ATTENTION Curators, please assist

https://www.geni.com/merge/compare/6000000002170577052?return=merge...

https://www.geni.com/merge/compare/6000000001937343158?return=merge...

Private User both merges done.

Thanks

https://www.geni.com/merge/compare/6000000001128803652?return=merge...

Private User
Done

I did not merge https://www.geni.com/merge/compare/6000000001128803659?return=dupli...

In my Merge Center, I am getting requests for merges that I manage. Most requests are incorrect (parents different, etc.) I contacted some of the people that Geni states that "[Name] thinks these profiles are the same". Several of the people emailed back to say that they never made the request for merging. My last email stated "I don't know who sent you a request but it isn't me; I have not used Geni for several years.".
Anyone know why this happens? Jim

Jim,

I've noticed these as well. I refuse them, but there do seem to be more of them.

I suspect that it is a Geni program. If I am correct, it is deceptive (using the identity of a Geni user) and not reliable (accuracy rating is awful). It is also dangerous because it connects the profiles (with blue circle and +) until the request is denied. It is suspicious that they happen in clumps and when emailed the person that Geni claims is making the request knows nothing about it. Jim

There is an effort going on to grow the world family tree which I'm sure is the reason you are being alerted to old merge requests which regrettably are often not reliable. When someone says ' it wasn't me, I haven't been on Geni in ages' it probably was them.

We here feel that nothing is more frustrating (genealogically, that is) then spending years making corrections and additions to a very complex internet tree only to find that all the knots you've painstakingly almost untangled are all starting to twist themselves back together.

With this in mind, we feel that "growing the tree" should not take priority over, nor should it be programmed to override, the important work of making sure that the existing tree is accurate and that work that has been completed is not lost.

The dates on the request for merging are within a day or two as is the date of the last update. Yet the sole manager is unaware and as in my earlier example, inactive. I stand by my suspicion and request someone checks with the management/programmers. I concur with Benjamin's frustrations. Jim

I think it IS some kind of automated subroutine gone mad. I keep getting impossible "merge requests", some of them piled up multiple profiles deep, that any actual live human being would realize could not be the same person.

Update: The most recent such fake request originated *FROM AN ABANDONED TREE*.

No human being IS doing this to us.

I suspect it's more complicated than that. In the past Geni has been very clear that they do not want anyone running an automated script, not even to confirm matches already set up by a human. Also, the curators have always been very vocal about the poor quality of matches on Scandinavian names. It would begger belief that all the history of debate and dissent on that issue would change overnight.

It's not unusual for me to see matches confirmed now for requests I made years ago. And, I suppose if I had closed my account in the meantime the matches would still be confirmed as coming from an abandoned or closed account.

What I've seen the past week is something a little different -- new matches that could not possibly have been confirmed by any human, but were. It's not unusual for naive users to believe that if Geni offers a match it must be good.

That's not what's going on, Justin. SomeTHING is trying to "clean up" old abandoned isolated trees by jamming them willy-nilly onto the Big Tree anywhere that looks like even a Wiild-Guess fit.

It's not "naive users" when the accounts haven't been touched in four-five years.

Maven, I'm just guessing. I don't know the answer, but it seems entirely plausible to me that an intersection of these different aspects could easily account for the problems without assuming an automated system.

No path, no recent activity, "Abandoned Tree" flag either available or already set (I've found several instances where *I* sent the "Abandoned Tree" flag and there has been no activity since).

Nothing human is doing this.

It seems to me that people are setting up merges by name only, without looking at parents etc. I remember when I was a newbie, I did that before I realized how Geni worked. I just kill the merges. Mike did say that Geni will not run any script to complete the requested merges. They have just freed up profiles so they can be merged

We're supposed to blame "naive users" after the recent Geni barf that had HUNDREDS of horrendously bad matches for common names?

That one turned out to be a program glitch. Betcha this one does too.

The bad ones I see have been set up by users, not Geni.

Can you please fix this bad merge for me?

Glenn McElhoe
Today at 6:40 PM
Yes, the parents of Private

are

John Robert Davis and
Private

Glenn

Sara van Broek

unfortunately, the other 'manager' has made a mistake
because

Mietje Frank

is the right parent

tx

Mike Stangel what is your thoery behind this glut of merges in our inbox? program glitch or bug in the system or what? That's to be looked at by the support team i too just noticed it today.. No user is perfect

can you help me merge the following?

This is the old one
Annika (Anna) Friend

This shall merge with the old one
Unknown Profile

Is it too late to undo the August 28, 2014 merge on this profile?

Jonas Månsson i Måshult

I think the best bet is to hold off on merge requests until mike has had a chance to analize the code and figure out what is going on because it seems to be a sticking point for many people.. The one i did a few days ago went fine but i have not done one since and my box has become flooded with them and i have other concerens off line as of late to pay attention to them.. I've looked into them however as there is one thing i've learned in making mistakes i think regan said trust then verify I've taken the verify first then trust approach with them

Annika (Anna) Friend is done