![]() | This is an essay on the blocking 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. |
![]() | This page in a nutshell: Sometimes it's best to give people one last chance, making it very clear that it is the last chance. |
The concept of giving a person one last chance or a last chance is a powerful one. Variations appear widely in film and book titles, legal doctrine, and song lyrics.
Sometimes this is the best approach to take when dealing with blocked users. If they are pleading to be unblocked and swearing up and down that they understand and won't repeat whatever it was that got them blocked, rather than arguing the finer points of the original block or demanding further explanation, it may be better to just unblock them and make it clear that this is their one last chance. If they mean what they say, then unblocking will be the right thing to do, and if they don't, they'll be blocked again soon enough.