User talk:Iowaboy277

This user's unblock request has been reviewed by an administrator, who declined the request. Other administrators may also review this block, but should not override the decision without good reason (see the blocking policy).

Iowaboy277 (block log • active blocks • global blocks • contribs • deleted contribs • filter log • creation log • change block settings • unblock • checkuser (log))

Request reason:

I recently begin using a VPN product, but I believed I had added *.wikipedia.org to the list of domains that would bypass the VPN and use my "real" IP. Obviously, I was wrong in that assumption and am looking into the how to make that happen with the particular product I'm using (Private Internet Access). Meanwhile, could you please tell me what steps I will need to take to enable Wikipedia to unblock my account? Thank you. iowaboy277 (talk) 09:27, 27 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Decline reason:

I sympathise with you over your problem, but I very much doubt that any administrator will unblock you under the circumstances. As you may realise, the problem with editing Wikipedia from a VPN is that VPNs can be used (and often are) to hide one's true IP address for illegitimate purposes, such as evading blocks. I don't think there is any chance at all of the VPN IP address being unblocked, because not only would we would have no way of being sure whether you were doing that, but even if we were confident that you could be trusted, we would have no way of knowing that other people weren't using it for unacceptable purposes. Editors can be given IP block exemption, but only if there are really compelling reasons why they have to edit from a blocked IP address, and not knowing how to configure your VPN to exclude Wikipedia is not the kind of compelling reason that would be accepted. Unfortunately, the best I can offer is to hope you will be able to find out how to bypass the VPN very soon. The editor who uses the pseudonym "JamesBWatson" (talk) 11:52, 27 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

If you want to make any further unblock requests, please read the guide to appealing blocks first, then use the {{unblock}} template again. If you make too many unconvincing or disruptive unblock requests, you may be prevented from editing this page until your block has expired. Do not remove this unblock review while you are blocked.

@JamesBWatson 1: Thank you for your informative, kind, and timely response. It's very helpful to me as I work to solve the problem on my end. I wanted to clarify a few points that I didn't communicate very well in my original message:

I understand and completely support the IP rules.
I am not seeking an IP block exemption. Instead, I'm seeking—on my end—to find the best way to be confident that every time I come to the Wikipedia site, as an editor or even simply as a reader, that I'm coming from my "regular" IPs that I've used before installing the VPN product on my home machine recently.
My record will show that I've made only a handful of Wikipedia edits over the years. I believe that all of these would have come from one of two IPs: my home desktop computer (which is where I've unintentionally used the VPN product in recent weeks) and my work desktop computer (which does not and never will have any sort of VPN).
So my question essentially is: Once I reach my own confidence that I'll consistently be coming to Wikipedia from my "regular," historical home IP, what steps will I need to take to restore Wikipedia's confidence in me? For instance, will the Wikipedia servers automatically "accept" me if I come in from the old IP? Will I need to log in via the old IP several times, knowing that logging in from a VPN IP would only blemish my record further? Is there some other sort of test? This is what I want to know in order both to make the process most efficient for me and to cause the least inconvenience possible for Wikipedia editors.
Side note: As soon as I can get this situation resolved, my plan is to engage in a substantial amount of self-guided learning about contributing to Wikipedia. Over the years, I've identified articles that would benefit from additional information and topics without articles where I believe one would be appropriate and beneficial, but I've felt a bit intimidated in meeting the justifiably high standards of Wikipedia. Learning more of the principles, processes, and policies could make me into a productive contributor to this excellent resource.

Thank you for listening. While I await another response (which I do not consider to be at all urgent for me in a timeliness sense), I will find the steps that I need to take on my end to eliminate the issue of attempting to edit from a VPN IP. iowaboy277 (talk) 04:29, 28 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]