User talk:Thosem

Blocked

{{unblock|reason=Caught by a web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. The IP address or range ‪2606:54C0:0:0:0:0:0:0/32‬ has been blocked(disabled) by ‪ST47‬ for the following reason(s):

I'm connected via Fios as a service provider, which is new since I obtained my account. I have never been blocked previously from editing when my provider was Xfinity, or earlier when it was Earthlink.

I have not been active and have edited only a handful of times over a decade. However, I'm retired and interested in doing a lot more editing of articles in the future.

As far as I know, I have not been blocked because of any behaviour on my part, and only because of some sort of policy about Verizon Fios as an internet service.

Please advise, Thomas Earle Moore ~~~~}} Thosem (talk) 21:25, 24 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently it is not my account that is blocked, but my ISP (FIOS) because I’m editing this note successfully now that I’m logged in via my cellphone internet connection, which also happens to be through Verizon. Does Wikipedia expect me to change ISPs to escape this block? Or to do all my edits through my cellphone connection? It seems very strange for Wikipedia to block specific (major) ISPs because they may harbor abusive users. Why not attach the abuse to the individual account rather than to a range of IP addresses used by an ISP??? Thosem (talk) 16:52, 25 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, wrong again. The block appears to be specific to my desktop computer. If I log in from my laptop or from my tablet, I am not blocked, but my desktop logins are still blocked. All are on wifi at my home, through the same Verizon FIOS connection to the internet. What gives? Thosem (talk) 17:05, 25 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Mystery solved: my desktop computer has a version of Safari that has an option to "Hide IP address" from Trackers and Websites or Trackers only. Setting it to Trackers Only eliminates the block, so it seems that my IP address was being hidden from Wikipedia and that was the basis for the block. That's an easy fix, but I'm not very pleased about having spent a few hours trying to figure this out. I'll try to figure out a good place to post this insight in hopes it saves others some time. Thosem (talk) 17:21, 25 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

A belated welcome!

Here's wishing you a belated welcome to Wikipedia, Thosem! I see that you've already been around a while and wanted to thank you for your contributions. Though you seem to have been successful in finding your way around, you may still benefit from following some of the links below, which help editors get the most out of Wikipedia:

Need some ideas of what kind of things need doing? Try the Task Center.

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Again, welcome! Dolotta (talk) 18:51, 25 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Greetings!

I'm glad you figured things out! Hope you are having a great retirement!

Dolotta (talk) 18:53, 25 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]