Sourcerers Challenge (August 2022)

+18 votes
6.0k views

Hello, Sourcerers! It is time to start sourcing! Prior month Owl Stickers and Sourcerers Badges will be posted soon.

To participate:

  • Review the Rules
  • If you are new to the Sourcerers' Challenge, click the "Answer this post" button (not the comment link) and tell us you are participating

You only need to answer this month's post if you don't already have the Sourcerers' Badge. You are welcome to add an answer to ask questions or offer encouragement.

If you have a problem with the Tracker let us know by using the comment link to the question that opened this thread. 

USING THE TRACKER

The tracker should only be used when the profile meets the Monthly Challenge definition of Unsourced (see the Rules). Add a comment to the question if you are unsure if something counts as Unsourced. You can use either the Unsourced Profile Category or the DBE Report for Unsourced profiles to find profiles that will definitely qualify. The Orphaned profiles category is another great place to look for unsourced profiles. 

After you save an edit, a green banner appears at the top of the profile edit page with a dark “button” labeled Challenge Tracker is a link to the Tracker page. Click the link and, on the page that comes up, select Sourcerers challenge and click the appropriate hint in the right column (or fill in your own if none of the canned answers fit what you did). Click Add Action and you are finished. The Tracker records the number of profiles to which you have added sources. You can see the results for any monthly challenge using this link. The current month is at the bottom

http://wikitree.sdms.si/Challenges/SourcerersChallenge/default.htm

Remember, your sources need to be as full and specific as possible, so others find them useful. That means, if the source is online, you should link to it. If it is a page from a book, the page number should be included so others can easily see where you found the reference. Some books and magazines have free-space profiles to help with citation formats. Find them in the Sources Category. If the book does not have a free-space profile, consider adding the WorldCat permalink to help others find the book.

When you can, it is great to do a bit more while adding sources, like clean up the GEDCOM leftovers or help the formatting from older profiles. Sources are important, but if you cannot find them among all the other stuff, they are not helping as much as they could.

If you attempt to add sources to a profile and cannot find any, please add a note under a == Research Notes == section (click the link for examples and instructions on placement) giving where you tried to find records. Something like "Looked for John in the US Census records for 1900-1940 and could not find him on FamilySearch or Ancestry" would be fine. Or, "Searched google for an obituary and did not find one." That way the next researcher knows where to start. Do not remove the Unsourced Template and do not use the tracker to count in your tally.

The Monthly Challenge runs from the first of the month and ends on the last day of the month, GMT time. 

The Current Challenge Tracker Results Page has up-to-the-minute stats for those of you using the Challenge Tracker.

http://wikitree.sdms.si/Challenges/SourcerersChallenge/20220801/User.htm

Ask any questions here in the thread, otherwise, SOURCE!

in The Tree House by Wendy Taylor G2G6 Pilot (138k points)

I'm in again for August. Sorry I was a bit quick off the mark and did a few before signing up for this month. Does not matter cheeky

26 Answers

+15 votes
I'd love to help out!
by Amy Johnson G2G6 Mach 6 (60.7k points)
Welcome, Amy!  Let me know if you have any questions by commenting here.  Have fun!
Hi Amy!  I don’t see you on the Tracker yet.  Are you remembering to use the Tracker each time you add sources to an unsourced profile?
I haven't worked on any yet. I got busy working on a couple of USBH lines.

Ok, no pressure!  Just trying to make sure you know how everything work. smiley

I see you on the Challenge Tracker now. smiley

+14 votes
Count me in for this month...Hopefully, work won't be so busy...
by Dean Anderson G2G6 Pilot (789k points)
Thank you, Dean! Just do what you can, if work does get busy.
+15 votes
I'm in too!  Love doing this!
by Christine Miller G2G6 Mach 6 (63.4k points)
Thank you, Chris!  So glad you enjoy it!
+13 votes
Yay for August sourcing!
by Beverly Diaz G2G6 Mach 4 (41.0k points)
Yay indeed!  Thanks for joining in, Beverly!
+13 votes
I'm in again. I just love those cute little owls.
by Luther Brown G2G6 Pilot (564k points)
Thank you, Luther! I agree, the owls are very cute!
+14 votes
Please count me in for a few in August.
by Robin Shaules G2G Astronaut (1.5m points)
Thank you, Robin!  Even a few can make a difference!
+13 votes
Hi Wendy, please count me in for the month of August 2022. I'll do my best
by Carol Baldwin G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
Thank you, Carol!  Your best is all we can hope for.
+13 votes
Me me me :0) This is a bit addictive, sign me up, thank you!!
by AmyLynn Hunt G2G6 Mach 1 (14.8k points)
Thank you, AmyLynn!  Enjoy yourself!
Thank you.

