Wikipedia:Standard offer

This is an essay on the Wikipedia:Banning policy.

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.

Shortcuts

When an editor gets hit with a siteban or an indefinite block one of the things he or she usually wonders is where things go from there. Is there any way to return to good standing or are they on the outs forever?

The standard offer is not binding; it's just a set of parameters some Wikipedians believe in. But it may help to achieve consensus.

The standard offer

It's simple.

Wait six months without sockpuppeting.
Promise to avoid the behavior that led to the block/ban.
Don't create any extraordinary reasons to object to a return.

How does it work?

Contact a willing administrator or experienced editor (via email or IRC).
If they agree a review is appropriate, they'll open a thread at an administrative noticeboard (WP:AN or WP:ANI).
Discussion usually takes a few days.

Apologies aren't necessary, just basic courtesy and a willingness to move forward productively.

Eligibility

The standard offer applies to community-based indefinite blocks and bans in situations where things just didn't work out: normal people, short fuses, etc. It doesn't extend to extremes. Generally speaking, if law enforcement could have become involved then this offer doesn't apply.

Variations

The six month threshold can be adjustable under special circumstances. If an editor shows an unusually good post-ban track record, such as positive contributions to another wiki, then a return might be considered as early as three months.

On the other hand, if the indeffed or banned editor continues to be especially disruptive then some people may become unwilling to consider a legitimate return for a much longer time, or quite possibly never.