Random user unnecessarily altering or deleting important details

41STM

I have been tasked by my immediate, distant and extended relatives to collect and build the most accurate family tree on this platform.

Over the last 2 weeks, a user has been altering or deleting details that have been added & referenced correctly by myself (these records are available on other platforms, too).

I have restored some of the changes been made this last week, however the user has now resorted to deleting restored details. I have attempted to contact the user to no avail.

Any recommendations on what to do, as I believe the only other thing to do is leave this platform completely.

[side note]

I have noticed that this user in particular is banned from using these forums but not the website, if that is an indicator of this persons nature using this platforn.

Áine Ní Donnghaile

You can try reporting the other user's changes as abuse. Be prepared to supply specific evidence. I've been through the process a few times, and it can take quite a bit of time and energy. The bar for "abuse" is quite high.

Report abuse is under Tools in the right column, below Latest Changes.

Good luck.

Family Bible

Your comment: "I have been tasked by my immediate, distant and extended relatives to collect and build the most accurate family tree"

. . . . though I am a great supporter of the collaborative approach that FamilySearch provides with the FamilyTree section of its system

NONE the less - if you really are trying compile what you consider the largest and most accurate data for a given family tree - and want to have control over what gets entered or deleted.

Then I really question whether FamilySearch Family Tree is the place for you.

You will probably find it a NEVER ending battle - for you to keep the data just exactly as you want it to be.

RATHER you are much better off - keeping a local copy of your "purist" database (using a system like Roots Magic or Ancestral Quest or other similar programs) - so that you don't have to worry about other users changing the data in ways you feel are incorrect or just not what you would want.

Once you do have your local database exactly as you want it - THEN you can upload a GEDCOM to Familyearch - but just to the GENEALOGIES section of FamilySearch (which is not the same as the Family Tree area) - uploading just to the Genealogies area - allows you to retain total control of that database that has been uploaded to that section of FamilySearch,

tying to keep a section of FamilyTree - just as you alone wish it to be - will be a never ending battle

It is by design a collaborative system - which means that other people can and will make changes that you dont always agree with - and which you may consider blatantly wrong.

If you feel that someone is consciously maliciously and blatantly trying to corrupt the system on a regular basis - then you should report it as abuse

BUT you will really need to PROVE that it is malicious and conscious and repeated - before FamilySearch will take serious your abuse report.

someone simply changing info that you entered - in and of itself - is NOT considered abuse.

FamilySearch Family tree - is NOT a place where ONE person gets to decide what is the most accurate set of data for a given portion of the family tree. (especially when we are talking of thousands of records)

I think you are setting yourself up for failure - based on some flawed assumptions that Family Tree is the way to go . . . for maintaining the "most accurate database"

41STM

https://community.familysearch.org/en/discussion/comment/476023#Comment_476023

Thank you for your input. I wasn’t aware of some of the features you have referenced, so I will be sure to take that into consideration going forward.

I have been fortunate enough to inherit more local/offline details, documents and such. This platform has allowed me to retrieve many details and have family contribute to the tree in many meaningful ways. It wasn’t until recent that I realize some of the difficulties that I may be faced with. I will be sure to take more time to carefully maintain files offline in conjunction with some of the other features you mentioned.

I appreciate that time that you’ve taken to respond to my enquiry in a meaningful manner.

Sincerely,

Dennis J Yancey

https://community.familysearch.org/en/discussion/comment/476044#Comment_476044

Here are some additional tips for using FamilySearch Family Tree / Memories in preserving your research:

https://yanceyfamilygenealogy.org/fsmemories.htm

Dennis J Yancey

Here is the link to uploading your database to a "genealogies" entry

https://www.familysearch.org/search/genealogies (see the link on the very bottom of the page)