When to ask profile manager to propose a merge

Question

Hi,

I am a beginner at merging in wikitree and read about merging. I still don't understand about the automatically stopping you from merging and proposing a merge.  Until I read about this, I have been able to go in and just add my information to theirs in merging.  Now I realize this not a good idea. So far it is letting me automatically merge, shouldn't I try to contact the profile manager first so we can look at it together?

just wondering,

Lisa

Answer 1

Lisa, if you have additional information about an existing profile, approach the profile manager and suggest either he or you add the information. This isn't merging it's improving.

If you find that you have a profile which is nearly identical to another profile manager's (PM's) profile, You can propose a merge, (lower left on any profile, merge to lower numbers) or ask the PM if he would like to merge the two profiles. You would have to approve that  your profile could be merged.

Alternately, You could propose the merge, wait 30 days (f the other PM hasn't approved it, (30 days gets an automatic approval) and do the merge yourself. Don't forget to physically combine the data in the Biography and sources after the merge, that's as important as the rest.

While many of us routinely do merges, it isn't something you should expect to have to do until you've got a fair amount of data entry under your belt.

Comments

Hi Tom,

Lower left initiate a merge? is the same as propose?

Thanks Lisa

 

 

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Yes, Propose/initiate.  I just do it, no longer read the text.

Answer 2

Hi Lisa, I hope some more expertized in this will answer you as well. I found the videos at YouTube how to merge at WikiTree very helpfull as a starter. But I am not sure that is anwering your question. 

Contacting the profile manager is always a great idea. Just out of showing respect to eachother and being polite, as we like to be at WikiTree. :)  But if you re able to merge the profile, the manager gave permission to do I think. If he did not react or approve you re not able to merge I think. 

If you go to your profile and click the drop down menu at the top right under "MY WIKITREE" (small letters) at the drop down menu and click "REQUESTS" It will show your requests to others and requests of others to you. I think you might find an answer there about the approval of the manager.   

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Most important is to merge into LOWER ID numbers.  So  your WikiTree ID is Joy-954 if you find a second you! :D With ID number Joy-20 make sure Joy 954 is merged into Joy-20!! 

Kind regards from a late Netherlands! 

A.

Answer 3

Hi Lisa, welcome aboard.  I'm reading between the lines here a little bit in trying to understand your question, but I think you might be misinterpreting some of the site's terminology.  You should be able to add new or additional information to any existing profiles with an Open privacy setting, and it sounds as if that's what you have been doing.  That's certainly OK, and the guidelines for when you should try to contact the profile manager before doing it are shown here:

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

But merging is a different thing.  At WikiTree there should be just one single profile for every person.  When a member discovers that two or more different profiles have been created for the same person (or it appears that that could have happened), then he/she should propose a merge, or combining the two different profiles into one single profile.  Anyone can propose such a merge, but the profile managers of both profiles need to agree that a merge is appropriate.

If I've missed the boat completely on what you're asking, please post here again.

Comments

Hi Dennis,

So when you add a new person to your tree that already has profile is not merging? It is just adding information?  What about adding children, should you contact profile manager?

Thank you for your answers

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Well, this site is a little different from a lot of the genealogy sites on the web.  It recognizes that we are all interrelated and share the same ancestors.  So it isn't really just "your tree" (you would eventually be reprimanded for using that term!).  If you are working on your own ancestry, and you find an ancestor who already has a profile here, you should not create a new profile of your own for that person.  You should add any new info or missing connections that represent your line to the already existing profile, children or spouses or otherwise.  If the profile manager of the already existing profile is active here, it is usually appropriate to communicate with him/her (it's probably a cousin of yours anyway).  In a case where you did create a new profile before you discovered that your ancestor was already profiled here, then a merge of the two profiles is appropriate.  Both you and your new cousin do need to agree that you're merging the same person.

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Hi Dennis,

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I was referring to "your" in the plural form, y'all's tree as all of you, not my tree.

Thanks for your help Lisa

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I think you are confusing merging with connecting, Lisa.
If I find my great great grandad already has a profile on here and I join him to my bit of the tree, the term is connecting.
If I already created a profile for my gg grandad, then I find that somebody else has a profile for him too, but they are different profile numbers, that's when you check the sources to make sure it's the same person twice, then propose a merge.
Hope this clarifies the issue.