FamilySearch.org Help Center and Wiki

We don't have to know everything.We do have to be good at knowing how to find the answers!

FamilySearch Help Centerhttps://familysearch.org/ask/

FamilySearch Self Helphttps://familysearch.org/help/feedback

FamilySearch Bloghttps://familysearch.org/blog

Webinar “What’s New at FamilySearch” by Devin Ashby http://www.familytreewebinars.com/download.php?webinar_id=72

FamilySearch Family Tree Traininghttps://familysearch.org/tree-training

FamilySearch Traininghttp://familysearchtraining.com/

FamilySearch Records training https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/FamilySearch_Records_training_videos

Genealogy Education - Family Tree Webinarshttp://www.familytreewebinars.com

Tool Kit - FamilySearch Research Assistance – note: There are two formats with same informationhttp://rs-toolkit.com or http://rs-toolkit.com/toolkit.html

FamilySearch HelpAssignment #1

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Get Help

When in FamilySearch.org, go to the home page by clicking on the FamilySerach icon, select “Live Help”. The magenta colored button “Get Help” is used to access the Help Center. The “Get Help” link is located on the top far right of most FamilySearch pages. This link will pop-up the Support Options. (see above image)

Answers to most questions can be found in the Help Center. When using the Help Center make sure to sign in, because those who are signed in will see more information. For example if you have an LDS account, information about temples and name submission will be listed.

1. List the 5 Get Help options

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

2. Click on Call Us, what is the support number for the United States?The phone number has a date encoded in it (MDD-YYYY). Knowing the date that the church was reorganized can help us remember the FamilySearch United States support number.

3. Click on In-person Help, find a Family History Center in Bountiful, Utah. In the Nearby list, select the South Davis FHC. The FHC address, phone number, and schedule are display. What does the Notes say about handicap access?

4. Using the “Find a Family History Center” page, search for a FHC in a location where you are doing research. What was the nearest FHC?[Would you be able to help someone researching the South Davis area? The Wiki for Davis County, Utah is a good place to find the answer.]

5. Go to the Help Center. What are the 4 kinds of help that can be obtained from the Help Center?

A.

B.

C.

D.

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6. Click on Product Support and find the item that is pictured above.

Note: A question or keywords can be entered into the search box, press enter to search. One might have to reword the questions several times in order to find the desired answer. If a knowledge document number (KD) to a particular question is already known then the number may be typed into the box and a search done to bring up the document.

Using Product Support search and only the document number, find knowledge document 1028005 “Entering Standardized Dates and Places”. When was this document posted? Write a date and a place in standardized formatDate: Place:

7. Go to the Help Center, select Product SupportHow many topic are in the Browse by topic section? Select the “FamilySearch Account” topic, notice the changes to the Browsing title, Quick Start:”, “Search within”, and “FAQs”. Select the other 5 topics to see what is available.View the handout in the Temple topic to see a 6 page summary of the Temple topic dated April 2013.Selecting “browse all topics” will let you search all the topics.

Homework: For each topic in the Help Center review the Quick Start video, handout, and more training videos.

8. Go to Product Support > Family Tree topic and search using the phrase. “living people”.Write below a couple of things that were listed under this topic.A.

B.

9. Go to Product Support > Temple topic and search using the phrase. “temple submission”.Write below a couple of things that were listed under this topic.A.

B.

10. Go to Product Support > Temple topic > Quick Start > more training videosquestions is a section titled Family Tree.List the 6 types of training resources available from FamilySearch.A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

11. Go to the FamilySearch homepage by clicking on the FamilySerach icon, Select “Live Help”.The “Get Help” button with take you to the Help Center. There are 3 other links for help: wiki, videos, getting started. There does the videos link take you?

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12. Go to the Learning Center from the Help Center or from Live Help.

Find these 5 sections:

A. Online genealogy courses

B. RootsTech 2013 Videos

C. Most Popular Courses

D. New Courses

E. Beginning Genealogy Courses

13. In the Learning Center find a course about

A. How to create a good patron experience at a Family History Center

B. Family History Center working with priesthood leaders

14. Select “About” at the bottom of the FamilySerach homepage.Find the :”Our Vision” videoSelect the “Create an Account” button to view the required information needed for a new account.Select “What's New”(also on the FamilySerach homepage). List one new FamilySearch item.

A.

15. Select “feedback” at the bottom of the home page. What link would you use to view a list of the problems/questions you've addressed directly with FamilySearch?

A.

Browser Tip: If there is no BACK arrow on a web page, you can go BACK in the browser by doing a right click in a blank space and selecting Back.

16. Select “Blog” at the bottom of the home page. The blog can be searched by keywords, subject and viewed by categories. You can also make comments or view others comments.

List one item in the “Tech Tip” category:A.

May 1st, 2013 Blog post → “The recording of the free webinar, What’s New at FamilySearch, by Devin Ashby, one of FamilySearch’s Community Advocates, is now available to view in the Family Tree Webinars archives. For all of you interested in all the recent new enhancements at FamilySearch, this webinar is a must-watch! http://www.familytreewebinars.com/download.php?webinar_id=72

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Case Notes

FamilySearch "Help Tools" Training for FHC Staff - "How to use FamilySearch Help to get answers to help patrons?"

