Tolkien Gateway:Blocking policy

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Blocking is the method by which an administrator can prevent a user or IP address from editing Tolkien Gateway. Blocks are not punitive but preventative measures which are designed to enforce site policies and stop disruption to the site, and is a sanction against a user that has violated Tolkien Gateway's policies and guidelines; no user is exempt from a block. Blocks may be lifted if the user agrees to stop their disruptive behaviour.

How blocks work[edit source]

Administrators can block both user accounts and anonymous IP addresses by Special:Block (only accessible to administrators and bureaucrats; blocks can be amended or removed via Special:Unblock. Blocks can either be temporary or permanent, and via Special:Block you can set the duration and reason for the block.

You can view all currently blocked users here, while the Block log will show you a history of all blocks.

Block durations[edit source]

The duration of blocks is at the discretion of the administrator, taking into account any previous blocks and the user's general behaviour, as well as the impact on the Gateway.

Blocking IP addresses[edit source]

Anonymous users are blocked in the exact same way, but be aware that you may be blocking proxy servers and web hosting services. Administrators can also apply a range blocks to a group of IP addresses, but only use this if you know how.

When to block[edit source]

Below is a list of common reasons why an administrator may issue a block on Tolkien Gateway. This is not an exhaustive list as administrators use their own judgement, but a user may be blocked for:

  • Vandalism - an edit designed to deliberately harm Tolkien Gateway, such as blanking pages, or inserting nonsense and profanities
  • Spam - adding advertising links and content to articles
  • Sockpuppetry - using multiple accounts to game the system or evade blocks. (Note: registered and approved bots are exempt from this.)
  • Disruption - behaviour that undermines the community and its ability to fulfil its work
  • Consensus violation - deliberately, repeatedly and consciously consensus on articles
  • Policy violation - deliberately, repeatedly and consciously ignoring policy, such as the Manual of Style
  • Fanon - consistently ignoring warnings on inserting fanon information into articles
  • Plagiarism - copyright violation and stealing content from Tolkien's works, other websites and wikis, or other publications, and not attributing it

I've been blocked. What do I do?[edit source]

If you have been blocked and you are unclear why, get in touch with the relevant administrator and if they have confidence they may unblock you. Otherwise you will have to wait until your block has expired. If blocked you can still view the wiki, you just cannot login and edit it.

See also[edit source]