Perhaps unique in genealogy, most of us joyfully welcome a newcomer--it means another family history will likely be memorialized. There is a general notion that many will benefit down the road.

For me, this meta touches this issue.

One of the really great things about Genealogy.SE is that we don't all bring the same expertise and perspective to a question. Especially in the case of those new to genealogy, this means that often some community members will understand the residual elements of a question better than others.

Duck.

1. Every soul posting as new to genealogy would get a 36 or 48 hour pass in my world.
2. Community experts ought to use that grace period to try to edit the question for clarity or take a stab at answering the question as they understand same.
3. During that grace period, others in the community are welcome to comment on the question and seek clarity from the poster. (One day we'll have a great blog post about this too.)
4. After the grace period has passed, regardless of whether answers have been posted, if the question has not been improved for quality, all bets are off. In other words, after the grace period has ended, votes to close (preferably with comment) are welcome.

In the case of the question that triggered this meta, I wouldn't take a stab at the answer because I really wasn't sure what Heather was after. Ala, my notions of an answer ranged from something as simple as a gedcom text output (sans sources and citations), to an elaborate unconnected series of hourglass charts.

P.S. Another reminder, too, that for some of us, English is a second language. This may influence how questions, and answers, are initially written.

Perhaps unique in genealogy, most of us joyfully welcome a newcomer--it means another family history will likely be memorialized. There is a general notion that many will benefit down the road.

For me, this meta touches this issue.

One of the really great things about Genealogy.SE is that we don't all bring the same expertise and perspective to a question. Especially in the case of those new to genealogy, this means that often some community members will understand the residual elements of a question better than others.

Duck.

1. Every soul posting as new to genealogy would get a 36 or 48 hour pass in my world.
2. Those experts who think they "get" the question ought to use that grace period to try to edit the question for clarity or take a stab at answering the question as they understand same.
3. During that grace period, others in the community are welcome to comment on the question and seek clarity from the poster. (One day we'll have a great blog post about this too.)
4. After the grace period has passed, regardless of whether answers have been posted, if the question has not been improved for quality, all bets are off. In other words, after the grace period has ended, votes to close (preferably with comment) are welcome.

In the case of the question that triggered this meta, I wouldn't take a stab at the answer because I really wasn't sure what Heather was after. Ala, my notions of an answer ranged from something as simple as a gedcom text output (sans sources and citations), to an elaborate unconnected series of hourglass charts.

P.S. Another reminder, too, that for some of us, English is a second language. This may influence how questions, and answers, are initially written.

Perhaps unique in genealogy, most of us joyfully welcome a newcomer--it means another family history will likely be memorialized. There is a general notion that many will benefit down the road.

For me, this meta touches this issue.

Another great thing about Genealogy.SE is that we don't all bring the same expertise and perspective to a question. Especially in the case of those new to genealogy, this means that often some community members will understand the residual elements of a question better than others.

Duck.

1. Every soul posting as new to genealogy would get a 36 or 48 hour pass in my world.
2. Community experts ought to use that grace period to try to edit the question for clarity or take a stab at answering the question as they understand same.
3. During that grace period, others in the community are welcome to comment on the question and seek clarity from the poster. (One day we'll have a great blog post about this too.)
4. After the grace period has passed, regardless of whether answers have been posted, if the question has not been improved for quality, all bets are off. In other words, after the grace period has ended, votes to close (preferably with comment) are welcome.

In the case of the question that triggered this meta, I wouldn't take a stab at the answer because I really wasn't sure what Heather was after. Ala, my notions of an answer ranged from something as simple as a gedcom text output (sans sources and citations), to an elaborate unconnected series of hourglass charts.

Perhaps unique in genealogy, most of us joyfully welcome a newcomer--it means another family history will likely be memorialized. There is a general notion that many will benefit down the road.

For me, this meta touches this issue.

One of the really great things about Genealogy.SE is that we don't all bring the same expertise and perspective to a question. Especially in the case of those new to genealogy, this means that often some community members will understand the residual elements of a question better than others.

Duck.

1. Every soul posting as new to genealogy would get a 36 or 48 hour pass in my world.
2. Community experts ought to use that grace period to try to edit the question for clarity or take a stab at answering the question as they understand same.
3. During that grace period, others in the community are welcome to comment on the question and seek clarity from the poster. (One day we'll have a great blog post about this too.)
4. After the grace period has passed, regardless of whether answers have been posted, if the question has not been improved for quality, all bets are off. In other words, after the grace period has ended, votes to close (preferably with comment) are welcome.

In the case of the question that triggered this meta, I wouldn't take a stab at the answer because I really wasn't sure what Heather was after. Ala, my notions of an answer ranged from something as simple as a gedcom text output (sans sources and citations), to an elaborate unconnected series of hourglass charts.

P.S. Another reminder, too, that for some of us, English is a second language. This may influence how questions, and answers, are initially written.