Why I use WikiTree

Absolutely the best online Genealogy website

Photo by June Hansen on Unsplash

For my 2nd Tools & Techniques Tuesday, I want to talk about why I chose to start working exclusively in WikiTree in 2019. WikiTree is a fun Wikipedia style collaborative shared ONE TREE online platform for documenting the people in your family tree available to anyone who wishes to join. Joining only requires an email address. For my goals, this platform really checks all the boxes.

So, let’s unpack all those terms I just used as well as the reasons why I think WikiTree is the future of ancestry documentation. To explain I’ll be using examples from sites like FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, and MyHeritage.com, so hopefully you’ll have some experience with one or more of those. Additionally, I’m just skimming the surface here, so come back for more in-depth posts on WikiTree in the future.

• One Tree
  
  Of the three websites above, FamilySearch is a one tree system and the other two are not. On WikiTree, as on FamilySearch, there is only one Patricia Joan Warner, only one Richard Campbell Rogers, and only one Saphyre in the over 39 million profiles. Of course, duplicates can exist, but for both websites, there is a process for merging them.
  
  Depending on the privacy set on the profile, it can be public or private, and either open or closed (for editing) determined by a choice of 7 different levels set at the creation of the profile. Of the above 3 linked profiles, Pat and Dick have open profiles because they are dead and have been for several years. However, my profile is private and other than what I have designated as public, all facts are not only not able to be edited but are also hidden unless you have permission.
  
  Why does this matter? This serves so many purposes that I couldn’t list them all, but my absolute favorite is that all changes done on any profile in the tree show up for everyone. My own goal in doing my multiple lines of research is sourced, reliable facts about my ancestor and their family, that puts them in a time and place that can then be used to tell their story. I love doing research, but since that isn’t my end game, I don’t mind if someone else has done some of it for me.
  

• Wikipedia style
  As its name suggests, WikiTree is a wiki style website. All pages are accessible to everyone, and once registered, you can edit any page, including profiles as well as tons of other types of pages. I know bunches of genealogists for whom that would be a terrifying prospect. I can hear you in my comments, telling me about the time your cousin/aunt/random person on the internet screwed up months of research on a profile you had so carefully worked on. I get it - I do. However, a part of the Wikipedia concept is that all of us who edit, hold responsibility to be adding information that is factual and able to be proven in some manner. Obviously, there are levels of “proof” but if you personally knew one of your dead relatives (for example I knew my mother and my brother), that is a valid source as long as I include it in the “sources” section at the bottom.
  
  It is encouraged that a format be followed, and that sources are formatted with the Chicago Manual of Style, if possible. Honestly, as long as your source citation includes what, where and (if online) a link, then you have done enough. The genealogists I’ve met on WikiTree are much more interested in having good profiles with documented facts, than worrying about which style you write in.¹
  

• Collaborative
  We are all working towards the same goal of having a solid family tree. On WikiTree we work together to both add to the tree with new profiles, as well as improve ones that are already a part of the tree. These might be profiles you have created and still manage, or others that are a part of your ancestry that you’d like to work on, or perhaps just orphaned profiles that need a little love. All changes to a profile are logged as a part of the profile and easily looked at by clicking on the “changes” tab. In the instance above of feeling like your work was lost, there are ways to restore it. Additionally, having an optimistic view of the person who made the changes helps as you reach out to resolve your differences regarding the profile. There is a set method to deal with this sort of thing and respect is a big part of that.
  
  As a genealogist on WikiTree, you control how you participate. If all you want to do is add/maintain the profiles of people that you are related to, there are thousands of people who likely do just that. They go along quietly, adding to a profile and carefully building the tree.
  
  However, for people who are more socially inclined, there are challenges, (weekly, monthly, yearly), connect-a-thons, source-a-thons, groups, forums, projects and more, and if you don’t see one that you’d like there are multiple ways to create something. I participate in the ‘thons, some of the challenges and a few other things. This year I’m getting ready to participate in the WikiTree games at the end of the month on the Collaborative Conifers team. We will be competing to improve and add to our tree in 4 different events.
  
  Finally, help is generally easily found, both online (WikiTree is exceedingly well documented) as well as through participation in the forums. If you can’t find an answer to a problem, lots of people will offer a solution if you post on the forums. While I have seen a few less than gracious answers on our Facebook group, in my 5 years on WikiTree, I have never seen a snarky answer to a question, and I’ve never had a difficult interaction with another genealogist. It is the friendliest online community I am a part of.
  

• FREE
  Did I mention that WikiTree is completely free? As in - no subscription fees, no access fees, absolutely, completely zip, zero, nada.
  

• What you won’t find on WikiTree
  Something that you will not find on WikiTree is records. On both FamilySearch and Ancestry, as well as a large number of other websites, you can search on that website to find records. Both of the two websites offer differing sets of records, both indexes and images, to “attach” to your person. Once attached, it becomes a “source”. On WikiTree, the sources come from anywhere valuable resources might come from. An in-person interview is just as relevant or even more so than a family bible entry. The record itself is not part of the profile, however, it should be documented in the “sources” section at the bottom. Worried about the format? WikiTree has you covered with a browser extension that will format the citation for you…²

WikiTree has so many features there is no way to talk about them all, but the collaboration, the ability to really customize profiles for my ancestors that are beautiful and thoughtful as well as working together towards finding the facts about ancestors I share with others has been so helpful to my work to create the stories I want to write. I encourage you to check out WikiTree and see if it fits your needs. Feel free to comment below.

1. For records sourced on certain websites, there is even a handy browser extension that will take the record (or set of records) and format your sources for you, ready to paste into a profile. There is even an option to have it write a narrative to go with the record! More on that in a later post.

2. Ibid.