Mentor Tips: How do you use G2G to search for an Ancestor?

Question

Click Here to Enlarge this Image

 

Helpful Links:  G2G Help Page, WikiTree Help Index, Help on Adding a New Person, WikiTree Projects, Contact a Mentor, and FamilySearch.org

 

Comments

Transcription for search engines:  I need help please!  You came to the right place!  How can I help you?  I'm trying to find my ancestors.  I know them back to a certain point but now I'm stuck.  We can help you in the search for your ancestors by sharing our efforts and resources... we call it Collaboration.  G2G plays a large part in that!  I would like to collaborate using G2G.  How can I do it to get the best possible results?  We wouldn't steer you in any other way!  Here is how to get the best results with just a couple simple steps...  Create a WikiTree profile for your ancestor.  Include dates, places, names and everything else you know.  Any clue could be the key.  Note your sources where you are able, even as a public comment on the profile is OK while you are new and seeking help.  Ask a question on G2G by clicking the labeled tab up top.  Asking the question correctly can make all the difference... The Title should clearly present your search: "Please help find the parents of Anna (Jones) Gray born about 1820 in Rutland, Vermont".  Use a mix of Capital Letter and lower-case.  Select the category "Requests for Genealogy Help"...  In the body of the question include more details that could help other members collaborate.  Link your question to the profile of your ancestor by copying the web-address (URL) or WikiTree ID# of the profile in the space provided.  The final step is to add useful Tags to your question.  Suggestions by the system are a good place to start, but using a solid strategy is even better.  Add up to 5 Tags that include...  Surnames like Smith, Wilson, or Jones, Places like Australia, Africa, Ireland, or Quebec, Relevant subjects like Military, Notables, DNA, or Mayflower.  If it relates to any WikiTree Projects you can add their Tag too such as "Holocaust" or "Mexican_Roots".  Use underscores to connect words as one Tag.  Check "Email me" if you wish notifications about responses to your question, then click at the bottom to "Ask the Question".  That's It!  You can edit your post later if needed.  I can do that... I'll make a profile of my ancestor, post a good question about them in G2G that links to their profile, and collaborate politely with people who respond.  Is there any other way I can get more help if I need it?  Absolutely!  We have Mentors to help you learn WikiTree, Arborists to assist with merging profiles, project Leaders with varying areas of expertise, and volunteers of all sorts who wish to help you.  We're just a couple clicks away.  Thank you very much... WikiTree is the best!  Yes it is :)

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Excellent!!!! I love it.

Betty

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Cool!

Transcription for search engines:  I need help please!  

You came to the right place!  How can I help you?

 I'm trying to find my ancestors.  I know them back to a certain point but now I'm stuck.  

We can help you in the search for your ancestors by sharing our efforts and resources... we call it Collaboration.  G2G plays a large part in that!  

I would like to collaborate using G2G.  How can I do it to get the best possible results?  

We wouldn't steer you in any other way!  Here is how to get the best results with just a couple simple steps...  

Create a WikiTree profile for your ancestor.  Include dates, places, names and everything else you know.  Any clue could be the key.  Note your sources where you are able, even as a public comment on the profile is OK while you are new and seeking help.  Ask a question on G2G by clicking the labeled tab up top.  Asking the question correctly can make all the difference... The Title should clearly present your search: "Please help find the parents of Anna (Jones) Gray born about 1820 in Rutland, Vermont".  Use a mix of Capital Letter and lower-case.  

Select the category "Requests for Genealogy Help"...  In the body of the question include more details that could help other members collaborate.  Link your question to the profile of your ancestor by copying the web-address (URL) or WikiTree ID# of the profile in the space provided.  

The final step is to add useful Tags to your question.  Suggestions by the system are a good place to start, but using a solid strategy is even better.  Add up to 5 Tags that include...  Surnames like Smith, Wilson, or Jones, Places like Australia, Africa, Ireland, or Quebec, Relevant subjects like Military, Notables, DNA, or Mayflower.  If it relates to any WikiTree Projects you can add their Tag too such as "Holocaust" or "Mexican_Roots".  

Use underscores to connect words as one Tag.  Check "Email me" if you wish notifications about responses to your question, then click at the bottom to "Ask the Question".  

That's It!  You can edit your post later if needed.  

I can do that... I'll make a profile of my ancestor, post a good question about them in G2G that links to their profile, and collaborate politely with people who respond.  

Is there any other way I can get more help if I need it?  

Absolutely!  We have Mentors to help you learn WikiTree, Arborists to assist with merging profiles, project Leaders with varying areas of expertise, and volunteers of all sorts who wish to help you.  We're just a couple clicks away.  

Thank you very much... WikiTree is the best!  Yes it is :)

Answer 1

It looks like I'd probably love it ... just the fact of who posted it says that - Robert is always a source of pearls of wisdom.  if only my geriatric eyes could read it.  The graphic doesn't get any larger when you "click to enlarge it", but I don't even think the problem is size - the print is fuzzy.  Then, the transcription for search engines is a real teaser ... you'd have to be a search engine to be able to read that teensy print.

