Destinypedia:Blocking policy

This page is an official Destinypedia policy.

On any wiki, there are bound to be vandals-mischievous former editors who attempt to compromise the wiki's integrity out of frustration for the developers, or maybe for the wiki itself. However there is no good reason for vandalism, and editors are encouraged to work out their differences in a civil manner rather than reverting to vandalism in order to retaliate, as it only harms the community. NOT the intended target.

About blocking

A user is blocked when they are banned from contributing to Destinypedia completely. They can still view pages, but their editing rights have been revoked: they cannot edit articles, talk pages, log in, or create a new account. Blocking is done to maintain the smooth function of Destinypedia and as a preventative action against vandals, and violation of wiki etiquette.

A user or IP may only be blocked by an administrator or patroller in the case of user violation. Blocking can last for different periods of time depending on the infractions, and is usually left to the discretion of the user administrating the block.

Reasons for being blocked

Vandalism

Vandalism is the most common cause for blocking on Destinypedia. Vandalism is any addition, deletion, or change of content made in a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of Destinypedia. The most common type of vandalism is the replacement of existing text with obscenities, page blanking, or the insertion of bad jokes or other nonsense. Fortunately, this kind of vandalism is usually easy to spot, and is reverted swiftly. Vandalism also includes adding spam links to pages, advertisements and deliberately falsifying information on the page by changing dates, names, or other information.

Note that in order for something to be considered vandalism, it must be done in "bad faith". Though the Internet makes it difficult to determine a person's intentions, problems such as those listed above are obviously done in bad faith for whatever reason. Other problems, such as users testing their abilities to edit, making accidental mistakes, and learning wiki markup, are less clear cut—they can easily be attributed to a new user with good intentions who just does not know how Destinypedia works. Refer to the Code of Conduct.

Contributing persistent fan fiction

Destinypedia's canon policy clearly states that Destinypedia is solely for Destiny canon. Fan fiction is any item or detail that is not officially sanctioned by Bungie or their affiliates, and is rather fiction conceived of by the fanbase. Contributing fan fiction, whether it is well known or from one person, is unacceptable on Destinypedia.

Contributing persistent fan fiction is different from vandalism in several ways. First, it is not necessarily done in "bad faith" and so contributors found doing this may not be instantly blocked after their first offense. Second, persistent contributors will receive two warnings of some kind from a staff member. This way, the user will have the opportunity to present their sources and correct any misunderstandings. If the said user continues to contribute fan fiction after the second warning, the contributions are considered deleterious to Destinypedia. They may be reverted and the user in violation blocked.

Blocking for this infraction is done in the judgment of the op administrating the ban and blocking times may vary depending on the situation.

Creating pointless pages

Pages that have nothing to do with the Destiny universe create problems for the community. The what Destinypedia is not page does a good job of outlining what kind of content is irrelevant and should not be created on Destinypedia. A user who has created such pages should be warned about them; note that sometimes information is related to Destiny in an indirect way, so a page may not be as pointless as it initially seems i.e a page on marathon that may relate to Destiny in some lore-related way. Pages which are not related to Destiny i.e Pizza or the state of Washington, are considered pointless, and may be deleted. Repeated creation of pointless pages will result in a block ranging from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the extent of the infraction.

Harassment and personal attacks

Destinypedia has made a clear policy on its about page that harassment and personal attacks are not tolerated. Destinypedia must have a positive atmosphere so that all users can contribute and cooperate in a way that is constructive and friendly. Harassment and personal attacks not only drive away potential users, but also damage Destinypedia's reputation by making it a hostile environment.

Harassment is a serious infraction on Destinypedia and may result in a block depending on the severity of the situation. Refrain from making personal attacks on another user, even when confronting them about issues concerning their actions. Users who harass and attack others will be banned for an extended period of time, ranging from a month to a year to an indefinite ban. Note, however, a user who has been provoked, or is merely acting in justified rage, may be pardoned for their actions, albeit only once after a warning is provided.

Edit warring

An edit war occurs when two or more editors disagree about the content of a page and repeatedly override each other's contributions. Edit warring is unconstructive and creates animosity between editors, making consensus and article stability harder to reach. Users who engage in edit wars risk being blocked or even banned. An editor who repeatedly restores his or her preferred version is engaged in edit warring, regardless of whether their edits were perceived as justifiable: "but my edit was more accurate, so it wasn't edit warring" is no defense.

If two editors are engaged in an edit war, an administrator may intervene and take the steps deemed necessary to end the conflict. Such steps include blocking one/and or both users at their discretion. If the editors in question are an admin and a normal user, the admins actions and mannerisms may be weighed against the Code of Conduct for details on how such matters are to be judged. If an admin's actions have been deemed hostile, rude, or offensive, than a bureaucrat may revoke their user rights, or ban them at the discretion of the Bureaucrat issuing the ban. For casual users, the same process applies to both editors, with the party or parties found guilty being subject to ban.

Point system abuse

Destinypedia features a point system based on Fallen ranks. Point System Abuse (PSA) also referred to as "point whoring", is when a user abuses the point system by deliberately make multiple to gain points or advance in rank. Whether this is done on a single article or multiple pages, abusing the Destinypedia point system will lead to a ban. Note that not every series of edits on a single page is considered PSA, and is often caused by users who overlook minor discrepancies, and/or make mistakes which are not noticed until after the work has been saved.

Block guidelines

There is no warning required for edits done in bad faith and vandals are usually blocked on the spot. The time ranges from 2 weeks to a month depending on the extent of the vandalism attributed to that user though the op administrating the block may choose to warn the user before issuing a penalty. Vandalism of multiple pages sometimes warrants longer blocking periods of three months.

When blocking an IP address or username, administrators should place the {{block}} template at the top of the user's talk page and fill out the necessary information: the blocking admin, the reason for the block, and the user's name (so that the template may link to the block log and user's contributions). An example is shown below:

{{Block|Admin|Reason|USERNAME OR IP ADDRESS}}

Blocked users may request pardon from a ban as newly reformed members of the community, however, it is not the obligation of Destinypedia staff to comply. Should a consensus be reached that the user requesting pardon be allowed to return, the said user must be subject to a "probation" period of one month, in which time, the user may rejoin the community, albeit with minimum rights. After the probation period is complete, the user may be promoted as normal.