Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness Wiki
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Frequently-Asked Questions

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This page provides answers to questions that many people often ask who are new to wikis.

If you have questions about the wiki, you can add your question either at the help desk or to the table below. (See Wiki 101 for RAOGK for editing instructions, if you are not already familiar with wiki editing):

Question Answer
What's the difference between a website and a wiki. A wiki is a type of website. This wiki is one of several hundred thousand wikis in the "Wikia" group, all sharing the same software and looked after by teams of staff in the USA and Poland. From a user perspective, think of a website like using PDFs (it's read-only) and think of a wiki like working with a Word document -- individual users cannot edit a PDF (it's read-only) but an individual can edit/modify a Word document they were sent.
There's no volunteer listed for a county in a state I'm interested in. How will I know if someone volunteers for that county? Be sure you have a RAOGK wiki account and are signed in and have your e-mail confirmed. Go to that page and click the "Follow" button at the bottom of the page. If the page changes, you'll receive an email alert.
I noticed a couple of errors in my description of services. Whom do I contact to get them them fixed? You should be able to edit that part of the wiki yourself. If you don't want to do the edits yourself, please email the Wiki Admin
What happens to the wiki if the wiki administrator becomes incapacitated or dies? Does the wiki cease to exist? Any Wikia wiki can have any number of administrators, and it remains in existence, usable, as long as Wikia, Inc., wants it to. It is not dependent on a single person or small group.
When I created my wiki account, I typed my user name incorrectly. How do I change my user name/how do I fix the typo in my user name? First of all, you don't need to. It's only a label. If you really must change it, send a request to Special:Contact/rename-account to have your account renamed. (There is a special form for it.)

Note: Please make sure you read and fully understand the Change Your Username page as Wikia will only change a username once!

I'm having trouble finding pages for volunteers or how to contact someone about the wiki. Is there an easy way to navigate the wiki?
  • Quickly go to a page by typing the state or country name in the search box and either click the magnifying glass icon or press the Enter key.
  • Quickly go to your User Page by clicking your Username in the upper right corner of the screen. (You have to be signed in first.)
  • Discuss any aspect of the site and ask questions either at the Forum, on an article's "Talk" page, or leave a comment at the bottom of any page. (The Talk page button is at the top of each page.) You can also send your question "offline" to: Wiki Admin
  • Be sure to sign and date your contributions there, so that readers know "who to talk to" and whether your message is probably still of current interest.
I created a wiki account and put my volunteer services on my user page. How will people find me? Researchers will find you on the state/country page where you are volunteering your services. The profile page is similar to a profile you might set up on Facebook. What you put on your user page is what you want people to know about you. Find your state/county page and either contact Wiki Admin to have your services added/modified for you or "do it yourself" using the instructions on the Wiki 101 for RAOGK page.
I want to volunteer my services and when I started to create an account, the form wanted my birthdate and would not create an account for me. I don't want to provide my birthdate. So, how can I volunteer my services without an account? You don't need an account to volunteer your services. Just contact Wiki Admin to have your services added/modified for you.
How do I leave a message, comment, question, suggestion? Some one will get back to your promptly if you do any of the following.
  • If you have an account, you can post your message on your user message wall.
  • You can post a message at the bottom of any page in the Comment box.
  • You can email Wiki Admin
  • Ask questions either at the Wikia Forum
  • Use the "Talk" page of any article to provide comments, etc.

Note: It's best to have an account and be signed in before posting the comment so that you will receive an email alert when there is a response to your post. (If you are not signed in, you will not receive an alert.)

Does the RAOGK wiki need any additional wiki administrators? (If it's not too involved or technical, I'd like to help.) Contact Wiki Admin and offer your services.
How do I send a request to a volunteer? Go to the state/country page where you need a volunteer's services ... then find the a volunteer who has offered to do services there.
  • If the person has an active link, click the link and it will open up your email program and you fill in your research request and send it as any other email.
  • If there is no active link, be sure you're logged into the wiki ... and click the Follow link at the bottom of the page. Then, you'll receive alerts when the page changes ... which usually occurs when someone activates a link.

Switch to:
RAOGK main page        Find a Volunteer (USA / Worldwide)        Latest Wiki News        Take Wiki Poll

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