Help:Adopt-a-page

Adopt-A-Wiki Page - General Information [[Image:Adopt-A-Wiki Page.png|right|178x220px]]

 * What is page adoption: Societies, archives or other family history organizations who wish to adopt a page will have their society logo and links to their society web page prominently featured on the page they adopt. You can see an example of what an adopted page might look like here.


 * What does my society/organization have to do?:  While anyone can contribute to any page in the wiki, societies/organizations who adopt a page provide oversight to ensure that the content on that page is a) comprehensive (they add information and links to other resources that might be missing) and b) accurate (they correct anything that might be wrong).


 * How can adopting a wiki page benefit my society/organization?


 * The FamilySearch Wiki will help over 2 million people doing genealogical research in the next year. By adopting a page your society can…
 * Provide a place for your members and others to share what they know with others who are doing research in your area (we all know something that can help someone else).
 * Improve conclusions reached by others by providing them with the most accurate information and methodology for your area.
 * Create awareness (and ideally new members) for your society, your resources, and specializations.
 * Drive additional traffic to your society’s website (the FamilySearch Wiki has over 1 million page views every day!)

Ready to adopt-a-wiki page? Here's how...

 * Select one or more pages in the FamilySearch Wiki that you'd like to adopt. At this time, page adoptions are accepted on a first come/first serve basis.  Also, at this time, only one society or organization is allowed adopt any given page.
 * Once your organization has selected a page you want to adopt, create an "adoption sign" which can be placed the page(s) you've selected to adopt. For help creating your "adoption sign" for the first time, click here and/or contact [mailto:bennettbr@familysearch.org bennettbr@familysearch.org].
 * Once your "adoption sign" template has been created, place your sign at the top of the page [[Image:Page edit button.png|thumb|right]]that your organization has selected to adopt. Proper placement of your adoption sign is directly under the main title of the page (see an example of proper placement here).  In preparation for step #5, write down the file name of your adoption sign template for future reference (e.g. Template:UserBox_Adopt-A-Wiki_Page).
 * To place, your sign, click the "edit" button on the page (near the top right of the page) to begin editing the page.
 * Once the editing window has opened, move your cursor to the place where you'd like to place your sponsorship sign [[Image:Template button.png|thumb|right|187x131px]]and click on the "Insert/Edit Template" button on the editing toolbar.
 * When the "Template properties" window appears, insert the name of your adoption sign (captured in step #3) and click "Ok" on the "Template Properties" window.
 * Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the "Save page" button to save your changes. You're organization is now the official sponsor of the page!
 * Review the page you've sponsored to ensure that the content is a) comprehensive (add information and links to other resources that might be missing) and b) accurate (they correct anything that might be wrong). You can also add links to any resources related to this locality that are offered on your organization's web site that might be helpful to someone doing research in that area.
 * Find another page to adopt! It's easier to adopt more pages once you've created your adoption sign the first time.  Simply follow steps 3 - 8 to adopt additional pages.

Other frequently asked questions...
Q: Wait, isn’t this a wiki? Can’t anyone add content to a page in the wiki? A: Yes! Anyone can add content to any page in the wiki, however, page sponsors help to ensure that the content that gets added is accurate, complete, contains links that are updated, etc. Even though someone has sponsored a page doesn’t mean you shouldn’t contribute what you know about that area. Q: Can anyone ‘adopt a page?’ A: Anyone can add content to a page and watch that page for updates. Currently, adoption opportunities are limited to Genealogical, Family History, Archival and other Historical Societies and related organizations.

Q: Can my organization adopt more than one page?

A: Yes! Your organization can adopt as many pages as you like provided that the page hasn't already been sponsored by another organization. Page adoptions are accepted on a first come/first serve basis. Also, at this time, only one society or organization is allowed adopt any given page.

Q: I’ve adopted a page. Do I have to “police” and check the page every time a change is made? A: No. We encourage you to check the page on a regular basis to ensure that the latest information regarding information, records and resources that your society is aware of is updated on the page and that the overall content is as accurate as possible so as to benefit others who may be doing research in your area. That said, it’s not necessary to review every change made to the page by others as community members at large can also correct inaccuracies as they are recognized.

Q: I want to know how many people are coming to a particular page (so that I can get a sense of which page(s) I want to adopt and/or know how much referral traffic might come to my sight). A: The page view count can be seen at the bottom of each page. In addition, in the near future, we will be adding a “rating” section to each page where you can see user feedback as to whether the content on the page helped them solve their research problem.

Q: Help! I have more questions that weren’t answered here. A: You can post your questions to the FamilySearch Forums at http://forums.familysearch.org or contact [mailto:bennettbr@familysearch.org bennettbr@familysearch.org] or [mailto:Jensenfa@familysearch.org Jensenfa@familysearch.org] for additional help.

The fine print...
The "Adopt-a-Wiki page" program has been created by FamilySearch for the benefit of societies, organizations and patrons of the FamilySearch.org Research Wiki for the sole purpose of completing family history research. The "Adopt-a-Wiki page program operates in accordinance with the existing FamilySerach wiki policies and guidelines unless specifically stated otherwise in this disclaimer. FamilySearch reserves the right to modify or discontinue the program and/or its terms at any time without notice.  Page sponsorship does not consititue a contract, either written or implied, between FamilySearch and any other organization.  All contributions made by page sponsors are done on a strictly volunteer basis.  Page sponsors may be removed or changed at any time at FamilySearch's sole discretion without cause or notice.

© 2010 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

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