Conflicting Data - Comment from a Curator

Private User

This issue is not so easy if the other profile is in stealth mode

Enrique,
"stealth mode" ?? If you can see the profile listed in your Merge-Center, then you have access to resolve it.

I just started this as a project a couple of days ago:

http://www.geni.com/projects/Avery-Family

I have about 10 profiles attached to it that have exact matches EXCEPT the birth dates are about 10 years apart. I've looked to see if maybe it could be mother/daughter, father/son, etc. but they appear to be the same people -- I just don't have enough information to pick the correct birth dates and there are no sources associated with them. I inherited these when another line of my family was unlocked after being abandoned.

But the main reason I posted this as an answer (other than I agree that it doesn't do much good to merge profiles if you don't fix the data conflicts) is that I also understand what Enrique is saying -- even though I have the pro version that are other profiles that match some of the people in that same Avery line that are private and locked so I can't merge the duplicates and that is holding things up as well.

My opinion is that if you don't want to share your information with the other people on here (for deceased ancestors) you should probably be using an offline family tree program instead of Geni. I understand keeping current information private and minor children being private, but if they are deceased and especially several generations back, I really appreciate people who keep the profiles public!

Does anyone know why sometimes when you complete a merge you go to the resolve screen and other times you don't? Any time there is a conflict, the resolve screen should come up automatically since resolving is part of a merge completion.
Maybe we could get a comment from Geni staff about this.

There are some conflicts left over from the old system. Also when you merge within the tree view the data conflict screen does not pop up. Your right Eldon, would you do us the honor and ask Geni to add the conflict screen to the merges within the tree. I think that would solve some of this.

Marv, I have to leave for a while but will plead with them when I get back. I don't have much confidence though because I have been waiting 7 days to have any action on a problem.

Pamela Anne Schuwerk Mittman Stigall
I think we all have a few of those.

There are two things you can do.
The first is to let it be and hope that someone else has the answer or
If you have tried all the online sources and still can't get anywhere. You can try the local Historical Societies in and around the places these people lived.

Also a lot of people for get to try http://www.findagrave.com/

many times find a grave will have the names of the people they were related to on the memorial site.

By the look of it your in the area were people may/may not be public profiles. If you can make it one more generation back you may be able to connect it to the main tree and therefore a better chance of finding relatives who may be able to solve the questions you have.

Private User
If you are related to the person (4th cousin or closer) you will be able to see him even tho he is marked private. If you can not see him now it is because Geni does not know you are related.
To fix this, Make sure you are in the tree by merging and that there are no tree conflicts between you and the common ancestor. Once fixed you should be able to see them in the tree.

Eldon Lester Clark
Ill write something up and submit it. The help desk is backlogged right now. Took me almost a month to get an answer back on my last question because they were short handed. I think they have the position filled now so they should be catching up as soon as the new guy gets trained.

Poor new guy!

Er, the position is still open. :-/

@Marv

Thanks for the tips -- it's just a part of the tree I haven't really made it to for verifying things yet, so hopefully the guy on the other end will see it and be able to clear it up before I get to it!

Please vote on this and make comments
http://help.geni.com/entries/509316-correcting-data-conflicts-when-...

Mike Stangel

I'll take the position if I can do it here on my home computer! I can't believe that it hasn't been filled yet with so many people out of work.

Alas, you'd need to be here in Los Angeles where there's a support system for the chronically overworked. :-)

Marv, thanks for submitting the request. Also, when I got back, there was a response to my problem :-)

Darn it! I'm looking for a job too, but LA would be a rather long commute! LOL!

i started doing this long conflicting data section. I must be lucky, because i have only(!?) around 10000 in this list. I do not have all day to deal with it and i estimate to do all the job all month long. That is if life in Geni would stop entirely. People seem to like merging, but they do not like to correct tree issues and all the other "dirty work" like conflicting data a.s.o. Also what is annoying is that if a profile is merged using the wizard then i have no chance to correct conflicting data right after the merge has done. Would it be possible to make such changes to Geni software?

Jaak Tulp and others - if the person has right to complete a merge then Geni SHALL open to him/her also window with conflicting data (if data conflict exists) and SHALL also warn if there is still related tree conflict (yellow triangle with exclamation sign). In many cases (pending merges list) these 2 "afterparties" are just skipped (no conflicts windows opened) and just next merge comparison is proposed...
Directly after comparing profiles Geni user can easily solve the data conflicts. Later (or for other users) it is much more difficult.

P.S. Some elderly people even can't understand how to work with these data conflicts proposals which others are sending to them (there are no instructions how to mark correct ones with mouse etc. etc).

Mike Stangel, You need to find a curator to be the help desk person...someone who has used the software from the client end who can apply it to the front end. I nominate Private User!!!!!

OK, fine! Not my point actually. That is understandable, but why wizard stops when there are no more duplicates and after that no parent conflict to solve? Why the heck the wizard has to show me that there are no more duplicates and won´t go to next possible "person" with "yellow triangle" right away? Geni shall propose solving conflicting data when there is a single merge, not when in the middle of wizard.

I wonder how many people check the merge completed email? A partial solution to the conflicting data problem would be to link to conflicting data instead of the profile. shouldn't be a major programing change and would maybe get more conflicts resolved. Mike Stangel What do you think?

I do :)

We've got changes planned for how this works, so I'm not eager to jump on anything just yet.

well, I may be in the minority, but I check my merge completed messages every day

I do not resolve the conflicting data if I do not have sufficient information to determine the most correct choices. If I gain access to additional information, I will check to see if that profile still has unresolved issues.

Richard, as a curator you should realize how important resolving data is. Why don't you resolve using the most reasonable choices, then "if" you find additional data change it?

Rather than hiding conflicting data behind the scenes, if there is a conflict unresolved, I would write up the conflict in the profile About section to highlight it to get someone else's input who may see it.

Eldon,
how do you define "most reasonable"?? If people entered data, they mostly likely have SOME source for it. So if you "resolve" it, you are throwing away the other option.

Lets not get obsessed about resolving merge-issues at the cost of accuracy...

David, that's a good idea, but we do need BOTH, because the Read-Me has to be... read in order to see this conflict, unlike the Merge-Issue which is a waving red-flag.