Pending merges

Question

There are about 1500 pending merges older than one month and ready for action by any member. See Find > Pending Merges.

Comments

I added a couple more tags, Ed. This is a subject that should be discussed with experienced WikiTreers because merges can be rather complicated. :-)

Thanks!

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Thank you Julie. But did you know that ready for action by any member is a quote from Wikitree? But sure, merges can be rather complicated. Especially when profiles are entered without sources    

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As a matter of fact, I am aware of the verbiage, Ed. ;-)

The following language is also found on that page:

Not all Pending Merges should be completed, even when they've been approved. Some approvals are automatic. Every pair should be carefully compared and considered. Be sure to check the top of the biographies and comments sections for special notes from other members.

It's important that people are willing to take the time to merge profiles properly when they decide to participate in that activity since a bad merge is difficult to fix.

For those reading along, here's the Merging help page if you need a refresher. :-)

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

Answer 1

1) It takes so long for a proposed merge to be approved that people forget it was made, or what they were thinking when they made it.

2) Everyone hopes that someone else will complete the merge and have the trouble of it.

Comments

You can check how the merges you proposed are going by clicking on the pending merges tab and go to Pending Merges Initiated by Me. The merges that are ready to be completed are highlighted.

I just noticed the discussion further on. If a merge hasn't been completed by the pms, and is default approved, I go ahead and complete it, once I've searched for and added the sources I can find, and am confident that they are definitely the same person.

Answer 2

Hi Ed,

We have a project on WikiTree that is all about completing those merges...the Arborists.

Comments

I know and I tagged them, but any member can help. It's fun!

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It is fun but people need to review the profiles before merging.  Just because they are proposed doesn't mean the merge should be completed. Too many people complete a merge when one profile clearly says not to merge for a reason or the profiles have different parents or locations!

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Well, I think I’m about to increase the fun by five more. A quick scan of the GARVER surname list reveals about five sets of duplicates. I have initiated one so far.

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You are completely right. Not all Pending Merges should be completed, even when they've been approved. Every pair should be carefully compared and considered. Be sure to check the top of the biographies and comments sections for special notes from other members.

Answer 3

So here's a question: what is the WT protocol about who should complete a merge?  If the proposer is not a Profile Manager, is the proposer the first choice to complete, or a PM?

Almost always, if I propose a merge, I complete it as soon as possible. But if a PM shows an interest, I defer.

Sometimes people propose a merge and seem to assume that the PMs should complete.

I've never seen explicit guidelines on this issue.

Comments

Personally, I try to review merges that I proposed at least once a week to see if they have been approved and are ready to merge. There are plenty of people that will approve the merge but not be sure about completing it which is understandable.

When I get notification that one of the merges that I proposed has been completed, I always check the merged profile because most people do not remove duplicate text or sources from the biography. The merging and cleanup is just as important.

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That is the reason we have an Arborist project....they are specially trained to complete find and complete merges.

WikiTree Arborists are volunteers who have taken on the mission of improving the overall health of our single world WikiTree, specifically seeking out and merging duplicate profiles.

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Lois, to answer your question, there is no specified protocol for who should do the merge. Theoretically, the PMs of the profile should take care of it within the first 30 days. But if they don't, once the profiles have gone to default approval anyone can do it, PM or proposer or whoever, without reservation.

As a matter of courtesy, as a project leader, if a project-managed profile is proposed for a merge, I usually wait for the other PMs (if any) to approve and complete the merge. If it doesn't happen by the time it goes to the 30-day default approval, then I'll complete it.