Do you have 2020 Source-a-Thon questions?

Question

Hi Source-a-thon-ers! 

If you have questions throughout the Source-a-Thon, you can either ask your team captain or post them here and we'll try to get them answered. 

Helpful links: 

• Unsourced Profiles Category
• Sources Help Page
• Helpful How-To Video
• Live Chats Schedule (Google Calendar)
• G2G Prizes Post
• Tracking

Comments

This seems to be something that arises every 'Thon - https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1115884/rules-for-unsourced-profiles

If ONLY profiles that have thus far had the unsourced category or template added are eligible, there will be a lot of unsourced profiles going untouched.

Why is it not deemed permissible to add to the tracker for the 'Thon profiles that use only "family tree", "ancestry", and the like? 

---

Question is 'Are only the profiles with the Unsourced Template, Unsourced Category, OR the Suggestions identified by Ales 131-134 and 802-803?', which is what is shown for the Location Unsourced Profiles pages, as stated on Help page and Tutorial.

---

Could we please get 2020 added to this thread's title?  It may help folk find it instead of last year's thread.

---

I added it, but it's also pinned. 

---

Pinning doesn't always seem to help. 

.

THANKS!

Answer 1

I have the same question as Melanie and Linda:

Are we only sourcing profiles that already bear the "Unsourced" template, are in the "Unsourced" Category OR are identified as suggestions 131-134 and 802-803?

In the past any unsourced profile was eligible for the Source-a-Thon including those without a template, no categorized, and only had something like Ancestry Family Trees.

It will be more difficult to locate profiles that meet the stricter guidelines and result in less improvement.

Comments

Lucy -- the same rules apply this time. If you find an unsourced profile w/out the template, add your source and click the tracker when you're done. 

If there is ever any question about what someone is doing, we can review their contributions, but I have faith in our community to be on their honor and only count profiles that should be counted. 

---

Thank you for clarifying this!  I just found a whole string of ones that just say things like * birth record or * father's obituary, and I didn't want to abandon them!

---

Hi, LK -- those would count, yes. Thank you for improving them!

Answer 2

Can someone please post a link to the 2020 tracker ASAP?

Thank you.

Comments

I had to answer my own question!!

Found the 2020 Tracker link!!!!

https://wikitree.sdms.si/Challenges/SourceAThon/2020/TeamAndUser.htm

---

Questions here dont get answered during the video hangouts.

Got it!!

Thanks Julie!!  LOL

---

Hi, Robynne!! hahaha ... it's always possible someone will be able to answer, but not any of us on the video. lol

I'm glad you found your own answer!!! (and posted it for everyone else!!)

---

Thank you Robynne, I was looking for the same thing.

Answer 3

When I try to use the challenge tracker I get:

The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.

Comments

same here

---

I am getting that too. Just tried to add one and that was what happened.

---

Me too Nancy

---

I am getting the same error.  Too many of us trying to use the server at the same time, I guess.

---

I am too. That is what I thought it must be going into overload.

---

Me too. We are all working way too hard! ;-)

---

I am getting service unavailable too.

---

Me too!

---

We're aware of it. I've been trying to reach Aleš ... it's the middle of the night there. :-/

---

same problem here, are our profiles being counted? I am a newbie and I haven't a clue as to what to do here....

---

Rebecca --

We're waiting to hear what the problem is. We'll find a solution to track what's been done, we just don't know what that solution is.

Sorry!

---

Me too :) I tried over and over :)

---

These things happen.

I imagine that we should be able to look at our changes list and then add what we have done to the tracker later.

Answer 4

Is it just me or is the challenge tracker down for everyone?

Have tried twice to track my last profile sourced and get a service unavailable notification just now

Comments

Me three.

---

Make that 3 failed attempts to track -0 think I will go shopping instead :(

---

me four, and five is another of my team members

---

We're aware :-(

---

Yes, the tracker is down for me also.

---

Woot!!! Trackers back up

I just tracked the changes I made before I went shopping and did not get an error

Answer 5

Received the following message at 5:57 p.m. CDT:

Service Unavailable

The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.

Comments

See above - lots of us have. I have just tried again - same message. This is the time I wanted to work, so I'm giving up for the next hour or so until we get a response and someone fixes it.

