BAD MERGES ALERT!

Often the "ghost" profiles (no manager shows) are skimpy on information, making a good merge difficult.

And they also may contain out dated / since disproved information.

Suggestions from (bitter experience)

- Go DOWN the tree as far as you can and merge at the MOST RECENT. Most likely to be most accurate.

- merge into the Master Profile if any, and be sure to read MP notes, if any

- don't be afraid to "split the tree" if unsure, and if you don't have access rights, ask a curator to do so for you. We have a dedicated "sticky" discussion for curator assistance (PRO's welcome to join in)

https://www.geni.com/discussions/142108

A good match will come back in; better to split and merge a "broken" tree back in at another point

- if you see "parents unknown" place holder profiles, use them, they are there because the parents really are unknown. (see outmoded research note above)

--- two choices:

-- split the tree there
-- or merge in to become unknown and disconnect the spurious parents.

- pay attention to geography. Names & dates are rarely enough info to affirm a match.

- curators can UN do a merge, don't be afraid to ask for it, see thread above

- IF the tree leads to "nobility" be very, very skeptical.

I told u guys this was going to be a cluster storm...

Growing pains. I have had my tree expanded with new data, this is on goal. And we have the dups under some control in around two months, compared with the mess of GEDCOM uploads I walked into in 2010. So on balance, let's just continue to apply what we've learned, so geni can scale up most comfortably and most accurately for all.

You can lead a human to knowledge but u can't make them think is what it comes down to Erica Howton There are some areas I will give credit where it is due but other areas i do not share your enthusastic appraisal such far

Michael - with all due respect, your perspective on tree growth and its associated growing pains might be a bit different from mine. I do A LOT of merging. You don't do any. So right there we have two different points of view.

My frustration with geni profiles is not the dups. The tools for dealing with them get better & better.

My frustration is with the human genealogists who don't bother contributing notes & sources to profiles.

If you did that for even a small portion of the profiles you manage, I would salute your work as a shining example of everyone contributing to this collaborative venture.

Good advice Erica Howton. And Private User you are correct to be telling users to be cautious with the merges.

I have done maybe 3000 merges now, mostly of these type of profiles. I have had to detach the earliest ancestors from incorrect parents quite often.

In general, I prefer the information on the existing Geni profiles. Sometimes however there is additional and even better information on the other tree.

"I have had to detach the earliest ancestors from incorrect parents quite often."

This is why you'll see Hatte & me and other curators concentrated at the tree tops.

Crossing that water in Europe is a genealogical Holy Grail.

And new information is DISproving more than affirming the Antiquarian beliefs still in circulation.

I'm glad we got mention of "notes" in.

Write them.

Read them.

:)

Thanks for all the hard work you all do, it is very appreciated.

I'm sorry I was a bit snappy.. It's Just that Private User knows well what I am talking about when They say certin people have obcessions with royal lines and public familes.. I Shudder to think of how many times she's had to untangle the robert e lee side cause people keep ignoring the notes and clinging to their old fashioned beleifs because they don't want to be told other wise.. I am constantly having to tell people there is NO Known connection from my earliest douglas imigrant to king james iv because of sources that have been disproven (hint think dna)
I do try to create Notes as much as I can when I am sure they are accurate however My remark was made torwards people that ignore them. And I agree with Leanne your work is appreciated. And I have My own reasons for not doing merging some times I am Not even sure If I am doing them right etc etc How ever Enough negativy about that..

Michael - if you're not comfortable merging, then don't. All contributions are welcome, in whatever form they take.

But don't take a "teaching" discussion as an opportunity to bash those who "are.". It's not fair.

Michael, I also have ongoing trouble with various White lines because Emma Siggins White. :-P

Naive researchers (I was one once, too) think she knows what she's talking about, when she either doesn't, or is deliberately making stuff up.

I have merged approx 3700 profiles now in the past few weeks. It's tedious and takes me away from other work, but I consider it worth it.