Why is Suggestions demanding match with Find-a-Grave data?

Question

Why is the Suggestions tab now demanding birth and death dates in WikiTree profiles be corroborated, matched to, or stated to be correct over Find-a-Grave? Find-a-Grave has its place but is constantly inaccurate on birth, death and almost any other matter.

My response to this is to delete links to F-a-G. If there is a viable headstone photo use it, otherwise delete the link.

Comments

The relocation of Kent no doubt the result of a previously unknown tectonic subduction. . .

commented 27 minutes ago by T Stanton

Thanks for the laugh!

I only knew about the error because I read on G2G that we should all be checking our own "suggestions" list, so I started doing that.  (I actually have NO idea what I'm doin, 'cause I ain't no data doctor!" (and, yes, I know there's a double negative in that statement, but it's meant to be facetious, flippant), so I'm winging it.) 

I can't remember now (from only a few minutes ago!) what I did today for that error, but is there something I can do on the profile to make sure it never comes back?  sameas=no doesn't seem to be the correct thing, as much of the findagrave data is correct .. and what is not, I noted in the profile after I adopted it.

(I'm sure I know WHY particular findagrave data are incorrect, but I'm not about to put that information on the profile at this stage, unless I hide it.  (It is potentially distressing to living relatives.))

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Melanie, I don't think there's anything you can do on the profile.  If you mark the Suggestion a False Error and Hide Forever, it's gone for all intents and purposes.  I wish the Data Doctors would just give up on that one.

Moving Kent to northern Scotland is a pretty short trip for Kent.  It often finds itself in Kentucky.

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Yeah, I think I did do the false error thing, with a comment regarding how findagrave was incorrect.

Am I allowed to do the same thing for a "unique name" error that nobody will tell me what part of the name is "unique" on? (Sorry, not a findagrave error!)

Moving Kent to northern Scotland is a pretty short trip for Kent.  It often finds itself in Kentucky.

commented 48 minutes ago by Herbert T

  

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Yes, don't worry about the unique names Suggestion.  If the name is right, it's right.  False Error, 'Name is correct as spelled.'  Hide forevah!

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Done .. me hopes. 

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Good for you!  I do the same.  Perhaps it comes from a lifetime of work as a secretary, where I was always proofreading--or it may be my own obsessive compulsiveness.  Whatever it is, I prefer facts over fiction and I appreciate your efforts on behalf of others to correct FindAGrave records.

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Glad I ran into this comment, I seem to have a number of Find A Grave links in my suggestions link. Looked at one today that has a totally disproved lineage association posted, with flowers...

To me, it's just another "Ancestry" where people often propagate myths.

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T Stanton, I agree do not link to FAG. If they have a source, they can still be a poor source. Not through any fault of their own. I have seen plenty of poor information given by families. If they source an obit or whatever, the source is right but the info in the  source can be wrong.

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Jerry, my favorite obit story involves by eldest uncle. Written by his own wife and children it states he was born on the family farm and was published far and wide. Ahem. His two brothers and everyone else knew he was born 200 miles away and that the family didn't move to the current location until he was almost three years old. Even family gets it wrong sometimes.

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T that is what I mean. Some of the errors even though they are by someone else is still an error ok FAG I have four of the similar mistakes in my family. These errors are not their fault but the same it is an error by FAG and that is unfortunate.

Answer 1

Hi T.  The feature of comparing our data to that on FAG was implemented several years ago.  If you were to go through old G2G posts, you would most likely find miles of commentary on it, much of it negative.  At least some of us who have been here a while believe that this feature is the single worst "improvement" that has ever been implemented in the history of WikiTree.  At one point one of the leaders said it's OK just to ignore those suggestions if you wish.  That's usually what I do, but that's not going to stop an over-zealous data doctor from coming along at some point and "fixing" your data to match FAG.

Comments

That DD issue came up in one of the most active Projects just in the last week when a DD was messaging the project group about FAG having data that didn't match well-researched project protected profiles--suggesting the project take the time to make sure everything matched. Things got somewhat heated.

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Ignoring the entire suggestion list is precisely what I do and it is because of the flagging of things that are not errors.  I am not willing to waste my time going through reams of items, mostly find a grave and unique name errors that are not errors, to mark them false errors.

In addition, it is very annoying to have to waste my time correcting changes made to profiles to add a find a grave date/place when the profile already had a paragraph about that find a grave record being for a different person with the same name as the profile subject.  Although data doctors seem to be more concerned with applying thought to the changes they make than they used to be, there are still instances when they make incorrect changes on profiles I manage.  I am thankful that I have not received messages about these things.  If I did, it would cause a classic dilemma - it would not be polite to not respond but responding would be in violation of the DWWT rule.

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Thanks Gaile.  I'll be very surprised if that star lasts until morning!!

Answer 2

Most of the people I see this on don't have a documented birth and/or death date, so I just mark it as a false error and say it's an estimate.  I agree that it's very annoying.

Answer 3

OTOH, it is entirely possible for me to mistype 1908 vs 1809 . . . or something similar.  Most of the time it will be a false positive, but every now and again, esp. with no DOD and only DOB, it might be the prompt to let me know a correction is needed.

I'm one of those who both asks for FaG corrections and accepts them.

Answer 4

If you can find a sourced death date, add it to the profile, ensure the death is correct and check in suggestions resolution: false error, hide forever.

Answer 5

Its not demanding a match -- on the contrary.

If the profile has a [source] link to find-a-grave, then it will compare and report the differences, for us to either "fix" or document and ignore.

Answer 6

This has been a subject of discussion in the past.

https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/479150/can-we-eliminate-find-a-grave-from-suggestions

Comments

Here is another one:  https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/646912/improvement-suggestion-remove-find-grave-suggestion-report

Answer 7

I would choose ignore/false suggestion rather than deleting the link. Chances are, at some point, someone else will come along and add the link back under a See Also tab.

The benefit of having a link to FindAGrave is that FindAGrave memorials are often maintained by descendents. If two different wikitree profiles point to the same Find A Grave memorial, that is helpful to know. Sometimes people get things wrong. Being able to document common mistakes on other sites on wikitree profiles helps to stop the profileration of inaccurate information. It also highlights areas where more research is neccessary.

Answer 8

Either none of the hundreds of FAG records I've looked at have sources or I don't know where to find the sources on the record.  Could someone please explain where to look?

When I click View Source it just goes to the citation I would use for FAG (to put on a Wikitree profile), not the source of the information in the Memorial.

Comments

I haven't tested recently, but I believe that FAG doesn't allow external links in memorials, and discourages other types of source citations. However, I've seen some memorials where someone had uploaded images of death certificates or newspaper death notices.

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Discourages source citations? Wow.

Today I found a completely false FAG memorial pasted onto a 6th great grandfather's WT profile -- half of the profile was about how the info contained in that FAG memorial has been debunked, repeatedly. Yet there it was, pasted right in as a photo. Of course it links to some minor nobility!  Grrrr. I politely asked that it be removed for not meeting any pre-1700 criteria.