Simple Help Guide Pages for Newbies and Long Time Users to Family Tree

LegacyUser

Sandy Jackson said: Seems like the problems we run into when people don't know the proper standardizing and basics of Family Tree.

My suggestion is right after signing in with a new account and every now and than for older users of the database. When signing on-several quick "screens" to read and click through. Some ideas:

1. Explain FT is One World Tree . . . Collaborative . . .to keep everything standardized for the database can find the best records available. So we all follow the same procedures.
2. Standardized Dates 20 December 1846. If seen as i.e. 20DEC1846, Click edit-click to right of date-press space bar- Click on the date that shows up with the calendar icon. No extra characters ", etc. Can use about, before, after typed before the date.
3. Standardized Places. If incorrect such Quakertown,Bucks Co,PA. Click at right after PA.-press the space bar- Click on the proper place with map icon and view the suggested dates listed for the particular place.
4. Proper Name Case for both names and places. Only first letter capitalized. Not ALL caps for the surname.
5. One World Tree, be aware their changes and who has made them are seen from everyone descended from that ancestor. This is everyone's tree.
6. Spelling of surname names may vary even within the family. Look at individuals first names/dates of birth so not to add duplicate families/individuals into the database.

This just might help those of us that are having to correct, email and explain to others who feel they ought to do it the way they want.

Thanks for reading
SandyKJ

LegacyUser

Tom Huber said: When communicating with those who make changes to the people who I am watching, I often mention two sources: The Family History Guide (http://thefhguide.com/) and the beta site https://beta.familysearch.org/.

Keep in mind that FamilySearch does not promote any particular site, and it has been suggested a number of times that The Family History Guide be noted for beginners, but this is something that FS will not do.

Be very careful in what you suggest -- for instance, standard entries should not replace more accurate address locations. An explanation about what they are for and the why would resolve a lot of misunderstandings. A recent discussion thread talked about this: https://getsatisfaction.com/familysea...

If I run into a change that has recently occurred and needs correcting, I leave a message for the user who made the change (note: if the change is old -- that is more than a couple of months -- then I will not send the user a message) that contains one of more of the following

-- Thanks for their interest in making the person's record as accurate as possible.
-- The person or family involved and my relationship.
-- My thoughts and sources with respect to the changes they made.
-- The corrections I made to their incorrect changes and why I did it.
-- Request that before they make changes that they study the record, including the sources that are attached, any notes and stories that may be included in memories.
-- Remind them (if they have not provided a source or a reason) that sources are crucial to establishing conclusions and facts, and that a person's reasoning is needed to let others know what research and thinking was done to reach those conclusions.
-- What I did to correct what I perceived to be incorrect material.
-- Thank them in closing for their interest in making the record as complete as possible.

LegacyUser

Robert Wren said: I still maintain it would be VERY HELPFUL for new users to be proffered an introduction to the Family History Guide. It could solve a LOT of problems and greatly increase the knowledge of those just starting in the FSTree.

https://getsatisfaction.com/familysea...

Another of those items, I still can't understand "WHY NOT?"

LegacyUser

Gordon Collett said: As Tom alludes to, please be aware that a place name does not need a map pin to be properly standardized. Standardization refers to the underlying geocode assigned to the place name that is displayed, not to how that name is displayed. You do not need to use a place name in the drop down menu.

See:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/...

LegacyUser

Juli said: Because it's a different entity (company/organization), so FS has no control over its continued existence and applicability?

Why FS doesn't come up with something of its own is a different question. Part of it is certainly the oft-cited "limited resources", and I'm sure "not reinventing the wheel" is also a factor.

But the fact is, even if FS did come up with an excellent primer and positioned it front and center, people _still_ wouldn't get it. They'd gloss right over the important parts without comprehending any of it. I know this because WikiTree for example has the communal, shared nature of the tree on all of its "sign up" and "get started" pages, and yet their forum gets at least one question daily in the "my tree" vein.

Three things to keep in mind: people don't read, people don't read, and people don't read.

LegacyUser

Sandy Jackson said: This was meant to be a suggestion, from support for Family Tree to use suggestion, to the techs over Family Tree to create a few pages that would introduce people to the "desired" basics of using Family Tree.

From one of the users I contacted to suggest something she'd could do, suggested the idea of receiving basic instructions when getting started. "She didn't know or understand." My suggestion was based and formulated on that suggestion and other replies that weren't as nice.

Most people do appreciate basic directions about getting started and doing things right when starting in a new database/program.

IF they realize others will be seeing the changes they are making, they maybe more cautious of their changes.

The basic understand of basic standardization which helps the database to find more records hints that match their ancestor will only help them in their quest to learn about that ancestor and build that part of the tree.

Most people do read if presented with simple-basic instructions presented in a few pages they need to click continue/next to proceed.

Most people will not go to thefhguide.com which is total overload for very basic getting started directions. Neither will they know about that site when first getting started.

And I have contacted many people, thanking them for their work, etc. then suggesting . .

I have gotten back several not so nice replies implying just who do I think I am and what gives me the right to correct them. Their reply is curt and with the attitude, I will do as I want. Then I go into help/support, copy the support document and send the the URL and paste in the response to send to them.

A few simple pages of basic instructions could prevent many of these misunderstandings and inappropriate responses.

LegacyUser

Gordon Collett said: I do think your idea is a good one and they do attempt it with the "Getting Started" link which is the first item in the help menu.

My previous post was to just point out a dangerous over simplification in your item number three with a side intent to too subtlety point out the great difficulty in coming up with a simple help guide. Likewise #2 neglects to point out that you can put anything you want or need before date to improve accuracy and clarity and standardize the date just fine by picking the date without the calendar icon.