Help:Communicating on the Wiki

Communicating on the Wiki
In order to successfully communicate with others on the Wiki, you should first create your User Page. This will give others a way to learn something about you and your research interests, as well as provide them a welcoming place to contact you.

User Page Communication
You can communicate with another Wiki contributor in 2 ways. If you wish to discuss or comment on something that the contributor has placed on a specific page, you should leave your comments on the Talk page for that article. They should respond to you here, so continue to watch this page for future postings.

If you want to contact another contributor about a shared research interest or something not specific to one of their article posts, you can do this through the Talk Page associated with their User Page. If their name is linked in blue, clicking on it will take you directly to their User Page, If not, you can go up to the search box and type User:xxxxxx with "xxxxx" being their username. This should bring up a selection menu with their User Page as the first choice.

Once you arrive at the User Page for another contributor, if they have completed it, take a moment to read over it ... you may find some shared interests. Then, when you are ready to share your comment, click on "Talk" on the top tabs and you will go to their Talk Page where you can then make contact with them. You can leave a comment or question on the Talk Page even if a contributor has not yet completed their User Page.

Using Yammer to Communicate
Yammer is a social networking site used mainly by businesses that FamilySearch uses as a way for employees and volunteers to communicate and ask questions. There is a main group and then many smaller breakout groups based on areas of interest. For example, we have a large group, FamilySearch Wiki Contributors, which most people from the Wiki belong to, and then smaller groups such as the one we have for the England Project. Also, if you are a missionary, there is a private missionary discussion group, and if you don't already belong to that group and are interested, let us know and we will be sure you receive an invitation.

Once you receive your e-mailed invitation, you are ready to sign up. These instructions will help walk you through the process of signing up and logging in.

Tips for Communicating on the Wiki

 * Don't bite the newbies! We were all new to the Wiki once, and there is a lot to learn. We tell contributors to "be bold," and we cannot expect them to know everything there is to know about contributing; their first time.
 * Create your User Page. It is the way people learn about you, and how you can find people with common research interests.
 * Encourage others. If you are a long time Wiki contributor and see a new contributor to a page you have worked on frequently, don't hesitate to say hello to them on their Talk Page. They will appreciate it more than you know.
 * Relinquish ownership. Be prepared for your work to be edited. We are all working toward having the best research material available on the Wiki.
 * No personal attacks. Respond to the content rather than the contributor.
 * Be sure to enter a brief summary for any edit or revert made to a page in the Edit Summary box.
 * Practice good Wiki Etiquette at all times. Assume good faith!