Help:Adopt-a-page/Getting Started

"Watching" wiki pages
The first thing you will need to do is set the page you've adopted to "watch" status, which will notify you of any changes made to those pages. Here's how:


 * Once you have logged into FamilySearch and are on a Wiki page you have adopted, there is a small white star outlined in blue.
 * Click on the star and it will turn blue. A dialogue box will appear with a note indicating you are now watching that page.
 * To find a list of pages you are watching, click on the "Watchlist" link found above the search box in the right hand corner of the screen.
 * “Watching” will cause an e-mail to be generated to you any time another user makes an edit to a Wiki page you are watching. The email includes a link to show the changes made on the Wiki page. To continue getting email notifications for the page you are watching, you must be logged into FamilySearch and visit the page to view the changes.

Policy changes and guidelines
You will be notified of any policy and guideline changes that are made that will impact your role as an adopter.

Creating your user page
As an adopter, it is important for you to create a Wiki user page. On this page you can include information about you and about the organization adopting the page, if applicable.


 * 1) At the top of the page on the right hand side there is a small icon followed by your User Name. Click on the User Name and your User Page will appear.
 * 2) Before you make your first edit to your user page, a message will display there saying "This page has not been created yet." Do not let that confuse you; just click on Edit This Page and begin typing.

Ideas for your user page
A user page is a great place to tell a bit about yourself and link to wiki articles and other sites you find helpful. There are no requirements about what user pages must contain -- they exist to help users -- but here are some ideas of what you might add:


 * A Personal Section telling a little bit about you.
 * A section about your personal genealogical projects.
 * Links to pages you moderate.
 * Links to Help pages you use often.
 * A section about any genealogical associations with which you are affiliated, and your responsibilities there.
 * A section that suggests the types of improvements that are still needed on pages within the topic area you oversee.

To learn more about user pages, see Help:User page and FamilySearch Wiki:User page. To see a couple good examples of user pages, see User:JensenFA and User:Cottrells.

Thanks for adopting!
Now that you have completed these tasks, you are ready to start adding information to the pages you've adopted.