Conflicting Data - Comment from a Curator

Shmuel-Aharon, I look at all the possible variations, If there are 2 the same and 5 the same, I go with the majority. If there is no majority, I go with the primary manager. This was the advice I read in a discussion about 10 months ago.

Shmuel - agreed. The merge issue is only a waving red flag to those who look at conflicting data merge issues.

Putting it in the profile About is in addition. Then the conflict remains recorded even if someone resolves conflicting data incorrectly.

OK I am looking at a conflict.
Male, 9 profiles
First name - used correct capitalization.

Last name - the same

Maiden name blank, no maiden names in this time period.

Current residence - 3 choices Churchyard Rudgwick England, Rudwich, Horsham. I used the churchyard, more data.

Birthdate 3/18/1561 and six others, years only. I used the one with the most data

Birth place Rudgwick, Susex, England. England, Okenshaw, England, Okenshaw United States . I used the one with the most data.

Death date 4/28/1631 again, most data. Four were years only

I believe my choices were better than leaving 9 profiles in limbo

Eldon,
the "more data" options are NOT real "conflicts", just the type of thing that the system can't easily resolve itself. In these cases I agree.

The "majority" is hardly a valid indicator for this type of stuff. The amount of complete CRAP out there is astounding. Never mind getting the details wrong, some TREES are complete junk. I have had to fix the exact same mistake dozens of times...

Shmuel-Aharon, My point is that you go with what seem the most reasonable. By the time you get to the resolve stage, the profiles are pretty much OK. of course if there are serious differences then you need to back off and dig deeper. Issues like titles in the name fields etc should be corrected as you look at the profile if possible. You have took at everything. My original point was that I don't believe a curator should infer that this stuff should not be done unless everything is OK.

I think I've mentioned this before but sometime we have to consider that just because one family member is a match that doesn't mean profiles are the same. This is usually a result of some wrong merges and connections
Or as I like to call it "forced" merges. So any conflicting data left on such profiles would never actually be correct to begin with.

:-)

Eldon, the danger of going with a majority is that quite often, one of the list is the result of a 50-way merge, and the others are single entries - so a 3-to-2 majority may be the result of a 50-to-3 majority the other way at data entry time.

In the absence of a real source (sources trump all!), I tend to look at the merged profile's "About me"; if I can find an indication there, I follow it; if not, I pick the most reasonable and (most important, and I don't always do what I think I should): I make a note of the alternatives and put them into the "about me".

Just looked at a MP. When you look at the source listings next to the dates it shows "World Family Tree Vol. 2, Ed. 1". Is this considered a real source?

Hi Eldon, I think it's a good idea to put that in if it's been used as a source, so it can be taken with a grain of salt!

I was about to add the same conversation here, but as I gladly see, it's been made already. In My Relatives view I only have 9 Tree conflicts and 5 data conflicts either because the merges or data corrections have not been accepted or because I really don't know what the real data is. In the My Collaborators view however the conflicts are in thousands. And I'm not going to guess the correct data.

One suggestion - if you suggest a merge, have a confirmation of merging sent to you when the merge is complete. That way you can go over the tree again to see if there are any tree conflicts.

Second suggestion - if you can't merge someone directly in the tree, search for the same profiles, open the one you have access to into a separate tab first, let it load, then open the second (third etc) one, you don't have access to (and by that I mean that you can't see that profiles tree), into another tab. Go to that tab (the later one) and at the right top click on "Options" and select "Merge This Profile". Type the name of the accessible profile in the box and select! that person from the list (if you don't select it will say something like "This profile has already been merged"), and click "Compare profiles". If the data matches, request to merge. This method seems to work if you can access atleast one of the profiles you want to merge.

i am not goin to be active anymore, this is dumb... anyone can make up their own genealogical tree as they pleases without a care in the wolrd whether is right or wrong...

Eldon Lester Clark You mentioned reading the email you get when a merge is completed. I don't get emails, nor am I finding a way to receive them when a merge I requested is completed (only if a merge on my own profile is done)...what am I missing?

Anita, It is under account settings then notifications. Check or uncheck the boxes.

Jenna XI,
For once I felt like immediately answering. I am not going to read all the comments here. I can just say, that is the way I do it as well. To merge on the tree is where all the problems started.
The only safe way is to open the profiles and do it tis way. Thank you Jenna.
Juds

Eldon Lester Clark I am not seeing it! I am seeing "notify me if someone merges MY profile", but not when someone completes a merge I started or merges a profile I manage...? :(

Anita, I don't know. I have them all checked and all my privacy settings are wide open. Maybe it has something to do with privacy settings. Why dont you talk to Mike Stangel about it

We should be emailing everyone who clicked the "Approve Merge" button. I don't believe we automatically include the profile manager.

Mike...I don't think I have ever gotten an email on that (if I ever did, it was last fall)...do I need to check a setting on my notifications?

I had to look this one up... because requested merges fall under the category of requests, that email is tied to the notification setting labeled "sends me a request" (under the "Email me separately" heading).

Thanks Mike...I turned it back on!

What is the hidden post above? I recieved this but it is blocked so I can't read it.

Dea it was spam from that user who was removed as a user.

The hidden post is SPAM and was reported as such.

Oh well I'm 1 hour late...I realize Angus already answered. LOL

Hi,

I've just joined this project and have not read all posts yet, so if there is an answer already, just point me to it please.

Is there a quick way to see if there is any conflicting data on profiles that I am a manager of?

Job

Go to your merge centre - option Data Conflicts under matches at the top of a Geni page.

This link should also get you there: http://www.geni.com/list/merge_issues?issue_type=completed

Then when you get there, select Managed by Me at Viewing - top right.

I am not sure if that will only show Data Conflicts where you are primary manager, or whether it will also show where you are a manager but not the primary manager.

http://www.geni.com/list/merge_issues?issue_type=completed&merg...

That link might get you straight there

David,

Thanks. I did not have the selection for managed by me.
I see I have some work to do.

Thanks.

May be it would be helpful to add this to to the wiki pages (I do not have a Wiki account yet)

Still another question about this,
Is it possible to see what choices where made to resolve conflicts?
(is the disregarded data saved in some logfile or otherwise that is accessible?)

In that case I would be less reluctant to choose when I'm not completely sure which is correct. Someone would then have the data available to correct my mistakes.