FamilySearch Wiki:Community Dialogue Chronological

Introduction

This is a month-by-month listing or summary of conversations between Wiki contributors which take place in meetings and forum threads. The purposes of this list include:

• Help the Community stay informed quickly and easily
• Document decisions: When they were made, how they were implemented and by whom
• Track the updating of guidelines. This includes Help content, Manual of Style, Projects, and more
• Call attention to ideas and concerns not yet decided, allowing the Community to prioritize action

April 2011

Polls

• Citation Proposal
  • Poll closes April 26.
  • Before you vote, scroll to see the actual proposal.
  • To read the forum thread leading up to this poll, see Working Reference Citation Proposal
• Should we subscribe new Adopters and Moderators to this forum by default? Only 4 votes, all "Yes." The comments made were insightful about keeping current and inclusive.
• Should Adoption sign be @ top or bottom of adopted pages lacking infobox/topic box? 17 votes, 12 Top, 5 Bottom. Discussion (22 posts) is interesting.
• Should adoption of a well-developed page be decided by its original contributors? 8 votes, all yes. No discussions posted.

Forum threads started
April 13 - 19

• Forum badge test Testing placement of a badge to increase traffic to the forums.
• Long Pages How to make them easier for users. Need your ideas and suggestions in this thread.
• Good change on Wiki home page Suggesting that the home page also needs some community re-thinking.

Added comments on existing threads

• English Contributors Discussion this week (posts 15-19) has turned to links to the FHLC and even to the purpose of the wiki.
• Proposed edit of guiding principles "Free" area Dicussion this week turned to "Creative Commons"
• Tab Header Templates Includes how to find a list of existing templates, and wish lists, including font sizes and other tweeks.
• How best to add "Help" for contributors here Continuing ideas and suggestions
• Greenup County, KY - links act like text Issue added to "known issues" list for engineers. Also discovered why it was happening.

April 6 - 12

• How best to add "Help" for contributors here Please "help" discuss and decide.
• Greenup County, KY - links act like text This is a known problem.
  • Where would contributors look for answers to questions like this? Just by posting a forum thread?

From the Feedback Forum

• Forums Facelift Includes suggestion to increase visibility of Forums.
• ...not responsible for the content of external... Suggestions to make the Terms and Conditions of use or disclaimers more visible. Can engineers change it's placement?
• Title for FHC (Family History Centers)
  

March 30 - April 5

• Working Reference Citation Proposal 8 posts. A continuation of the Citations thread with 18 posts.
• Recognition: Badges users can earn
• Greenup County, KY - links act like text A plea for help.
• Proposed edit of guiding principles "Free" area Suggested slight changes to a guiding principles page. Cottrells made the change.

March 2011

Polls

• Should we subscribe new Adopters and Moderators to this forum by default? Poll closed April 5th.
• Should adoption of a well-developed page be decided by its original contributors? Poll closed April 3rd.
• Should Adoption sign be @ top or bottom of adopted pages lacking infobox/topic box? Poll closed April 3rd.
• Require Adopters to edit a page before Adoption sign is posted? Poll closed Saturday, March 5
  • Results: 55% voted yes, 45% voted no.
  • For updates and further actions, see Require edits before placing adoption signs
• Maximum period of inactivity of Moderators and Adopters Poll closed Saturday, March 5
  • Results: Remove them after... 44% voted 6 months, 33% voted 3 months.
  • For updates of further actions, see Inactivity
• "Three strikes" communication policy for moderators and adopters Poll closed Saturday, March 5
  • Results: Remove them after... 40% voted 4 weeks. 26% each to 2 weeks and 6 weeks. Additional comments were made after polls closed.
  • For updates and further actions, see 3 Strikes
    

Forum Threads Started
March 23 - 29

• Tab Header Templates Interesting templates were found in Wikipedia that give great display options.
  • This needs to be added to the Wiki where contributors can find display options and suggestions for what they can add.
• [Display on a page the number of edits made by a group of users? Wanting to know if there is software that will do this.
• Pennsylvania page Links are now working.
  

