Team Virginia - Connect-a-Thon

Profile managers: Liz Shifflett [send private message], Mindy Silva [send private message], and Virginia Project WikiTree [send private message]

Notice: Team Virginia 2025 - Connect-a-Thon is the current page. For Team Virginia's Source-a-Thon page, click here.

Summer Connect-a-Thon Team Virginia

2019 is the first ever year to have a Connect-a-Thon! The goal for the Connect-a-Thon is to decrease the number of profiles that are not connected to our big tree by spending 72 hours adding new (and sourced!) profiles to already existing ones. We aren't actually connecting Unconnected profiles to the Global Tree, but with each family member that we add to existing profiles that gets those Unconnected profiles one step closer to being attached.

Where to work from

There are a few different ways to choose profiles to add to:

• Work from your Watchlist
  • One of the easiest ways to participate is to work on building out your own family lines. Sometimes we focus so much on our direct lines that we forget about the collateral ones. You can work on building outward, not just upward or downward.
• Work on your Unconnected Profiles
  • If you click on the "Find" menu in the top right of the WikiTree screen and select "Unconnected People", you will see a list of the people on your watchlist who are not yet connected to the main tree. You can sort that list several ways, and also limit it to a particular surname. If you click on the highlighted word "total" in the first paragraph on that page, you will see a list of all unconnected profiles on WikiTree, which works the same way.
• The Connectors Chat Page
  • The Connectors Chat page has tables listing the largest unconnected branches on WikiTree, unconnected branches which are particularly challenging to connect for various reasons, and unconnected notables.
• The DBE Unconnected page
  • The DBE Unconnected page lists reports for different countries in the world, showing unconnected branches with at least one profile which says that the person in the profile was born or died in that country.
• Needs Profiles Created Category
  • This category exists as a way of noting profiles that have sources for family members who do not yet have profiles on WikiTree. For example, a member might have only created a profile for a daughter mentioned in a census. However, the rest of the family still needs to be added to WikiTree.
• See also: Places to find unconnected profiles.

Tracking progress

Stats Progress reports are up to 5 minutes old:

Scoring

Each time you add a new profile to an existing one, you will earn a point. New profiles must have at least one valid source (Find-a-Grave doesn't count).

Prizes

We will be awarding special "2019 Connect-a-Thon" t-shirts as prizes.

1. The top five winners who add the most profiles will get t-shirts.
2. We will draw one participant at random during every video chat (see the section above). You don't need to be in the chat to win but you do need to Register in advance and be participating.

We know that many participants won't be online when their number is drawn. The Connect-a-Thon is running 24-hours a day for 72 hours straight. If you're online for 72 hours we'll be worried about you!

Every participant can get only one t-shirt, therefore:

• If you win a drawing, you can't win again.
• Connect-a-Thon winners will only get one shirt.

Badges for Winners

In addition to the participation badge, the top winners will get the 2019 Connect-a-Thon winner badge. These winners will include:

• The top 10 winners overall.
• Everyone on the winning team who participated (both overall and by average).

If you have Connect-a-Thon questions, please post them in G2G (discussion thread coming soon).

Summer 2019

Schedule

It starts on Friday morning at 8:00 AM EDT (GMT -4), July 12, 2019.

The event runs until Monday at 8:00 AM EDT, July 15, 2019.

Here is a time zone calculator if you need help figuring out the right time in your part of the world.

Don't forget to bookmark our Team Virginia page for stat updates and links to chat!

Video chats

WikiTree will be hosting live YouTube video chats throughout the weekend to cheer each other on and announce t-shirt prize winners. There will be a chat every four hours, around the clock, with one winner drawn per chat.

You can find the schedule and links to the chats here. You can also add the schedule via Google Calendar to get reminders

Friday, July 12, 2019

• 8 am Kickoff: Sarah, Julie, Mags
• Noon: Sarah, Julie, Mags
• 4 pm: Sarah, Julie, Mags
• 8 pm: Julie, Eowyn, Aleš

Saturday, July 13, 2019

• Midnight: Julie
• 4 am: Aleš
• 8 am: Julie
• Noon: Sarah, Julie, Mags
• 4 pm: Sarah, Julie, Mags
• 8 pm: Julie (maybe)

Registration

You need to register in advance.

Simply post an answer saying "Yes, I'd like to participate" along with what team you'd prefer, if any (Say: Team Virginia!!!)

After you post, we will award you the participant badge.

To participate you need to be a WikiTree member who has signed the Honor Code. If you're not already a member, login as a Guest now. You'll be invited to "volunteer" to help grow WikiTree. There are a few steps involved, but it's all just about verifying that you understand what WikiTree is about.

The cut-off date for registering is midnight on Wednesday, July 10, 2019.'

If you have any trouble or questions, contact Eowyn.

Summer 2020

Make sure to put the Connect-a-Thon on your 2020 calendar!