Gulf Coast Hurricanes 2019 Clean-A-Thon Team Chat

Question

 Gulf Coast Hurricanes 

Welcomes you to Team chat! 

Are you ready to clear out all those pesky data errors? Let's join our efforts and improve our WikiTree profiles! 

This is where we can prepare for the big event, communicate with each other, and cheer each other on! To get started,

1. See the Team page for registration information and more.
2. Register on G2G to participate!
3. Come back here to introduce yourself, make comments, or ask questions!

It will be fun!

Comments

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Spring_Clean-a-Thon_Tutorial

and here's the lalapalooza:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Data_Doctors_Project_Video_Collection

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Here's another:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lgIQmGPAd4

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Joyce, I added (created) a G2G tag for GULF_COAST_HURRICANES to keep up with any g2g questions relating to our group, then discovered that I had created a  new tag. If you want to also use and add it to questions, it is there. I think it would be good to put out more questions on g2g to drum up more volunteers for our group.

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Y'all feel free to check out those tutorials-- especially the newest addition!

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Thanks, Joyce for the tutorials. That will be very helpful, especially for first-time Clean-A-Thon participants.  I'm looking forward to the challenge and hope we have new members join us!

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The Super Sweepers Team thanks each and every Team for joining the Clean-a-thon and challenge each Team to do their best to make WikiTree healthier! Let’s give our Best Shot!

Thank you for participating in the 2019 Spring Clean-a-thon, the real Winner is WikiTree.

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Love your team icon! The Legacy Heirs wish the Gulf Coast Hurricanes the very best!

Answer 1

I'm deep into the 869s and 861s for Wisconsin. Why is it that when I expect to correct a simple <ref> punctuation error, I find a profile that is chock full of doozies???? It slows me down, but I can't knowingly leave a profile with errors in it. Slow but sure, I guess.

Comments

LOL I've been running into a similar problem! I try to go ahead and work on them but it does slow me down. 

Answer 2

Hi, I'm back! Hoping all our friends from the old Team Acadia, as well as new friends interested in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi will join us!

Comments

So happy to be working with you again for this thon!

Answer 3

Joining this group for Spring's Thon! As a native Texan, it's only appropriate that I join other Gulf Coast-Staters to clean-up.

Comments

Yay Edie, great to have you on board!

Answer 4

I'm looking forward to joining this team for the event! Super excited to help make things even better. 

Comments

Hi Katherine! Tell me about your questions so we can get you up to speed.

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Hi, Stephanie. Well, I'm always up for a good work party, so I  volunteered.  I've only been on WikiTree  for about a month, so it would be fair to say I am green. I understand we are cleaning up records which is right up my alley, but in this case, I have no idea what that means!  I'll need you to start at the beginning. And, a visual example would be really helpful to my brain. k

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Great. Have you read these sections on our Team Page? (Look for the link to it at the upper right of this Chat Page):

• Spring Clean-a-Thon Help page - important information about how everything works!
• Description of Suggestions from the Data Doctors project

After you've done that we'll move to the next step.

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Perfect. Thanks.

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I'm glad I have time to go over those error codes a few times between now and then! That's a lot of info, but it makes sense. I'm sure there will be plenty of things for me to practice on from my own uploads, even though I thought I was being so careful. I will let you know when I run into questions on my corrections. I will try to get started tomorrow.

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While you're on the profile you're correcting (at any time other than during the competition, when time is of the essence) you can also look over the other data entered. Often, as in this case, the data is not as complete as it could be. You can put a comma after Ohio in the birth location data field, and allow United States to auto-fill in. You can also click on the link to Find-a-Grave and copy the actual citation of the memorial and use it to cite information (especially burial) that you decide to use in the profile.

Just remember that during the competition, you have to both save (and explain) your edit, and then click on "corrected" on the 'suggestion status'-- and then click 'update status' in order to earn the point.

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Great! Let me know as questions come up!

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Hi, Stephanie. Kline-4814 is my work in progress and probably should be deleted. I cannot figure out how to do that, or if I should do that.

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Cannot delete the profile. You should merge it into a better version, if there is one, or just delete the data and start over.

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I added the link to the tutorial at the top of this page. Let me know if I can help! The second one is on Youtube and is very good.

Answer 5

Thank you for letting this Northerner (Wisconsin is my focus) join the team. We get rain and flooding in this part of the country, too; so we figured that I'd qualify for honorary hurricane status. I will, however, continue to concentrate on cleaning up those messy Wisconsin profiles.

