User Added Hints or Flags on Family Tree
I have been looking through the Family Tree attaching record hints and fixing problems for a while, and I had an idea that I thought would be very helpful.
It would be very nice if a user could add something like the AI/algorithm added Data Problem, Record Hint or Research Suggestion flags that are visible on the Family Tree Page.
The core of this idea is a flag that users can place in an individual which are visible on the family tree.
This could make it easier to come back to problems that you've seen in the past and could alert other users to potential problems that they may have an easier time resolving and/or understanding. In addition it would also allow users to better communicate potential problems in the tree to other users.
Thank you for reading and considering my idea, have a good day.
If the following are ideas for a possible implementation and are not the core idea:
- Flags could be attached from the person page of the person to be flagged, the option to flag a person could be found in the tools section.
- The flag comes with a note explaining the reason the person was flagged.
- The flag would be removed by the person who placed the flag (or someone with administrator privileges or something).
- Flags could be reported.
- The flag would have a comments section so that users can communicate potential problems with the flag or how they resolved it so the person can remove it.
- The person who created the flag would get notifications when comments are added.
- There would be a maximum number of flags each user can add at a time, (this would exist to prevent people from flagging unnecessarily and/or excessively so that flags do not fill up excessive server space and so that users do not make large numbers of unhelpful flags. In short, it prevents people from abusing the flags.)
- There would be a list of flagged pages so they can navigate back to those flags easily.
- The flags would appear on the Family Tree page so people can see data problems and other issues identified by other users (as there are some problems that the AI/Algorithm cannot detect).
- The flags may come in different colors depending on their importance or meaning:
- These flags could be hidden separately or completely, so, for example, you only see significant error flags, (and not potential or minor error flags) or so you don't see community flags at all.
- Significant Error Flag: Similar to the AI/Algorithm's Data Problems flag, this denotes an error of high importance. (i.e. two or more families were merged when they weren't supposed to be, or the individual supposedly was in 2 places at once)
- Potential Error Flag: This denotes a potential error (i.e. this person has two children named "Jhon" and they both lived to adulthood, which it highly unlikely, or this person has no sources)
- Needs Research or Minor Errors: This may denote a person with little information or a person that has minor errors, such as spelling errors.
- Personal Flag: Personal flags would only be visible to the user and would exist solely to help users identify specific ancestors in the family tree.
- Personal flags may not show up in research helps, would come in different colors.
- If the other flags exist, then Personal flags would be more fun than helpful (i.e. you can flag parts of your family tree by occupation so you can view your family tree by occupation similar to the birth place fan chart view, or flag anyone in your family tree who was a pirate, making you own fun activities similar to some of the things on the activities page, and making fun things you have found easier to find again). They would not be a necessary addition to the program, but would be fun. They also would lessen any temptation to abuse error flags for the same reasons you would use personal flags.
- If all flags are personal flags, they would still be very helpful as they would improve navigation on the family tree page.
- Personal flags could be stored on the user's computer or in their browser so they would not take up space intended for things visible to everyone.
- If this is done, they may not count towards the maximum flag count.
- A user may have the option to hide a flag, so it does not appear on the family tree from their account if they do not want to see it. (i.e. they communicated to the user that placed the flag that they resolved the flag and are waiting for them to remove it, or they believe the flag is incorrect and they do not want to see it, etc.)
- The flags could show up in the same places as Research Helps, and would help the community to help each other (and themselves) to navigate the tree and to identify and solve problems.
Thank you for your patience in putting up with my (probably excessive) rambling suggesting a massive volume of ideas for implementation that I believe would further improve this idea or potential function. Have a very good day.