Are you interested in writing biographies and creating new profiles if someone else has already linked to sources?

Question

You may want to look at the profiles listed on the Needs Biography.  This page links to more than 270 open profiles that have good sources listed, but no biography.  Many of these profiles have sources that will enable you to create new profiles for other family members, if you are interested in expanding the family.  Check it out!

[edited to update link and add tags]

Comments

Thanks for noticing Star and bringing it here.

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And be sure to remove the "needs narrative" category when you're done. I found several that had bios added but still had the category.

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I have been doing some work on my own Unconnected list which has resulted in numerous profiles where I've only gathered sources -- is it OK for me to add this category to them?  I always feel like I'm asking someone else to do my work when I do that. <grimace>

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Jillaine, I'm as guilty of that as anyone else.

Julie,
My thoughts on adding maintenance categories. There are a finite number of wikitree-ers who ever look at the maintenance category. In fact sometimes I'm "convinced", that I'm the only person who ever writes a bio (I know that's untrue but... we are few and far between).

That particular category was started, so that people who were willing to source the orphaned and abandoned profiles, but really didn't want to take the time to write bios, could pass it into that category. So if your not related, or the profile is orphaned, go ahead and throw it in the category, but if you're capable of writing a bio and you're related, wouldn't you rather do it yourself. 99% of the time I write "Dick and Jane" bios.

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Anne --

Mainly I tackle the bio by adding a timeline on the "main" person I've started to research, but I also end up adding profiles for family members from census listings, etc. So, if I took the time to write bios for every single family member, the family who lives in my house would be starving in dirty clothing. ;-)

So, yes, on SOME of the profiles, I'm happy to write the bios, and I enjoy learning the stories of each of these people. I just can't do ALL of them. :) As a matter of fact, the profiles of my direct-line family members have suffered because I habitually fall down the rabbit holes of other families.

Oh, and I also have a "bad" habit of checking the surname lists when I'm working on a new family, and then there are all those duplicates that need to be merged and the bio cleanups that nobody but me ever does. (Yes, I know there are others who clean up, too, but apparently I never propose merges on their profiles. :-(   )

And now, at the risk of sounding a little self-righteous (I'm not; I swear) ... I don't think I mind asking for a little help with the bios!! ha!! :)

Thanks for listening to me prattle through this rationalization!

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I didn't even know about this category before this g2g post. ;-)

Maybe bringing attention to it will increase people who use it.

Is the Profile Improvement project/committee active? Seems like this would be a good set of profiles for them to be working on as well.

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I'm part of the Profile Improvement project, but I have to confess that I don't keep up with the project page very well. I just wander through the database fixing things as I come across them.

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Yes Jillaine, I, the leader, am active, did three of those bios yesterday. Sourced many unsourced (but like Julie I found those wandering around the database) slightly related to me. I think most of the project works the same. And I'm always whittling away at the "long profiles" category. Although I should probably take an axe to most of them.

Julie, Your comments got me chuckling. Thanks :)

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I will check it out on the Dutch ones first and those with Dutch Roots.  Thank you!

 

Mabey you should add the unknown to the unknown project. Just suggesting.

Can add the unknown tag to it if the project manager and you are okay on that.

And as far as I can see I m already done on the dutch. :p So will see what I can do on the others as sources are there rigth. :D Bedtime. Sweet Treems to all that are going to sleep.

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Thanks for raising this, Star. I can't view a profile without striving to add a bio and family.  I've never stopped to check the maintenance category though.

Answer 1

Hello  fellow wikitreer's!   I would be glad to help write bio's.   

(i am a pretty good writer )  a  well written bio can really bring  the profiled person  to life

so if anybody out there  has the basic info and sources and needs  a bio created from that material,  you can  send me a msg  .

Comments

What a wonderful offer, joy!  Please click the link Needs Narrative/Bio page that I pasted here from the original question above.  That's where you'll find the profiles that have sources but need bios written.

Thank you so much for being willing to roll up your sleeves and pitch in!

 

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Thanks, Joy!  You certainly are correct about writing a profile that can bring the person to life.  I'm sure that you'll have plenty to work with when you look at the  Needs Narrative/Bio page.

 

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Link does not work. Says page does not exist.

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Probably because the thread is dated 2015, and WikiTree has moved on...

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I fixed the link in the original post. Thanks for bringing this up, Chris. You can find the category using this link https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Needs_Biography

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This link works

Answer 2

I do! But I clicked on the link and the page does not exist!? Maybe the thread should be closed?

Comments

This appears to be collateral damage resulting from categories being changed without links to them from other places being updated.  I don't even remember what name the category now has, but trust me, Stephanie, it *does* still exist.  Granted, this is a very old thread that you dredged up, but that's a good thing - it should be brought back to attention, but with the correct category link.  Maybe someone from categorization will see this and update it.  THANX for your answer!

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There's

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Needs_Biography

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Oh, that's it! RJ, you should convert your comment to an answer, 'cause it's the best!

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Thanks, RJ. I've updated the original post.

Answer 3

I am interested in helping here - I'm a writer and editor - but the link doesn't work (I get "page doesn't exist"). I'd like to see an example of before/after to fully understand what you are asking.... Thanks!

Comments

Look at the date of the thread - 2015! WikiTree has moved on since then...

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Pam, please see previous answer and the link to the current valid category that RJ provided - .https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Needs_Biography

Ros, I only wish that WikiTree had "moved on" … meaning, that we no longer have a plethora of profiles that need biographies written.  Unfortunately, though, the only thing that has moved on is the name of the category for these.

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That's what I meant - the name of the category had changed.

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Sooo...do I need the profile manager's "permission" or should I just look at the sources and see what I can do with a few of them?? I'm willing to try!

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Pam, I would say that any profile that is in the needs biography category is one that the profile manager has no interest in working on.  You might take a look to see if the profile manager is active before proceeding and you could certainly let them know you're going to work on it if they are - for an open profile, you don't need their "permission".  If it's a manager that hasn't been active in forever, then there is no reason for you to hesitate.

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Thanks. I'll see what I can do!!

:)

Pam

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I tried one -  - didn't do any additional research, but just wrote up what was there. Would someone look and see if this is what you are expecting from this project - Allen-24091.

Thanks.

Pam

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I took a look, Pam, and it looks good. 

Regarding your query about examples, the profiles in the 1800s Examples Gallery will show how far a profile can go. If you want to do a little more on Mr Allen, a very simple bio like this one is also fine. All of those have open privacy (white lock), so you can edit to see behind the scenes.

If you like bling or want a theme to work from, consider BioBuilder's Challenges. This month they are working on "M" surnames.

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Thank you, Debi! I'll give it a try!

Answer 4

Thanks for bring this to my attention.  I love sourcing and usually add them inline along with the information I have written in the bio.  Be happy to work on some of these also.