Sourcerers' Challenge Month of March 2018

+27 votes
2.0k views

Hello, Sourcerers! If the clock has rolled around for you, and we are in the new month it is time to start sourcing! Prior month stats will be posted soon.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please “answer” here (not comment) and let me know if you will be using the tracker or if you will be listing your profiles here in your post. Either one is perfectly fine : )  

 

                 

To participate:

Remember, your sources need to be as full and specific as possible, so others find them useful. That means, if the source is online, you should link to it. If it is a page from a book, the page number should be included so others can easily see where you found the reference. 

When you can, it's great to do a bit more while adding sources, like clean up the gedcom leftovers or help the formatting from older profiles. Sources are important, but if you can't find them among all the other stuff, they aren't helping as much as they could.

On to the monthly challenge:

You only need to answer the post once. If you opt to use the Tracker you are good to go.  If you opt to  add your sourced profiles, add a comment to your answer with the required details. If you exceed the character limit add another comment.  Please number your contributions. Obviously, the Tracker is faster and less work for everyone.  If you have a problem with the Tracker let us know by posting a comment to the thread. 

* All profiles improved must come from the Unsourced categories or be already present on WikiTree and unsourced-you cannot create new profiles and add sources just to up your tally. The hope and goal is to improve the profiles already on WikiTree that need sources. Adding sources will help merges happen, too, which will improve our tree. Showing folks what sources you're using helps newer researchers see just what's available out there for us to access. Another great source of unsourced profiles is to check out orphaned profiles.

* The tally is of profiles improved, not sources added. That said, if you can add a number of sources to a profile, all the better.

*If you attempt to add sources to a profile and cannot find any, please add a note under a == Research Notes == section giving where you tried to find records and you can sign it with the four tildes (~~~~) so the date is applied as well. Something like "Looked for John in the US Census records for 1900-1940 and couldn't find him on FamilySearch or Ancestry" would be fine. Or, "Searched google for an obituary and didn't find one." That way the next researcher knows where to start. Do not remove the Unsourced Template and will not count in your tally.

* If the only source is a link to a profile, is a profile or search results page from another genealogy website or the words "Ancestry tree," "Geni.com," "Pedigree Resource Files" from FamilySearch, and the like, the profile is considered unsourced. If you add better sources to the profile include it in your tally.

* If you find a match and can merge a profile into an already sourced profile, that counts, too. You still found a source, plus you eliminated a duplicate. Awesome!

The Monthly Challenge runs from midnight the first day of your month and ends at 11:59 the last day of the month. The Challenge Tracker results page has up the minute stats for those of you using the Challenge Tracker. Ask any questions here in the thread, otherwise, SOURCE! 

              

in The Tree House by Laura Bozzay G2G6 Pilot (824k points)
Thank you for your help.
Beverly you can check on all the things you have commented on by going to contributions under my wiki tree.  It shows you everything you have done.  Sourcing just takes time and refering to the style guide under the Help section.  For someone to check you would have to give them a specific name to look at.  There are mentors looking I have gotten feedback on things I have entered so just remember everything is fixable.
Linda, the Unsourced template gets added in a number of different ways. As Laura mentioned, some projects add it as they are doing other work; sometimes it is added automagically as the profile is created, though I see that happening less and less. Sometimes the template is still in place because the person who added the source doesn't know that they can/should remove the template when adding a source; sometimes it is still in place due to a merge which hasn't been cleaned up, even though one of the profiles had sources.

If a valid source AND the template are in place, you can remove the template and save without adding another source. It is your choice as to whether to use the tracker at that point. Technically, it can count as it does reduce the number of unsourced profiles. I don't usually count the ones that I do as I didn't really have to do any work.

Beverly, as far as I know, there's no way to count the total number of sources you have added. The tracker counts the number of profiles sourced, not number of sources added to a profile. If you want the total number of profiles that you have improved during the Sourcerers' Challenges, check the Google sheet that is linked from the Sourcerers' Project page. Grand totals are in column AW. Be aware that February's totals haven't been added yet (as of 20Mar). I took a look at a source you recently added for a 1910 Census, probably from Ancestry. It provided enough information for me to find the same image at Archive.org. That, in my mind, is a sufficient citation; in other words ... you're doing fine.
Thanks for the information Debi - I have been removing the "unsourced" category if there is a valid source on the profile. I was just curious as to how this all worked. And, yes, I suspect some forget to remove the category if they add a source.

Thanks again.
Thank you for asking me to join .If I don't do something correctly let me know

Jenny
Welcome Jenny I am sure that you will do just fine.  Just take a deep breath and dig in.

Colleen
In order for your sourced profiles to count you will need to select ANSWER instead of comment. That will add you to the tracker.
Thank you Colleen
Thank you Laura
Anon Snyder I have not see you post an ANSWER just 2 comments.  

