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| ==How to Block==
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| Sysops and Patrollers may go to [[Special:Specialpages|Special pages]] and select the "Block user" link. This takes them to [[Special:Block]], which has further instructions. [[Special:Block]] is also quickly accessible via the [block] link that appears next to each user on [[Special:RecentChanges|recent changes]], and at the top of a user's [[Special:Contributions|Contributions]] page.
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| Expiry times are set by selecting a block length from a drop down menu that is provided. Situations requiring unique block times (i.e. blocks ending after a non-standard amount of days or at a specific time of day) have never come up, but unique expiry times ''can'' be entered, using the GNU standard format (which is described in the [http://www.gnu.org/software/tar/manual/html_chapter/tar_7.html tar manual]). The option for "infinite" ban can also be found in the drop-down menu, in which case, there is no expiry date, and an admin must psychically remove the block if the user is to be allowed back onto the wiki. If an admin does not enter an expiry time when blocking, an error message will be displayed.
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| The "reason" that the administrator fills in will be displayed to the blocked user when they attempt to edit, and will also appear in the [[Special:Log/block|Block Log]] and the [[Special:BlockList|list of blocked accounts and IP addresses]]. Common reasons are provided in a drop-down menu, but unless the admin is dealing with a simple case of vandalism or trolling, a personalized message outlining the exact reasons for the block are usually given. Sockpuppets are sometimes given links to the original account in their block summary, although this doesn't have to be done when dealing with chronic sockpuppeteers already well-known by the admins, and/or when trying to block one or more socks as quickly as possible during an attack on the wiki, which is what the drop-down menu is for.
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| Finally, there are number of check boxes present in the blocking page, two of which are automatically checked. "Prevent account creation" should only be unchecked when the user is ''supposed'' to create a new account (i.e. during a forced namechange). "Automatically block the last IP address used by this user, and any subsequent IP addresses they try to edit from" should also be unchecked when a user is supposed to create a new account, or when blocking non-malicious sockpuppets (i.e. ones created by accident, or if a user forgot their password and had to make a new account, etc.). Please note that the automatic blocks ("autoblocks") caused by the feature enabled by this second check box only last for 24 hours, and is not the same as directly blocking an IP Address ([[#Blocking IP Addresses|see below]]). The "Prevent user from sending e-mail" box should never be checked except in extreme cases of trolling (i.e. unacceptable e-mails are part of the troll's attack), as e-mail is the main way that users who feel their block was unnecessary get in contact with the admins to try and get the situation rectified. "Hide username from edits and lists" generally does not need to be checked since Bureaucrats physically rename accounts with inappropriate names to clear contributions and lists. Whether the blocking admin wants to check "Watch this user's user and talk pages" is their personal choice; they are not required to do so.
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| A link to the Block Log is found before the blocking interface, near the top of the page, and links to the User's contributions and to [[Special:BlockList]] (as "View existing blocks") can also be found, in the bottom right corner of the page. If the user has been blocked in the past, the log is provided across the bottom of the page, beneath the list of links, for reference purposes. The bottom right list of links also gives the admin the option of unblocking the user (it shows up even if the user isn't currently blocked; see below). A fourth and final link, "Edit block reasons", changes the blocking reasons in the drop-down menu, and is not relevant to individual blocking cases.
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| ===Blocking IP Addresses===
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| Admins should avoid blocking IP addresses directly, except when dealing with persistent sockpuppeters who are not stopped by the basic 24-hour IP autoblocks and account creation disabling measures. In these cases, however, the IP addresses should only be blocked for a couple months at most, and never indefinitely, as this could potentially prevent innocent users with the same IP from joining and editing in the future.
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| Blocking IPs involves the same process as blocking user accounts, but the autoblock and "hide username from edits and lists" check boxes are not included. Instead, a new check box is provided: "Block anonymous users only", which lets registered users edit using the blocked IP, and should always be left checked. "Prevent account creation" is once again present as an automatically checked box, and is the sole purpose for blocking IPs, since the Super Mario Wiki does not allow anonymous edits to be made directly from IP addresses anyway (it did originally, but account creation was made mandatory many years ago due to excessive vandalism). Similarly, the anonymous IPs cannot send e-mails through the wiki, or possess user and user talk pages (unlike other wikis, such as Wikipedia), and so the other two boxes found on IP blocking pages, "Prevent user from sending e-mail" and "Watch this user's user and talk pages" serve no functional a purpose and can be ignored.
