Profile Improvement Project (PIP) : What we do and how to join [closed]

+46 votes
3.2k views

Profile Improvement should be part of every WikiTreers routine. From the moment you create your first profile, every addition/correction is a profile improvement.

It's a learned process. 

The first thing you might learn is how to "clean" up your GEDCOM import

Then where to find sources and how to format them (give them enough information that they can be found again even if the links break).

As you begin writing bios, you'll want to learn how to create inline citations.  Member Greg Shipley created the Bio app to generate a basic bio with spaces for potential citations.

At some point, you'll learn how to merge profiles and how to integrate the two biographies afterward.

The Profile Improvements Project's PIP Voyage can help you learn and improve all these skills.

If you find that you really enjoy doing any of these, or you discover that you're just automatically improving profiles as you randomly fix the large and small problems on WikiTree profiles, consider joining the Profile Improvement Project. Read the Project Page and follow the steps in the "How to Join" section. Add an answer below to get started on the Voyage.

Thank you.

Profile Improvement Project

in Requests for Project Volunteers by Debi Hoag G2G6 Pilot (398k points)
closed by Debi Hoag
Not being a subscriber to any paid sites I welcome your proposed changes. Actually I like the idea of a commitment but it shouldn't be such a hard and fast requirement that we lose the enjoyment of what we're doing or start getting too regimented.
Thanks, Neil.

After thought and consultation, we have re-worded the "commitment" to "strongly encourage."

Trust me, no one has time to verify that 52 profiles are touched every year LOL
Hi, regarding changing one paid source to a free source, I read other guidelines recently on WikiTree - but can't remember where - it was suggested that the original source used should always be quoted, even where it was behind a paywall. This is something we encounter often as eg for a pre-1855 baptism in Scotland, a free but secondary source such as  Family Search can give some good basic transcribed information and an easy to copy and paste source, but the Old Parish Register entry from ScotlandsPeople will often give far more useful information and you know it is the primary source, and so seems to be the logical choice?.
We always want to cite the most accurate records with images of the original being the preferred, even if they are behind a paywall. Sometimes the same records are (or become) available at a free site (ex., US Census records). In those cases, the paywalled citation can be replaced by a citation for the version at the free site.

The source actually used is the one that should be cited. So if an index was used, cite it. If an image of the record that was indexed is later reviewed, add a new citation for the better record. If the better record is behind a paywall, include both citations.

I hope that helps make more clear what I intended.
I have been trying to learn the right way to edit biographies, especially the more complicated insertions such as tables pictures, etc, I feel that I could improve more, maybe this is the answer.... if its available to me may I join, please

We would love to have you take the Voyage with us, Julie. Would you please go to the current join thread and add an answer there.

I'd like to you are join the Disputed Existence Adjunct Project.
Hi Catherine,

Please tell me more, it sounds interesting,

Julie
I recently found a warren of profiles, all without sources,  looking rather suspect, all created by a person who hasn't verified their email address, and who made the profiles in a few days and hasn't been seen since.  I want to learn how to deal with them, or to hand them over to those who can.

Cathy
Hi Catherine, I've noted your request and will try to get an answer for you soon.  Thanks.

88 Answers

+11 votes

So normally I’d tell myself “Joelle” You already have enough projects. But I literally do this for my other projects. I was just perusing Winnebago County for US History and saw this guy with only a marriage record and fixed him up. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Burgoon-26

by Joelle Colville-Hanson G2G6 Pilot (152k points)

Welcome to the Profile Improvements Project, Joelle.

There's a Progress Report section on the Project page. Please add your name and comments to it and update it from time to time. 

+12 votes
I'd like to be included in the Profile Improvement Profile. I am sure most of the profile I manage are in good shape. I've been adding sources and bios to other profiles for some time and  I've been working on the Australian  Suggestions Report  and also the Sourcers Challenge each month.
by Diane Darcy G2G6 Mach 2 (29.0k points)
edited by Diane Darcy

Welcome to the Profile Improvements Project, Diane.

There's a Progress Report section on the Project page. Please add your name and comments to it and update it from time to time. 

+12 votes
I'd like to join the Profile Improvement Project, if I can! I tried to add a brief biography to every empty profile I touched during the Source-a-Thon and have been going through the profiles of some specific families in my area and cleaning them up, adding inline sources, etc. I haven't been on WikiTree for long but one of my pet peeves is profiles that have huge chunks copied and pasted from books in the profile with no organization. I'd love to work on getting those pared down and sourced properly.
by Liat Boucher G2G6 (9.1k points)

Welcome to the Profile Improvements Project, Liat.

There's a Progress Report section on the Project page. Please add your name and comments to it and update it from time to time. 

