User talk:Jbparker

[This statement, or something like it, would go on the Main Page as the invitation or "teaser" to get people to contribute.]

Would you like to add something to this Wiki? Whether it's something small or a full article, it's easy! Click here for a guide to contributing on FamilySearch Research Wiki.

[The following would be a separate page and would be kind of an umbrella article to lead contributors to how-to articles, hopefully, without overwhelming them with more information than they need to know initially. Everywhere it says "Here's how," there would be a link to a more detailed, step-by-step article on that subject. Many of these pages already exist. We just need to provide a simple, user-friendly "table of contents" for the contributor. All of this needs some more thought and work. It is at the conceptual level only right now.]

Notes from other wiki contributors
Hey there! I noticed you've done some great work on Indians of Maryland -- thanks! As the barn raising winds down, I want to get a feel for how each article on the Maryland Barn Raising Tasks is coming along so I can tell where to allocate any help that contributors can give for a last push. Could you either send me a message by editing my User Discussion page or go to the Maryland Barn Raising Tasks page and update the column on the % of "doneness" the article is at now? Ritcheymt 15:52, 16 February 2009 (UTC)

Getting started as a Contributor
Anyone can use the Research Wiki to obtain information about research and records, just about anywhere in the world. Some localities are becoming fairly well-developed. For other localities, little is known. Even in the more well-developed areas, there is always more detail that is known by only a few people. Maybe one of those people is YOU!

We welcome your input, even if that input is only information about the location of an obscure cemetery, or a link to a web site, or just about anything about the content, location, or use of a record.

Registering -- Identify yourself
In a Wiki environment, we need to communicate. Tell others who you are, how you know what you know, etc. Contributors (authors, editors, etc.) must register in order to make additions or changes to the content of FamilySearch Wiki. Your email address is protected and is available only to System Operators (SYSOPS). Here's how to register.

Logging On
One you are registered, all you need to remember is that editing or authoring information on FamilySearch Wiki requires you to sign in. Here's how.

Editing existing pages
Some of the information currently in FamilySearch Research Wiki has been "auto-imported" from previous publications. Most of it is good information. But some of it is out-of-date and needs to be corrected. New sources of information are constantly being found and new data bases are being created or located.

Because of the limitations of previously published material, more detail is needed to make the information about records more helpful.

Adding Bits and Pieces of Information
Many who have done research on their own lines have found iformation that would be helpful to others searching in the same time period and locality. Add that information to the Research Wiki so it can be made available to all who use it. Here's how.

Locations of Records
Do you know about the location of a record or set of records? Are copies available in more than one place? Add information about those copies to existing pages in the Research Wiki. Here's how.

Links
Do you know about a web site that provides information helpful to those tracing their ancestry? Provide a link to that web site by adding the link to the Wiki. Here's how.

Would it be helpful to cross-link information already in the Research Wiki so it could be more easily found? Add the link or links. Here's how.

Authoring a Full Article
Do you have knowledge about a type of record not yet covered in the Research Wiki? Would you like to share that knowledge with others? It is relatively easy to author an article in the Wiki. Here's how.