How does wikitree work ?? The explanation given is Greek to me..

Question

I simply have no idea how wikitree works. I have an large familytree on the web (www.cor-hellemons.nl), I know that are members in f.i. USA, England & Australia. But cannot figure out how wikitree can contribute.

Answer 1

I think of WikiTree as an attempt to do for genealogy what Wikipedia has done for general knowledge. It feels like reinventing the wheel when you are painstakingly entering profiles for your own immediate family tree, especially if they are well documented on a private site. But once you make a few connections to the worldwide tree, it facilitates collaboration on difficult research, and you can see patterns that would never be visible on a privately-held tree or in a small library. The really exciting finds in genealogy... where you find a famous ancestor or cousin, for example... can happen more easily because the work of research is shared over a wide community.

With that said, I've heard the Netherlands genealogy resources are fantastic. But one of the selling points of WT is it is theoretically possible to find out how many cousins and connections you have outside of your own geographical community.

Answer 2

It's a very steep learning curve, you just need to take your time and learn how everything works. You can upgrade to full membership for free.

Answer 3

WikiTree is a repository, not a source.  The goal is to create one world-wide, documented, family tree, collecting and recording information from many sources. People contribute and collaborate, building on what others have added.  People join and generally add their immediate family, then go back a few generations.  Many folks don’t have go go back too far to find a connection to a profile that’s already here, and Voila! You are part of the big tree.   For others it’s harder to connect, but you have the benefit of a huge community of serious genealogists here to help you.  

Getting started can take some effort, and some folks are put off by the requirement to document your ancestors with reliable sources, but once you get going it’s great!