Help:Pre-1700 Badge Removal

Categories: Project Leader Help | Conflict Help

Contents 1 Why Badges are Removed 2 If Your Badge was Removed 3 How to Remove a Badge 3.1 If you're not a Project Leader 3.2 If you're a Project Leader 4 Repeated Badge Removal

Why Badges are Removed

Before adding or editing profiles of people born before 1700, all members are required to:

1. confirm a familiarity with genealogical sources and with the peculiar problems of broad-based collaboration on WikiTree, and
2. coordinate with other members who are working on profiles from the same time period, location, or historical topic, if a project exists.

Number one is done with a Pre-1700 Self-Certification Q&A. To proceed to self-certify, the member must check a box that says, "I certify that I understand these questions and answers and will abide by the community rules they embody." However, deep genealogy on WikiTree is complex and mistakes are often made.

Number two is not always simple. Real communication is difficult, and projects communicate in different ways.

On WikiTree we always assume that mistakes are unintentional. This is point III in our Honor Code.

If a well-intentioned member is making mistakes on pre-1700 profiles, a Project Leader or WikiTree Team Member may temporarily remove the member's badge and contact them so that the member can get help and correct any mistakes before creating and editing more pre-1700 profiles.

If Your Badge was Removed

If your pre-1700 badge was removed you should have been contacted. If you did not receive a message check your e-mail account's spam folder. If you still can't find a message, e-mail info@wikitree.com.

The message should contain specific advice. If you don't understand it or have questions, ask in G2G. If you think you need more personal or private support, contact a mentor or reply to the message and ask how you can get help. We are a community of members who help each other.

If you understand the advice you can retake the self-certification quiz and get the badge back whenever you like.

When retaking the quiz, be sure to read every explanation below each correct and incorrect answer, and follow links to help pages.

Do not check the box that says "I understand these questions and answers and will abide by the community rules they embody," unless you feel completely confident in saying this. If you're at all uncertain, ask for help.

After you get the badge back, do the following:

1. Reply to the Project Leader who removed your badge to let them know.
2. Correct any mistakes on profiles you created or edited before having your badge removed.

Do not proceed to create or edit any additional pre-1700 profiles before doing #1 and #2.

If you disagree with the advice or if your badge was removed inappropriately follow the steps on Help:Problems with Members. Do not retake the quiz and do not make any edits to pre-1700 profiles until the issues are fully resolved.

How to Remove a Badge

Start at Help:Problems with Members, even if you're a Mentor, Ranger, Project Leader, or WikiTree Team Member.

Badge removal must always include:

1. personal, friendly advice to the member, and
2. a Mentor Intervention Request (MIR).

These should be done before the badge removal unless it's an emergency, in which case they can be done directly after.

If you're not a Project Leader

If the Problems with Members process indicates that it's an emergency — because the member is online right now and doing a lot of damage that will be hard to fix later — you will be pointed to Help:Emergency_Blocks.

If it's not an emergency, the Problems with Members process may recommend that you file a Mentor Intervention Request (MIR). On the MIR form you can enter https://www.wikitree.com/quiz/pre_1700 in the top field and include a question number in the explanation. Also include examples of problematic edits the member has made to pre-1700 profiles, and summarize any communication you have had with the member.

If you're a Project Leader

If you are responding to an MIR you can choose to remove a badge in any "lime bucket" or "yellow bucket" case (see the problem management doc).

In a "lime bucket" case simply send a private message or e-mail with a quick explanation and friendly advice, for example:

Always respond to the MIR on the Mediator's list to let other Leaders know you are stepping up to handle it and track the case. Discuss any questions or concerns.

If you are not responding to an MIR start at Help:Problems with Members.

You may need to immediately remove the badge yourself if it's an emergency, i.e. if the steps end at:

• 3A.1.a. Emergency block but not a spammer, or
• 4A. Stopping and dropping would make this an emergency.

In these emergency situations, removing the pre-1700 badge is a less severe alternative to a full block.

After the emergency badge removal, contact the member and fill out the MIR.

If it's not an emergency follow the steps to contact the member and/or file an MIR as the steps recommend. In an MIR you may want to enter https://www.wikitree.com/quiz/pre_1700 in the top field, put a question number in the explanation field, and include detailed examples to help the third-party Leader/Mentor advise the member.

Repeated Badge Removal

If a member has had their pre-1700 badge removed more than once it means that multiple Mentor Intervention Requests (MIRs) have been filed.

The conflict should be escalated to formal mediation.

A mediator can help determine whether the members' badge was removed inappropriately, or if the member understands the rules and is intentionally ignoring them.

Mistakes on WikiTree are common and always forgiven. Knowingly violating rules that our community has developed means that the member should not be part of our community.

This page was last modified 23:06, 7 September 2022. This page has been accessed 2,728 times.