Why do I need permission to add my own parents to my tree?

Question

Someone I don't know has added my family to WikiTree and now I need permission to add my own parents, grandparents etc.  Why do I need to get permission for every single individual?  Shouldn't permission be for the entire tree not on an individual basis?

Comments

While, I can see the logic of the answers to this question, it is impractical.  If someone starts a family tree, with scanty or incorrect information, about my immediate family - and I ask for permission to fix it.  They may or may NOT ever come back to this site and approve/disapprove my edits.  Once the software recognizes a match - if the manager entering the information has "exact" data - we should be able to make edits or join the branches together.  Just my two cents worth.  Thanks for not allowing me to edit my father's entry or add my own son.

Answer 1

Hi Donna,

To add John's answer, in general terms, on WikiTree we think of families as overlapping circles. Some large, some small. Not everyone in "a family" is interested in the same indiviiduals or the same depth of genealogy. You might want access to a sibling or cousin's profile, for example, but not all his ancestors from the other side of his family.

The way we manage privacy controls on the individual profile level is actually essential to how we balance privacy and collaboration on WikiTree. It's what enables  us to all share one, worldwide family tree.

Chris

Comments

I had the exact same issue. Someone up-loaded my tree from ancestry with erro ius information. It has nothing to do with his family. My solution no more Wiki Tree.

Answer 2

Hi Donna

When you are first invited to join WikiTree by someone who has no knowledge of you they will naturally be reluctant to give you the full rights to make changes to a tree which they have laboriously constructed. They don't know you just as you don't know them.

In my own case I have one relative who considers that a family row within her side of the family makes it impossible to recognise some of her legitimate relatives. I would not therefore give her permission to make changes to their profiles. One day I hope to be able to do so because this is a valuable record for future generations of family genealogists.

I am sure that, as the profile manager learns to trust you, you will be granted extended rights. Perhaps you should ask for a group of permissions now which are relevant to your own researches. You might be surprised.

Regards

John Shipton

Devon, England