User:Just Step Sideways/rough guide to username blocks

I've been reviewing reports at WP:UAA for quite some time and have over that time evolved a simple set of rules I apply when determining when to block and what settings to use when doing so. Sometimes this seems a little vague or weird to some people so I thought I'd write out my unwritten rules. As these are completely my own rules they are not binding on anyone including myself, they are just a rough guide to the thought process.

A note on terminology: a "hard" block is a block with autoblock enabled, where the user is instructed that they must appeal the block if they wish to continue editing, whereas a soft block does not have autoblocking enabled and the user has the option to just create a new account and try again while still letting them know that if they are just spamming they will be blocked again regardless of their name.