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Monitoring your ancestors on FamilySearch isn't always easy. However, FamilySearch recently made a change that will help you keep track of changes to your ancestors' profiles.
What is the Watch Feature on FamilySearch?
FamilySearch provides free access to billions of historical records and a free family tree-building platform. The catch is that any user on the platform can view and edit the family tree.
That sounds scary. Right?!?
If you implement a strategy of watching various deceased relatives, FamilySearch will notify you whenever another user changes the information about an ancestor in the family tree.
Before April 2020, this was called "Watching," and the persons you followed were placed on a Watch List. Since then, the features have been renamed "Follow" with a "Follow List." The Following Page lists all the persons you have selected to monitor and a changelog.
To follow an ancestor, click on the word "Follow" on their profile page or a pop-up Person card from any family tree view.
To unfollow a person, click the word "Following" beside a black star on the Person Card or the Person Profile. This will turn the start white and the word to "Follow."
Be advised. You'll no longer receive emails when someone changes your family tree. As part of your family history research, you'll want to watch the "Following Page."
What Are the Labels On the Following Page?
Monitoring specific individuals becomes frustratingly difficult once you start following more than a handful of ancestors. Thus, FamilySearch has released a new feature to help tag and filter your Following List. These tags are known as labels.
Unlike Ancestry MyTreeTags, the FamilySearch Labels only affect the Following List. They will not show up on your pedigree chart or fan chart. They will not appear on Person Pages or Person Cards. Again, they will only show up on your Following List.
How to Add a Label to Someone You Follow
Navigate to a name from your Following List.
Click on the three dots beside their name.
Click on "Add Label."
Select the relevant label.
Add a note. (Optional)
Click Save.
The label will appear below the ancestor's name in the Following List.
What Standard FamilySearch Labels Are Available?
FamilySearch has developed a list of labels that might be of use:
Actively changing
Completed
End of the line
Interested
Researching
Stuck
I really wish FamilySearch would recommend how to use these labels. Much in the same way, I wish I knew which Ancestry MyTreeTags to use.
Honestly, I don't foresee using "interested" or "completed" often. If I'm interested in a person, they're on my Following List, which seems redundant. As for "completed," I rarely finish researching an ancestor, so that's not helpful.
Actively changing and researching seem too similar to me to understand their distinction. Thus, I think I prefer "Researching."
See the new FamilySearch feature in action by watching this video.
Create a Custom Label
If the labels offered by FamilySearch do not meet your needs, you can create your own. Follow these steps or watch the video above.
Click on "Create New Label."
Type in your custom label in the box.
Click "Create Label.:
On the next screen, scroll down your label options.
Select your custom label.
On the next screen, you can type a note.
Click Save.
With this note field, you do not always need to write something. Unlike reason statement boxes, these notes are only for you. If you need it, add it. If not, skip the box.
Some custom labels you might find useful are "Watch for Merging" or "Direct Ancestor."
Watch for Merging Custom Labels
During RootsTech Connect, Ron Tanner from FamilySearch recommended using a "watch for merging" label. I concur with this idea.
I have an ancestor who is constantly being merged with someone else. I want to ensure I am watching this relative like a hawk. In my post, I also mentioned some relatives about fixing bad merges on FamilySearch, which I also want to monitor.
Since I no longer receive emailed notifications about these individuals, I can quickly filter my following list by creating a custom label that says "watch for merging " when I spot-check recent changes to the family tree.
Direct Ancestor Custom Label
Another label you might have to add to your tree is "Direct Ancestor." While you can watch as many people as you want, you will find value in being able to watch for changes to just your direct ancestors.
Using the filter list option, you can view a reduced list that only highlights these multiple great-grandparents.
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Learn How Many People Are Following Who You Are Watching
From your master Following List, you can quickly see how many people watch the same ancestors you monitor.
You'll access these numbers using the same three dots beside an ancestor's name that you would use to add a label to the watch list.
When the option list appears, you'll see the total number of persons elected to follow your shared ancestor. You won't be able to view who they are, but you might discover how many or few are interested in your common ancestor.
I was shocked to see how few were following my ancestors.
BONUS TIP: Reduce Your Following List
When I started filming the video for this blog post, I noticed nearly 1,000 names on my Following List.
For many, that number might not seem like much. However, as I scrolled through the list, I had many extended family members I was not actively researching or interested in.
As I strive to be more focused and organized in my genealogy research, I often downsize my large family trees on other websites and my genealogy software program. Therefore, I knew I needed to shrink this list as well.
My list now contains 408 names. I want to know these individuals when another researcher adds to or edits their profiles.
I know some of you like to follow and create these massive trees. A colleague had over 63,000 names in their only tree.
Please don't try to follow that many.
Follow the people that you're actively researching.
You can unfollow names directly from the following list if you need to cull your list.
Once again, click on the three dots beside the name on this list.
Select the option to unfollow.
Those names will remain in your family tree but no longer appear on your watchlist.
If you want to follow someone again, return to their Person Page and click "Follow."
