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Regular contributors and guest contributors cannot block someone on WikiAnswers; only supervisors have the ability to block another user.
If you are not a supervisor and you see any abuse on the site - or if you have any issue with a particular user - please feel free to report it in one of these ways:
- If you think someone should be warned/blocked, just find a supervisor and give them the link to the answered question you saw, or give them the link to that person's bio page. That supervisor should know what to do, and you won't have to worry about it anymore.
- Click "Report Abuse" in the upper right corner of the answer page.
- email CommunityAdvisor @ answers.com (remove spaces). The Community Advisor Team and/or Vandal Patrol will investigate.
- If you see any abuse on the website, you can report it in the Community Forum.
Message boards
You cannot block a user from contacting you on your message board. If, however, a message consists of cyberbullying, that user is certainly on the firing line to be blocked immediately.
Why do you have to be a supervisor to block other users?
Supervisors are honest and trustworthy people that are dedicated to this site. The ability to block other users is a powerful tool, which must be used wisely.
If you, as a supervisor, notice a user who continually answers questions incorrectly - or gives an answer that is biased/rude - you should first issue a warning to let the user be aware that he should stop answering questions in that manner. We want to let the user know that, if he does it again, he will be blocked. And if the user continues nevertheless, then you can certainly go ahead and block immediately.
The supervisor (based on his experience) decides on the duration of the block. It can be as little as 1-2 hours (where a user won't be able to log on until the scheduled block time is over) or it can even be a permanent block.
How does a supervisor actually perform the hands-on block?
There are a few options:
- Go to the user's bio page and click the Warn/Block button - under "Site tools" in the blue box to the left of the page.
- Click on Block at the bottom of the Stats box on the right-hand side of the user's bio page. Read the pertinent info (if you have never done so before) and then, at the bottom of the page, give a brief reason for the block.
- Realize that a block is a last resort in attempting to stop inappropriate behavior - with the exception of cyberbullying. And spamming warnings should be used to inform the contributor that his behavior is not appreciated.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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How is the decision made to block a user from WikiAnswers?
Based on the actions of the user, Supervisors decide whether or not to block by looking at past and current contributions, and Supervisors also receive advise from the other Supervisors and their Mentors. If the Supervisor sees many reasons to block the user, the user is then blocked.
How do supervisors ban members of WikiAnswers?
When a user is violating the WikiAnswers terms of use a supervisor may block them using the "Block Vandal" feature. The supervisor enters the username or IP address they would like to block, the duration of the block and the reason for the block before submitting. When possible, the supervisor should first post a message on the user's personal message board educating them about the policy they are violating. If the behavior continues after that, then a block should be pursued.
How do you un-block someone on WikiAnswers?
Only supervisors can unblock someone, but users are blocked for a reason and are rarely unblocked. The user themselves can email Wikianswers if they believe they have been unfairly blocked.
Why doesn't WikiAnswers block inappropriate questions?
WikiAnswers doesn't 'block' inappropriate questions, but rather stores them so no one can answer an inappropriate question that has already been asked. It is called a 'Catch-All', and it stores all of the inappropriate questions so when a user types in an inappropriate question that has already been asked and merged into that Catch-All, they will get an answer telling them that inappropriate questions are not allowed on WikiAnswers. In a way, WikiAnswers does 'block' inappropriate questions.
Is WikiAnswers a user-friendly site?
Yes, the WikiAnswers site is very user-friendly.
If you have caught a user spamming is there any way you can be alerted if this user starts participating on WikiAnswers again?
The only thing you can do is bookmark the user. Check back every once in a while to see if this person has made any recent contributions. Have you ever reported him to a Supervisor? If not, you should, because they can block him from using this website, or if you are a supervisor you can block the user.
Who is the best user on WikiAnswers?
There isn't a 'best user' on wikianswers. There is only those who have lots of contributions.
Can you have spaces in your user name on WikiAnswers?
Yes, you can. There are a lot of WikiAnswers users who have a space in their user name.
What user created WikiAnswers?
Chris is the founder of WikiAnswers.
What is your WikiAnswers name?
Your WikiAnswers name is the user name that you select when you join WikiAnswers.
When should you immediately block a user on WikiAnswers?
Information for Supervisors related to when a user should be blocked immediately is located on the Vandal Patrol Forum on a thread titled: Revised Blocking Policy 10/08.
Is there a WikiAnswers user called WikiAnswers?
There is one. Its owned by the company.
