Grants:IdeaLab/Upgraded Blocked User Reinstatement System

Inspire campaign

Upgraded Blocked User Reinstatement System

There should be a specific system in place to guide users through the unblocking process. The closest thing to this is the standard offer, but it is far from perfect. Instead of vague blocks with an "indefinite" expiration, there should be specific protocols in place to determine whether a user should be unblocked, and the user should be made knowledgeable of how those protocols work so that they can best understand how to facilitate their reinstatement.

countryUnited States of America

themenot sure

idea creator• Just A Regular New Yorker

volunteer• Just A Regular New Yorker

this project needs...

volunteer

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created on19:57, 23 July 2018 (UTC)

Project idea

What Wikimedia project(s) and specific areas will you be evaluating?

Is this project measuring a specific space on a project (e.g. deletion discussions), or the project as a whole?
English Wikipedia, Unblock process.

Describe your idea. How might it be implemented?

Provide details about the method or process of how you will evaluate your community or collect data. Does your idea involve private or personally identifying information? Take a look at the Privacy Policy for Wikimedia’s guidelines in this area.
If a user is blocked, they will immediately be sent a message from a bot, explaining to them how to proceed, what they can and can't do, and what they should expect. Their options should be clearly outlined. Instead of sysops voting on whether to accept unblock requests, there should be criteria, that if fulfilled, automatically result in an unblock. Blocked users should also be given the option to take a confidential quiz about why they did the actions that got them blocked and they think should be done to prevent others from making those mistakes. That will help us get feedback about the system although quiz results will not in any way affect whether or not the user is unblocked. Additionally, there should be official policies for dealing with people deserving of a block (like what the duration should be), instead of the blocking sysop deciding on a whim. Lastly, their needs to be policies for dealing with previously blocked users so that they won't be haunted by blocks from the past simply because another editor decided not to cooperate with anyone who has ever gotten blocked.

Are there experienced Wikimedians who can help implement this project?

If applicable, please list groups or usernames of individuals who you can work with on this project, and what kind of work they will do.

How will you know if this project is successful? What are some outcomes that you can share after the project is completed?

We can simply ask unblocked users about their experience trying to get unblocked, and tinker with the system until we find that it keeps people with bad intent from getting unblocked without allowing a single mistake to end a career.

How would your measurement idea help your community make better decisions?

After you are finished measuring or evaluating your Wikimedia project, how do you expect that information to be used to benefit the project?
Everyone will be able to edit and work on projects without worrying that a sysop will block them resulting in an annoying and stressful ordeal, or that someone will discover that they have been blocked and decide not to work with them.

Do you think you can implement this idea? What support do you need?

Do you need people with specific skills to complete this idea? Are there any financial needs for this project? If you can’t implement this project, can you scale down your project so it is doable?
I would need sysops to work with me to edit official policy pages and other unblocked users to contribute ideas for fine tuning the new system. Additionally, someone would need to make a message bot for blocked users. That is really all. It is fairly easy to implement.

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About the idea creator

I first started with Wiki editing to fix a Wikipedia page with a typo on it. After that, I made the mistake of vandalizing a page. I regretted it ever since, but what really bothered me was that it seemed as if Wikipedia did not want me back. There were no clear instructions on how to proceed from there. Instead, I was forced to follow a series of links from one page to the next until I stumbled on the page about the standard offer. The info on the page was very vague and unclear. I got the gist that I needed to wait six months without editing, but I wasn't sure how to initiate the offer. I asked on my talk page only to be told that talk page edits do count to restart the six month count. When I finally submitted my unblock request, I watched with annoyance as random sysops debated whether I should be unblocked. Even though they eventually did, it didn't end there. An editor voted against me on a Wikiquote Request for Adminship solely because I had been blocked on Wikipedia. The whole experience was Kafkaesque and confusing. Their needs to be official procedures for blocked users, and procedures for how to deal with blocked users. J.A.R.N.Y.🗣 20:05, 23 July 2018 (UTC)

Endorsements

See also Grants:IdeaLab/Editor rescue --Havang(nl) (talk) 13:09, 28 July 2018 (UTC)

• Weak Endorsement - I'm sure it's frustrating being blocked, being remorseful but then having to prove yourself without being able to edit. A thorough review of the current Blocking System is a decent idea. As an admin, it would be appreciated if there was an objective list that provided suggested block times based on faults committed to guide admins. Such a list would not be a mandate, but an easy to see, easy to find posted guide on every wiki so new editors understand the consequences of poor editing practices. Think of it as traffic rules - somewhat annoying but necessary for the common good. Ouranista (talk) 14:30, 28 July 2018 (UTC)

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