What can I do when someone acts like a profile is their personal property?

Question

I don't want to name names, but too many times I have encountered profiles which are in effect off-limits because someone has decided the profile belongs to him/her.  They resist any/all changes to the profile.  They insist that the profile can only be configured / arranged as they want.  There have even been times that they have rejected / deleted valid sources.

Is this what it means to be a profile manager?

It isn't just profile managers who act this way.

How can I share sources & info when obviously my input is not wanted and/or I'm not part of the "in crowd" who get to run things.

Comments

The Communication guidelines were written in support of this kind of behaviour.

---

Keep us updated and good luck.... maybe involve another person that could look at it with "fresh" mind and as said earlier look at the communication guidelines...

Answer 1

Michael, The best thing to do, is to try to contact and work with the Profile Manager.  If the person is not responsive to receiving your information or to collaborating, look at the Problems with Members page, which will tell you what options you have.  You can find it HERE or under the Help button at the top right of your screen.

Answer 2

I have suggested that we add a talk page to profiles where things could be discussed outside the profile and also that we could have a research plan....

Its not easy to

1. work together with someone you never met IRL
2. that doesn't have the same approach to genealogy like you have
3. who is not used to set up a video web hangout and chat about the research
4. who is not used of working together on a common tree
5. who maybe like me has another native language
6. etc. etc...   

Genealogy is difficult. Doing it on a common world wide family tree is like asking for problems ;-)

Comments

A discussion page for each profile is a good idea, assuming the PM can't delete the comments (include a "Report this post" or "Flag" link for truly offensive posts as opposed to just different views).

The research plan, however, would be potentially a waste of time if it is editable by everyone.  But after you mentioned it I did post something like that where other people could see it but not edit it.

---

re Mikey Anonymous I think you have a too negative picture how people work together....  

I am more afraid that 

1) some people are less academic i.e. maybe have problem write down a plan and use citations that are accurate and easy to understand by other people and that they also can write a conclusion and correlate sources  

2) that most of us on Wikitree doesn't have a common understanding how to do good genealogy.... what steps are involved... 

As I have said earlier a good tool/software helps people in the right direction. I have started to "hang" at another wiki familysearch and they have special articles with Research strategies something I would like to see integrated in the research plan...

>> if it is editable by everyone

If its implemented the wiki standard way you can always restore and you have version history..... and in worst case may be a leader could be able to project protect the research plan....

---

I love this idea. When I create a profile I often have a plan. If a mom (or dad) has a dozen kids i create an initial profile for each kid in a section below sources. This way a source that applies to some or all kids I just paste there. When the mom is done I make the individual kid profiles. If there are just one or two kids I do it the same day, but a dozen kids might take me longer.  If there was a way to do a research plan I think (a few) people wouldn't get so critical when they came to one of these in process.  Same thing when there are two people with the same name that live proximate each other - sometimes I keep the info for both on the bio until I am sure which is right  - that would be better in a research discussion section.

Answer 3

If you have already attempted communication and the PM is unresponsive, go here before escalating: http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unresponsive_Profile_Managers