User:Partofthemachine/When does "deny recognition" apply?
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A common piece of advice given to editors when interacting with vandals is to deny recognition. The idea behind this is that most vandals only do what they do because they are looking for attention, so editors should avoid giving them any to discourage further disruptive behavior. There is certainly a large degree of truth in that statement. However, some vandals are so persistent in their attempts to vandalize Wikipedia that it is necessary to give them some amount of attention in order to combat their vandalism. Figuring out how to achieve the proper balance between these two variables is therefore very important. In order to do this, I have developed a set of criteria for judging when a vandal is disruptive enough that giving them attention is warranted:
- Have they attempted to evade blocks or bans?
- Have they used multiple accounts disruptively?
- Have they been active for longer than 1 month?
- Would having more editors be aware of them significantly prevent their disruptive activities?
If the answer to most of these questions is "yes", it is probably worth bringing them up at WP:LTA or similar fora.