Did you see the new Volunteers Needed page?

Question

Hi WikiTreers,

We just finished this new and improved Volunteers Needed page.

Check it out and let me know if you have thoughts.

The idea is to describe things that any Wiki Genealogist could do to help out. Things that are:

1. outside of your own family research process, and
2. actionable -- things you can do right now.

We're hoping to keep it updated with new and interesting project tasks and community activities.

Onward and upward,

Chris

Comments

Looks great. :-)

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I'm sure you didn't mean it thus, Chris, but isn't "actionable" a legal term? :-)

BTW first sentence of Prune like an Arborist needs attention.

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Martin --

There's always more than one way to look at something. ;-)

Actionable

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1. 1:  subject to or affording ground for an action or suit at law

2. 2:  capable of being acted on <actionable information>

3. :-)

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Interesting...would love to help, but I am still trying to sort out how all this WT stuff works! I need my hand held, I guess...maybe that should be a volunteer category...but I will get there! Any WikiTreers in Bend, Oregon?

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Valorie, you're always welcome to contact one of our Mentors if you'd like some assistance: http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Contact_a_Mentor

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Thanks, Eowyn! So far, you have been a big help in several things!

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I welcome any initiatives on volunteering (8 hours apart all the rest of my hours in a week are spend volunteering in one way or other), but I'm cautious:

No. 11 - someone went wildly connecting all over the place and then also insisted I make him part of our project based on those decisions - caught out he simply abandoned his now disconnected profiles

No. 14 - find a project that matches your interest - I have to mentor new inexperienced WikiTreers just because they have an interest in our project - valuable time & energy wasted = loads of frustration

No. 15 - Start your own project - again duplicate projects are started - sometimes by people with 10 contributions or less ... equals valuable time & energy wasted = loads of frustration

No. 17 - be a bio builder (and that by alphabet letter) - Mon Dieu - [...] forbid! - in our project if you want to sabotage that is the way to go about it... equals valuable time & energy wasted = loads of frustration and immense aggravation ...

For these I propose some level of Wikitree expertise & proven mileage ....

The other initiatives are great. Truly useful and or pleasant. I particularly like the concept of No. 16 mining public domain images ... (because of my vocation as an information professional - copyrights, neighboring rights and distribution rights are a information workers nightmare of a mine field).

Answer 1

This is great! I tend to bounce from Unsourced, to Unconnected, to Pending Merges, to whatever I see that I think I can help with without screwing things up too badly. This gives me someplace central to look to see if there's something I can help with when I get a little burnt out on reading my own family names over and over.

Comments

Thanks, Debi. You're a generous contributor.

To make it easy to access from anywhere, the Volunteers Needed page is now linked on the "Find" pull-down menu at the top of pages.

Answer 2

This is great. One area I like to help on is adopting orphans.

But the list is SOOOOOOO LOOOOONG.

Can we please have more ways to search the whole list?

Ideally, I would love to be able to search the whole list for specific text (ie, Ontario), since I focus my research geographically, rather than by surname.

I know a lot of profiles don't have locations added but I still think this would help.

Answer 3

I like it!

How about starring or highlighting activities that are especially appropriate for new members and/or new genealogists?

Comments

Good idea, Carole! Which do you think are best for newts (new WikiTreers) and newgs (new genealogists)?

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Ones that stood out to me (please feel free to disagree):

•2 Adopt an Orphan: New wikitreers are less likely to step on toes with orphan profiles. I know there's a learning curve for everyone, but I can't imagine too many people would object to new Wikitreers adopting orphaned profiles that particularly interest them. (Note: I am not recommending they adopt profiles in mass amounts)

•6 Give a Compliment: New wikitreers and new genealogists--this literally can't hurt anything :D

•7 Offer to do Look-Ups in Your Local Area: Please!!! I don't think anyone would object to new wikitreers or new genealogists offering to look up local records.