March 16 - 22

• Wiki Talk — Dialogue summary: Need for your input
  • Creating a summary of the dialogue from Forums and meetings. Need your ideas and suggestions
• Question of procedure and policy
  • Question arose about procedures when much information may be wrong or offensive (Using American Indian example)
  • Suggestion: contact the project manager (Jimmy Parker in this case)
  • The Wiki is all about making additions/corrections
  • User decided to make changes (did not mention contacting the project leader
• Citations
  • Wants Community guidelines for citing sources in the Wiki
  • A person is digesting what is written and needs updating
  • The Utah page has a good example. So does State of Franklin
  • Comment: There are quite a few different citation styles.... subsequent users can edit the citations if necessary. Don't make it an issue
  • Comment: it should be clear that the form of the citation is not as important as the content
  • Comment: Advanced professionals need great citation guidelines
  • Suggestion: Inform writers of purpose, where guidelines are found, at least type out the basics that others can fix
• Weekly Thumbs up, Thumbs Down Report
• English Contributors
  • Who is being invited to submit? Few contributors for England.
  • Suggested the person and others in England start
  • Suggested that they start with digitized records for England on FamilySearch.org

March 9 - 15

• Over 100 pages of individual histories added Discusses that information about individuals is not appropriate for the Wiki. Suggestions include:
  • Ways to contact a contributer who adds individual names
  • Need to clarify guidelines in Wiki.
  • Meeting discussion (3/15/11) suggested that Welcoming point to the Guidelines.
  • Alternative places to post their information WeRelate.com, BiographicalWiki.com, and GenerationStation.com. Link to your information from the Wiki
    • One place to look concept: As you become aware of others sites to post such information on the Internet, please update Try another wiki

March 1 - 8

• Entries containing references to FamilySearch.org
• User Pages
• Continuum of Engagment
• Getting more information on photos that are upload
• Purpose and Appropriate Topics Calls attention to need for reviewing/updating these pages.
• Start of Moderator Handbook already on Wiki
• Recognition Rewarding Wiki accomplishments
• Genealogy's Star writes about the wiki
• Family Tech posts an article about the wiki

February 2011

Polls

• Proposed: Link from adoption sign to adopter's user page

Forum Threads Started

• Help vs. FamilySearch Wiki namespace

• Should we have substantial prerequisities for moderators?
• Maximum period of inactivity of Moderators and Adopters
• Require Adopters to edit a page before Adoption sign is posted?
• Recruiting Moderators
• "Three strikes" communication policy for moderators and adopters
• Sandbox category
• Another advertising question
• Proposal: Remove sandboxes from search results
• Maintenance Templates/Policy
• Creating Video Trainings

January 2011

Note: This is the month the Wiki Contributor's meeting began. It was an outgrowth of the Tech meeting.

• Proposed: Link from adoption sign to adopter's user page
• Community Center, Village Pump, or something else?

December 2010

Forum Threads Started

Moderators and Adopters

• Relative stewardship of moderators and adopters
• Qualifications of adopters and moderators
• Encouraging User Participation on Adopted Pages
• Page Adopter category
• Moderators and Adopters: level of activity

• Forum Digest: a plan for reaching decisions, implementing ideas

• Affiliate links?
• FamilySearch Wiki Affiliates Logo
• Record Search Updates Archive
• How to account for Indexing when writing wiki projects?
• Welcoming

Display

• Tennessee page restructure proposal
• Why the green border and { ?

Technical problems

• We're going to roll back the database. Recent changes will be lost.
• Vanishing edits

November 2010

Note: This is the month the Wiki Contributor's Corner forum began.

Forum threads started:

Moderators and adopters

• Should we have separate forums for Moderators, Adopters and contributors?
• Moderators - Sharing best practices
• Replacing a moderator or adopter?
• Technical Volunteer duties
• Limit number of pages for moderator or adopter?

All contributors

• Term limits?

• Avoiding Redundance while Meeting User Needs
• Recognition: Adopters, moderators, and contributors
• The Wiki Audience

• Is this Advertising

Display

• Is your image (or map) too wide for a wiki page? Try making a scrolling image!
• Table too wide on a wiki page? Make a scrolling table!