User:Carlyannbagley/sandbox15

Project Leader
Carly Bagley

Purpose
We are trying to standardize how we organize each sidebar page for every country. For this project, we will be updating the "Gazetteers" pages for every country. This project is an extension of a previous project, "Adding Maps and Gazetteers to Sidebars".

Task List
Task List

Instructions
Ideally, we want every Gazetteer page to look like THIS PAGE. Use this page as a general reference. However, keep in mind that we may need to modify pages according to the country. Please send me a Yammer message whenever you have a question about how to format/organize/find information. Please use this template to format your page:


 * == Online Gazetteers ==


 * *[HYPERLINK GAZETTEER TITLE]. DESCRIPTION.
 * *[HYPERLINK GAZETTEER TITLE]. DESCRIPTION.


 * == Why Use Gazetteers ==


 * A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers list or describe towns and villages, parishes and municipios, states, populations, rivers and mountains, and other geographical features. They usually include only the names of places that existed at the time the gazetteer was published. Within a specific geographical area, the place-names are listed in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary.


 * You can use a gazetteer to locate the places where your family lived and to determine the civil and church jurisdictions over those places.


 * There are many places (even within the same country) with a similar or identical place-name. You may need to use a gazetteer to identify the specific town where your ancestor lived, the state the town was or is in, and the jurisdictions where records about the person was kept.


 * == Gazetteer Contents ==


 * Gazetteers may also provide additional information about towns, such as:


 * *Different religious denominations
 * *Schools, colleges, and universities
 * *Major manufacturers, canals, docks, and railroad stations
 * *Historical and biographical information on some individuals (usually high-ranking or famous individuals)


 * == Other Resources ==

Copy the above template and use it as a guide to update your pages. Use a sandbox before updating the actual page. First, click on the Task List at the top of these instructions and then go to the Google Sheet with the list of countries. This spreadsheet has multiple tabs for 7 different geographic areas: Africa, North America & Caribbean, South America, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Pacific. Select a tab and choose a country to edit by listing your name next to the country. You will either be updating a Gazetteers page that hasn't been created or a page that has already existed. Red-highlighted countries haven't been created yet. Orange countries already have a page created. Jump down to the instructions that apply to the type of page you are editing.

Updating a Gazetteers page that hasn't been created yet
This will probably be the easiest kind of page you will update. It will also probably be the most frequent page you will update. 1. After you have signed up for your country, select the country and go to its FamilySearch Wiki page. Look at the sidebar and select "Gazetteers" (the link should be red). 2. Copy the above template and paste it in the large, white, text box. In the summary box, put "standardizing Gazetteers pages". And then select "Save page". You will then fill out this page to the best of your abilities. (Don't be overwhelmed!)