G2G: Should a profile manager be consulted before editing the profile

Question

A profile, of which I am manager, was changed without my prior knowledge.  I do not agree with the change.  Should I have been consulted before the change was made?  Should I change it back to what I consider the correct information?

Comments

I must admit I normally make changes without asking if I’m adding something like a source to support a date for example. I would be unlikely to make a change removing information or changing a parent for example without discussing with the profile manager.

However if you are sure you could remove the information but add in a research note explaining which that information is incorrect as another person may find the same record and change the profile again. Or you could just move the information to the research note and say that it’s uncertain/not proven?

Answer 1

There is a courtesy to consult the profile manager beforehand. But in reality that usually slows down the editing process enormously.

So you will find that most users decide for themselves what type of change they make. Small ones will be made anyway, larger ones.. depends.. and things that are disputable: start with a comment.

My advice if you do not agree with a change: send a personal message to the one who has made the edits. If the changes are really damaging (spam/removing links etc): revert and send a personal message.

Most users will respond soon, if you just ask them about the change.

Answer 2

A bit of a grey area. I am personally very happy if someone edits a profile I manage if sources are provided that supports the change. Or if there are potentially conflicting sources or conclusions, it's a good opportunity to open a conversation with the contributor to ask them more about why they think what they do. This site is supposed to be about collaboration, sometimes someone's conclusions aren't clear just from an edit alone (which is why research notes are helpful, but I digress).

The guideline I have heard others express here: If you are *adding* information to a profile, go right ahead. If you are changing important conclusions about the profile (such as removing or changing relationships), it's good courtesy to reach out to the profile manager first. But I don't believe it's strictly required.

Answer 3

The site has a long-standing policy on this problem:

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

Apparently many members aren't aware of it, and it's somewhat subject to interpretation, but if there was a flagrant violation of that Help page, I think you have every right to contact the offender and complain.  If neither of you have a legitimate source for what is the correct info, then that's certainly a fair topic for polite discussion.

Comments

Thanks for the star Susan.

Answer 4

In my opinion, I would say that you should be asked first simply because it is your family tree and not the other person's. It's just manners. Something like this happened on my family tree and I thought "You should've asked me first." That's why, on my profile, I said that I want people to ask me first and not just add things because I want to make those discoveries, not have someone deprive me of that.

Will it slow down the process? Yes. But it's important to be polite.

Comments

Depending on how far back the profile is in the ancestral line, it ceases to be "your" family tree. If it is a great grandparent for example, I'm sure there are other descendants out there who consider it "their" family tree as well. As others have often said, on WikiTree there is no "my" family tree, it is "our" family tree.

However I do agree that if it is a major change, the profile manager should be informed before the change is made.

Answer 5

The best I can say is, it depends. Not knowing the change(s) that was made, it's hard to say. If it is a well sourced developed profile, I go the polite and courteous route. If is a work in progress, I add sources and info as I come across them.

I have added sourced information that infuriated a PM because it showed a gr grandparent married his stepdaughter. DNA makes for some real surprises that some will simply not accept nor want printed.

Answer 6

Per other posts, it's not always necessary, but often prudent, to vet changes first - e.g., by posting a comment on the profile so that all members of the Trusted List (not just the PM) will get notified of the proposed change. HOWEVER, unless the change is first approved by the active member(s) of the Trusted List (not necessarily the PM) who was/were principal contributor(s) to the existing profile (or the person making the change are themselves the principal contributor to the existing profile), (1) no one should change something substantive in a profile without providing a persuasive explanation and/or reliable sources that establish that the new info is more correct than the old info and (2) no one should change something non-substantive in a profile (e.g., formatting, style, drafting) unless (a) the change corrects a clear error or (b) the existing formatting/style is clearly non-compliant with the WT style guide and the change brings it into compliance.

Answer 7

Had an interesting one a short while back where I had a profile 'hijacked'.

My relative was born 1826 in UK.

Some meathead who should have known better (having several years membership and several thousand contributions) decided to disconnect all family relationships and connect them to a new family in USA.

(Yes I am being inflammatory calling them a meathead... but that's actually quite mild compared to what they should be called)

Comments

Did he have cause ie what was his source of information. I have a couple preexisting lines I may have to disconnect due to poor sources.

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The profile I had was updated in 2015 and had limited information.  Definitely UK Birth and definite census entry at age 25 in UK.

The person changing the profile has disconnected all relationships with parents and siblings and put in a new birth in USA with different parents and inserted a middle name.

In short it looks like the first name, Surname and year of birth were in common with a new profile being created and rather than properly reviewing the existing details just reassigned it.

Really hard pressed to mistake a UK Birth with one set of parents with a USA birth with another.

Bottom line 2 different people.

For info I don't add in any lines which I'm not highly confident of, in order to negate risk of having to disconnect.

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Just had something similar happen to a profile that I added. I couldn't understand what was going on at first but they ultimately repurposed one of my profiles for their own ends, disconnecting the existing related profiles and adding their own - thus making it about an entirely different person. Bizzare.