Wikipedia:Don't revert, block or ignore
This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
Revert, block, ignore is sometimes said to be the best anti-vandalism method on Wikipedia. However, it may not be as effective as it is said. Deny recognition is a reasonable idea, but RBI, for example, actually says never to communicate with vandals. This is an extremely unhelpful process, as warned vandals might become positive editors. It also says not to tell vandals they have been blocked. We must remember that vandals are actually humans. They deserve to be told that they are blocked. Also, it is not proven that this will work. Several vandalism memes have taken root on other websites, and some online chatrooms are full of people planning to vandalize Wikipedia.
In short, while this essay attempts to remove the word "vandal" from English, vandals get attention from elsewhere.