I’m hog-tied in helping people

Don't hide the Wiki

A comment from a colleague:
The fact that Wiki Home is gone is a problem to me. It was exceedingly hard at the FGS booth to try to get people to understand how to reach the wiki through the Learn page. You had to go to the wiki by doing a search or by clicking a wiki article’s link on the Learn page. People just didn’t understand this. They expected to see a link that said “wiki.” Seeing no such link, they had no idea what to do to get there, and couldn’t seem to retain any instructions I’d give them. Three or four even said that this was “a great way to hide the wiki.”
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  • I’m happy
    5
    We've got a Tab. And it says "WIKI" !!!

    Happy day. Blessed day. Blissful day. Merry day. Jolly day. Truly, I'm delighted.
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  • 3
    With the new WIKI link on the search page, one can now really bypass the new site entirely by bookmarking https://www.familysearch.org/search instead of going to familysearch.org and have it pretty much like the old site but with a more direct WIKI link.
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  • 2
    Yeah, but redundant links on home page? One have extra click and other isn't. Who need TWO links using different routes to get there?
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    • The bottom one is not clickable, deceiving, because you click it and a button change in the photo. Misleading.
    • The prominent display in the home page is designed to be an autoscrolling marquee showing the various features of the website. The bottom "button" is there to allow one to manually scroll, not access, and the links in left center section are designed for accessing the feature currently displayed.

      New users from the younger generation get this. It is not deceiving to them. Let them have it. They are sorely needed in this work. Just bookmark the search page and have it your way.
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  • Some people have been complaining or simply noting that they think there is not enough to explain the value of things like the wiki or records search. One person even said on the blog that with the new site they can't find the census anymore. In my opinion, this autoscroller is actually a wonderful/attractive way to teach new people who are really not interested in watching some "boring" website training video or will never click the link for it. All they have to do is wait perplexedly a few seconds and start reading the sentence or two on the screen.

    "Discover your place in history with Family Tree, an easy way to preserve your genealogy online. See what others have contributed, and share your family story."

    "Search for ancestors in millions of historical records."

    "Volunteer to make historical records searchable online."

    Those are all good descriptions to help beginners who really have no idea what "indexing" is. I have come across many people in my various wards who have confused indexing and family history because they know little about the definition of how they are not the same thing.

    I would like to see a little more added to the search section, continuing the sentence? ...online, or by ordering microfilm to your local center? And another sentence that says Then, try the wiki where you learn how to find records we don't have.??

    So improve? Yes! Please improve! Throw away? No, please don't.
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  • 1
    There are some very good remarks coming on the "new" wiki button and I agree with most of them. I also LOVE the Family Tree and most of what it lets us do. I still have a problem with WIKI access however.

    Please, please consider putting a link on the HOME page. I'm sorry but I really don't understand what the problem and/or concern with doing that is? We've been asking for three years now and you still won't even try to see our point. Bookmarking is great IF YOU ARE LUCKY enough to have your own PC. Many of our patrons don't have a PC at home and that's the reason they come to the FHC or go to the public library. They can't bookmark there and at the FHC we have the portal that we use and it's not on there either.

    Please explain your concern with putting a link on the home page. If you would add it to the "scrolling" menu you were talking about that would be great. Right now I am feeling that not only are our concerns are not valid to you but, neither is all the work going into the wiki. What a shame that all that time spent on trying to add to the wiki just carries not weight in your plans.

    Thank you again for Family Tree but for now I guess the WIKI will be put to rest, I certainly won't promote what isn't important enough to have a front seat.
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  • I certainly value the Wiki and I'm sure FamilySearch does as well. I'm not sure about having the Wiki added as another feature of the autoscrolling marquee. It really has more to do with the Search or Help/Research Assistance features that are already part of the menu. It is easily accessed from either of these locations

    Perhaps adding a sentence regarding the Wiki when the Search feature is being displayed, as Michael suggested, would be helpful. However, I believe new younger users will be able to intuitively find it the way it is currently displayed. Users who are used to accessing it under the learn link can be told it is now under the Search or Help/Research Assistance areas and to bookmark. Those without PC's coming to Family History Centers, etc. who are used to finding it the old way can be told to always select search when they log in to the home page. That way there will be little disruption to their prior patterns of accessing things. Any of these are better than access only via the old learn link.
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  • In the discussion at https://getsatisfaction.com/familysea..., the following reply now appears:

    We are planning to restore links to the searchable data sets to the front page.

    Records, Family Tree, Genealogies, Catalog, Books & Research Wiki will probably show up as a "on hover" drop down menu below the "Search" link at the top of the screen.

    -Robert Kehrer
    sr prod mgr search

    This seems like a great solution to have the Wiki on the home page.
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  • I am still anxious for one click access to the wiki and other pages with the hover over method described.
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  • Michael - it is getting better.
    If you click on get help at the top of any page (except for in the Family Tree) there is a link to the Wiki. It is not a hover but clearing much easier that it used to be. you can do this from photos, Search and Temple. -- I believe the Family Tree issue is temporary and it will be there soon.
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