accounts
• IP addresses
• IP address 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 block will be instituted. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a temporary block.

How to block

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

When to block

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

Ignoring bans

If a user deliberately ignores a ban, the ban will be forcibly enforced using a block. Be sure to inform a user of their ban - assume good faith if the user has not been properly notified - otherwise, after (repeated) notification, issue a block.

Edit flood

If a user is judged as having made many edits in a short timespan that contradict prevailing trends, a "cooldown" block of 1 to 3 hours may be issued, depending on the number of edits made. During that time, the edits will be reviewed and any unacceptable ones will be reverted. As with other short term blocks, this can not be appealed.

Vandalism

If pages are vandalized, the offending user will be blocked 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 permanent amount of time; serious vandalism will be cause for a very long block.

Deliberately inserting false information to mislead is classed as a major act of vandalism (even if only a few articles are affected) and will result in severe penalties. However, unless clear evidence of malice exists, assume good faith.

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 Bulbapedia 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.

Link spam

The nature of a wiki is such that its Google PageRank tends to be a little higher than usual. Advertisers try to take advantage of this by adding their own links to pages, hoping that some of the PageRank will be passed on to their sites.

This sort of link spam cannot be tolerated, and the offending accounts will be blocked indefinitely. (However, it is more likely that they will never be used again after the initial attack.) The contaminated revisions of articles should also be deleted, however, this is not required.

Threats and edit/revert wars

Harassment in Talk 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 administrators. Taking matters into the user's own hands will result in the temporary blocking of both parties involved, typically for 24 to 72 hours.

Usernames

Usernames 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 staff members 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

Additional accounts

Unauthorized sockpuppets, that is, accounts created for the sole purpose of hiding one's identity to conduct fraud, are not permitted on Bulbapedia. Additional accounts created to evade bans are blocked indefinitely, and may result in an extension or institution of a block on the primary account.

There are legitimate reasons for creating new accounts when you already have one, for example, if you wish to be dissociated from your past. In these cases, there is no need to obtain permission, however, you must stop using your old account as soon as possible.

If you wish to have your account renamed, contact a system administrator.

Please contact a member of the editorial board to obtain permission to create additional accounts.

Appeals

Appeals against a block decision may be sent to Editor-in-Chief. Any email sent should be titled Bulbapedia block appeal, include a reason why the block should be overturned, and also include any additional information that would factor into an appeal process. Appeals will be processed as promptly as possible by the Bulbapedia staff; if you feel that your message was not received, contact the Editor-in-Chief on Bulbagarden forums via private messaging. Decisions handed down by an appeals committee are final and no further appeals will be entertained.

Temporary blocks of less than a week cannot be appealed.