BIONICLEsector01:Block Policy
Rule-breaking of any kind by anyone is harmful to BIONICLEsector01. It destroys the work of editors, hurts the community and its members, and affects all of us. As such, a set of rough guidelines has been created to determine how to deal with vandals, user conflicts, and other behavior harmful to the wiki as a whole. Most cases are unique, and so action taken will depend heavily on the circumstances. It is left to the judgment of the staff member in question as to whether or not blocking account will be appropriate. However, here is a list of common offenses and responses.
Vandalism
Offense
Vandalism is simply the editing of a page's content with malicious intent. This includes blanking pages, changing content to include off-topic, offensive, or misleading information, or intentionally adding inaccurate info. This can apply to any page, be it mainspace, site-related, or user-specific, such as talkpages and other user sub-pages.
Response
- If an account is created and immediately starts vandalizing multiple pages, it is to be blocked immediately and permanently.
- If an account is created and immediately vandalizes up to several pages but then stops, it is to be blocked for one month by the first staff member who sees it. After the block has been administered, a notice should be put on the account's talk page stating that after the block has expired, any further offenses of that nature will be met with a permanent block.
- If an already established account suddenly begins to vandalize, it is to be given the standard set of three warnings and blocked for two to four weeks if it continues after the last warning has been given. If the vandalism is moderate in nature, it is to be given one warning and blocked for at least four weeks if it persists. If the vandalism is severe in nature, it is to be blocked for three months to permanently without warning. The party in question will be given a chance to explain themselves through other channels; if their explanation is satisfactory, the ban will be lifted. However, what constitutes as 'satisfactory' will generally be left up to the staff member in question.
- If an account with an inappropriate name is created and discovered, the account itself is to be blocked permanently. If it is inactive, it does not need to be blocked until a staff member is notified of it or discovers it on their own. If it is active, it is to be blocked immediately, even if it has not made any negative contributions. If the name of the account is not blatantly and obviously that of a vandal, only the individual account may be blocked; if it is, both the account and its IP address will be blocked.
Duplicate Accounts
Offense
Dupe accounts are frowned upon on the wiki. They clutter up the server space which is desperately needed for the content pages, and can be used to give unfair weight in contests and voting on matters relating to the wiki, such as the creation and deletion of articles. It is also the easiest method for vandals to return to the wiki through. However, it is realized that sometimes users will have siblings or friends who must use their computer and want accounts of their own. Exceptions can be made; simply take the situation to a staff member and explain it first, obtaining their permission before attempting to create the extra account(s).
Response
- If a user is found to have an account that is being or has been blocked for vandalism, both the vandal account and the non-vandal account are to be blocked, the former permanently and the latter one week to permanently depending on how bad the transgressions of the duplicate account was.
- If a user is found to have multiple non-vandal accounts (regardless of whether or not they are active), all but the one with the earliest dated edits are to be blocked indefinitely. The original account should then be notified and asked for an explanation. If the explanation is satisfactory, one or more accounts will be unblocked.
Being Uncivil to Members or Staff
Offense
This should be obvious, but unfortunately is not so. Put in the most simple way: be nice to your fellow editors. Insulting, rude, or otherwise disrespectful behavior towards ANYONE on this site will not be tolerated. This extends to all facets of wiki interaction: discussion pages, whether they be official or for users themselves, arguments over whether or not information deserves to be in an article, or whether the article deserves to exist in the first place. Keep it civil, keep it respectful.
Response
- If a user is seen to be disrespectful or generally unpleasant towards other editors or staff members, they will be contacted by a staff member, who will politely explain to them that their behavior is offending others and ask them to please change their attitude for the sake of the rest of the wiki. If they ignore the request, then the staff will give a warning, the severity of which depending on the attitude of the member. If they persist, the staffer will block the member for a length of time depending on the behavior of the member, ranging from a few days to a few weeks. If their attitude remains unchanged upon the lifting of the ban, another, longer ban will be inflicted.
Dwelling on a User/Talk Page
Offense
Compared to the others, this is fairly minor, but still frowned upon. The purpose of joining this wiki is to contribute to its story content to aid others looking for information. However, some take the opportunity to treat sites like this as a forum, spending all their time editing their own userpages or chatting with other members on talkpages. While we don't discourage an actively social community, space on the wiki is limited, and it detracts from the site to have members who use up space without contributing meaningfully.
Response
- If a user is found to be editing exclusively or nearly exclusively on their userpage or sub-page(s), they should be kindly reminded that the purpose of the site is to record and extrapolate information on the BIONICLE for other fans or people wishing to become fans. If they continue to dwell on their pages, a more formal warning and instruction to start editing mainspace pages, or at least stop editing personal pages so heavily, should be issued. If the behavior persists, three warning should be given for separate instances, and then a one week ban should be placed into effect. If dwelling persists after the ban is lifted, bans of increasing length will be issued at the discretion of the staff member involved.
Spamming
Offense
Spam (stupid pointless annoying messages) is pretty much what it sounds like: useless or simply irritating edits that add nothing to a discussion, often being completely off-topic. If spam is added to a mainspace page, it is often counted as vandalism and treated as such; on talkpages or userpages, it is given slightly more leniency, but only slightly.
Response
- If a user posts spam on a talkpage, or on a page of their own to such a degree it is considered detrimental to the wiki, they will be given a spam warning. If they continue to spam, three warnings will be given for separate instances, followed by a three week ban. If, after the ban is lifted, the member continues to spam, blocks of increasing length will be enacted.
Illegal Moderating
Offense
We appreciate users keeping an eye out for each other. However, actual enforcement of rules should be handled by the staff. Attempting to order other members around or hand out judgment is not the call of the average member. Staff members were chosen for their ability to fairly determine how to deal with the other members, so please trust their judgment.
Response
- If a member begins to boss around other users or tries to act as though they have unwarranted authority over them, staff should kindly but firmly remind them that unless given such authority by a member of the staff or administrator, they have no right to give orders to other members. If they continue to act as though they have power, a more authoritative warning should be given, preferably informing them of the potential consequences of their actions. If the user continues their behavior, they should be blocked for any time between one and three weeks, depending on how severe their actions were. If their behavior is unchanged after the block is lifted, blocks of increasing length will be inflicted according to the judgment of the staff.
Disobeying Staff
Offense
Simply put, the staff are in charge. They are responsible for making sure the site runs smoothly, and that the various members get along. It's not illegal to disagree with the staff, but is a staff member gives you an instruction, you are expected to follow it.
Response
- First of all, if a staff instruction is disobeyed, attention should be brought to the incident and they should be asked if they meant to disobey or why they did. If it was unintentional, they should simply be reminded to cooperate with the staff in the future. If not, they should be given an official warning and informed that future incidents will result in a block. If they continue to disobey, they will be given a one week ban. If they continue to disobey after the ban is lifted, bans of increasing length will be inflicted.
Member Response
Ordinarily, it is preferable to let the staff handle incidents like the ones described above, though it is not discouraged for ordinary members to try to warn them away from the acts they are committing. However, there will be times where there will be no staff member online. In cases like this, more experienced members are encouraged to take charge, keeping other members calm and generally trying to keep the situation under control. This can include attempting to tell the offending member to stop, reverting inappropriate edits, and informing other members of the situation. Above all, in such a scenario, try to contact a staff member. In any way you can, try to get a member of the staff involved, whether through another site, hotmail, gmail, or IM. You may be able to keep the situation contained, but in all likelihood it will take one of the staff to end it.