User:Hersfold/Leaving Wikipedia

Editors at Wikipedia are volunteers, and as volunteers, editors are welcome to contribute as they please, and also cease contributing when they desire. In many cases, this is simply done by stopping editing. However, in some cases, editors simply wish to contribute in a different manner, leaving their old contributions behind. In other cases, they wish to leave Wikipedia entirely and never return. This can, however, present some difficulties when a user exercises one of these options and then changes their mind. Transparency is important on Wikipedia, and so these procedures are in place to assist editors who wish to leave Wikipedia while protecting the needs of the greater community.

What retiring is
The most common means of leaving Wikipedia is to simply retire. This indicates that a user is leaving Wikipedia for an indefinite period of time, but is a reversible process should the user change their mind.

How to retire
To make clear to other users that you have retired, do the following:


 * 1) If desired, mark any user subpages you wish to have deleted with db-userreq. Your user talk page may not be deleted.
 * 2) At the top of your user talk page, and optionally at the top of your user page, add the template retired.
 * 3) Log out of your account.

Alternatively, you may of course simply stop editing, however the above steps make it clear to other editors that you are now inactive and should not be contacted.

How to un-retire

 * 1) Log into your account
 * 2) Remove the retired template(s) from your user talk (and user) page(s)
 * 3) Contact an administrator or make a request at WP:REFUND if you wish to have deleted userspace pages restored.

What a clean start is
Some editors do not wish to leave Wikipedia, but do want to leave their old contributions behind and start anew. This may be done, for example, after stressful arguments with other editors that the "clean starting" user does not wish to encounter again.

Who may make a clean start
Editors may make a clean start if they do not meet any of the following criteria:
 * Editor is currently under any sanctions placed by the community or Arbitration Committee
 * Editor is currently blocked
 * Editor was blocked within the past one year, where the block was not overruled as inappropriate
 * Editor was under community-based or Arbitration Committee-based sanction within the past six months
 * Editor is not currently being considered for any sanctions by the community or Arbitration Committee
 * Editor is not currently party to an Arbitration case, formal Mediation case, or other dispute resolution process
 * Editor has not previously tried and failed to complete a clean start (see "Activities forbidden while under a clean start" below)

How to make a clean start

 * 1) Email an Arbitration Committee member about your desire to make a clean start. If an arbitrator approves of your request (see criteria above), you may continue with the steps below.
 * 2) Follow the steps for retiring above.
 * 3) Once logged out, create a new account with a username unrelated to your previous one.
 * 4) On your new user page, declare yourself as a "clean start" user (Note: a userbox for this would be good)

Activities forbidden while under a clean start
After you start editing under a new account as part of a clean start, you must not: Engaging in any of these activities may result in the revocation of your clean start; your new account will be blocked and you will be required to return to your old account.
 * Edit in areas you were previously active in under the old account. Involvement in common noticeboard areas such as WP:ANI, WP:AN3, WP:RFC, etc., is acceptable as long as participation there is limited to areas in which you are already involved with the new account.
 * Refer to yourself as a new user. This is misleading to the community; you are an experienced editor. Claiming to be a new user when showing signs of experience may cause the community to identify you as a potential sockpuppet.
 * Interact with users you previously had disputes with under the old account. By making a clean start, you agree to avoid previous areas of conflict

What PtV is
Some editors may decide that they wish to leave Wikipedia permanently due to severe harassment on and off Wikipedia. These users may exercise their privilege to vanish, which permanently discontinues their old account. This may only be used in extreme cases at an as-needed basis.

Who may vanish
As implied by the name, vanishing is a privilege, not a right. Editors may vanish if they do not meet any of the following criteria: Furthermore, the vanishing editor must be able to provide evidence of severe harassment that necessitates vanishing.
 * Editor is currently under any sanctions placed by the community or Arbitration Committee
 * Editor is currently blocked
 * Editor was blocked within the past one year, where the block was not overruled as inappropriate
 * Editor was under community-based or Arbitration Committee-based sanction within the past one year
 * Editor is not currently being considered for any sanctions by the community or Arbitration Committee
 * Editor is not currently party to an Arbitration case, formal Mediation case, or other dispute resolution process
 * Editor has not previously tried and failed to complete a clean start (see "Activities forbidden while under a clean start" above)
 * Editor has not previously tried and failed to vanish (see "Activities forbidden while vanished" below)

How to vanish

 * 1) Email an Arbitration Committee member about your desire to vanish. In the email, you must provide evidence of harassment against you. If the checkuser or arbitrator approves of your request (see criteria above), you may continue with the steps below.
 * 2) Follow the steps for retiring above. Your user talk page may be deleted only if the arbitrator agrees it is relevant to the harassment you have received.
 * 3) Email the arbitrator you contacted previously. They will contact a bureaucrat and ask that your account be renamed to a random name. When the rename is performed, your account will be blocked indefinitely with the reason "vanished user".
 * 4) If you have requested it, the arbitrator will then courtesy blank and NOINDEX any dispute resolution processes that involved you that are relevant to the harassment you have been receiving.
 * 5) Finally, the arbitrator will checkuser your account and retain a copy of the data available.

Activities forbidden while vanished
Vanishing is intended to be permanent - users who have been vanished must not return to Wikipedia, as they have left the community and gone through the extra steps of covering up their work. Any return to Wikipedia, which can be confirmed using the retained checkuser data, will result in the undoing of the vanishing. Even if their violation is not detected, vanished users should be aware that such violations may result in the continuation of the harassment they sought to avoid.

Previous versions

 * WP:Clean start
 * WP:RTV / Courtesy vanishing