Shared-Tree Etiquette: Working With Collaborators Without Stepping on Toes

The golden rule

Never delete another collaborator's entry. Tag it as "disputed" or add an alternative, but don't overwrite. That person spent hours on their version; you owe them a conversation before their work disappears.

Citations, everywhere

Every date, every place, every relationship should carry a source link or a citation in the notes. "Grandma said so" is a legitimate source — just write it down. The next generation will want to know which grandma and when she said it.

The dispute protocol

Two cousins, two birth dates for the same great-grandparent. Don't argue in the tree. Open a shared document, paste both sources, work toward "we don't know for certain, here's what each source says." The tree records the uncertainty faithfully. That's the most honest answer.