+12 votes
* [[Stawski-25|Andrea Pack]] I have been working on profiles for such a long time wherever I see that needs it and adding sources and correct headings as well adding unsourced to a profile when I see one and couldn't find a source.  I never thought to ask for the Profiles Badge!!!

Please may I join the Profiles Builders and receive the Profiles badge.  Thank you for your consideration and this awesome way to help wikitree grow with neat looking profiles with sources.
by Andrea Pack G2G6 Mach 5 (57.2k points)

Welcome to the Profile Improvements Project, Andrea.

There's a Progress Report section on the Project page. Please add your name and comments to it and update it from time to time. 

Thank you for your consideration it is very much appreciative Debi and your quick reply.
+12 votes
I'd like to join this project please. I'll be concentrating on my watchlist but doing others along the way as I run into them.
by Valerie Downey G2G6 (8.0k points)

Welcome to the project, Valerie, and thanks for the work you've been doing. I've awarded your badge (sorry about the delay). 

There's a Progress Report section on the Project page. Please add your name and comments to it and update it from time to time. 

+10 votes

I like to do profiles properly, and love to see profiles done properly by others. And you're never too old to learn new things. Please sign me up.

by Leif Biberg Kristensen G2G6 Pilot (210k points)

Welcome to the project, Leif. I've awarded your badge. Is there anything in particular that you would like to learn?

There's a Progress Report section on the Project page. Please add your name and comments to it and update it from time to time. 

Debi, thanks for the badge :)

See for instance one of my latest profiles Anders Matiassen (Bolvik, Lien, Hellestvet) where I have a variety of the kind of sources that I'm using the most. As I'm a native Norwegian and am working with Norwegian sources, I'm wondering if my style is ok, or if there might be suggestions for improvement.

I've written a report script that dumps a bare-bones wiki bio from my own research database, complete with inline references. I'm quite comfortable with text transformations in Perl, so I can probably set up the references in ways more compliant with Mills' if so desired. I don't have the Evidence Explained, but I've got the older Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian from 1997.

The thing that I would be looking for is where you found the records. Clicking the link to see the images takes me to the DigitalArkivet website. The Evidence Explained website is still down but I was able to find a website that had examples based on the book. Here is the sample that Randy Seaver created for a record from DigitalArkivet.

  • Voss (Vangen) Parish Church (Voss, Norway), Voss: 1823-1837, Ministerialbok A 12, Deaths and Burials, Page 324, item 93, Anna Sjursdtr of Gjelle; digital images, Artkivverket DigitalArkivet Scanned Church Records (http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read : accessed 12 December 2013).

The part in black is consistent with your citation The part in blue shows the information regarding where Randy found the record:

  • what kind of record (a digital image)
  • where it was found
  • what was found
  • the URL of the website
  • when it was accessed

I hope this helps.

Thanks Debi, you've given me a couple of ideas. I'll return to the issue in a separate thread.
+12 votes
I love taking time to write beautiful bios, tidying up sources, finding images, etc. I like this project!
by Anonymous Grand'Maison G2G6 Mach 2 (21.5k points)

Welcome to the project and thanks for the work you've been doing. I've awarded your badge (sorry about the delay). 

There's a Progress Report section on the Project page. Please add your name and comments to it and update it from time to time. 

+12 votes
Hi I'd like to join the Profile Improvement Project.  I just finished the England Project's Orphan Trail, and found I really like to improve profiles.  I'm working on improving profiles on people who are related to me.  Thank you. Pam Kreutzer Kreutzer-114
by Pam Kreutzer G2G6 Mach 6 (62.2k points)

Welcome to the project, P, and congratulations on finishing England's Orphan Trail. I've awarded your badge. 

There's a Progress Report section on the Project page. Please add your name and comments to it and update it from time to time. 

+11 votes
I'm new to the site, but would very much like to join you all in the PIP. Very interested in learning best practices for profile and biography build out.
by Steven Bohlen G2G6 Mach 1 (16.3k points)
Thanks for joining the project, Steve. Is there anything specific you are working on that we can offer suggestions?
Thanks for the reply, Debi. At this point, I'm basically adding my father's side to the global tree one by one instead of a uploading a sizable GEDCOM so that I can really focus on sources and biographies the WikiTree way. This will take a lifetime, but I'd rather go slow than to create a lot of profiles that look poor and never get properly sourced. I've been building out my grandfather's profile and practicing there, before moving on to some other profiles. So to more directly answer the question, I'm really just looking to learn some best practices on how a profile should be built from the beginning in order to prevent having to go back and correct a multitude of profiles after I learn later that I've done it "wrong". It seems there are several different ways one can tackle a profile, so I'm curious about the differences in them as well as the similarities that are smiled upon by the community.

