World Archives Project

I’ve found that when I click into the survey window and open one of the review lines, the tool suddenly shrinks and I have to close and restart it to get it back to the right size.

Anna, do you want suggestions of defects or improvements which may have been in the old keying tool? (Sometimes it’s difficult to remember whether this is a new or old defect).
For example, I’d like to be able to re-arrange the columns more quickly when I come across a particular type of record. This could be done with a dialog allowing us to move around the fields including moving multiple fields (with the same width of course).

When do we get to work on other projects? The Alabama project drives me crazy, even though it is good to be back.

I am also having the same issue with the survey box.

Will the stats from previous years work be updated and included in the new program? Thanks!

Will the fields for Parents be returning?

I downloaded the updated tool.
So far it seems to be working fine.
It would be nice to have the stats include my past work though.Hopefully they can be added back.

I am doing the UNRRA records, Switzerland. It would be nice to have the numbers appear sequentially as they used to in the entry number box.
Although the survey information is nice. It is not useful when there is no wiki to ask specific questions to know what the problem was.

Hi – just looking to get back into keying after having to take an absence and can’t seem to get in. It looks as though the update is done, but I can’t tell for sure. Can someone update me? Thanks so much.

Alabama Surnames: As an avid researcher, it seems like such a waste to NOT key in Names of people in these newspaper articles when there is not a “valid date” present. There is so much information in some of these articles that would be useful to me, if the subjects were part of my family. If the objective is to capture these newspaper clippings for research, then keying in these names, in the absence of a valid date, would allow these clippings to show up in a search, and would then be at the discretion of the researcher to utilize them.

Also, I understand the instructions say not to key in the handwritten dates on the photostatic pages of the articles. However, as I’ve gone through quite a few of these records so far, the handwritten “dates” seem to be the date of the original newspaper that the photostat is taken from, and is handwritten by the person creating the index.

Please provide clarity.

Is there a page on Ancestry devoted to the Alabama project?

Katharine, Janet,
I have not seen the issue with the shrinking screen when viewing survey results. Please send an email to worldarchivesproject@ancestry.com with details regarding what OS and browser you are using.

And everyone,
We will have 3 new projects today!

Here is the link to the Alabama Surname Files project page, https://bit.ly/2CdtGnc.

Yes, stats will be updated in the next iteration of the tool – coming soon.

By way of communication among our contributors, we are still using the message boards, https://www.ancestry.com/boards/wap/mb.ashx

Thank you all for taking the time to test and contribute!

Feedback/Survey

I am getting feedback from inputting the Alabama Surname project. Often I am getting the feedback “used the wrong form”. There are only 4 choices. Content, Capture, Bad or Duplicate.

As most of the images in this project are newspaper clippings, and the instructions state to not input names if there is no valid date (which includes a year), I have been using “capture” as the choice.

I am unclear as to what other form type I should be using for images that have great data, but no valid date?

Ellen,
You are correct. If there is an article that doesn’t include a vital date we are not indexing it and it should be categorized as a Capture.

We ran into a snag with the tool we use to launch new projects – stay tuned and keep fingers crossed that we can launch new projects tomorrow.

I note that if we download from more than one project, the projects are not ‘grouped’ as they used to be. They can still be viewed together of course by sorting by Project (or set name).

Probably not an issue, but worth a mention.

When will I be able to index more data? The World Archive Project is still not available for keying at our house. I was a volunteer for beta testing. I’ve keyed 15,500 records and arbitrated another 28,500 before this long unavailable period.

1. Why does this now say Mackiev? I thought this was ANCESTRY World Archives Project?
2. Are we going to get credit for keying which in turn gives a discounted price on ANCESTRY Annual Membership?
3. The Rootsweb page

1. There is a link on the front page that states “Visit the Ancestry World Archives Project online help articles for guidelines and project specific help.” The part from Ancestry to articles is a hyperlink and it does not work.
2. I had the old version and when I clicked on check for updates it just kept telling me to check my internet connection, which was fine. I then went to the Ancestry page for WAP and none of the links worked in Chrome. I had to copy and paste into Edge to find out that there is this new Beta version.
3. I don’t use Edge unless forced to do so. Are you going to fix the problem with it working in Chrome? I did finally get it to open in Chrome.
4. When I downloaded the Keying tool I noticed that it said MacKiev. What is going on there? I thought this was ANCESTRY WAP. Is MacKiev taking over Ancestry?
5. You might get more feedback if the old program would point you to the Beta version and if there were more projects available to key.
6. Will keyers be given credit like before that gives them a discounted price on Ancestry annual membership and will this now get automated? I always miss out because I have my subscription set for auto renewal and the way it was set up is that you had to call in before it renewed to get the discount and I would always forget.
7. Have I lost my arbitrator status?

