Is your Watchlist getting too big?

Question

I understand if you downloaded a whole family tree you created elsewhere.  You might have a big Watchlist. That's not what I did even though I had such a tree on Ancestry.  Instead, I entered people in WikiTree one-by-one, with sources. Then I found they could connect to others already in WikiTree and so I created one or two generations of connectors, even on the non-related side.  So I just noticed I have 1,863 profiles on my Watchlist.  I'm stunned.  How did it get that big entering them one at a time?

Not only that, but earlier profiles of not-close-relations are skimpy. It is clearly time to pause creating new profiles and check each one I've already entered.  Some of them, after review, will be let go for new WikiTreers to adopt who are more closely related.  

At least, that's the plan.  Hope I can stick to it.  

So how many profiles are on your Watchlist and how many haven't been updated for years?

Answer 1

I'm unfortunately in the same situation as you but worse. I created profiles manually since I started in WikiTree 2016, and my watchlist is now 6035 profiles. 

Very many have not been touched for years. I plan to orphan some (to get under 5000 at least), and I did lose about 150 last year, but I also realised that I didn't create very good profiles during my start in genealogy, and I don't like to orphan the profiles until they at least have two or more sources and a couple of lines in the biography.

Comments

Oh, Maria. Yes, that's a worse situation.  Yes, some of my earliest ones were poorly done too.  I unfortunately did: Birth Record, 1891 Census of Canada, 1901 Census of Canada, Marriage Record, Death Record, (no details), All Records found on Ancestry.  So the people had a birth, marriage and death date but what I did wasn't "sourced". It was: I saw the sources--trust me.

As I learned I began listing the details in the records.  Takes a lot more time but if there isn't a link, you can see what was there. Transcribing.  Also good because I found sometimes, links just disappear, they don't function any more.  

Good luck trimming your tree.

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Thanks Pat! I always enjoy reading what you post on g2g.

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You're welcome, Maria 

Answer 2

I had over well over 4000!  I went into a depression instantly. I tried to clean them up, one by one with the new skills I was learning as a PIP voyager.  It was overwhelming! 

Finally, out of frustration, I deleted them all from my watchlist, including my parents and grandparents. The depression went away!  Now, I am adding them back in, my pedigree first, and cleaning them up as I add them back in

If I don't get to the other 4000, somebody will polish them over time. All of the profiles I purged had Find A Grave and Family Search Sources. But the sources were not formatted correctly, or templates created. Using Sourcer, all the profiles I made can quickly be rectified...but 4000 will still take quite a while.

I didn't know about Sourcer at the time, and when I did start using it, I didn't know how to use it correctly.  My PIP training is not over yet, but I have made a 500% difference in making new profiles and cleaning up those I find that need a little love. 

When I see a profile that needs a little TLC, I reach out to the profile manager and show them how Sourcer works.

 I wholeheartedly recommend downloading Sourcer. But you still need help learning what it is designed to do.  

Comments

I look at my number as my contribution to the global tree. The high the number the better. I have the potential to add another 7,000 but I doubt I will get there before my time runs out. I average a 100 per month. My focus is just building the tree bigger with people connected to our branch. I have no intention to go back and review them again. I watch the family activities and I see others are making connections and updating the profiles, so that is good and the way WT was intended to work. If I get a message regarding a profile, I will respond appropriately and sometimes this will update it with the new information. I have deleted a few from the watch list when there is a manage more closely connected to that branch  in the tree.

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Wow, David. That's a serious purge!  But I think you're more ambitious than I am.  Some WikiTree profiles are, in my opinion, Wikipedia for non-famous people.  They are beautifully crafted with little numbers to identify the source for each statement or passage.  Works of art. Gorgeous pictures.  Wallpaper borders.  I appreciate them but I'm not aiming that high. 

I'm often adding people that nobody added. Forgotten people.  I'm trying to prove they existed. If there's something different about their life I'll add it.  Perhaps a town that they lived in.  I'll add an old postcard of the place. Died of Measles in 1906, I'll add a paragraph on the disease. And meanwhile they are all connecting to the big tree. 

We each do what we can do.

  

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Yes, Dave, I always respond to messages from others too. I couldn't do what you're doing, so I'm glad you're doing it.  I just did the math and since I've been on WikiTree I'm averaging 25 profiles a month.

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@Dave Sellers.  Your Watchlist number is not your contributions number.  Doubtless, you have made MANY more contributions than that.  Looking at your profile, you have made 12,350 contributions.  I bet you don't have a  Watchlist of 12,350! ;)

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@ Ros...I have 38 on my Watchlist!  I no longer feel guilty!

