WikiTree's Honor Code: Part 2

 I wrote a post recently called "WikiTree's Honor Code" which introduces my honor code series. You can catch up on the blog post where I covered point number 1 of the honor code here. 

Today I would like to cover number two!

Honor Code: Point Number 2 is... 

We care about accuracy. We're always aiming to improve upon our worldwide family tree and fix mistakes.

We care about accuracy. 

That means we do not make edits to profile information unless we are sure that we are adding or changing information on profiles if we are certain. We make sure we are certain by adding sources, and analysing records.

We also fix mistakes we see on profiles, such as editing typo's, fixing errors, adding sources, helping others.

Wikitree is also a great way for others to contact us. I sometimes receive emails from people who find the profile page for one of their ancestors, that I manage. They are emailing to let me know that I have incorrect information on the profile. 

I will follow up with them and ask for them to provide more detail and if they have sources to back up their information, for me to add to wikitree. And sometimes they provide enough detail for me to easily follow up research to check my information is wrong (which it often is) and I am able to provide sources for the new information I add or remove.

By signing the honor code you are pledging to want to work on profiles, and want profiles to be accurate. You are saying you are willing to contribute to maintaining accuracy, even if that means changing profiles as new information comes to light.

Subscribe to this blog so you don't miss the next post in this series....

 

Diary of a WikiTree Project Leader: Entry 2

 Diary of a WikiTree Project Leader: Entry 2

8th December 2020

See here for Diary of a WikiTree Project Leader: Entry 1!

Today first thing I did was some work for the Profile Improvement Project (PIP) because I am now a voyage guide for this great project!

I then worked on mediation work...this is something that I unfortionately cannot speak about, however you can see on my profile that I have the Mediators badge and therefore, it is no secret that I am a mediator on wikitree. I do this work as part of my Project Leader duties.

I then checked my email. And am now going to reply to a stack of emails.

Click here for all "Diary of a WikiTree Project Leader" Entries!

Wikitree's Honor Code

 To become an active contributor on wikitree you need to sign the "Honor Code" and volunteer.

What is the honor code? 

All of these are great questions and I will attempt to answer it.

What is the "honor code"?

This code is a pledge that community members make to each other. 

WikiTree is free, but it's not a free-for-all. Our community is collaborating to create something special: an accurate single family tree that's free and open to the world. This grand project requires mutual trust and a common understanding of how the community works.

If you were invited by a family member and are just creating or editing a few private family profiles, the following isn't critical. Those who participate at a higher level must agree to this shared code of ethics and principles.The honor code has 9 points of code.

Honor Code Points:

1. We collaborate. When we share ancestors we work together on the same ancestor profiles.
2. We care about accuracy. We're always aiming to improve upon our worldwide family tree and fix mistakes.
3. We know mistakes are inevitable. We don't want to be afraid to make them. We assume that mistakes are unintentional when others make them and ask for the same understanding.
4. We know misunderstandings are inevitable. We try to minimize them by being courteous to everyone, even those who don't act accordingly.
5. We respect privacy. We privacy-protect anything we think our family members might not want public. If that's not enough for someone, we delete their personal information.
6. We respect copyrights. We don't knowingly copy information that's owned by someone else. If we ourselves want to preserve a copyright, we're clear about what's copyrighted so others don't accidentally copy it.
7. We give credit. Although most genealogy isn't copyrighted, researchers deserve credit for the work they've done.
8. We cite sources. Without sources we can't objectively resolve conflicting information.
9. We are united in a mission to increase the world's common store of knowledge. We always respect copyrights and privacy, but we keep information as free and open as possible.

Wikitree's Honor Code: 1. We collaborate.

 This post is the second in the Wikitree's Honor Code series

We collaborate. When we share ancestors we work together on the same ancestor profiles.

1. We collaborate. When we share ancestors we work together on the same ancestor profiles.

Is point number 1 one the honor code and it means that we agree to collaborate!

Collaboration is probably the scariest thing for new members, it was for me, but soon became my favourite thing.

If you join wikitree because you like the idea of one profile per person for every person to have ever lived then you will agree to the idea of collaboration. We need to work together on shared ancestor profiles to make them accurate, and anyone who loves family history knows every descendent has something unique to add to an ancestors profile.

Collaboration means communicating with other, responding to others who contact us, and working together to the common goal of accuracy and well sourced profiles on wikitree.

Collaboration is about joining in and becoming a member of the amazing wikitree community. It means making new friends, helping others, and learning about our ancestors lives. And this idea of collaboration means you become a volunteer. 

Because helping others, adding to profiles, joining in with the community end communicating is the basis of what  volunteering on wikitree is all about. At its minimum this is all that volunteering requires and means.

However, like most who join wikitree (myself included) you will find yourself volunteering more and more as you learn wikitree and begin to love the website.

Click here for the next post in the honor code series...point number 2 on the honor code!

One Name Study

 My interest in family history all began with a desire to find out about my surname Haese. 

The best way to learn about a surname is to start a one name study.

You can find my Haese one name study on wikitree here.