Scruff323

re:Correct way to report vandals

Actually, you did just fine on your first report to AIV. You used the {{vandal}} template perfectly, the only thing you'll want to do in the future is to remember to sign your report like you did on my talk page.

Now, as for when to report, it can be kind of tricky. Generally speaking, registered accounts that have a history of vandalism should always be reported, because it's assumed to be the same person (barring anyone hacking the account). For IPs, which can change frequently, it takes on-going activity to justify a block. Taking the IP you reported as an example, if you look through its edit history, it doesn't seem to be the same person who made the edits in June. And, since s/he only made one edit today, a block isn't warranted because it appears that the vandal is done.

Now, take 65.26.128.154 for example: even though the edits are spaced out over a couple of weeks, they're on the same pages and are the same types of edits, which makes it clear it's the same person, and therefore, it was blocked. It sometimes takes a little investigation, but if you take care when you watch for vandals, you can make sure you only report the ones where a block is warranted, which helps us block vandals more quickly. I hope that helps you in your anti-vandal work. If you still have questions (on this, or anything else), feel free to ask me. Also, there's the Wikipedia:Guide to administrator intervention against vandalism, which you might find helpful. Regards, Parsecboy (talk) 02:38, 16 October 2008 (UTC)