What about a person that logs on once a month as a hobby?

+3 votes
383 views
So, now that I have really been reaching out to people in private messages, it is clear that there are some folks....one with over 10,000 contributions...that thought Wikitree was a "hobby".   What I mean is that they think that if they log on every couple of months, or once a month, that should be sufficient.   One person in particular wrote me a very pointed reply that they would NOT log on just to do merges and they were tired of being "bugged" by lots of people to approve merges.   Any suggestions?   I also thought that maybe taking a look at the introduction to Wikitree and setting the right expectation for participation might be appropriate.
in Policy and Style by Robin Lee G2G6 Pilot (852k points)
retagged by Keith Hathaway
Robin would you please send me the particulars on this?
Robin,

I would respond to said person this way:

You can stop being bothered by merge requests by removing yourself from the Trusted Lists here: http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Special:TrustedListChanges

6 Answers

+4 votes
I think that the correct answer to profile managers who don't want to be "bugged" to do merges or collaborate on profiles is that they should remove themselves as profile managers for "their" profiles.  The only other way that I know of for a non-supervisor to handle this situation is via open profile requests.  That can be a lot of requests!
by Cathy Carpentier-Alting G2G6 Mach 1 (13.3k points)
Open profile requests will not get very far for people who log on once a month, they are classed as active.

It could be that these semi active members are managing to many profiles, but how do you decide what is to many for the time spent onlline?  Do we try to set something like if you are only online an hour a month you cannot manager more than 100 profiles?

I would like to see a minimum of two profile managers for every private profile, but I know that is going to be imposible for me to arrange for the few private profiles I have, nobody else is interested in my family.
Agreed Catherine! Downsize to what's managable. If one can't complete the merges in a timely matter then the reasonable thing to do is downsize.
+8 votes
Hi Robin,

Of course WT is hobby. What else is it?

But it is only a worthwhile hobby if you take part in merges etc. But it is equally unreasonable to expect people to be online 24/7or even every day.
by anonymous G2G6 Pilot (276k points)

Martin, are you telling me to cutback, I've been logged on 24/7 for 6 weeks now.cheeky

smiley Heck, if I get logged out, I don't even know my password to get back in because it's been so long since I was logged out.  LOL

Seriously though, this is not a job for most members. If their routine is to get on once a month, then so be it.  A procedure/process is in place for up to 60 days for a manager to approve a merge for just this reason. 

Also, try the bait and hook with managers.  It's much better than letting your frustration out.  Tell them it's

"GREAT NEWS!  FOUND A MATCH THAT IS GOING TO ADD to your tree, AND keep in mind the other managers are probably related to you! "

If you get my drift.

smiley  Rhian.

Perhaps you need an alternative outdoor hobby?

Hey it's -5 here, we just had the first snow this winter, I'm not going out again until April.
Nae,   Love the thought on how to make it exciting!
-5!!!

We are currently +11. Not that it is going to last.
+1 vote
Robin,

From what I have gathered in reading your question, you are a member of a special project.  If you are reaching a burnout, it would be better if you resigned from it and join a project less stressful.  Wikitree is different to many people. There are ones who enjoy genealogy so much that they are on wikitree 24 hours a day. There are others who enjoy loading gedcoms for a place to store them, genealogy can also be termed as a hobby and wikitree would be a great place to fine relatives.  Granted, there are many duplicate profiles on wikitree, due to mistakes made by new members or gedcoms added without the understanding of what matches stand for. That was why the Arborist project was created, to find the duplicates and merge them.

Take a break and find a project less stressful. There are many out here who needs volunteers.

Mary (One of the mentors)
by Living Hammond G2G6 Mach 8 (84.2k points)
It isn't me that is burned out....I'm on every day almost and loving it!   Just trying to figure out if there is some way to make WT friendly to the people who just want to load their GEDCOM to show everyone their tree.   I think there is a value in the suggestion that Rhian makes about a limit to the number of profiles a person can manage if they are only going to be a casual user (once a month).  Or even suggest that you can walk away from the profiles you load and it is OK....
I think the last is the solution. As I complete profiles and can add no more, I am dropping out as manager. Then anyone can contribute to them.

The key is that it is not my tree. Eveyone needs to recognise that. One tree not many.
Robin I understand your frustration. Thank you for your input on this topic. There is a limit of 5000 but not sure the system enforces that rule. I will check into it. Agreed that some changes need to be made pertaining to the amount one can manage. This is definately on my list of proposed changes for the Arborist project.
The system doesn't enforce the 1000/5000 Watchlist limit.  I check when I review GEDCOMs but otherwise it's up to the member.
I'm not sure if I qualify as one that only logs on once a month or so.  When I first joined I uploaded my GEDCOM and found all my duplicates and merged them.  I had over 1000 contributions every month my first few months.  I don't have a reason to log on.  When I get a trusted list request I will log in but what else am I going to do?  Plus, I have over 3000 profiles that I manage.  I would love to be able to get rid of some of them so I only have direct relatives and their spouses on my watchlist.  I have to leave room to add direct relatives so I stopped researching the distant branches.
Steven,

you can remove yourself from the Trusted List of multiple profiles through this tool:

http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Special:TrustedListChanges
Steven

The suggestion that Jillaine offered would be the best answer to your problem.

