User:DiltsGD/Sandbox

= WikiProject New York =

Proposed subject to community approval: Wiki community members, and member of US/Canada Reference at the Family History Library will work to improve the New York related pages on the FamilySearch Wiki from September 2011 through January 2012 to help educate genealogists how to find ancestors who lived part of their lives in New York State.

Proposed Schedule
Proposed subject to community approval: 2011 26 Aug begin recruiting WikiProject New York members 7-10 Sep invite FGS Conference to join the WikiProject New York 14 Sep show and tell US/Canada Reference WikiProject New York plans 15 Sep initial Project NY Meeting to


 * approve overall agenda
 * select future meeting times
 * choose a project leader
 * approve a Wiki site for Project NY meeting agenda and minutes
 * approve a tentative Project NY schedule
 * approve or begin approving proposed project rules
 * approve or begin approving a proposed project model county style page


 * In subsequent meetings finish any business from above, and:


 * adopt the existing task list for modification, or create a proposed alternative task list
 * approve a project completion measuring tool (possibly modeled after the one for Illinois)

2012 31 Jan WikiProject ends

Proposed Overall Agenda
Proposed subject to community approval: Improve or create New York related Wiki pages:


 * Top New York introductory page
 * Statewide topic pages
 * County pages
 * Repository pages
 * Migration pathway pages
 * NYC passenger arrival list search strategies page(s)
 * NYC big city research strategies page(s)

Proposed First Meeting Agenda
Proposed subject to community approval:


 * 15 September 2011 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.


 * 1) Proposed adoption of the FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject New York page as the project home page (5 minutes)
 * 2) Choose a time and place for the next three WikiProject New York meetings (5 minutes)
 * 3) Choose a project leader (10 minutes)
 * 4) Take time to have each participant "register" by adding a project logo to their User page (10 minutes)
 * 5) Discuss and delegate someone to set up a section of the home page telling how to reach each WikiProject New York member. (10 minutes)
 * 6) Discuss and adopt a tentative preliminary project schedule (10 minutes)
 * 7) Discuss and adopt project rules (30 minutes)
 * 8) Discuss and adopt project model New York county style page (40 minutes)

Remaining business:


 * Either adopt the existing task list for modification, or create a proposed alternative task list
 * Set up project meeting agenda area
 * Set up project completion measuring tool perhaps modeled after the one for Illinois

Proposed Rules
Proposed subject to community approval: The following rules will be adopted by the WikiProject New York members until end of the project tentatively schedules for 31 January 2012.

1A. Project Goal: Concentrate on adding new content that teaches readers how to use well New York genealogical search strategies, records, or repositories. 1B. Benchmarks: Create content for New York Wiki pages with a balance of these four hierarchical factors in mind:


 * a. Genealogical Pedagogical Purpose. Be able to explain what the reader can do genealogically that they could not do before reading your words or seeing your images or tables.
 * b. Clarity. Make sure everyone understands your meaning and the pedagogical purpose of your words.
 * c. Brevity. Be succinct as possible without sacrificing pedagogical purpose or clarity.
 * d. Documentation. Footnote(s) revealing the source(s) of the content you are creating.

2. Vetted content. Before you add similar words to more than one New York Wiki page your words must be vetted and approved by any two other team members who are guided by rule #1 and agree with you on that way of presenting it.

3. Style. The first few days of the New York project we will agree on a model style, and create at least one example page of it. Team members must follow that style during the project. After that agreement NO style changes will be allowed for the remainder of the project (tentatively until 1 February 2012). No discussion of changing the style will be allowed. Style includes but is not limited to:


 * Words used in headers (anything that would appear in the table of contents if there were one)
 * Heading levels
 * order of presentation
 * Table of contents style or position (or lack of TOC)
 * image, table, or template positions or size
 * font
 * bold
 * italic
 * underline
 * indentation
 * bullets
 * numbering
 * footnote style
 * image, table, or template style
 * internal link style
 * external link style
 * use, or lack of use of standard templates

4. Wording changes. Before changing the saved wording of another team member who followed these rules you must get their consent (except for obvious minor typos).

5. Links with purpose. The Wiki is not a links repository. It uses links to support the genealogical educational purpose of a page or section of a page. Show and explain links with an educational purpose in mind. Describe each external link briefly but well enough for the reader to realize what they will be getting if they click that link.

6. Seek out local and unique genealogical search strategies, records, or repositories and explain them to readers.

7. Non-compliance will result in work being reverted, or changed to follow these rules.

Proposed Model New York County Style Page
See Albany County, New York.