A wiki depends on the strength of its members (community) and "soft security" (see: Wikipedia:Soft security) to police itself, and in the process provide an open atmosphere for public contribution and quality improvements. We should and will always strive for community solutions to community problems if and when they arise, and assume good faith.
Our policy is not to prevent contributors from accessing the Star Trek Expanded Universe wiki by "blocking" or "banning", except in cases of pornographic or vandalous content (in which case offenders can and will be banned permanently, or "permabanned"). As a community, we rely on ourselves and each other, the members of the community, to protect, nurture and police the community. Part of our goal as a community is to grow, and to help newcomers acclimate, with the goal of providing reliable, quality content for all.
However, users whose contributions repeatedly violate community standards in terms of content may necessitate that punitive measures be taken. The burden is on the contributor to know and understand what is expected of them when contributing to this wiki. Contributors who repeatedly post such content, thereby detracting from the community standard and the "image" of this wiki, may be issued a warning by an administrator in such instances. If, following administrator discussion, this behavior continues, they may be issued another warning in the form of a temporary ban, by an administrator, one week in length, of their username/IP address. This will be considered their "first offense". If, after this, the condition persists, they may be temporarily banned in increasing increments according to the following scale:
- 1st offense = 1 week ban
- 2nd offense = 2 week ban
- 3rd offense = 1 month
- 4th offense = 3 months
- 5th offense = 6 months
- 6th offense = 1 year
If, after a one-year ban, the user returns and, having learned no better, resumes posting content consistent with previous incidents--their "seventh offense", considered "vandalism" by this time--they may be permanently banned.
There is no set interim, or "grace period", between offenses. For example, if a user posts content considered "offensive" under these guidelines, and is blocked for a certain period, then returns and immediately resumes their previous behavior, they may receive the punitive measure of their next "offense" (a succeeding ban) within any length of time. This is to be determined at the discretion of the community and the administrators, whose role is to execute the wishes of the community, while adhering to standards of good faith.
This policy does not extend to the user's posted content, which may or may not be removed without warning, but only after a separate discussion and voting period among administrators and community members. In other words, a "deleted user" does not equal "deleted content".
In all cases, banning will be implemented only as a last resort. Often, (polite) communication can resolve many problems.
This scale is not, nor is it meant as, a deterrent. "Problem users" are rare, and may be good citizens attempting to enhance and improve the wiki. We are willing to work with anyone who makes a sincere, self-evident effort, while communicating and heeding the advice of the community, and who follows established guidelines and policies. Discussion and communication are the keys to resolving problems, and we believe that anyone who contributes here is doing so under the guidelines of good faith. For those unsure of what content to post or not post, browse the site and read our Manual of Style.
Note, this policy may be subject to change. If you have any questions, contact an administrator.
Further reading
The Star Trek Expanded Universe community thanks User:JusticeCEO for suggesting the scale used on this page.