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| ===Range Blocks===
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| Range blocks are sometimes used when a vandal or disruptive user has been IP blocked on several occasions but responds by using a different IP address. In most cases, range blocks will affect at least some legitimate users. Therefore, range blocks should '''only''' be used when the disruptive behavior is frequent and severe enough to make other methods ineffective. This is a matter of judgement, and the likely number of legitimate users that might be affected should always be taken into account prior to implementation.
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| When used, range blocks should be as brief as possible.
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| The range block feature is difficult to use correctly because it requires an understanding of binary arithmetic. It has certain limitations inherent in its implementation, requiring the starting and ending IP addresses to be an exact multiple of the distance between them, which must be a power of two. For details, see [[MediaWiki.org:Help:Range blocks|range blocks]].
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| ===Unblocking===
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| [[Special:Ipblocklist]] contains a list of all currently blocked users and IP addresses, and [[Special:Log/block|the Block Log]] is a record of all blocks that have been made. Administrators will see a link to [unblock] and [change block] next to each user, and as mentioned before, an unblock link can be found on the block page itself. Clicking on "change block" brings the admin back to the normal blocking page, now already filled in with the expiry date and reasons from the user's initial block, which can now be altered. Clicking "unblock" brings the admin to a different page, where all they have to do is enter a reason before unblocking the user. An option to unblock a user is present on the blocking page even if the user is not yet blocked; clicking on this brings the admin to the same unblocking page, however the username is now a variable, rather than being fixed, as is the case when accessing the page via the Block List or Log. Trying to remove a block from the unblocked user will simply result in a harmless, unlogged error.
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| Administrators may unblock users if:
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| *They were blocked in violation of this policy (i.e. blocked for too minor an offence).
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| *They were blocked due to a misunderstanding (i.e. sibling confusion).
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| *The block has lasted too long.
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| *The block was accidental ([[#Accidental Blocks|see below]]).
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| *An inappropriate or insufficient block log needs to be replaced, in which case, the old block is removed and a new one is immediately placed, with the same duration as the original block (most likely infinite), and an improved reason.
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| Other situations may arise in which it would be prudent to unblock a user: admins must use their common sense and good judgement when dealing with all cases of blocking and unblocking to ensure that the accused are treated fairly and that no rash decisions are made that could endanger the wiki or cause undue hardship to innocent users.
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| ==Effects of being blocked==
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| Blocked users can still see all wiki pages, but they cannot edit. Instead, hitting the "edit" link brings them to [[MediaWiki:Login-userblocked|a notification page]], which provides the email that they can contact if they want to protest the block.
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| The duration of the block depends on the expiry time that was entered at the time of the block, and can be found in the [[Special:Log/block|Block Log]]. If the expiry time is "infinite", the ban will not run out, and the user can only edit again if an admin physically removed the block.
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| When a blocked user attempts to edit, the IP from which they are editing is "autoblocked", so that they cannot try to go and edit from another account instead. There is an internal autoblock expiry time set to 24 hours, meaning that when a username is blocked indefinitely, their IP will be automatically unblocked 24 hours after they last accessed a page.
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| Note that blocking does not in any way restrict any feature other than editing and uploading files: blocked users can still read articles, e-mail other users (unless they were specifically blocked from this as well, which is rare), and adjust their watchlists and user preferences. Administrators can continue to use all of their extra abilities, including rollback, managing user rights (Bureaucrats only), and blocking or unblocking, however a situation in which an admin is operating under a block should never arise. If an admin does find themselves blocked, it is accidental and they can unblock themselves. If an admin has to be blocked because they pose a threat to the wiki (i.e. if their account has been hacked), they should first be demoted, so that they cannot unblock themselves.
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| ==Accidental Blocks==
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| Occasionally, users with floating IPs will find that they have been blocked accidentally, because their present IP was previously used by a banned user. These blocks will disappear if IP change can be forced. If that is not possible, the block should be reported to the first readily available Sysop via email - see the [[Special:Listusers/sysop|list of Sysops]] for some likely candidates, or use mwikisysops@gmail.com, which is made explicitly for protesting blocks (or reporting misunderstandings or accidental blocks).
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| Users who try to impersonate a previously banned user, or who pretend to engage in vandalism are also likely to be blocked as sockpuppets or vandals themselves, even if they were doing it in jest. To avoid this problem, it is in a user's best interest to not act in this way in the first place. "[http://www.jargon.net/jargonfile/d/Dontdothatthen.html Don't do that then]".
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