Joining Us

It says you can add people, invite them, & merge with them...but none are required. I'd still like to invite & merge provided it's not much of a hassle. Please learn these things so it's not much of a hassle.

If you're added/invited then you're invited to a shared tree. Please don't upload GEDCOM files here. Please look around the tree before adding immediate family. Please search the directory before adding extended family. And please note if you do add anybody you're manager of that profile or memorial until/unless you can get the owner in to claim it themselves.

This means if you add people & create duplicate profiles & memorials you're responsible for cleaning up your own mess. If you don't know how to merge duplicates Geni has a blog, forum & help files plus support tickets plus here's a tutorial: http://geni-tutorial.blogspot.com. If you still can't get it please go to Geni. But whatever you do - please do not leave your mess for others to stumble across. If you don't have the time to dedicate to this first of all don't add people but then just delete your duplicates.

Please don't mess with the way our names are displayed. We use normal typing (Dawn LeForce) & we use maiden names if we have 'em. Type in their first name. Because adding nicknames is an extra step if you want to add them after the first name in parenthesis that's cool w/ me. There's a slot for the middle name & if all I have is an initial I've been adding it without a period. There's a slot for the maiden name...just add it...parenthesis aren't required as they're automatically put around it. Then there's a slot for the last name. There's another slot for "display name"...but I only use it when this person's a reverend or doctor or some other such title.

Then if you have trouble seeing & want bigger text or if you want to see maiden names only or otherwise want anything special with the way the name's displayed...edit your settings or preferences (via tree view). This way it globally affects only you versus everybody else connected to that profile or memorial.

When it comes to editing & especially deleting make sure you're the manager of that profile or memorial & there's no notes. Only edit if you can edit...not to change the way the name's displayed. If it's a duplicate...contact the managers & tell them...let them merge it. And do not delete it. Again...contact the manager & let them delete it or at least tell you that you can delete it.

Finally when it comes to merging if you've uploaded a GEDCOM file & created a mess do not try to merge with us. Go to Geni...clean up your mess (zombies & stacked merges)...& when it's one of your people to one of our people come back.

Equally if you do something with the display names to make things easier for yourself please do not merge with this tree. We normally don't do anything special with our names so if you do & we merge we're going to have conflicting info even if it's the exact same info. Also due to a bug it's an extra step in the "clean up the mess" process. Unless you're prepared to handle merging & any problems the way you do things causes again please don't request to merge anything with this tree.

If you've added biblical characters, historical myths, royal lines not connected to your family or anything non-human's lineage in this FAMILY HISTORY site please do not merge with this tree. Because if you do it'll force me to find a way to disconnect even if I've gotta do a lil damage to my own work just to do it. Then you will not only be on my crap list...you will be on the crap list of many around here.

I think not only asking you not to collaborate but also not to connect to anybody who does is probably asking too much. But I do put GEDCOM files & collaboration on the same level. There's some pro collaborators who keep it with family...& I dearly love 'em for it. But there's others who insist since we're all related we should have equal access to everything else they're going to hijack it. Due to them I really wish the feature would be dropped.

However...I don't think asking you to stick with the surname(s) we merged is asking too much. Even then you should only edit if you have something important to add not to change the display name & you should only delete or merge after discussing it with the manager. But if we merge LeForce then you have no biz editing, deleting or merging Jones. Leave such things to the managers.

You need a map for this trip. If you've forgotten yours please pull over & ask for directions cuz this is not at all the place to get lost. You could sneeze & lose all 4 tires here...be left sitting on bricks. Their bi-line has been & still is in some place "we're all related". It should say "the biggest puzzle the world's ever seen". If it does then you know they got it from this here hag right here. ;-)