How do I index an image of my choice?

GustavoFarias84

If I go to Get involved → Indexing I have to choose a project where I'm going to index documents of that project.

Is there a way to index the images or documents for the people in the tree I'm building?

barbaragailsmith1

No. We choose a project and get a batch to index that the system gives us.

Áine Ní Donnghaile

@GustavoFarias84

FamilySearch has been trying to offer "Indexing on the Fly" for several years. I think it may have been 2012 the first time I heard that option mentioned in a RootsTech presentation. Indexing on the Fly would mean that those of us who spend time in unindexed records could index our finds to make them easier for the next person to find.

The truth is that indexing that way just hasn't worked out yet. Even editing an existing index can be very problematic. The tools aren't quite up to the task. The index may simply disappear - making the record unfindable in a search. Or, the information added may not stick - so the time spent is lost, as well as the information.

For now, if we want to index, we need to use the project system. Or, if we want to work in unindexed records, we need to attach the records to the relevant tree profile(s) but not try to index them.

Áine Ní Donnghaile

2012: https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/an-inside-look-at-the-future-of-familysearch-indexing

2016: http://www.ancestryinsider.org/2016/03/rootstech-robert-kehrer-familysearch.html

GustavoFarias84

Sad to hear that, @Áine Ní Donnghaile

Just for clarification. When you say "editing an existing index" do you mean adding people and highlighting text like the image below? Or it's done using the indexing tool?

I can't really tell the difference. If I'm getting info from images and typing them so they can be searched, isn't it indexing?

Áine Ní Donnghaile

By editing an index, I mean something as simple as correcting the spelling of my grandfather's surname from Burger to Burgess.

GustavoFarias84

Ok. It's like in the image. Adding people, editing people etc.

I've been editing indexes (without being aware of that) for 3 days, without major problems. Maybe I'm too naive to notice. The problems I noticed where:
- when you create a new person you must move it to one of the groups already in the index or it will be gone if you leave the page.
- I can't use the "Estimated birth year". I get an error upon save.
- the highlight system is a bit annoying because you always need to click "new highlight". A keyboard shortcut would be great.
- when a document is about 5 people and I attach it as source to each of them, I have to navigate to each of them to put the date and change title, which in my opinion makes no sense.