This page documents an official Avatar Wiki policy.
It is a widely accepted standard that should normally be followed by all editors.
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Content
Categorization • Continuity • Copyrights
Deletion policy • Images • Layout guide
Manual of Style • Spoilers
Template namespace • Verifiability
What Avatar Wiki is not
Interaction
Assume good faith • Blocking policy
Discord chat • Discussion policy
Ignore all rules • Protection policy
Revert policy • Signature policy
User blog policy • User page policy
Voting
Blocking is the method by which administrators may technically prevent users from editing Avatar Wiki. Blocks are used to prevent damage or disruption, not to punish users.
Request block[]
Any user may request a block at the Administrator noticeboard for major incidents of vandalism or disruption. Users requesting blocks should supply credible evidence of the circumstances warranting a block. Administrators are never obliged to place a block and are free to investigate the situation themselves. Because blocks may be reviewed and appealed, it is often important that the blocking and reviewing administrators each communicate with and take care to inform the other.
Blocked users can appeal their blocks by making a statement on their wall. Except in cases of unambiguous error, administrators should not undo other administrators' blocks without prior discussion; see below.
Warnings[]
Unless an account is clearly only for the purposes of disruption, communication and attempted rectification of behavior should occur before a block is considered.
When communication fails and the need for a block does arise, the following guidelines are to be applied.
Reasons for blocking[]
Acceptable reasons[]
Accounts and addresses may be blocked for behavior that damages or disrupts the wiki, including:
- Recurring vandalism or spamming, with reference to the definitions given by our revert policy
- Recurring failure to observe the behavioral sections of our discussion policy, such as making personal attacks or not adhering to a basic standard of civility
- Deliberately misgendering an individual (i.e. using the wrong pronouns) or otherwise showing a lack of respect for people's person and identity.
- This includes failing to adhere to any update to an individual's pronouns or gender or the removal of deadnames on the wiki, regardless of how people were originally credited in or appeared on the source material.
- Fandom's guidelines for how to approach gender identity can be found here, and are considered to apply across the wiki.
- Recurring harassment, defined by Wikipedia as "a pattern of repeated offensive behavior that appears to a reasonable observer to intentionally target a specific person or [group of] persons"
- Continual edit warring
- Sockpuppetry and meatpuppetry
- No clearly discernible intent to observe non-behavioral policies
- Accounts with inappropriate usernames
- Editing for the sole purpose of obtaining badges
Unless an account is clearly only for the purposes of disruption, communication and attempted rectification of behavior should occur before a block is considered.
Unacceptable reasons[]
Accounts and addresses may not be blocked for:
- Disagreeing with an administrator; this is conflict of interest
- "Cooling off" purposes; this usually only inflames the situation
- The user was blocked (with or without reason) on another wiki
Duration of blocks[]
The duration of the block given should depend on the severity of the behavior and the likelihood of its repetition. However, the following should be kept in mind:
- In general, the first block should be of a reasonably short duration, with the length increasing progressively every time a further block is required.
- Anonymous users should never be blocked indefinitely. If you see any anonymous user blocked indefinitely, report it on the administrator noticeboard.
- Blocking indefinitely in general can be avoided in a majority of cases, unless the offense is extreme (i.e.: graphic or sexually explicit imagery uploaded, repeated violations of policy, death threats).
- Sockpuppets that have been used maliciously should always be blocked indefinitely.
Blocking notice and appeal[]
When blocking a user, the administrator must leave them with the ability to post on their own message wall to appeal their block. Unless the account is clearly only for the purposes of disruption, the administrator should also leave a message notifying the user about their block, its length, and the reason. However, if this talking privilege while blocked is abused for spamming, threatening, or harassing, this will be revoked.
Appealing your block needs to be done in good faith, meaning that you should:
- Not assume they blocked you without reason
- Not spam/harass the administrator on other wikis
- Actually give them time to respond (24h at least)
- Respect their decision in the end
If you still feel like you were still unfairly blocked and for longer than 2 weeks, you can contact staff and submit links to your blocked profile and the conversation you had with the administrator for review.