 | This is anexplanatory essay about theWikipedia:Sockpuppetry policy. This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one ofWikipedia's policies or guidelines as it has not beenthoroughly vetted by the community. |
Asleeper account is an account that has not edited in a long time and has essentially lain dormant. Technically, a sleeper account is still enabled and it is still possible to use it. However, any such use of an account must conform to Wikipedia guidelines, particularly those ofsockpuppetry.
No specific period without editing makes an account a sleeper. "Sleeper" is an informal term for an account that currently appears to be dormant. Many editors take long, unannounced breaks from editing or edit rarely, but they may return to Wikipedia after a long absence of weeks, months, or even years. Provided the account is in good standing and that the same person is not deceptively operating another account (which may violate sockpuppetry guidelines), there is no objection to resuming editing after a long absence. A large majority of autoconfirmed accounts on Wikipedia are inactive (sleeper) accounts.
An account would become a sleeper if the owner does not use it to edit. The reasons may be personal and individual in each case. It could mean loss of interest in editing Wikipedia, a lack of time, or simply not feeling a desire to edit for a long time. One may edit seasonally. Others may take longwikibreaks.
An account may permanently cease to edit if the user hasdied or has decided to never edit Wikipedia again. There may be no way of knowing this, sinceWikipedia is anonymous. It is also possible that the user abandoned the account to start a new one. This can occur if the user wishes to have aclean start, has forgotten their password, or has forgotten the name of the account.
An account can be created for the sole purpose ofsockpuppetry—the disallowed use of multiple accounts at the same time. A sockpuppet may perform a number of "good" edits to suggest it is a normal user, become dormant for some time, then awaken later.
As long as a sleeper account is in good standing, and all account usage guidelines are followed, the user has the privilege to resume using the account at any time, even after years of absence. The user retains the right to their username indefinitely.
Communicating with the owner of a sleeper account may be impossible or difficult if the owner leaves no other contact information behind.
It is possible that the owner of a sleeper account is active, frequently checking that account'swatchlist and/ortalk page for activity, but never logs on, or never edits while logged on. (See alsoLurker.) That account has novisible activity. Logging on, but not editing, though uncommon, isidentifiable activity.
If you are the owner of a sleeper account, you are welcome to revive it at any time, provided you follow Wikipedia guidelines pertaining tomultiple accounts. Once you do so, you may resume using the account like normal.
You may find that some articles you created or edited have been deleted when you weren't looking. If you want to know why, seeWhy was the page I created deleted?
You may find that quite a lot has changed. A watchlist can only show the most recent 30 days of edits. But you can examine the individual edits of a page if you wish. Be aware that various policies and guidelines may have changed significantly in your absence.
You may find some messages that one or more editors have left for you, and they may pertain to deletion or something else. If the message is about an article that was proposed for deletion, you may need to ask anadministrator to retrieve the article andput it into the Draft namespace, where it can be improved with an effort to put it back into the encyclopedia.
There is always the possibility that a sleeper account couldbe taken over by a malevolent person, who might then use the account for unacceptable purposes such assockpuppetry orvandalism.