View source for MozillaWiki:Policies/How to confirm accounts

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== Who can approve requests ==

Wiki users who belong to the group [[MozillaWiki:Accountapprovers#Account_confirmers|Account_confirmers]] are able to view, approve, and reject account requests.

== Becoming an account approver ==

If you would like to help with approving account requests, [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=Websites&component=wiki.mozilla.org file a bug]. Be sure to include your wiki username, your timezone, and why you want to help approve accounts.

== Finding account requests ==

Account requests are listed on [[Special:ConfirmAccounts]]. If there are oustanding requests, you will also see a message on [[Special:Watchlist]].

== Triaging account requests == 

For each account request, you have the following options: accept, reject, hold this request, or mark as spam.

=== Accept ===

Only accept account requests under the following conditions:

# The user has ''confirmed their email''.
# In your best judgement the user is not a spammer.

It is not necessary that the person demonstrated that have a specific need for a wiki account. If the person's request demonstrates they may have significantly misguided expectations about what having a wiki account means, you can make note of this and suggest other places for the user to go in the account approval text.

Here is some text you can use when approving accounts:

<pre>Welcome to MozillaWiki! Stop by #wiki on irc.mozilla.org if you have any questions!</pre>

=== Reject ===

Reject account requests under the following conditions:

# Using your best judgement, you cannot determine that the user is not a potential spammer.
# OR you determine the user is requesting an account for a reason contrary to the [[MozillaWiki:About|purpose]] of the MozillaWiki.

Here is some text you can use when rejecting account requests: 

<pre>We are unable to confirm that you need an account on the Mozilla Wiki. Visit this page for more information: https://wiki.mozilla.org/MozillaWiki:Accounts</pre>

Use the following text if you think what the user really needs is user support:

<pre>We are unable to confirm that you need an account on the Mozilla Wiki. Visit this page for more information: https://wiki.mozilla.org/MozillaWiki:Accounts

If you need support or help with one of Mozilla's products, visit https://support.mozilla.org/</pre>

=== Hold ===

Hold account requests under the following conditions:

# The user has not confirmed their email.
# You need to follow-up with the user for some reason before approving their account.

Here is some text you can use when holding account request:

<pre>Held pending email confirmation. Your request will be approved once you confirm your email.</pre>

<pre>Held pending clear reason why account is requested. Visit this page for more information: https://wiki.mozilla.org/MozillaWiki:Accounts</pre>

=== Spam ===

Mark requests as spam under the following questions:

# The request is clearly from a spammer. 

How do you know if the request is from a potential spammer? Generally, if the request includes information completely unrelated to Mozilla topics AND includes links to unrelated sites. Common topics include: tourism, SEO services, foreign currency exchange (forex), weight loss, etc.

If you think the request is from a spammer but are unsure, feel free to hold the request instead.

== FAQ ==

=== Why is it important to only approve accounts where users have confirmed their email? ===

When an account request is approved, the user is sent a welcome email with a temporary password and a link to sign in. If the user hasn't confirmed their email, it is often because they mistyped their email or used an email they do not have access to. If this is the case, they will never be able to receive this temporary password and never able to login to the wiki. 

=== What if a user has not confirmed their email? ===

If a user has not confirmed their email, set the request to 'Hold' with a note about waiting on email confirmation. Sometimes this will remind the user to confirm their email. 

You may also follow-up with the user by email, irc or another mechanism to remind them to confirm their email. This is particularly effective if the account requestor has identified themselves as a Mozillian and you are able to easily find contact information for them.

=== What should I do if the user hasn't confirmed their email because they mistyped it in their request? ===

Unfortunately we have no way of changing email addresses in account requests. In event someone has requested an account and misspelled their email or used an address they do not have access to, reject that request and ask the user to submit another.

=== What should I do with requests that have been held by another account approver? ===

You can let these alone for that account approver to deal with. Or, if you think the issue has been resolved, you may go ahead and approve or reject the request. When in doubt, check with the approver who put the request on hold.

=== How long do we give people to validate their emails before we reject the entry to get it off the list? ===

If the request is still in the open list and it's been several hours, "Hold" the request with a note about waiting on an email
confirmation.

If the request has already been held, it's okay to leave it on that list indefinitely. After 30? days the request will expire.