I have a question, I seem to have had some confusion recently regarding a Sourced or Unsourced profile, I believe because I pick up orphaned profiles and maybe missed something in the GEDCOM stuff. Could someone look at this profile:  Elliott -3815 (Profile for Archimedes Elliott) and help sort this? Under "Sources" are things like "S2". I appreciate any help. :)

Hi AmyLynn,

Excellent question. Profiles like these can be difficult to sort out! 

If you check in the sources section beneath the numbered sources, you can see a bullet point that defines what S2 represents - in this case file Elliottw.FTW that is not necessarily accessible to anyone else and therefore not a valid source.

However - with gedcom messes like this it is always important to read everything carefully because sometimes valid sources are hidden in other parts of the text and not in the sources section. In this case, the notes section has a valid memorial ID for FindAGrave and the memorial page has a headstone photo. Though it's not properly formatted, it is a valid source.

If I were improving this profile, I personally would not use the challenge tracker for Sourcerers. 

Unless I have a significant amount of time available, I often avoid working on messy GED profiles. This is especially true if I'm wearing my "Sourcerer" hat at the time and am trying to boost my monthly totals.
Thank you Mel! Wow, I did not see the Find A Grave there, and I always try to dig through and keep anything that's useful. My eyes were crossing there though :0)  I'm definitely not going for big numbers this month, so I'll check all the sections.

Bill, I hear ya :)  I have never used GEDCOM, so it seems very chaotic. But it's kind of fun to find that one treasure.
Bill, I knew your name was familiar! Your sourcing is so good, we ended up in a few of the same families, and your work isn't just thorough, it is thoughtful.
Thanks, AmyLynn. I'm actually not related to the Axtells.  I am fairly closely connected however, through my uncle, Daniel Lehman. I'm working on the Axtells as part of the GEDI improvement project.
+14 votes
Please count me in for August!
by Mark Lemen G2G6 Mach 3 (35.7k points)
Thank you, Mark!  Happy sourcing!
+14 votes
Continuing my sourcing in August!
by Eleanor Colson G2G6 Mach 1 (12.6k points)
Thank you, Eleanor! Every source helps!
+14 votes
Count me in again please.
by Sally Stovall G2G6 Pilot (129k points)
Thank you, Sally!  Have fun!
+14 votes
In again for August.
by Linda Mearse G2G6 Mach 1 (11.0k points)
Thank you, Linda!  Enjoy yourself!
+15 votes
On the Owl Hunt :  )
by Jesse Beamon G2G6 Mach 4 (45.1k points)
Thank you, Jesse. Good luck with finding sources!
+14 votes
Would love to  join the August Sourcing challenge?
by Helen Holt G2G6 Mach 1 (15.9k points)
Thank you, Helen!  The more the merrier!
+13 votes
I'd like to join for August. It's all new to me. Cynthia
by Cynthia Sykes G2G1 (1.2k points)
Welcome, Cynthia!  I can see you on the Tracker.  You should get your Sourcerer badge at the end of this month’s challenge.  Let me know if you have any questions by posting here.
+14 votes
I've finally managed to join at the first of the month. Yay! Count me in.
by Kathryn Hogan G2G6 Mach 2 (29.4k points)
Welcome back, Kathryn!  Enjoy yourself!
+14 votes

Count me in again, wink

Thank you,

Deb

by Debbie Ferguson G2G6 Mach 1 (17.5k points)
Thank you, Debbie.  Be sure only to use the Challenge Tracker when adding sources to unsourced profiles.
+14 votes
Add me, please!  I've been on a sourcing roll lately...
by Roxanna Malone G2G6 Mach 3 (33.4k points)
Welcome, R!  I see you on the Tracker.  You should get your Sourcerer badge at the end of this month’s challenge.  If you have any questions, let me know by commenting here.
+14 votes
Hi, I would like to join again for August. Thank you! :-)
by I. Caruso G2G6 Mach 9 (94.0k points)
Thank you, I.  All sources appreciated!
+13 votes
I'd like to be included in this challenge please.

(Newbie) Lynne
by Lynne Byass G2G6 Mach 1 (15.2k points)
Welcome, Lynne!  Let me know here if you have any questions.

Related questions

+20 votes
32 answers
+23 votes
34 answers
+22 votes
29 answers
+23 votes
40 answers
+21 votes
23 answers
+21 votes
37 answers
+24 votes
33 answers
+19 votes
26 answers
+25 votes
45 answers
3.5k views asked May 31, 2022 in The Tree House by Wendy Taylor G2G6 Pilot (138k points)
+20 votes
22 answers
4.7k views asked May 1, 2022 in The Tree House by Debi Hoag G2G6 Pilot (405k points)

WikiTree  ~  About  ~  Help Help  ~  Search Person Search  ~  Surname:

disclaimer - terms - copyright

...