•14 Find a Project that Matches Your Special Interest: I honestly think this is a good one for new Wikitreers and new genealogists. Since there are leaders for each project to get people started on how each project works and to monitor progress within the project, it should help contain eager new members

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Great idea Carole, but I do insist that # 14 should be restricted to pre-1800 projects. I have said it so many times before (See: After qualification for pre-1700 badge message that project membership is required ... doesn't make sense ... ) a project such as ours is not a sandbox for people to get their (basic WikiTree skills) entree level experience. I honestly do strongly propose (as have others in the past) that there should be a form of certification (way more difficult than the current pre-1700 self-test) or another way of allowing people to graduate to more difficult research projects.

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I love the terms newts and newgs!

For both:

• Practice sourcery
• Adopt an orphan
• Give a compliment
• Offer to do look ups
• Volunteer your translation ability
• Mine public domain images
• Share the WikiTree love

For experienced genealogists:

• Break Down Someone's Brickwall
• Connect the Unconnected
• Join or start a One Name Study

Answer 4

not sure where to put it - under Practice Sorcery or the Research Assistant entry - or maybe its own: "Suss out some Leads"?

The Research link in a profile's dropdown menu* is FABULOUS. I've been picking away at my unsourced profiles by doing the searches & adding promising returns to a "Leads" section. I suppose they could be added as  "Research Notes" too... i.e., note the date you ran the search, with what information in the blanks, where, and list promising returns.

(For an example of the simpler "Leads" section... I just added one with search results on the profile for a newly found dad to one of my brick walls: http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Boothe-343#Leads.)

Cheers, Liz

 * under the WikiTree ID in the mini-menu at upper right of a profile page when you're logged in. Just after "Relationship to Me" - another fave!

Answer 5

I'd like to suggest another option:

Reassemble disconnected GEDCOMs 

In the past, we've had problems with the profiles in uploaded GEDCOM files becoming disconnected from one another. Putting them back together, sourcing them, and connecting them to the main tree takes a lot of detective work, but if you're up to the challenge, click to The Lost and Found Project and start sleuthing!

View or follow G2G discussions tagged CONNECTORS

lost_and_found.

Comments

Done! Thanks for your work on this, Greg.

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Thank you for adding that, Chris. It looks good.

Answer 6

I would also add the opportunity to create profiles where needed.  

They can get a list of profiles that have information about family members who don't have the related profiles created.  Look here: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Needs_Profiles_Created

For example, this one has extensive sources and family members in the Biography section, but profiles for his parents and children (although named in the Bio) do not have profiles.

• Charles Harrison Acklin 13 Feb 1868 Newton, Jasper County, Illinois, United States - 1 Apr 1955

Oh, let me add i love your new page.  It is wonderful. 

Comments

I would suggest this can be accomplished by newts and newgs.  They can probably learn good style and process by looking at and using profiles made by other members.  

But they should always send a message to the Profile Manager before creating the new profiles.  Perhaps that manager is in the process already or doesn't really want someone else creating the profiles.

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Actually, Peggy, [[Category:Needs_Profiles_Created]] was suggested as a way for people who create profiles in the midst of doing something else (like building a path to connect an unconnected branch to the main tree) to mark a profile as having the sources to create more profiles (like census records, marriage records, etc.), but don't want to take the time (or at least, not right then) to build out all the possible profiles, because they're busy trying to get something else done. 

So, at least when I put that category on a profile, it's an open invitation to anybody who wants to build out other profiles for that family. (And if they end up connecting an unconnected branch, so much the better!)

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Added. :-)

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Volunteers_Needed#Create_Needed_Profiles

Answer 7

I love the well organizes areas and layout for ways to volunteer. I also learned about areas where I can help and others can help me.

What I appreciate most about WikiTree and what I tell others is the "secret weapon;" or, help from others with experience finding records, directional pointing, DNA expertise and brick wall demolishment.