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) The opportunity to share what you know.
 * 25) No publication delays.
 * 26) Research tools.
 * 27) Articles that teach you how to locate records.
 * 28) Tons of images to help learn about records and places.
 * 29) New research topics and articles never seen before.
 * 30) Links to online databases and descriptions of how to use them.
 * 31) Share what you know and preserve your knowledge.
 * 32) Your own “user page” to user for various purposes.
 * 33) Collaboration through talk pages.
 * 34) Collaboration through internal e-mail functionality.
 * 35) Keep track of your contributions for credentialing purposes.
 * 36) Use the content as a venue to teach others how to help themselves
 * 37) Learn from a specific author in the Wiki by viewing their “user contributions”
 * 38) See a history of all the edits made for any article, including the ability to see exactly what the page previously looked like.
 * 39) Change your preferences.
 * 40) Be notified when new content articles are updated.
 * 41) Be notified when someone improves what you contributed.
 * 42) Manage your watchlist
 * 43) Article rating option at the bottom of every page

Related Articles

 * FamilySearch Community Tools