Comments

Dana, we're glad to have you here as a Hurricanes team member! 

For your convenience, here is the Wisconsin Suggestions List. It is updated weekly and I think it will be updated again just before the Clean-a-Thon begins.

Answer 6

I just added a link to Resources on the page for Wakulla County.  This link has a good bit of detail concerning the effects of the 1843 hurricane.  Also has names of men listed in the 1845 census of the county.  This link was sent to me by member [[|Jackson-15646| Janet Daghri]] who has relatives in the area.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Wakulla_County%2C_Florida

https://strangeandmysteriouswaters.blogspot.com/2019/02/florida-u_7.html

Comments

Thanks for the link about the 1843 hurricane. Back in those days there was no early warning system, so people were totally unprepared when they got hit by one. Terrifying enough even with a warning!

Answer 7

Joyce  and Stephanie I would like to join up to clear up some data errors. I have to say after Katrina tossed a big oak tree through my house I am not fond of Hurricanes BUT I am very fond of Mississippi and Louisiana the home of my parents and myself. So, count me in please!

Comments

We're glad you've chosen our team! Katrina, and Rita after her, messed up a lot of peoples' lives that year, including many of our relatives and friends whose communities were devastated and whose homes were damaged or destroyed. So we'll just create a hurricane of our own here, helping clean up this community!

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Hi Gigi, welcome aboard! Have you registered with Eowyn?

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I have!

Answer 8

While working on some of my Terrebonne/Lafourche ancestor profiles, I discovered records about the Chenière Caminada hurricane of 1893. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1893_Cheniere_Caminada_hurricane

Although my dad moved us to San Antonio from SW Louisiana in the 1950s, my younger sister and I were in Gueydan, Louisiana visiting my grandmother when Hurricane Audrey hit the Louisiana coast in 1957. I remember it well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Audrey

Looking forward to the Source-a-Thon!

Comments

Wow Jackie, the 1893 hurricane was a bad one! (Not that any of them are good!) I also ran across information a few years ago while researching, about an 1856 hurricane dubbed the Last Island hurricane. Although it didn't kill as many people -- "only" 200 -- it inundated a resort island loaded with vacationers, destroying every building and splitting the island in two. A couple of books have been written about it. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1856_Last_Island_hurricane

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Yay, Jackie! Woo-hoo!

Answer 9

I am so happy to see our group growing. We have plenty of room for more participants in the Gulf Coast Hurricanes. If you answered here, make sure that you have actually signed up for the Clean-a-thon on the G2G page listed in the question above.  There are 307 answers so far, so it's going to be a big group participating.

Comments

Me too Edie! We have a good mix so far of seasoned participants and newer members, but the more the merrier! I'm looking forward to the party!

Answer 10

Hope everyone is ready for the Clean-a-thon tomorrow! Today is your opportunity to go over those error tutorials and ask any last-minute questions! Good luck, everybody, and happy cleaning!

Answer 11

About 4 1/2 hours to go. Wishing your team all the best in the mad scramble for the next 72 hours. Just remember to have fun while we help make WikiTree better.I know Nor'Easters will be really busy.

Comments

Steven, where is the Challenge box?  How are we supposed to keep up with our totals?  I was mistakenly checking the Sourcing box!

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Edie, this is the way the I use the Suggestions tracker.

1. From the Suggestions list, first click on the STATUS button for the profile you want to edit, On my browser this opens a new tab, which brings you to the Challenges Tracker. 
2. Click on the profile link. My browser opens a new tab for the profile.
3. Make the edits to clear the suggestion, leave a comment describing your change, then Save the profile. 
4. Close the profile tab. That brings me back to the Challenges Tracker tab.
5. On the tracker, select the Corrected button, leave a comment, and click the UPDATE STATUS button. 
6. Wait until the screen refreshes to confirm your contribution was entered. Then you can close the tracker tab, which gets you back to the Suggestions List.

I like doing it this way because it shows me all suggestions for the profile before I edit it. That makes it easier for me to decide if I want to clean up any other suggestions while I'm there.

Hope that helps!

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After you update the status, look at the top of the status window. It gives you a link that says 2018 Clean-a-thon. Click on that-- it will open to 2019 CAT counts.

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Cool, I did not notice that. One less window to keep track of! 