Sorry about the delay in replying, Steve. I had a look at some of your profiles and you're doing good things. Nothing stood out as something that will cause you problems later. If you're anything like me, you'll find several different ways of doing things, depending on what you are trying to achieve. 

For instance, if you want the headings but not the table of contents, you can add two underbars, NOTOC, two underbars (__NOTOC__) to the line above the biography heading. That's will prevent the table of contents from appearing. I do that sometimes if I'm using both Research Notes and Acknowledgments in a really short bio. 

One thing that I will recommend is to create free-space pages for books that you will use often. Here is a free-space page which explains how to do it and an example of one that I created. The nice thing about the free-space pages is that they provide a copy/paste citation examples, can collect links to all the profiles that use them, and can be a holding place for all the online sites that hold the book. Many books already have space pages but the one you used for your ancestor John Creed does not. Since that looks like a book that could have information about a lot of families, let me know if you want help getting the free space page set up.

Last but certainly not least, there is a gallery of great WikiTree person profiles. The profiles should be open so that you can click Edit and look at how things were done. When you're finished exploring, click cancel or close the page to avoid saving. Even if you accidentally save, the profile can be recovered using the Change log, so don't worry.

Thanks so much, Debi. That's a great TOC tip that I'll have to try out.

Thanks for bringing up free-space pages. They sounded a little intimidating to me, but not so much after your description. They sound like a very helpful tool/option.

And thanks for the examples and encouragement. Really appreciated!

+10 votes
I want to do this! I'm already in the process of fixing up my profiles, anyway. It would help to have organized themes to work on them! I already added my name to the progress page - and added the category to my profile. I also have been working on the current theme (married in Feb) What else do I need to do?
by Alicia Taylor G2G6 Mach 8 (88.6k points)
Thanks for joining us, Alicia. I've awarded the badge. If you haven't already, take a look at your suggestions report. You can find it at the bottom of your Wiki ID menu. That report gets created every week and can help you find typos and data inconsistencies. Here's a quick link to this week's version of the report https://wikitree.sdms.si/function/WTWebUser/Suggestions.htm?UserID=21347535
Thank you, Debi :) I had no idea those reports were there! That definitely gives me a good place for suggested changes! How do I get to the reports outside of this post? Is there a link that generates them somewhere in my profile?
Yes. In the menu links at the top of your profile and navigation home page, click the WikiID menu. At the very bottom of the menu that appears is a link for Suggestions.
If you run out of suggestions for the profiles you manage, there's a link at the top to change it to a view of all the profiles you are related too *grins, ducks, and runs*
Haha! I don't think I will run out soon! But thanks for the suggestion ;)
+10 votes
I would love to help anywhere I can

Donna L Lewis
by Living Myers G2G1 (1.8k points)

Thanks for joining us, Donna. I've awarded the badge. If you haven't already, take a look at your suggestions report. You can find it at the bottom of your Wiki ID menu. That report gets created every week and can help you find typos and data inconsistencies. Here's a quick link to this week's version of the report https://wikitree.sdms.si/function/WTWebUser/Suggestions.htm?UserID=22686590

You can always find the latest version in  the menu links at the top of your profile and navigation home page. Click the WikiID menu; at the very bottom of the menu that appears is a link for Suggestions. If you have any questions about the suggestions, let us know here or as a comment on my profile.

+9 votes
G'day Debi and Cindy.  I'd like to join the Profiles Project team, please.  I love improving profiles by adding biographies, inline citations and sources, and more, as well as building the family portrait by creating profiles for parents, siblings, children, spouse/s and in-laws. Regards, Ken.
by Kenneth Evans G2G6 Pilot (248k points)

Hi Ken. I've awarded your badge. If you haven't already, take a look at your suggestions report. You can find it at the bottom of your Wiki ID menu. That report gets created every week and can help you find typos and data inconsistencies. Here's a quick link to this week's version of the report https://wikitree.sdms.si/function/WTWebUser/Suggestions.htm?UserID=18046400

You can always find the latest version in  the menu links at the top of your profile and navigation home page. Click the WikiID menu; at the very bottom of the menu that appears is a link for Suggestions. If you have any questions about the suggestions, let us know here or as a comment on my profile.

The Data Doctors Project is creating videos which explain what the various Suggestions mean and how to fix them. You can find the videos in a playlist on YouTube.

+10 votes
Please allow me to join this project. Thanks
by Katherine Patterson G2G6 (6.1k points)

We would love to have you join us, Katherine. I have awarded your badge. Will you be working on anything in particular? 