---

6:22 p.m. CDT - still not working

---

We're aware. :-( 

Answer 6

Given the tracker is down - can I just edit a period or something in the profile I couldn't add to the tracker so I can make my tracker note??

Comments

We're aware. :-(

I think that would be a reasonable solution, Faith ... just keep track of what you're editing, or maybe which one you were last able to track, and then use your contribution list to add them later. 

Also, Aleš may come back w/ a solution for us once the server is fixed.

---

thanks - just wanted to be sure its ok :)

---

I tried again recently - and that one has been lost too. This is the time we want to work where I live, so this will impact those of us in these time zones rather more than those who are asleep at present.

---

Margaret --

Did you see my comment just above Faith's? We'll work out a solution.

Thanks!

Answer 7

The normalized scoring appears to be messed up. The second place person on my team (Roses) has a score of zero. I see it's similar on other teams. Is this weighted average? If so, it's not any math I recognize. Thanks!

Comments

And now we've all lost half of our points?!!

---

myself and others have completely disappeared from the list.

---

I think they're back, Joop. You might want to refresh and check again.

---

Yesss!!! Lost and back again....

Answer 8

Trackers gone again - has been working for a few hours since last drop out.

Answer 9

My name and score is no longer in the tracking list since this morning.  Not with our team (Flying Dutchmen) and not in the Userslist.

Comments

It's solved, back again...

Answer 10

I'm registred as #489 but there is no sign of my participation anywhere. Not in the team I signed up (Spic-n-Span Scandinavians; I added my-self on that page but doesn't seem to change anything) and not showing up in the tracking lists. Feels a little bit left out...

Comments

Have you been clicking the tracker?

---

Hi, Bengt -

Melanie asked the same question I was going to ask.

When you save a profile, a green banner comes up at the top of the profile, and there is a button labeled "Challenge Tracker."

You have to click that button and record on the next page that you added a source. If you've been doing that, and you're still seeing problems, we need to let Aleš know.

I'll watch for your response here. :-)

---

p.s. Also keep in mind that we should only count the addition of sources to profiles that don't have sources to start. Thanks!!

---

Thank you Julie and Melanie, think I got hang of it now! First tracked sources added now, working and visible both as user and in team. Sorry for bothering you.

---

Bengt - you can go back and add any profiles you already sourced to the tracker.  You just need to make an additional small edit (such as mark a data field certain/confident), then click the tracker and add the note that you had added x source earlier.  That way your Team doesn't miss the points (and nor do you).

Answer 11

This question is about the Unsourced profile list.  If we go to a country category,  e.g. Category: Canada, Unsourced Profiles, and click on the list of profiles in one of the columns, we get to the Warnings in Wikitree table.  This looks like the standard Suggestions report, but the rightmost Category/Template column does not have a Status column/button like in other Suggestions reports, even though the page heading text refers to one.  Is there a link to where we can add Status comments for these profiles?

Comments

Category doesn't work like suggestions.  For those items, go into profile, add source and save, then select Challenge Tracker.  If a profile has suggestions, they are shown after you select Challenge Tracker.

---

Thanks. But I am looking to add a Status Comment for those cases where I looked but was unable to find a source, so that others would know the profile had already been checked.  In these cases, I am not actually completing the Challenge Tracker.  For Suggestions reports, we have the option of making these comments on profiles.

---

You can add a Research Notes to the profile, stating that you did it.  Use the ~~~~ 4 tildes which will put your wikitree ID and date.  I have searched for lots of profile and not found anything unfortunately.  Of course, when there are no dates or locations, it can be difficult.

Answer 12

I participated in the source a thon but it does not look like my contributions were counted on the teams score/profile.

No biggie, I only had a few sources I added.  More exciting for me is I was able to connect a Oregon couple from early 1900s furthur up the tree to ancestors already in WikiTree.

I guess I am never sure if the scores are automatically counted or if I need to click the challenge tracker deal.

Peace!

Comments

In this particular Thon, you had to click the tracker, add a comment, and select an add button. Did you do that?

---

Well that explains it, I did not click on the challenge tracker button.