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Looks like we're doing pretty well!

Answer 12

I'm going to be working on Texas errors.  Where is everyone else working?  Did you catch the first video chat?

Comments

I haven't listed to the first chat yet but will in a few minutes. I'm working in Louisiana.

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Mississippi

Answer 13

For - 723 Prefix in First Name - when individual does not have first name and removing what could go into Prefix, the first name becomes Anonymous.

I expect for Indian profiles this should left alone as I see the title chief used as the first name all the time?

Please advise.

Dale Ladnier

Comments

Dale, I would just leave it for someone else to figure out. I'm not familiar enough with Native American profiles to figure out what should be used.

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There are Native American categories and at least one project. Most of the profiles I've come across that were not included in those were full of errors, especially name data field errors.

A major thing that the project does is use the native group as the last name at birth. So if the person was Choctaw, that becomes the LNAB. The best thing you can do for them is to add the regional group name of native people as the current last name, and put that same word in the category finder window to add them to the category, so they can be easily found by the project.

Answer 14

The web site (DB) that allow us to open the Suggestions is no longer found by my browser. I have reloaded from the team room and will allow me to select a list of specific error code; but, I can not select individual records.

Suggestion are not working from my own profile.

Advise
 

*Update* Working now.

Dale

Comments

Things weren't working for me either so I took a supper break. All seems to be OK now!

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Marking profiles as cleaned is Not working again.

Please advise web manager.

Dale

UPDATE: Working again !

Answer 15

Thanks to you all for a great team effort! Although one of the smaller teams, we finished well in the middle of the pack! It was a beautiful spring weekend for doing almost anything BUT sitting at a keyboard, so kudoes to everyone for making that sacrifice!

Special thanks to Gigi for working at a difficult time. You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.

Answer 16

Well, another Clean-a-thon is past and we put a serious hurting on the suggestions. Nor'Easters would like to thank one and all for your participation. Good job all around.

Answer 17

Great job, team!  Big shout out to Joyce and Steff for their hard work and leadership.

Comments

Thanks Edie! It took the whole team to get that #13 ranking. We were only ahead of the next team by 10 points! I appreciate everyone's efforts!

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That's right! Great teamwork from a great team, y'all! And  we solved lots of tough ones, too. You all get bonus points in my book! Maybe one day when we run out of USA too early in location name that'll be a thing.

Answer 18

It WAS fun, though I missed the chatter of previous challenges! Everyone really pitched in on this one. Thank you all for improving our share tree!

Answer 19

As a new WikiTree member and my first Clean-a-Thon with the Gulf Coast Hurricanes I especially enjoyed  being a participant working the profiles without dates/sources even though these take a long time using the research tools finding source documents. 

I had a Wonderful Wikitreer! as mentor when I started; but, it takes much research to discover all the enhanced features of WikiTree. After every project, I feel it is advantageous to review what everyone experienced and how we can improve the next event.

For me, on the basic format problems, I think we should be proactive as we introduce new or remind existing users that the Suggestions report and the Research tool are available on each profile or for each profile in their tree. Then we could focus on the real problems.

Additionally, I would have liked a new Suggestions report periodically so I did not spend time looking for those suggestions not already worked the previous period.

What thoughts did you have?

Dale

Comments

Those are great ideas, Dale. But as far as generating a new report, I think that takes too much time and effort for Ales. I don't understand the process, but I think it takes hours and slows things down.

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Oh, but there is a way to get those updates you'd like. Instead of staying with the crowd, go through your watch list, pick a profile, click on suggestions and then 15 generations, to work on those errors. Those lists will update when you refresh your screen. If you have a very small watch list you can always adopt orphans before the next Thon, and then remove yourself after you've improved them.

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Hmm, the system must be running maintenance as Suggestions will not open. Will Try later. Tks.

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That's what I'm talking about re updating during the thon-- he does it every Monday.

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It really would be nice if the main Suggestions lists could update frequently during the Clean-a-thon, but the process does take a huge amount of resources and is only practical to do once a week. 

Another alternative in addition to what Steff said is to generate your own Suggestions list directly from the WikiTree+ site. Those user-generated lists can be refreshed as often as you want. See this link as an example: http://wikitree.sdms.si/default.htm?report=err6&Query=Mississippi+&MaxErrors=1000&ErrorID=724 [click the FIND SUGGESTIONS button to generate the list]

Hope that helps!