What is the etiquette of cleaning up another manager's profile?

Question

I confess that in this last clean up challenge, I looked for orphan profiles to clean. For next time, how do I clean up a profile without offending the profile manager? Is there a protocol to follow?

Thanks!

Answer 1

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Collaboration#Collaboration_requires_communication

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Communication_Before_Editing

"We recommend contacting a Profile Manager before making significant or numerous changes to profiles they manage. It's a matter of practical courtesy. "

I usually check the contributions history of the PM when making edits. If they have not been active, I simply go for it. If it's an orphaned profile, by all means, jump in. But if it's an active manager who has made edits within the last few months, I might send a private message. It really depends on the edit. A simple date change or correction of a misspelling is one thing, but detaching parents, etc is territory I don't like to get into without prior consultation.

Comments

Agree with Natalie. As for adding sources or info, I do so in the same format that the profile manager is using. Am never comfortable deleting anything other than Gedcom junk or duplicate info and sources due to an untidy merge.  

If relationships are in doubt, then I message the PM or add comments to the profiles, but never take the liberty of unlinking profiles.  Anything considered doubtful, can be mentioned in a Research Notes section.

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Thanks, very helpful. I appreciate the links for future reference too.

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You might find this link useful, as well:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:GEDCOM-Created_Biographies

It tells you what you can and can't delete.