Please, Robert, could you change that and make the print larger?????

THANX OODLES

Comments

But Gaile, You are only 21.

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I'm so glad you remembered my age, Dale ... when you've been 21 as long as I have, they say the memory starts to go, so I sometimes need a reminder.  Just because I'm 21 doesn't mean that I can't have geriatric eyes ... after all, they've been 21 as long as the rest of me has.

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When you click to enlarge the image it does not take you to a full screen view of the same... much bigger?  It does when I click it on my computer or on the ipad, it works on other computers in our house too.  Rats.  Are you certain?

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when I click, it displays a screen with only the image, but the image is the same size there as it is on this page.  Perhaps it's because I use a 24" monitor with HD resolution - maybe on smaller screens, the picture would scale down on this page.

The print is fuzzy, though - I don't think the size is the real problem because it is quite large.  If that is a jpg, may I suggest that you use png format for anything that you intend to allow to be scaled up or down when it is rendered ... that does a better job of scaling than jpg compressions do.  What would really do it right is to use a vector graphic format, but those aren't supported on WikiTree, so that's out of the question.

EDITED TO ADD:

Thank you Robert ... you made the print bigger and now I can read it.  Betty is right - that is SUPERB - and you're the greatest!!!

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I'm not 100% convinced you clicked in the right spot.  The link that says "Click Here to Enlarge this Image" provides a very clear picture with decent text even when zoomed in several times.  I guess it could be some device issues I don't understand yet, I just experimented with this trying something new.  If it looks less than professional I can take it down until I figure it out.  We don't want shoddy work all over the place.

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Robert,

I promise that I clicked in the right spot.  I just moved my mouse around and that spot is the ONLY hot location - the graphic itself here is not hot.

How about if I try to help with it - I happen to have some graphic enhancement capaibilities.  I can do two things - first, I am going to do a screen capture of both screens - this page and the one that I see whne I click the link to enlarge it.  I will email both of them to you so that you will see exactly what it looks like on my screen.  The second thing is that if you email me the graphic tht you used originally, I will see if I can do anything to improve the clarity and quality of it and then email it back to you.

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I just made another discovery.  When the page with only the graphic (the one that is supposed to be full size) is displayed, it is NOT full size!!!!  There is no visual cue or instruction saying that if you move your mouse over the picture, the cursor changes to a plus sign and if you click the picture then it will enlarge - my mouse happened to wander and I just found that - THAT is something I can read, but if you're aiming for "professional", it still falls short - it is just not crisp and clear.

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Be nice to me while you figure out your computer Gaile... I worked hard on that :)

I'll get to learning the imaging programs I have.  This computer was a gift a few months ago and I've never opened many of the programs to see what they do.  It took much of my energy to get used to Windows 7.  There's my next chore!

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Aww, Robert, you really did a great job on the content and the design.  Believe me, I well know the difference between what I can do and what a professional graphic artist can do.  As I tell my clients, if you want me to do your graphics it will take me 10 times as long as it would take a professional and end up about 1/10 as good but because I am not capable of doing professional caliber work, I don't charge for graphic work that I do for them and most of my clients are on a very tight budget.  I consider graphics to be my Achilles heel in the skills needed for website development.

When I was able to display the REAL fulll size picture, I can see a few reasons why it is not clear when it is scaled down.  I was also able to download that file and I'm working on it now.  I will email you the result.

If I can help you get up to speed on doing graphics work, please ask - I have the technical knowledge - what I lack is the talent and the design flair that a pro will bring to a job.

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Robert,

As I'm working, I have a few observations and questions:

1. You used Arial font face, which is probably the best choice, although I will try a couple of others to see if they improve things.
2. You changed the size of the font in every baloon there.  How come?
3. The size of your original is 1020 pixels wide by 1320 pixels high.  If this is intended to be printed as a poster (for exhibit at GFR perhaps???) then it is good to use the highest possible resolution (provided your printer is capable of that, or if you are going to have it printed at a place like Staples).  If you only want to display it on a web page, then it will never display at that size (unless you jump through all kinds of hoops here to get to see full size and then you have to do a lot of scrolling to see everything).  If you create the original at the full size you want it to display then it won't have to scale and the result will be that you won't lose any clarity.  For web page display, I would recommend a maximum height of 800 pixels.  On WikiTree pages, maximum width should probably be kept to 600, to allow for the right column using up some of the screen real estate.  If you have a full screen width available for your web page display, then I would recommend a maximum of 1200.  I am sure that just by creating the original in a size that won't have to be scaled, it will be much clearer.  Please pick the size you want and let me know.  By the way, if you don't mind scrolling vertically to see it all, then you don't have to limit the height, but for a WikiTree page, you DEFINITELY need to limit the width.