For many years we have been faced with the problem of how to get the expert knowledge about best methods and techniques to research family history from those who have it to those who need it.  The process for publication into handouts and forms has been laborious, and as with everything in family history, as time goes on our knowledge of sources and new archives increases.  The problem then becomes one of how to not only get today’s knowledge and expertise readily available, but also how do we keep this information fresh and up to date?

Additionally, there may be those who are not experts but by very fact that they live in an area of interest they have the ability to contribute to the knowledgebase.  An example of this is those who live near a cemetery and are able to index or photograph headstones for those who do not live nearby.  Similarly, those who have knowledge of one particular repository or archive can have valuable knowledge that they can contribute.

For those familiar with Wikipedia, the online community formed encyclopedia, you will recognize similarities in the models of obtaining information and sharing it, as well as keeping it up to date.  Wiki technology appears to be the exact answer to this problem of sharing and keeping data fresh.

Granted, there are unique challenges to a family history research guidance wiki.  That is why we are testing different technologies and methodologies before releasing the final product.  We intend to keep all content from the test, but continually adjust the program to make sure we have it right.  The more people we have participating in the test, the more complete the content will be.  The stronger the community and the more active it is the faster we can move this from test idea to powerful solution.  So please feel free to experiment, but also please give us the best of your knowledge and expertise.