User blog comment:Brandon Rhea/Bringing down the banhammer: Best practices for blocking/@comment-3474542-20120316153137

You make some very good points.

Some things about warnings and "non-productive" editing that you didn't mention in your blog:
 * The written word lacks many subtle nuances, such as tone of voice and body language, that many people rely on for spoken communication. This means that things may be taken in a completely different context you intended. To understand how someone else interprets your words, it can be a very good thing to have someone else read your message aloud to you.
 * A wiki is usually a continuous, collaborative "rough draft". This means that even though you may think that an article is "perfectly polished", new information may arise... Leading to someone adding information that has errors in spelling or grammar, or lacks citations, or just looks very disjointed. This isn't necessarily a bad edit, it's usually just an opportunity to further polish the article.
 * Not everyone reads & writes the language of the wiki being edited fluently (especially on subjects that have a wide audience). What may seem simple to you may be advanced and confusing to someone who doesn't know the language well. Even editors that use the same language may have issues with dialect differences (such as between British and American English). Unless they are deliberately disrupting the article/wiki, giving them the benefit of the doubt is usually a good thing.
 * Sometimes the software people use to edit fouls up (either their browser, or Wikia's edit mode). Once you've seen enough instances of it happening, you may be able to tell when this happens (it's very distinctive). However, many times people may not realize that the apparently gibberish code is actually just the server having issues deciphering what was sent by their browser. In this case, the person may need help to file a bug report or upgrading/switching to a different browser/editor.
 * Even some of the worst trolls, spammers, and vandals can have a change of heart. If someone returns to the wiki after a ban, and makes productive edits, be sure to acknowledge the fact. Often, simple comments of acknowledgement or encouragement (e.g. - "Hey, User, nice job adding X to article Y") on a talk page can work wonders when trying to herd cats... er, manage the wiki.