The vast majority of visitors to Memory Alpha are good contributors, and we encourage the practice of proper etiquette on this site. For example, contacting a contributor via their talk page about a mistake or faux pas is better than simply reverting their changes. In almost every case, maintaining lines of communication is essential for ensuring the smooth operation of Memory Alpha and the continued contributions from both newcomers and old-timers alike.
Unfortunately, some contributors may not be as cooperative or communicative as most members of the general community. Therefore, under certain conditions the webmasters of Memory Alpha (Harry Doddema and Dan Carlson) may choose to prevent them from contributing further to Memory Alpha. There are various methods that may be employed in order to effect this ban, but they should only be employed as a last resort.
Pure vandals are dealt with slightly differently: see dealing with vandalism for suggested tactics. By vandalism we mean "edits that have no discernable merit", and by vandal we mean "someone who makes more than one".
See: Special:Ipblocklist
Blocks
Blocks are the technological means by which bans are enforced, and are also used to protect Memory Alpha from simple vandalism. Sysops have the power to block and unblock both user accounts and anonymous IPs. As noted above, this does not mean that sysops may decide that violators of Etiquette deserve to be blocked -- that privilege rests entirely with the webmasters (Harry Doddema and Dan Carlson).
Effects of being blocked
Blocked users can still see all Memory Alpha pages, but the "Edit this page" link brings up a "User is blocked" page which explains the reason behind the block and gives information on how to request unblocking. The scope of the block depends on whether it is an account or an IP that is being blocked.
- IP blocks
- the block expires automatically after 24 hours
- accounts which share that IP are automatically blocked, preventing one from simply creating a new account to avoid the block
- Account blocks
- the block is permanent, until a sysop explicitly unblocks the account
- the IP of the account is automatically blocked, preventing one from simply creating a new account to avoid the block
Accidental blocks
Occasionally, users with floating IPs will find that they have been blocked accidentally, due to that fact that their present IP was previously used by a vandal or hard-banned user. These blocks will disappear if IP change can be forced. If that is not possible, the block should be reported to the nearest friendly sysop via email.
Source: Wikipedia: Bans and blocks [1] (2003-12-27, 19:31 UTC)