WikiTree Management / or Admin [closed]

Question

WikiTree admin / WikiTree management:

First words are, I am very thankful for the million hours of work  that have gone into making WikiTree and WikiTree software better. In five years the count of instructional aids has been a factor in our growth. Across the board, thank you to all the behind the scene people.   

Do Wikitree managers causally watch the G2G questions and answer function as it runs daily? I’m told they do. I’m told for serious problem that come into their view they will step in and comment or take action if that is the only way to resolve the issue.  This is not serious but needs some discussion.

 All said to say “But”   But I believe there is a missing point and a missed opportunity by WikiTree admin / WikiTree management as it concerns only things the internal function of Wikitree can solve or improve. Today is a perfect example;  A frequent question about getting ‘Comments deleted’.  I know the problems well ( so do most member ).  If you will give me second or two, I must digress:  If I have things correct. most of G2G is run by other members answering question based on written rules and their experience?  That probable is how it should be and probably works for most everyday problems?.

So, back to my long and wordy narrative:   The Wikitree G2G answer to “ Comments “ is always the same. Contact the manager of that file and ask them to delete ‘their’ comment.  I say that is not working out well.  I wish for WikiTree to look a little more toward being understanding of what appears in comments blocks;  Many new member, who see what  they think is the need for a merge do not simple go to the bottom section of a profile and propose a merge Instead they write a comment that would have little valve if they did not use the proper merge function below. When the lower merge section is used the manager is notified ..and things are moving along. The Wikitree answer “ well you can hide the comment”  So. I ask of what value is a dead comment?  The merge is complete and done …and now we have a hidden comment …..with a header (1) Comment  

Other members ( new and old )  write …”Here is a list of all their children”. They do not enter anything but fill up a comment box that the manager cannot delete.  I wish Wikitre would openly promote or discuss better non use of the “Comment Block”  and promote “Private mail to an active manager. I fully understand some profiles don’t have a manager // some profile don’t have an active manager, that is the exception, write a comment.  That said, WikiTree look into ways to let manager’s delete dead (completed ) comments. Can WikiTree promote better comment usage: Wiktree promote not using comment area for merges, use instead the merge function.  WikiTree allow manager who wish to delete comments that opportunity.  WikiTree knows all the managers / knows their sign it date / knows they have 500 profiles.  Promote comments on profile with no manager only.  Promote  = =Research Note= = inside a profile, but when it’s all said and done allow experienced managers to delete comments      Thank you and  best regards

Answer 1

I'm sure this isn't what you want to hear, but we are actually in the process of increasing comment usage for the merge/match/reject/remove process. Not all profile managers are active, so it's important for those to be left as comments so other people can see why a merge proposal/etc. was done.

Managers used to be able to delete comments, but sometimes profile managers abused that ability so they wouldn't have to collaborate. So the ability to archive was created so the completed comment chains could be hidden, but there would still be a history of what was said in case someone needed to go back to it.

Why would you prefer deletion over archiving?

Comments

Thank you and I learned from this. I had not considered several things. part of my point was there are also member who abused the comment area instead of making changes / corrections/ additions. I did not know in the past managers had the ability to abuse the system. I have said many times, I appreciate all the work that goes into improvement(s).  Thought I was on to something that needed some discussion. Thank you   GW

Answer 2

There is the possibility to "archive" a comment. That way it is still accessible, but isn't visible anymore. You can handle comments that are in a way "obsolete" because the thing that was said/requested/commented about was worked into the profile that way.

Comments

Said very kindly - completely missed the bigger point, actually several points. The comment area is really not to pass along things that need to go into the biography or become a 'Research Note'. If there is a needed merge ? go to the merge function, not the comment area.  Why on earth do you want to save dead comments ? What would be so terrible about a manager deleting a comment that has died ( been completed.  Did the original note make to a Wikitree manager?  Does not seem like it did.?

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Why on earth do you want to save dead comments ?

Because, according to the paragraph about deleting comments in the Help section, you cannot delete comments unless they are posted on your own profile. There is not written "you can delete comments on profiles you manage". For profiles other than your own archiving is the only possibility to make them invisible. 

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You can't always add to the bio, if it's pre-1500 for example. Adding a comment with the info, and/or rewriting onto a free space page so it can be easily copy/pasted in are the preferred methods there.

Personally, I prefer the archiving versus deletion of comments. It gives a context, and it's possible that archived comments that were previously ignored/incorrectly combined into the bio might need to be revisited.

Answer 3

Greg -

You asked "Why can't we..."

You are getting the answer, "Because we can't...

What you should have done is say, "I have a proposal for an improvement to our existing process.  Here is what we do now.  Here are the problems with the existing process.  Here are my suggestions for improving the process.  Here is how the problems would be resolved after my suggestions are accepted."

You might get more productive responses.

- Peggy

Comments

Thank you Peggy .  very thoughtful, excellent

Answer 4

Can you give the link to the question about Comments deleted?

I'm having difficulty figuring out what the problem is?