Thread:Sannse/@comment-4643078-20150719041129/@comment-4643078-20150719154003

Spike-from-NH wrote: Bluecake, I admire it that you seek to learn before jumping in. Vandals and other attention-grabbers are a chronic ingredient of wikis, and repelling them so that the real work of the wiki can proceed is an unfortunate but chronic job of Admins. Your first task is to test for good faith, which you did by posting to them, and the lack of a response is a good indication that they aren't looking to improve your wiki. Looking at their activity on other wikis is not nosy but a fine way to further weigh whether they are acting in good faith. Some of my site's better writers started life as trolls, but returning after a block to pick up exactly where he left off suggests that your guy will not be one of them. Another tip is not to convey exasperation or nagging but be matter-of-fact when blocking--my wiki has a set of canned messages--so as not to give them the attention for which they may have come to your wiki. I can agree with that. I guess I'm just still a little antsy about blocking, because I don't want to seem like a harsh admin. Of course there are different types of situations, and I guess this one really is just a troll. That bit about canned messages sounds good, I'll have to figure out to implement that on my wiki.

Well, as far as this situation goes, I basically told this person that their behavior wouldn't be tolerated, and after no response again and more misbehavior, I've blocked them for six months. That's probably enough time for them to lose interest, at least. I honestly don't feel as bad about it, given the circumstances. I was looking for other wikis to collaborate with the other day, and I almost laughed when I saw this exact same person on five other wikis doing the exact same thing.