Naming, Date and Placename Standards and Community Behavior
At the moment, I am quite unhappy, using the Family Search Tree, for putting my genealogical research online. I have been researching my ancestors for over tweny years, but distant relatives, even non-relatives, are able to tinker with the information, confusing people, changing their names, dates and places. When I get something wrong, I apologize, and I am willing to correct the mistake. That doesn't happen often on the Family Search Tree. There are some things that I do like, but I believe that it needs some improvements.
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Other users will tell you to make sure all the IDs of your relatives are well sourced and you add as much detail as possible in Collaboration and Life Sketch sections. All good advice, but it won't stop inexperienced or completely careless users from adding children born in a different time period or hundreds of miles away from where your family might have lived their entire lives.
With Family Tree, the open-edit format allows any signed-up user to make any inputs they like. My response to comments like yours (yes, they are very frequent on this forum) is always along the lines of - if you feel the downside outweighs the benefits it might be best to keep your ancestors and relatives in a "safer" environment - i.e. somewhere they can't be the subject to edits or deletions. Some have left the Family Tree project after becoming completely exasperated at what has been done to their relatives' records, others (like me) feel it is (on balance!) right to persevere and carry on working in this huge, "collaborative" project.
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Why not create a new section of the website for new users — providing basic instructions and standards for names, dates, places, etc. Links to some other helpful guidelines would also be helpful: for example:
Getting It Right: Data Entry Standards for Genealogists (columbinegenealogy.com)
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Rickard
Welcome to the "Community.FamilySearch" Forum.
I am just another 'lowly' User/Patron ...
Just in passing ...
There are MANY, in fact, copious "Articles", throughout 'FamilySearch', for NEW Users/Patrons ...
The problem/issue; being, that 'FamilySearch', is an "Umbrella" Programme, for a Number of, SMALLER; and, quite DIFFERENT Programmes.
It all depends, on WHAT "Part", of 'FamilySearch', a NEW User/Patron, is interested (and, wants to work in) ...
eg.
▬ Articles, on the MAIN pages/screens of, 'FamilySearch'; and, the various SMALLER "Programmes"
.... eg. "Family Tree"; "Indexing"; "Search" (Records); "Genealogies"; etc
▬ "Knowledge Articles"
Help Center
https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/landing
▬ "Blog" Articles
https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/
▬ "Research Wiki" Articles
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Main_Page
One of the problems/issues, is that Users/Patrons 'jump in, boots and all', more often than not, NOT "Reading"; and, taking in all the various "Articles".
That is just human nature ...
And, the OTHER "Bonus", is that 'FamilySearch", is FREE ...
ie. HOW "Hard" can it be, attitude.
MANY; Many; many, "New" Users/Patrons, 'Run'; BEFORE, they can 'Walk'.
NO matter HOW much/many "Help" Articles, that a "System" provides, MOST people, DO NOT, even take the time, to a 'look' at them.
I now what I am saying ...
I happen to be a Member of the Church, helping/assisting 'New' Users/Patrons. all the time, for MANY Years ...
And, I have been a Staff Member, of "Family History Centres", of the Church, for many Years ...
Just my thoughts.
Brett
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