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A block is how an administrator prevents a user account or IP address/range from editing The Elder Scrolls Wiki. Blocks are preventive rather than punitive measures used to prevent damage by dealing with vandalism and enforcing TESWiki policies. Block duration varies, depending on the severity and longevity of vandalism, but in most instances a block can be lifted if the editor agrees to stop the damaging behavior.

All users may post block requests on the Vandalism in progress page. To contest a block, follow the directions on the arbitration page to make an appeal.

When considering blocking, it is important to remember the axiom "Never attribute to malice what can be attributed to stupidity"—article blanking or addition of fanon may be just a well-meant attempt to remove inaccurate information or expand the encyclopedia. Always assume good faith, but remember that the rules apply to everyone equally.

Grounds for blocking

Grounds for blocking may include the following actions, but this list is not comprehensive. Note that breaking any TESWiki policy in bad faith is grounds for a block; this list is simply a convenient shorthand. Blocks are made at the discretion of the administration.

  1. Vandalism – Vandalism is defined as any bad-faith edit made with the intent to lower the quality of the wiki or disrupt the functioning of the community. In most cases, users should be warned prior to blocking, though final discretion is left to the administrators.
  2. Spam – Posting irrelevant spam links in articles, or creating articles which are entirely spam is grounds for an infinite block (for registered users) or a shorter-term IP block.
  3. Move vandalism – Page move vandalism (moving an article to a nonsensical or inappropriate title) is grounds for immediate indefinite bans.
  4. Inappropriate account naming – Creating an inappropriate account name—be it in terms of user impersonation insult, general rudeness and obscenity, is also grounds for a no-warning infinite block. Deeming a username inappropriate falls on the discretion of the blocking admin. Leave a message for the blocked user, stating the reason for the block. The editor can appeal to Wikia to have their username changed, or they can chose to create a new account under a different email address. When blocking, allow the editor to continue editing their talk page, so they can request to be unblocked when their name is changed, or so they can appeal the block. See the policies and guidelines for further details.
  5. Disruption – Users who disrupt the wiki (be it via changing other people's comments, making misleading edits, harassing other users, or otherwise undermining the guidelines, staff, or the integrity of the community) may also be blocked. Users who actively show support for but do not fully partake in rule-breaking activity of this nature may also be subject to punishment; drama incitement in any form is strictly disallowed.
  6. Copyright violations – Users who continually post copyrighted material despite being warned should be blocked so as to prevent further violations.
  7. Blanking pages – Users should typically be warned prior to being blocked for page blanking, except in extreme cases where the blanking is obviously being done with malicious intent—i.e. 4 articles blanked in one minute.
  8. Fanon – Users adding fanon should almost always be warned prior to blocking. Warnings should also include links to the fanon wikia, (optionally) using templates such as {{fanon}}. Repeatedly posting fanon after being told to stop is grounds for a short-term block.
  9. Personal attacks – Users attacking other editors personally (in regards to anything) is not acceptable. Offending users should be given one warning prior to a cool-off ban. The length of the ban is dependent on the severity of personal attacks.
  10. Posting personal information – The posting of personal information regarding other people (i.e. their home address, phone number, etc.) is unacceptable, and will be enforced with blocks. Users doing so should be warned, and harshly blocked if they continue.
  11. Open proxies – Due to vandalism concerns, we do not allow editing from open proxies. When they are found, they are to be blocked indefinitely. Select the entry log "Using proxy" in the drop down menu.
  12. Editing only user pages and not articles – Users that consistently edit and add to their user pages and subpages without contribution to the main article namespace will be warned and then blocked. As this is a sensitive issue, good judgement should be made pertaining to the user in question and whether or not it is likely that they will actually contribute to the main article space after a warning and a block.
  13. Abuse of TESWiki's file upload function – Our policies for uploading images are clearly stated on the upload form itself and the image use policy and user image policy pages which are linked from the upload form.
  14. Violation of consensus – Many decisions on TESWiki are determined by consensus. Do not violate that consensus or you will be blocked.
  15. Sockpuppetry – Per our sockpuppetry policy, use of multiple accounts to have multiple vanity userpages, influence votes, or evade blocks will all result in blocks being handed out.

Being blocked on the wiki also results in a ban from the Live! Chat and the Discord server, but not necessarily vice versa. Particularly egregious offenses will go both ways.

Block length guidelines

With the exceptions noted above, blocks should usually progress according to the following table. Final discretion is left to the blocking administrator on a case-by-case basis.

Regarding vandalism: First instance Second instance Third instance Repeated
Registered users Warning / 3 days One week One month Infinite
IP addresses 3 days One week Two weeks One month

Because of the dynamic nature of IPs, and the related risk of collateral damage, most blocks should be in the range of 24 hours to 1 month, with some exceptions. Only in very rare cases should non-proxy IPs be blocked for more than three months.

When blocking a user for anything less than infinite, leave a message on their talk page, explaining the infraction. Link to the policy page and other help pages, and encourage the user to read them during their block.

Block length may change with offense. Common vandalism and most other issues follows the sequence listed above. Users who repeated spam articles with links to external sites (especially those unrelated to the Elder Scrolls series) should receive a permanent block. Sockpuppetry, especially in instances of block evasion (the act of changing ones IP to avoid an editing block), deserves an extended duration on the initial block. This is generally discussed by the community beforehand.

Probationary blocks

Registered users may be placed on temporary, probationary blocks, depending on the offense. Usually, this consists of disruptive editing or "cool-downs" for editing warring. Length of a probationary block is usually 1 to 2 hours. Leave a message on the registered user's talk page, detailing the infraction and link to all relevant policy and guideline pages. Repeated instances of what caused the initial block are construed as vandalism. These users should be blocked according to the table above.

Blocking IPs

IP addresses usually only perform acts of vandalism once, so permanent blocks are not necessary. Blocking an IP indefinitely is unfavorable due to the fluctuation of dynamic IPs. Users may end up on a blocked IP when they have done nothing personally.

Mass vandalism and spam

Administrators sometimes cannot keep up with vandals, often because a program or bot is systemically causing destruction. If this occurs, contact the Wiki Representative and/or SOAP.

Sitewide and partial blocks

By default, TESWiki blocks are sitewide: they apply to every namespace. However, administrators can also block users from editing in specific namespaces. For example, you may be temporarily blocked from editing talk pages but not the mainspace if you act like a jerk but still make good edits.

If you are blocked on the wiki, you are generally also blocked on Discord, with some exceptions.

Shared IPs

If you share an IP address with multiple people and are blocked for vandalism you didn't commit, contact an admin for assistance. This is sometimes unavoidable on high-traffic public networks, such as schools or libraries, but the admins will do their best to fix the situation.

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