How long have you been on WikiTree?
I stumbled into WikiTree back in 2019, and I am so thankful I did! I did not join right away, it felt intimidating, and I had only just began doing tree things. But I think after a month, I officially joined. After rooting around in tree things for a bit, I scratched what I had, and started a tree that I wanted to be “one tree.” I thought it was such a cool idea to see how everyone was connected. At some point, WikiTree popped up in some search results, and as soon as I read that “one tree” mission, I knew I had found something special.
I love that WikiTree strives to have “one tree” and only one profile per person. I love that they want you to back up your information with sources. I really really love that biography aspect of WikiTree. When I first started, I really wanted my tree to be more than dates and names. If I could, I wanted the story behind the person. Profile biographies in WikiTree allow that. I also think WikiTree has a fantastic community. Folks are getting together, working together, helping each other, and so on. You do not really find that type or level of community on other sites. It is just built different, and I think it is fantastic.
What do you spend the most time doing on WikiTree?
I dabble in a lot of things. Haha. I just cannot help myself. I think my biggest personal projects on WikiTree have been all related to my Italian roots. I was gifted some copies of the church census records for my grandfather’s home town, and I have been slowly trying to figure out how those families are all connected and get them onto WikiTree. Related to that, I have also started a one place study for that hometown and its sister towns, as well as a one name study for my grandfather’s surname (see a previous answer for links).
Which project are you most involved in?
I am most heavily involved with the Italy Project. I support the Italy Team during challenges and thons, and just help Italy grow purely by working so much on my Lupini et al lines. I would not dare say I am an expert at all things Italian, especially when it comes to record research, but I am slowly trying to learn from those before me. I have 'sat' with a leader to learn how to read records, and I just do my best to help when and where needed.
What is your favorite feature or function on WikiTree?
The WikiTree Browser Extension and its many many abilities is so amazing! I love the citation tool so much. One of my least favorite things about writing was creating those bibliographies. There is still so much to discover and learn, so I cannot do this answer justice. But if you have not tried it out yet, please do!
Do you have any tips for someone who wants to get more involved in our community?
Just find a project you are passionate about and join. Start with one. Get familiar with their mission and standards and see where you fit best.
What feature or function would you most like to see added or improved?
I would love to see some sort of app that does something similar to a 'word cloud.' This is hard to describe, but basically, I would love to have an app where I could see a 'word cloud' of all the surnames and even first names, of my tree. So, if I put in my WikiTree-ID, it would spit out that 'cloud' of names that are connected to me. The bigger the name, the more times that name appears.
