Handling additions

Listing should include compelling evidence of a problem. Admins, if you yourself wish to blacklist an external link, you too will need to ensure that there is a description of the evidence why blacklisting is required. WP:SBL#Proposed additions is usually used by admin if no thread at WP:AN/I, WT:WPSPAM, talk pages etc, but remember to close your own proposal with a {{done}}.

Links and diffs from multiple projects and multiple articles should be described at MediaWiki talk:Spam-blacklist:

• Proposed additions — request a link to be added
• Proposed removals — request a link to be removed.
• Troubleshooting and problems — having problems editing an article, other problem with the spam blacklist. This is not for requesting removal, for that see Proposed removals.

Requests may include the following templated details (do not use "subst:" with these templates):

• {{IPSummary}} – to report anonymous editors suspected of spamming: e.g. {{IPSummary|127.0.0.1}}
• {{UserSummary}} – to report registered users suspected of spamming: e.g. {{UserSummary|Jimbo Wales}}
• {{LinkSummary}} – to report spam domains: e.g. {{LinkSummary|spammydomain.com}} -Do not include the "http://www." portion of an URL inside this template
• Also, please include links ("diffs") to sample spam edits.

Delisting should include compelling evidence that the original problem no longer exists or is no longer a risk. For example, a hijacked or cybersquatted domain may have been returned to its rightful owner, or a site which was being used to link copyright-violating content may have cleaned up its act.

Before approving or denying a listing, please familiarise yourself with the original reasons for Blacklisting the domain. Archived debates can be found with the Archive Search tool. To locate a specific url, in the Log Use the "Search spamlists tool". When using the "Search spamlists" tool, be sure to type in the user-defined language, e.g. en (English Wikipedia), fr (French Wikipedia)...etc.

Keep in mind Wikipedia's core content policies:

• ”Verifiability”
• ”Reliable sources”

The following table may help in assessment of suitability of an external link:

• This table is a guide to your decision making in adding, or removing a link.

• Links from accounts that appear, based on their edit history, to exist for the sole or primary purpose of promoting a person, company, product, service, or organization in apparent violation of Conflict of interest or anti-spam guidelines should rarely be considered. Jumping links ("moving ones own link "UP"), use of Tor network open proxies and zombie computers is indicative of bad faith additions.

Close the request entry using either {{done}} or {{not done}} as appropriate. The request should be left open for a week maybe as there will often be further related sites, information or an appeal in that time.

Please note: The MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist is not the Wikipedia complaints department, nor is it intended to help users with their grieving process. Vexatious requests should be speedily closed.

Adding entries to the blacklist

Warning: Please do not do this unless you are familiar with regex – the disruption that can be caused is substantial.

• Make the entry at the bottom of the page MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist This is the actual blacklist.
• Write a regular expression to match the target domain. For example http://www.spammydomain.com would read:

  \bspammydomain\.com\b

Having blacklisted the url you will next need to:

1. Remove any remaining urls from articles and remove the http:// from discussion pages (archived or urls on non active pages need not be removed).
2. Log the entry as described in the next section

Logging entries on the blacklist

Note: if you do not log your entries it may be removed if someone appeals and no valid reasons can be found.

You must bear in mind that if someone challenges a blacklisting in 6 or 12 months time any admin dealing with such a request must be able to find the reason for the listing. The admin who places the entry on the list may not be around and, if there was no "actual" request the archives will be no use. Indeed they will only be helpful if there is full detail in the request including permanent links for example. Logging a request is essential for future reference.

Add your log entry to the relevant dated section of MediaWiki talk:Spam-blacklist/log. Warning: if you do not log any entry you make on the blacklist, it may well be removed if someone appeals and no valid reasons can be found.

• Example (see below re use of {{WPSPAM}} link to evidence at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Spam):

\bspammydomain\.com\b           # your username   # See (your link to evidence)

• Logging multiple domains

#:                             # your username   # See (your link to evidence)
  \bspammydomain\.com\b 

  \bspammydomain\.net\b 

  \bbadsite\.com\b 

  [badsite]{3}\.com

For single entries, write the entry, name, and reason on one line in columns seperated by the '#' symbol. For multiple entries, write your name and reason on one line beginning with " #:", then list the entries on new lines below indented by three. Note the space before the regexed urls (and #), these spaces are only added on the log page.

\bspammydomain\.com\b           # your username   # See WikiProject Spam report

\bspammydomain\.com\b           # your username   # See External links/Noticeboard Item

\bspammydomain\.com\b           # your username   # request