Can you help add resources (including WikiTree members!) to regional categories?

Question

Currently we have several resources that are really helpful, but currently not always found by the people who could benefit from them. These include the Genealogy Help category, the Language Volunteers, and the WikiTreers with regional knowledge. A lot of these could be divided up by region, and would be seen by more people if they were right on the regional category pages.

For example, country category pages could list WikiTreers who speak the language of that country, or have experience with its records. City pages could list people who live there and can do record lookups. Any level of regional category could list websites, books, archives, etc. that are helpful for research in that area.

For example, on Category:Manitoba, I put links to the site where you can search for Manitoba vital records, as well as links to the websites of places that hold a lot of Manitoba records. On the more specific Category:Winnipeg, Manitoba, I listed myself as a local person who can do record lookups.

I'm interested in hearing others' thoughts on this!

Comments

Curious to know what the usage stats on category pages tell us.  Their visibility on wikitree is minuscule -- literally. The only place I've seen them is in very small font between the vitals and narrative on profile pages, mixed in with a bunch of other stuff also in small font.

Additional discouragement of using Category pages is the inability to follow them through a watch list.

I admire the desire to use categories to organize the vast amount of info here, but worry about the time spent doing so if end users don't know it's there.  

What do usage stats say?

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Jillaine, there were 17,000 views to category pages in the past 30 days. But, that includes Category:WikiTree_Help and many other non-regional categories.

Unless you enjoy doing it or expect to get benefits from it, I wouldn't encourage you to spend a lot of time categorizing. If you want to help others and further our mission, certainly the most direct way to do that is by improving the tree.

Another note: There's always a "chicken or egg" problem. If categories aren't used by many people, they're not very useful. If they are used a lot, they become very useful.

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I wouldn't encourage you to spend a lot of time categorizing. If you want to help others and further our mission, certainly the most direct way to do that is by improving the tree.

 

Are biographies fully text searchable from the general seach function? To me, categorizing, by geographic location, military service and the other principal categories that have evolved as standard in the genealogical research, can serve as the subject index to WikiTree.  How often do we know a "where" or a "what", but not a whom? Shouldn't we facilititate people find a way into the tree, even if it by subject? Isn't that "improving the tree"?

Just asking. This is a great site and I am in awe of what you guys have started, but I find the comment "don't spend a lot of time categorizing" troubling. Maybe I just don't understand.

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Yes, biographies are searchable.

Regarding where to spend your time, I just think that WikiTreers should spend it where they think is most valuable, and where they'll enjoy making their contributions.

Answer 1

Just so I understand, I created a Genealogy Helper for Ireland . It's categorized already in 

a) Genealogy Helper 

b) Ireland 

Are  there any other locations I can put it in ?

I will work with the Eastern Europeans places and Ohio as you mentioned above. Your MANITOBA one is a great example about how it should be done .

Comments

Very good Lianne. Would Make it easier for people to find these resources.

I was just thinking about this the other day for the Czech Republic.

Answer 2

Just a thought, since I found this question by chance.

In Montréal how about the Drouin Collection as a source? Adnittefly that is only available online at Ancestry. But there is also the Annuaires Lovell - http://bibnum2.banq.qc.ca/bna/lovell/

 

 

Comments

The Drouin Collection is a great source; it's been the primary source of most of my family tree on my French side!

But it's a lot broader than just Montréal. I tend to think of it as a Québec resource, though in reality it contains material even beyond that. I'd be most inclined to list it on the Québec category page, I think.

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Ah, you live and learn. I'd only met it in connection with a couple of my family who emigrated to Montréal.

Answer 3

This makes categories even more useful.  Local resources are sometimes difficult to find. Thanks for the idea.

Answer 4

i just found the site through MyHeritage.

happy to help with searches in the Netherlands.

https://www.wiewaswie.nl/  has 84 million people mostly in 18th and 19th century