Mary
+6 votes
Some of us who log on once or twice a month are working fulltime paycheck jobs. 40-50 hours on the time clock and family chores at home sometimes only leaves a few hours here and there for wikitree. A little wiki work when time permits is better than no wiki work at all.
by Living Evans G2G6 Mach 3 (39.1k points)
Very true, the work put in by peoplle who have little time to spare is just as important, if I still had to work I am not sure if I would have anytime for wikitree. The work done by the people who turn up a little when they can is much appriciated.

The biggest problem is those who are nominally managing thousands of profiles but in fact manage none as they cannot keep up, and will not let go of 'their tree.'
Catherine I understand where you are coming from. But, on the other hand if someone isn't able to perform merges  then the number of profiles they manage should be downsized to a workable number..
No offense intended in this comment. I don't go for quantity of merges, but for quality.  There have been some bad merges lately. Some profiles are now so tangled, accurate reconstruction may not be possible on some. I genuinely make a effort to authenticate all information on requested merges before agreeing to them. I trust that most of us do.
I am a middle-grounder on this one. I have stretches when I can not MOVE from my desk, and times when I can not FIND my desk! I have a very active life. I own a small business and consult/mentor other small businesses. I have three teenagers and ALL of their friends running me ragged... It's a crazy life!

I recently re-focused my energy into a new project because as an arborist, everything on my list has slowed down to maintainence, merging new profiles that are created, answering questions from distant cousins about the research, and updating general stuff to the profiles.

If you have a busy mind and are trapped indoors for a bit... shift gears to a new project! Create a free space or help with categorizing people from your favorite era or locale.  I have seen so many changes take place in the wikitree forums, and to the site as a whole in the last 2 years that I am amazed at how much pressure we seem to feel sometimes to get this stuff done... like it will have an end.

I guess I have the turtle's perspective on this one. Slow and steady will win the race.
+2 votes
Robin I completely agree that the intro should include detailed explanation of expectations should be included.

I think the only solution to this problem is a profile manager only have a set amount of profiles. Allowing this to continue is only going to cause more work for two more people instead of just one.  If one can't handle the amount they manage then they need to downsize.

It's not acceptable  for someone to say they are tired of being bugged to approve merges and not perform them. Isn't part of collaboration part of the honor code? One refusing to complete merges means they aren't collaborating. If managers aren't collaborating then it impeeds the mission of WikiTree doesn't it?
by Michelle Hartley G2G6 Pilot (166k points)
One of the problems may be that there is not a one rule fits all here, some of it comes down to time spent online actually managing the profiles and part of it the type of profile. Some of the Scottish Clans I manage it seems half the world has an interest in, my own descendants are so boring nobody has shown any interest in them, yet.

Anyone who admits to not being interested in following any part of the honor code should not be managing anything more than their own profile at most.
Rhian I completely agree. I have encountered several members telling me they only wanted the info available but had no desire to manage their profiles.  Very frustrating!
+2 votes
Nothing wrong with persons who download their gedcom once and come to see what happens once a month or once in three month  What is wrong is the system of WikiTree that only allows people on the trusted list to accept merges and the difficulty to add a trusted person to all profiles managed by one manager.
by Fred Bergman G2G6 Mach 1 (15.8k points)
I disagree I do see something very wrong with this. (from an arborists view)

It really isn't fair to upload a gedcom and only check once a month especially if they manage a large number of profiles. This makes everyone else's job twice as hard trying to complete merges. Just checking to see what happens with their profiles once every three months isn't really fair. If one can't manage all the profiles they have then downsize. It's really hard for Arborists or others trying to complete merges when a profile manager checks in once every month or three months. This makes an Arborist job more difficult.

I think the system is doing what it should. It maintains some control  If anyone was allowed to do what they wanted WikiTree would be a mess. That's why the Arborst Project was put in place. They are skilled and have more experience performing merges. There has to be some sort of checks and balances on WikiTree.

Using the bulk trusted list tool is used to add an individual to numerous trusted lists at one time. If you aren't in the individuals  family line then why would you need to be added to all the profiles? When someone in my family requests to be on a trusted list I don't add them to all the profiles. One side of the family really isn't related to the said  individual so it doesn't make much sense adding them to every profile.

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