What is the etiquette for orphaned profiles?

Question

I have recently started (slowly) adding the data I have about my family to the tree - today I started adding a profile only to see (for the first time) that it already existed. I got all excited about being connected to the big tree ... alas I just got connected to another small, unconnected tree.

And all profiles on that tree are orphaned - the creator account has been closed. So I decided to adopt the profile I was about to add, because I had some good sources and information ready for it.

But now I have been looking at the rest of that tree and might want to expand a bit on at least some of the profiles, which could do with some more sources (most of them seem to be created only based on a single census).

But what is the etiquette about orphaned profiles? Should I adopt them if I do improvements to them or is it better to leave them orphaned and just add the information, I have? It is a bit out on a branch from my tree, so I will probably not be expanding that branch further, so if I just want to clean it up a bit and add some sources is it better to leave them orphaned?

Answer 1

I would just leave them orphaned and clean them up as needed, and add sources as needed.

Comments

Thanks for the reply. I'll just start that way then.

On a side note: I have a string of family named Buch, so we might meet up some time in the distant past ;)

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That would be amazing if we could find that common ancestor.

Answer 2

I’ve adopted profiles, including those not related to me. If it’s in an area I’m researching and I want to add more information over time I often adopt them. I realise at some point I’m going to hit the top limit and then I will have to start releasing them, but hopefully I will have added to them in the meantime.