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Ros, I know you were replying to Dave Sellers but I never thought of your point.  I've made 11,354 contributions, even though it's 1,863 profiles.  Thanks for the new perspective.

Answer 3

I keep my watchlist a bit small, but here's a secret about updating your watchlist. New discoveries! Breakthroughs!

I've been a member for ten years. I like to return to my watchlist once a month, cycling through different families/locations each time. FamilySearch and other receptacles of sources update monthly with new materials and that often means new leads. At the very least it means new tidbits.

Comments

Thank you, Dina. It's a good reason to check again. I'm still waiting for the breakthrough to smash my brick wall Miller name.

Answer 4

I'm already thinking that and I'm under 700. I've started doing two things

1) I'm sorting my watch list and working from the earliest edit date (mostly, until I get caught up in another branch!)

2) I'm working on setting my own "rules" about what is good enough to orphan a profile. This does depend on how close a relative they are. Ancestor siblings need a decently sourced bio, with full vitals and all their (non living) spouses and children added as profiles before orphaning. Outward from there I'm aiming for sufficent detail in the vitals supported by basic records (English BMDs since 1837 being the simplest) plus a link to a familysearch profile if there is one and a research note with all that I know about their other relatives before orphaning.

Of course, rules are made to be broken.

I'm interested in interconnectivity within my family branches in the local area and indeed with local friends meaning I have more interest in and knowledge of an ancestor cousin or half cousin so they make it to ancestor sibling status ie I keep on my watchlist until they have fully sourced bios and all profiles for their children/spouses/parents/siblings are added (I have already found that when i do this properly, they pop up as a proposed option when I try to add then again via a different branch, so it is okay to orphan). I also tend to make sure that unmarried/childless/died young people get a full profile as I'm not sure anyone else will be interested enough to come back and finish them off, as well as those that have been tricky to research as I think that might be most helpful for others.

I don't plan on going full orphan. I know it's part protectiveness - I've done so much research and writing about all my 3xG Grandparents that I feel I know them as people, but mostly it's about collaboration - I'd love to be able to work and share with someone who was genuinely interested in these people and the watch list, for my closer relations, seems the easiest way to do this.

Comments

Good ideas, Natasha. Thank you.

Answer 5

Yes! Currently standing at 4897 did manage to get it down to 4850 but it's creeping back up again. And that's with orphaning them as I update my older profiles by adding sources BUT I then find new connections. I average 1,000 edits per month but get sidetracked with Projects and Challenges. 

Just connected my latest notable to the global tree so busy trying to orphan and tidy up the profiles. Then on to the next one.  

Comments

Yes, Heather, the creeping up will be a problem for me too. I just started the letter "B" on my Watchlist and I've found someone who if I just create profiles for his parents I can hook him up to existing WikiTree profiles.  So of course that's what I'll do.  1,000 edits a month?  I can't even imagine that.  You are so clever and quick.

Answer 6

I recommend this process I’ve started doing. Go to your Watchlist and sort by “last edit”. There’s profiles out there I’ve long since forgotten about. And all can be improved from how I originally created them!  

You can also decide if you want to orphan the profile at the same time.

Comments

I'm not sure I understand, Kim.  My last edit would be yesterday. I'd be wanting to see ones done thousands of edits ago, like in 2019. I totally agree with you that all my profiles can be improved.

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Sorry I wasn't clear.  At the top of your Wikitree page click on My Wikitree.  (I wish I could paste a picture) 

Then scoll down the dropdown list and click on Watchlist.  It will show your whole Watchlist.  

There is a Sort by... and you can select Birth Date, Edit Date, Privacy etc.  Click to sort by Edit Date. 

This reorders your Watchlist so you can see the profiles with the oldest "edit date".  For me, this is like 2018 so you can see I'm not keeping up!  

Send me a private email if this isn't clear and I'll try to email pictures if I'm still not explaining it well.  

(Williams-27459) 

Kim 

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Thanks, Kim.  I do it a bit differently.  My Navigation Home Page has Watchlist.  I just click on it and it lists alphabetically which is how I'm doing it.  But I see what you mean. If I click on edit the list arranges by First Edit which was back in 2018. I prefer doing it by alphabet.  My A's are done.  I'm on the B's.

Answer 7

I happily added profiles during the Thon and then discovered my Watchlist was over 5000 !

I have been going through the profiles and adding sources as I can and then orphaning them but it is a slow process I'm at 4850 now so going to take a while to get to be  a reasonable size I understand it is possible to orphan a number of profiles at once but want to check they are such that someone else might want to own them in the future

Comments

Wise, Anon, to check the profiles before you orphan them. I'm stunned at your number of 4,850.  Big job to sort through them.