Help:Administrator's Handbook/Block

Introduction
User blocking is perhaps one of the most heavy-handed things you can do as an administrator, and the one that can cause the most damage. An administrator must therefore be cautious in using this power. Often a user will spend quite a bit of time building up a reputation under a particular user name, and by blocking that user they will not be able to edit from their account. Blocked users can still edit their user talk page unless these pages are protected and the user doesn't have sysop or higher privileges.

It is also possible to block IP addresses from being able to edit text. This does not stop a registered user on that IP address from being able to log in, but only stops anonymous users from using the edit functions. If there is a problem where a registered user is unable to access the Wiki due to an anonymous IP block, then the user must unblock that IP and reblock with anonymous users only checked. An IP can be prevented from created an account by checking the "

Performing the Block


Start by going to Special:Block. Put in the user name or IP address to be blocked in the top box. In the drop down menu, select how long you wish to block the user. State your reason below.

If you want to block edits on an IP address, whether a user is logged on or not, uncheck the "Block anonymous users only" box. To allow IP addresses to create accounts, uncheck the "Prevent account creation" box. To ensure that a user does not simply create another account for vandalism, check the "Automatically block the last IP address used by this user, and any subsequent IP addresses they try to edit from" box. To prevent a user from sending e-mail or to watch the blocked user's user and talk pages, check the respective boxes.