I am teaching a class Saturday May 11th to our FHC staff on "How to use FamilySearch Help to

get answers". My class is not on how to use FamilySearch Products. The class is on how to use

FamilySearch Help/Assistance Tools in the FHC. Before I create my lesson, does FamilySearch

already have a lesson video, handout, wiki article?

Thanks for your help,

Leonard

Email 5/8/13 2:51 PM:

Dear Brother Plaizier,

The training for the new design hasn't been completed for the FAQ's yet, but you should be able

to demo them with no problem. The process is simple..

Here's how:

1. On the Main page, click on the Live Help icon (familysearch.org)

2. On the new frame display, click on the 'Get Help' button

3. On the new page, click on 'Get support now' under Product Support

4. On the new page, click on any of the icons, then scroll down the page to see the various links

and resource Knowledge Documents about that subject.

5. A few more icons and categories will be added to this page in the future for the Wiki, etc.

The Knowledge document you hoped to find is still being written as of a few minutes ago and

won't be completed in time for your presentation.

Sincerely,

FamilySearch Support

-------------------------

(CaseID:3100595)

------------------------

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Where Would You Go OnFamilySearch.org to Find…

Assignment #2

1. What's New on FamilySearch __________________________________________________

2. Register to get started ________________________________________________________

3. The WIKI ___________________________________________________________________

4. Create a Fan Chart ________________________________________________________

5. A book about one of your family names ___________________________________________

6. What to do first if you were totally new to Family History work ________________________

7. The Family History Library Catalog ___________________________ _________________

8. A Family History Center close to you _____________________________________________

9. Lessons on Descendant Research _______________________________________________

10. Lessons on Indexing or doing an Indexing project __________________________________

11. The latest news events about Family History topics _________________________________

12. Where to Edit your name, email, change password, etc. ______________________________

13 Sign-In ____________________________________________________________________

14. Home Page _________________________________________________________________

15. Knowledge Documents 1028005 “Entering Standardized Dates and Places“ _____________

16. Lessons on how to use FamilySearch ---- _________________________________________

17. Local Assistance for information about local Family History Consultants _____________

18. The FamilySearch HELP number, live chat, or send an email ________________________

19. The policies for preparing names for the temple ____________________________________

20. Report something not working or give a suggestion _________________________________

ANSWERS: (1) Live Help>What's New (2) Get Started (3) Search>Wiki or Live Help>Wiki (4) Fan Chart>Create Now (5) Family Tree>Books (6) Live Help>Getting Started (7) Search>Catalog (8) Live Help>FHCs in two places (9) Get Help>Help Center> Learn or Live Help> videos or Use Wiki (10) Indexing>Learn More (11) Blog (12 ) User Name> Settings (13) Sign In (top right) (14) FamilySearch icon (15) Get Help>Product Support> (16) Help Center>Product Support> Icons (17) Feedback> Local Assistance (18) Get Help. (19) Get Help>Help Center;>Product Support>Temple>Search with Temple (20)Help > Feedback.

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Wiki.FamilySearch.org Finding Answers in the Wiki

What is the FamilySearch Wiki?https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/b/bb/Wiki_Overview.pdf

FamilySearch Wiki Goldminehttps://www.dropbox.com/s/r5wecbw8skp068t/Wiki%20Goldmine.pdf

FamilySearch Wiki Basic Searches https://dl.dropbox.com/u/30201565/Wiki%20Goldmine.ppt

FamilySearch Wiki Success Storieshttps://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/FamilySearch_Wiki:Success_Stories

Research Wiki Case Study – Charles Franklin Middaughhttps://docs.google.com/presentation/pub?id=1pp6Zxgkj949eLPnhCT6Rtd4w2HWFQXkcGBcS-J5Mgq8&start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000#slide=id.p34

FamilySearch Wiki:Success StoryA patron came in asking for help with getting a copy of a death certificate. She had found two records in an index to death certificates on a microfilm that included 1949. The name was right and the year was right, so she wanted a copy of the certificate. She didn't know what to do next.

We loaded the film on the reader and found the two records she was after. It appeared that both entries were for the same individual because they had the same name, same certificate number, same date and county of death.

The next step was to look in the FamilySearch Catalog to see the actual death certificates. I really didn't think we would have them because the year of death was 1949, but we looked in the catalog anyway. Wow, we actually have the certificates on microfilm. She was okay with having to order the microfilm.

She started to leave, but I said we should try to find another resource for the records. I asked her if she knew about the Wiki. She didn't know anything about the Wiki, so I explained it to her and gave her the website address.

We looked on the Wiki to see if the records were available anywhere else.

Right there - listed in the vital records section for the state she needed was a link to FamilySearch Search! The collection in FamilySearch Search included the actual image!!!!

A minute later we had a printout of the death certificate she needed.

She decided that she didn't need to order the microfilm.

She was thrilled, and said that I had "made her day". I said, "No, it wasn't me, it was the Wiki."

She said, "Oh, that's right."

Needless to say, she left with a big smile on her face.Page 7 of 8

On-Site FamilySearch support is accomplished by Family History Center StaffOn the Phone 1-866-406-1830 {4/06/1830 organization of LDS church}Online http://familysearch.org/ask/

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