Do not reply instead go to the top under the original post and select ANSWER.  Then just say you want to participate.  That will activate your ID with the Tracker.  

This challenge ends at 11:59 on March 31.  April starts at midnight April 1.

I will be posting a new thread on March 31 to start April.

50 Answers

+19 votes
I'll be doing some and will use the tracker. Last month didn't go well - lost the hard drive in my laptop.
by Doug McCallum G2G6 Pilot (527k points)
Doug I can sympathize I am having major computer issues right now.  

Good luck for March!
+16 votes
March Madness, count me in using the tracker
by Kevin Sweet G2G6 Mach 1 (17.9k points)
Great Thanks!  Good Luck!
+15 votes
Yes.  And wearing my t-shirt doing it.  Should I have picked green for the month?  Love that tracker.
by Beulah Cramer G2G6 Pilot (565k points)
Great Thanks!  Good Luck!
+17 votes
Haven't played for a while, bur I'm in for March w/Tracker
by Fred Adamson G2G6 Pilot (146k points)
Great Thanks!  Good Luck!
+15 votes
Yes March Madness Tennessee count me in using the tracker.
by Living Barnett G2G6 Pilot (500k points)
Great Thanks!  Good Luck!
+17 votes
And when I have a working computer I will be sourcing and using the tracker.
by Laura Bozzay G2G6 Pilot (824k points)
This profile has a green lock https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hacker-101  I posted a message indicating MO Death Certificate with birth date, place, death date, place, parents names, spouse name, etc.  https://www.sos.mo.gov/images/archives/deathcerts/1954/1954_00015528.PDF

This profile  https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Kiddy-1  also had a green privacy lock.   I left a message on the profile with link to MO Death Cert  https://www.sos.mo.gov/images/archives/deathcerts/1952/1952_00032369.PDF

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reid-7011  would not bring up tracker for some reason when challenge tracker was selected.   It was marked unsourced and no source was showing.  I added MO death cert  https://www.sos.mo.gov/images/archives/deathcerts/1966/1966_00023115.PDF
+17 votes
I look forward to joining in the fun this month, and will use the tracker. I may not be the one with the highest numbers, but for me it's more about pitching in, and knowing every sourced profile helps make WikiTree a better place!
by Cynthia Larson G2G6 Pilot (179k points)
Great Thanks!  Good Luck!
+15 votes
I'm in for March!
by Valerie Crowley G2G6 Mach 1 (17.3k points)
Great Thanks.  Good Luck!
+13 votes
I'll help this month!
by John Noel G2G6 Pilot (744k points)
Great Thanks.  Good Luck!
+15 votes
Hi, I will participate, using the trracker
by Anne B G2G Astronaut (1.3m points)
Great Thanks.  Good Luck!
+14 votes
I will participate and will use the tracker.
by Kay Knight G2G6 Pilot (593k points)
Great Thanks!  Good Luck!
+13 votes
I'm in. I'm sure I'll be sourcing sometime this month.I'll use the tracker.
by Carolyn Martin G2G6 Pilot (281k points)
Great Thanks.  Good Luck!
+15 votes
I'll be doing some. Using the tracker.
by Joan Whitaker G2G6 Pilot (169k points)
Great Thanks.  Good Luck!
+15 votes
In again for another month - using the Tracker
by Diane Darcy G2G6 Mach 2 (28.3k points)
Great Thanks.  Good Luck!
+14 votes
I'll try. Usually I do genealogy on Saturday, which is the same time as the Saturday challenge. I will use the tracker
by Katrina Whitaker G2G6 Mach 4 (40.1k points)
Great Thanks.  Good Luck!
+13 votes
I'm here again (and using the tracker).
by John Elkin G2G6 Mach 9 (98.0k points)
Great Thanks.   Good Luck!
+14 votes
I’ll give this a go... how do I use the Tracker?
by Alex Stronach G2G6 Pilot (363k points)
Great Thanks.  Good Luck.  

To use the tracker, add your sources.  When you save the profile at the top of the profile screen a box will appear that says Challenges.  Click on the Challenges option.  A new screen will open.  Select Sourcerers Challenge.

Pick a reason from the list on the right or type in your own.  Press Add action.

That is it.  Close the window and move on to your next profile.
+12 votes
I'm still working on unsourced Illinois 20th Century.  I'm in for March
by Beverly Ahrens G2G6 Mach 8 (84.1k points)
Great Thanks.  Good Luck.
+12 votes
I'm up for it again - will be using the tracker
by Emily Holmberg G2G6 Pilot (153k points)
Great Thanks.  Good Luck.  Sounds like your ID got fixed!
+14 votes
I'm in for this month. Will use the tracker.
by Mary Jensen G2G6 Pilot (128k points)
Great Thanks.  Good Luck!

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