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The World Tree is Geni slang for the largest tree on Geni. New users, and even long-time users, are sometimes unsure about the differences between working in the World Tree versus working in standalone trees.
This page is intended to be a quick reference. If you don't find your answer here, look at the Geni Help pages or start a project discussion.
Geni Help: How To: See if You are a Member of the World Family Tree
The original purpose of Geni was to create a world tree, connecting everyone on earth.
However, some users found that they like the Geni platform but they didn't like having to get along with their relatives. Geni's policy is that duplicates should be merged (with agreement from the managers), or else Geni will no longer be a single family tree of the world. Users desiring a private or standalone tree would probably be happier on MyHeritage.com where they will have full control over their tree.
By default, most users start out on Geni in a standalone tree. The exception is a new user who accepts an invitation to join a tree that is already connected to the World Tree.
Users get connected to the World Tree when a profile in their standalone tree is merged with a profile in the World Tree.
All trees on Geni, both the World Tree and all standalone trees, can have public profiles and private profiles.
Geni Help: Chart for Who can View/Edit my Profiles
Geni Help: Chart for Who can View/Edit my Profiles
Geni's normal way of handling duplicates is to merge them.
Geni Help: How to merge your tree
These profiles are in different trees.
Caution: Merging these profiles will merge their trees and could require merging other duplicate profiles.
Note: Geni is NOT the site to maintain a standalone tree. Duplicates WILL be merged into the World Family Tree.
Ask the curators for help with an unusual problem
Curators are volunteers appointed by Geni to help other users. They have some additional user privileges they can use to solve certain routine problems.
Ask the curators to create a Master Profile
Curators can mark profiles as Master Profiles ("MPs").
Some of the reasons for making MPs include:
You can can ask a curator to lock or unlock profiles and fields temporarily, or ask a curator to change locked information. The curator will probably ask you to document your information.
There are two ways to engage other users when you want to discuss a profile.
In Geni slang, a zombie is a profile that is marked as living and therefore private, when it should be marked as deceased and potentially public.
PRO users can add and manage an unlimited number of profiles. Basic users used to be capped at 100 profiles, but can now (2014) add unlimited profiles.
Basic users have certain restrictions on merging and editing profiles.
Collaboration is a tool that has changed over time. In the beginning it was a way for users to give other users the ability to edit profiles they managed. Now, a PRO user can edit any public profile.
Collaboration primarily now benefits Basic users because it extends their ability to edit and merge.
Collaboration also now functions as a reputation system. Someone with many collaborators is widely trusted by the user community. Someone with few collaborators might be new, might be trying to maintain a standalone tree, or might be distrusted by the user community.
Your Family Group extends to your 3rd great grandparents and their descendants. You can also add users to your Family Group.
There are deep philosophical differences within the Geni community between users who belong to the World Tree and users who maintain standalone trees.
The Big Tree (or World Tree) is Geni slang for the largest tree on Geni. New users, and even long-time users, are sometimes unsure about the differences between working in the Big Tree versus working in standalone trees.
This page is intended to be a quick reference. If you don't find your answer here, look at the Geni Help pages or start a project discussion.
Geni Help: How To: See if You are a Member of the World Family Tree
The original purpose of Geni was to create a world tree, connecting everyone on earth.
However, some users found that they like the Geni platform but they didn't like having to get along with their relatives. Geni's current policy (2014) is to allow standalone trees for users who want them.
By default, most users start out on Geni in a standalone tree. The exception is a new user who accepts an invitation to join a tree that is already connected to the Big Tree.
Users get connected to the Big Tree when a profile in their standalone tree is merged with a profile in the Big Tree.
All trees on Geni, both the Big Tree and all standalone trees, can have public profiles and private profiles.
Geni Help: Chart for Who can View/Edit my Profiles
Geni Help: Chart for Who can View/Edit my Profiles
Geni's normal way of handling duplicates is to merge them.
Geni Help: How to merge your tree
These profiles are in different trees.
Caution: Merging these profiles will merge their trees and could require merging other duplicate profiles.
Ask the curators for help with an unusual problem
Curators are volunteers appointed by Geni to help other users. They have some additional user privileges they can use to solve certain routine problems.
Ask the curators to create a Master Profile
Curators can mark profiles as Master Profiles ("MPs").
Some of the reasons for making MPs include:
You can can ask a curator to lock or unlock profiles and fields temporarily, or ask a curator to change locked information. The curator will probably ask you to document your information.
There are two ways to engage other users when you want to discuss a profile.
In Geni slang, a zombie is a profile that is marked as living and therefore private, when it should be marked as deceased and potentially public.
PRO users can add and manage an unlimited number of profiles. Basic users used to be capped at 100 profiles, but can now (2014) add unlimited profiles.
Basic users have certain restrictions on merging and editing profiles.
Collaboration is a tool that has changed over time. In the beginning it was a way for users to give other users the ability to edit profiles they managed. Now, a PRO user can edit any public profile.
Collaboration primarily now benefits Basic users because it extends their ability to edit and merge.
Collaboration also now functions as a reputation system. Someone with many collaborators is widely trusted by the user community. Someone with few collaborators might be new, might be trying to maintain a standalone tree, or might be distrusted by the user community.
Your Family Group extends to your 3rd great grandparents and their descendants. You can also add users to your Family Group.
There are deep philosophical differences within the Geni community between users who belong to the Big Tree and users who maintain standalone trees.