Help:Keys to Success Using the Wiki

The “Keys to Success” in using the FamilySearch Research Wiki are based in part on some of the common aspects found in four different success stories. In addition, your success in using the Research Wiki to help with your genealogical research will be enhanced by your understanding of some of the best key features in the Wiki.

Success Stories

 * 1) Carlisle Indian School Records
 * 2) Finding Pennsylvania Ward Maps
 * 3) Using the Historical Records Wiki articles
 * 4) Using the Wiki with the Forums to get help

Key One: Try it!
In every success story example, the Wiki was not the first choice to search for research help. But in every success story example, the user came away with the realization that the FamilySearch Research Wiki is a valuable tool and in many cases, the answers to research questions are already there.

Key Two: Use different ways to search and browse

 * 1) Keyword searches
 * 2) Browse by country
 * Browse by topic
 * 1) Navigational boxes
 * 2) Categories
 * 3) Clickable maps
 * 4) Disambiguation pages
 * 5) "What links here" on every page

Key Three: Understand 25+ best features

 * 1) Research Content
 * 2) *FamilySearch publications were added to the Wiki and updated!
 * 3) *New research topics and articles never seen before
 * 4) *Links to online databases and descriptions of how to use them
 * 5) *Research strategies for births, deaths, and marriages based upon time and locality from the 1500s to the present
 * 6) Answers to common research questions, for example see:
 * 7) *How to Guess Where to Start
 * 8) *Rookie Mistakes
 * 9) FamilySearch Historical Records content
 * 10) *The Historical Records page links to the usage description page in the Wiki
 * 11) *The Historical Records Wiki page links to the database so you can immediately conduct a search
 * 12) *Anyone can add additional insight into using each of the Historical Records databases by adding what you know to the wiki article
 * 13) FamilySearch Indexing articles in the Wiki
 * 14) The FamilySearch Help link at the top of every screen
 * 15) *Type a question or use the advanced search to find answers to your wiki questions
 * 16) *Self-help includes the option to call or send a message to get individual help, plus
 * 17) *Community Assistance through the Forums
 * 18) *Local Assistance through Family history Consultants and FamilySearch Centers
 * 19) *Browse the wiki help articles in the FamilySearch help documents
 * 20) *Use the Wiki help and how-to pages
 * 21) Live community meetings
 * 22) *Listen to the meetings live or the recording. Choose MP3, MediaPlay, QuickTime, or Webinar type recording.
 * 23) *Meetings are held for new wiki users, genealogists helping other genealogists, contributors, and technical users.
 * 24) An Opportunity to Share
 * 25) *Share what you know
 * 26) *No publication delays
 * 27) *Preserve your knowledge
 * 28) Research tools
 * 29) Articles that teach you how to locate records.
 * 30) Tons of images to help learn about records and places.
 * 31) New research topics and articles never seen before.
 * 32) Links to online databases and descriptions of how to use them.
 * 33) Your Own Page
 * 34) *Use your “user page” to introduce yourself to the wiki community
 * 35) Discussion Pages
 * 36) *Use the discussion page to share your ideas about improving an article
 * 37) *Use the discussion page to talk to a specific user in the wiki
 * 38) Viewing a List of Contributions
 * 39) *View your own list of contributions
 * 40) *Keep track of your contributions for credentialing purposes
 * 41) *Learn from a specific author in the Wiki by viewing their “user contributions”
 * 42) Use the content as a venue to teach others how to help themselves
 * 43) Every Page has a History
 * 44) *See a history of all the edits made for any article
 * 45) *See exactly what the page looked like on any given day it was saved
 * 46) Wiki System Preferences
 * 47) Change your preferences.
 * 48) The Watch List
 * 49) *Be notified when new content articles are updated.
 * 50) *Be notified when someone improves what you contributed.
 * 51) *Manage your watchlist
 * 52) Article rating option at the bottom of every page

Related Articles

 * FamilySearch Community Tools