I would suggest starting with your suggestions report. You can find it at the bottom of your Wiki ID menu. That report gets created every week and can help you find typos and data inconsistencies. Here's a quick link to this week's version of the report https://wikitree.sdms.si/function/WTWebUser/Suggestions.htm?UserID=699293

You can always find the latest version in  the menu links at the top of your profile and navigation home page. Click the WikiID menu; at the very bottom of the menu that appears is a link for Suggestions. 

Some of the easier suggestions to fix have been skipped but can be viewed by clicking the link beside it.  If you have any questions about the suggestions, let us know here or as a comment on my profile.

+10 votes
I would like to do this.
by Living Ford G2G6 Mach 2 (29.6k points)

Welcome to the project, MaryAnn and thanks for having a big heart and adopting the Orphaned Profiles. The After Adopting Orphans FAQ explains the special attention those profiles need. Let us know if you have any questions on how to find and record sources, merge duplicates, clean up gedcom biographies, and interpret the Suggestions report.

Next week, you'll be able to access the Suggestions Report from the menu links at the top of your profile and navigation home pages. Click the Wiki-ID menu; at the very bottom of the menu that appears is a link for Suggestions.

+10 votes
Hello there,

I would love to join the profile improvement project. I love writing detailed biographies about family members and connecting different stories and sources across profiles. I also love writing profiles that encourage collaboration and try to present potentially conflicting information in a way that it can be resolved. One reason I would like to join this project is to get some constructive feedback about some of the profiles I have written.

I am hoping to get to know more of you soon.
by Living Ross G2G6 Mach 2 (29.5k points)
Hello Simon,

Sounds like you are ready for this!  I am awarding your Badge right now!
+8 votes
Please add me to the project.  Each time I research my ancestors, I find connected profiles that lack sources and often contain inconsistent information.  I try to add sources when I can, but still feel some timidity in changing information, even if the profile is a gedcom upload that hasn't been touched in years!
by Living Kelts G2G6 Pilot (551k points)
Welcome to the project, Julie. Thanks for adding sources and correcting inconsistent data. Never worry about working on Orphaned profiles or adding sources to profiles. If you're going to add sources, that's fine on any profile. If you want to change dates, names, or relationships, try to contact the profile manager first.
+9 votes
I am new here and I have found that after doing one profile, I enjoyed it and would like to join this group to help out where I am able.  I still have much to learn but I am not afraid of learning or asking questions.  Thank You.
by Rodney Jones G2G6 (8.5k points)

Welcome to the project, Rodney. I've added your badge. Please add your name and comments to the Progress Report section on the Project page and update it from time to time. 

There is a gallery of great WikiTree person profiles. The profiles should be open so that you can click Edit and look at how things were done. When you're finished exploring, click cancel or close the page to avoid saving. Even if you accidentally save, the profile can be recovered using the Change log, so don't worry.

+9 votes
I would love to join this project. I'm sort of already part of it as leader of Disproven Existence, one its subs - let's just make it official, please!

Isabelle
by Isabelle Martin G2G6 Pilot (569k points)
Welcome to the umbrella project, Isabelle, and thanks for leading the Disproven Existence sub-project.
+9 votes

Greetings, Debi:
I am really enjoying making my way through my GEDCOM and creating useful and informative profiles. I'd love to join this Profile Improvement Project.  Just the thought of becoming a member gives me the incentive to go through my Watchlist and 'pretty up my ancestors'.  As an example, I have been working on Jackson-32511 this weekend.  Might I be able to have a badge?

by Candyce Fulford G2G6 Pilot (119k points)

Welcome to the project, Candyce. I've added your badge. Please add your name and comments to the Progress Report section on the Project page and update it from time to time. 

I noticed that you've cleared your suggestions list with the exception of the Unique Names. If you will choose False Suggestion, instead of Comment, on those and use the comment about it being spelled as in the source, those suggestions will stop showing up.

Thank you for that suggestion for the unique names.  I will do that now.  Thank you for allowing me to join as well.
+9 votes
I would like to volunteer my help with the profile improvement project. Although I have much to learn, I have already made great strides and have a long to-do list within my own tree. Tags have been added as instructed.
by Olin Coles G2G6 Mach 2 (21.7k points)
I've awarded your badge, Olin. Is there anything in particular you want to learn?  If you would like a profile review, send me a message with a link and I'll be glad to do that.

Thank you,Debi Hoag. I am presently concentrating on my personal tree, which has about 1600 remaining members I still need to build profiles for. I just started building the biography on two profiles, so it would be appreciated if you would please offer feedback: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Coles-1898 and https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Aloyian-1

Will do, Olin. I'll be taking a look at them on Sunday.

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