I understand what a BETA version is, but when the links on Ancestry for WAP no longer work and people have to put so much effort into even finding the BETA version I think it is going to take some time to get this fielded. JMO.

Although I have been keying since 2019 and had the choice of several projects, since the update I have only the Alabama Surnames project available to me. Why is this?

I agree Ellen, it would be lovely to be able to key the names without dates. So much in the records that could be lost to researchers as they do not realize their ancestors or relatives are included in the project. I felt the same about WW1 projects where only the names of the deceased were recorded – so many stories lost to family researchers because they did not know the stories were there.

I seem to be just going through reams of newspaper articles and having to class them as ‘content’ because of the rule of not using written or stamped dates.

This is now becoming very boring project to key as there is now virtually nothing to actually key. I would agree with Ellen that quite a bit of valuable information is being lost. The likelihood is that the handwritten or stamped dates are valid otherwise what was the point of the researcher documenting all this information?

Re my previous comment. I meant I keep having to class lots of images as ‘capture’ rather than ‘content’.

@afechter please email me

when a reviewer says I did something wrong in the Survey tab, is there a way to see the error?

Just as a matter of interest. I was transcribing the Alabama files when l came across a funeral insert which was being conducted by a Rev Merry Christmas. BTW the funeral was in March.
The things you find!!!

Two things.
Part one.
Please fix the issue with Ireland. In 1922 we became separated. Even with the dates plugged in Ancestry tries to default to N’Ireland. Example: I add someone who was born in 1800 and passed in 1900, that is before 1922. Ancestry tries to force N’Ireland when in fact it wasnt yet. A lot of non Irish do not understand this. can someone be done to stop the default post 1922?

Leads to part two
When we have a good DNA match if I click on map and locations, if the other person has N’Ireland and many do regardless of date those people will not show on the map.
By just removing the auto N’Ireland when date is given pre 1922 it would save a lot of hair pulling and extra searching

Sorry. Comment posted to wrong post

Re the Alabama project, a few questions for the reviewers:

1. Re engagement announcements: I haven’t been keying them in, because there’s no certainty that the wedding went ahead, what with a lot of people heading off to the war and such. I’ve been marked down on by not keying them in. What’s the verdict?

2. The duplicate form: Sometimes scans that are back to back aren’t exact duplicates. For example 3/4 of the top of an article has been scanned on the first page, and 3/4 of the same article has been scanned on the next page. The keyable data is let’s say in the middle of the page. Do I key the data in for both scans, or just on one and call the other a duplicate?

3. Inferring dates: I realise the instructions say to ignore the stamped and written dates (though I disagree re the stamped dates because a lot of data is being lost, but whatever), but there are some scans where I can logically infer dates. For example, a woman celebrating her 104th birthday on Jan 1, 1957, some simple math says that she was born on Jan 1, 1853. I’ve been keying that in even though it’s not in the record. Shall I continue doing so?

4. Inferring other information: Some of the date stamps are “official” stamps of the Alabama newspapers, usually accompanied by a note saying “this clipping from the [whatever newspaper it is] was taken on”. Are these to be ignored as well in taking the dates into consideration?

Lastly, feedback on the tool itself: Given that this blog seems to be a one-way communication tool between Anna and the people keying data in, as Anna doesn’t usually to respond, does Ancestry want any feedback on the beta version from the keyers, or is what we see what we’re going to get moving on?

Sorry, one more:

Not sure the feedback on the review is effective whatsoever. What does one do with “Missed keying fields” or “Wrong form type”? No one’s perfect, obviously, so feedback is supposed to be helpful in offering constructive criticism.

Maybe a pie in the sky request, but if somehow the reviewer can add a screenshot with comments, that would totally help, especially if a particular keyer is making consistent mistakes.

Fred, you can ask questions, have a discussion and get other keyer/reviewers comments if you post your question on the appropriate WAP Message Boards. Anna has put a link to these in her comment No 12.
It’s much easier to give fuller comments on each others questions there.

@Jeni Mason

Many thanks! I’ve never used these boards before, so sincere apologies. Will head there.

We are quite a friendly lot Fred (well most of the time!) and try to help each other out with any queries.