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- This page is really out of date. If you notice something that's no longer true or needs to be fixed, please fix it!
How do you use WeRelate? What are the best ways to get the most out of WeRelate? Feel free to add your ideas to the list.
- Digital genealogy media repository - Share your images, documents, etc.
- Family Reunion pages - Got an upcoming family reunion? Use WeRelate to advertise, plan, coordinate, communicate, etc.
- Maintain a research log - Use WeRelate to keep track of what you've searched and what you've found.
- Maintain a ToDo list - Use WeRelate to keep track of all your genealogical todos. Categorize, make lists of records you'd like to search next time you go to the FHL (with links to Source pages, of course).
- Maintain pedigree information - Give each of your ancestors a page. Add links to pages for their parents, spouses, children, and siblings. Add media, stories, histories, etc. Upload all the digital info you have about that person and link to it from their page. Make each ancestor's page the definitive place online for information about that person. Anytime you mention a place, link to the WeRelate Place page for that place. Mentioning a source? Link to the Source page (or add it if it doesn't exist). Anytime you mention a surname or given name, link to the Name page for that name. (You can also link to WikiPedia's date pages (e.g., 13 November) for dates, if you want). Add a section to each page to list people who are interested in researching that person.
- Cemetery transcription projects - Upload photos taken from cemeteries, enlist local scout groups and friends to transcribe inscription information for service hours.
- Town photo galleries - Upload photos of important buildings from your town on the corresponding place page.
- Post your willingness to do local record lookups on your hometown page.
- Create record lookup request pages for each place page.
- Digital image transcription projects - Upload images of your records. Invite friends, families, and visitors to help transcribe.
- Link to WeRelate - Anytime you mention a surname, a place, or a source document on another web page, link it to the corresponding WeRelate page. Make WeRelate the canonical place to link to for such things.
- Correspond with others researching your lines. Use the "Discussion" page for surnames you're interested in.
- Set up conference wiki pages - Attending a genealogical conference? Create a wiki page for it. Add and solicit links to good places nearby to stay, eat, visit, research, etc. Invite presenters to post links to their slides there, etc., For a good example of something like this, see the wiki page setup for the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference Wiki
- Coordinate research among family members
- Write! Help the world by writing articles about genealogy, research tips & tricks, etc.
- Tidy - See pages amiss? Spelling errors? Factual errors? Pages that need better organization? Better language? Be a good wiki citizen, tidy up, and help keep our wiki clean! (That includes this page).
- Event pages (See the item above about conference pages. Ditto).
- Learn how to wiki - Read the editing help pages (need a link here) for this wiki and for Wikipedia. The more you learn, the more you can do!
- Link to external resources - Organize pages of links to helpful and useful websites.
- Add missing data - Don't see your home town among the place pages? Add it! Missing that obscure surname from 1000 years back? Add it! Got an excellent source that's not here? Add it!
- Write reviews of genealogy software - Create a page for each software product, and have users create User pages with their own reviews of the product. Link to each user page from the main page for each product. Write wishlists, feature requests, etc.
- Write reviews of genealogy books (similar to above). Many publishers will often send regular reviewers free review copies on request. Point them to your reviews you've written on WeRelate.
- Write reviews of conferences you've attended.
- Genealogy technology research - Doing research in some form of technology useful to genealogical research? Post your papers and presentation slides here. Engage in discussions about your research.
- Idea lists - Keep lists of possible research leads, ideas for new products, ideas for improving existing technologies.
- Recruit - Spread the word, tell everyone you know about WeRelate, show them how to get started, help them to have a successful experience with WeRelate. The more that use it, the better it gets.
- Create ancestor photo galleries - Create a page of photos for each ancestor's page (see above).
- Participate or start a discussion. There is a talk link for every page, for each of the surname, place, person, family, and source pages you're interested in.
- Transcribe sources - Where applicable, and where possible, provide transcriptions of the sources in each source page.
- Write collaborative family histories. For example, write an outline about your great-grandmother's life, ask your grandmother to help fill in all the details.
- Post photos of unknown persons (like deadfred.com). Enlist the help of fellow WeRelaters to identify individuals in the photo.
- Learn - Use WeRelate to gather contextual information about your ancestors.
- Maintain a todo list for research you need to do for each of your ancestors. What pieces of information lack sources? What documents exist that need to be searched? Link to a todo page from each ancestor's individual page. Enlist the help of visitors to accomplish items from your todo lists.
- Post lesson outlines and materials for Family History classes (like sunday School)
- Post schedules/minutes/notes for your local Family History/Genealogical society events.
- Create a home page for your local society or user's group. Who needs a web host when you have WeRelate?
- Share and discuss ideas for successful ward family history programs.
- Blog about your research (can we get RSS feeds from individual pages?) (I'll check--Dallan 09:37, 4 April 2006 (MDT)).
- Keep notes from conferences you attend. Maintain collaborative notes. Discuss presentations on a wiki Discuss page with others who are attending the conference.
- Write research guides for locations, cultures, document types, etc.
- Write travel guides. What are the best places to stay, eat, research, play? Link to these from the corresponding Place page.
- Share success stories
- Write beginners guides
- Organize volunteer projects
- Create a set of pages that are aids to writing personal history. Add as many questions as you can think of that will help a person to get going on their personal history (e.g., What schools did you attend? When? Which classes did you take? Which teachers did you have? Which ones did you like? Why? Which subjects were your favorite? Who were your friends? What did you like to do together? Who were your crushes? Did they know? etc., etc.) Such a thing could quickly become a very valuable resource with the input of the whole genealogical community. Perhaps a question page for a wide variety of topics.
- Track what's happening on WeRelate - Subscribe to the RSS feed for the Recent Changes page, and you'll always be up to date on the latest additions to WeRelate. (Copy and paste the address of the "RSS" or "Atom" links in the "Toolbox" sidebar on the left of that page into your feed reader's Add Subscription page). Alternatively, browsers like Firefox and Opera automatically detect the feed for the page and display a special feed icon you can click to subscribe.
- Jot down research tips - If you've found a good source of information or a good approach do doing research for a particular place in the world, write what you've learned on the place page.
- Add notes on how to use genealogical sources - Anything you've learned about how to read a particular microfilm or how to ask for help at a particular library or archive can be added to the source page for that film, library, or archive.
- Review and describe the libraries you visit, from where to park to underpublicized resources.
- Review OLD books, in particular compile lists of documented inaccuracies or superseded research. Books and journal articles don't update themselves (yet) but an Errata Central would help keep us from going down the same wrong paths over and over again.
- Upload lost/misplace photos, along with a brief summary of the person and his/her family.
We're obviously not to 101 yet! What ideas do you have for how WeRelate could be used?
Hit that "Edit" link above, and add your ideas!
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