This page was created to enable as many people as possible to collaborate on various "merge projects", throughout the so-called "big-tree" (and on other trees if required). This page is the "entry point" to all such projects.

It is highly suggested that we create a separate page for each "merge project". With time the number of such projects will grow (until we finish them all, "yeah, right!"), and each project may get large, complicated and messy. So keeping them separate will make people's life easier. Project pages are described below.

Can anyone add links to merge HOWTO descriptions and recommendations on how to work in the "big-tree"?

Current Merge Projects

In semi-chronological order:

• Biblical Tree Merge

• Pharaohs of Egypt Merge

• Kings of Troy Merge

• Kings of Ireland Merge

• Anglo Saxon Kings Merge

• Kings of Scotland Merge

• Legendary Danish Kings Merge

• Viking and Nordic Ancestry Merge

• Horowitz Merge

• Gardner/Cloutman/Ireson/Fry families

• de Melo Coutinho/Carrasco/Gadea

• Alden/Mullins Mayflower Family

• 1820 British Settlers to South Africa

• Chief Justice John Marshall

• General Robert E. Lee

Project Page Format

Each project page should start with a brief description and contain at least the following parts:

Central Profiles

A list of links to profiles that are central to the project (the start of a royal line for instance), and various important points within it, to make getting around that part of the tree easier. It would be most useful, of course, to include a list of duplicate copies of the starting profiles. Also, including each person's birth and death years, will make using the search funcions to find more duplicates, that much easier.

Extent of Project and Cross-Over Profiles

A general description of the extent of the "area" of the tree that the project covers, in terms of lineages, specific surnames or the period in time. Optionally add a list of profiles on the "edges" of this area, that directly connect or lead to starting profiles in other merge projects. Obviously, this list should also include a link to the specific project page.

Project Members

A list of links to the profiles of people that are either actively working on this project or have knowledge of this part of the tree. Please add at least one link to an actual member profile, so that other interested people can find you and collaborate!

Family Group Permissions

Optionally, add links to the Managers of the present "base copy" of these areas, so that acquiring Family Group Permissions will be easier for anyone wanting to join the project.

Notes

A brief description of what is being done, or what individual members are presently working on, so that others avoid collisions.

Another thing that would be a good idea to note, are any naming conventions you are trying to establish in this part of the tree. For example: in the Biblical lines alternate names (spellings or actual names) are seperated by / marks, the "English" spellings first and then the Hebrew.

List of duplicate copies

• The whole point of these merge projects is to reduce the number of these duplicated trees. So it is critical to list all known copies. It would be best to list the "starting" profile in the tree/line, as it is always best to start merging "at the top". But as not all trees are equally detailed or some first ancestor might be a complete unknown, it might sometimes be best to list a famous person as "entry point" to the tree. For each such tree it would be a good idea to also list who manages the profiles in that copy.

• You might find it convenient to separate the list of duplicate trees into those attached to the "big-tree" and those not. This is done by checking which tab of the Search Results - Connected to You vs. Not Connected, they appear on. Of course if you are NOT presently part of the 14 million profile "big-tree" yourself, you won't be able to tell, as almost everybody on Geni will appear to be Not Connected. As a general rule, it seems to be MUCH easier to get people already on the "big-tree" to agree to let you merge their copies.

• This is also a convenient place to list search queries for specific people/surnames that are either famous or unusual (e.g. Arphaxad), that you have found useful in identifying additional copies of the tree. You WILL be wanting to come back to these searches later, as new duplicate trees are constantly being addded.

Creating Project Pages

To create a new project page, first add the name of your project to the list above, by putting it in double square-brackets (like the ones before it). Save the page, and now, when you see the link to it in red, open that link in a separate window.

Now copy-paste the following text into that page, add your own text and save it.

This is a '''[[Merge_Collaboration|Merge Project]]''' page.
 
= Central Profiles =

= Extent of Project and Cross-Over Profiles =

= Project Members =

= Family Group Permissions =

= Naming Conventions =

= Notes =

= List of duplicate copies =

== Connected to the Big-Tree: ==

== NOT connected to the Big-Tree: ==