Proposed Categories

As noted above, it is proposed that 10 of the current 13 categories are eliminated. Of the remaining three, two are to be re-cast and one is to be retained essentially unchanged.

Comments, feedback and general discussion are brought together on this talk page.

People

It is proposed that the category "People" be retained unchanged and its use be exclusively confined to Person Pages; that is those pages using the Person Page-lite template or similar. Its use should be actively encouraged, so that index pages based on a combination of category and wiki page name can be created. This would permit a list of, say, all individuals whose name begins "Ri" but would exclude places in the state of Rhode Island.

A means to automatically categorise pages based on the template used has yet to be found. We will therefore have to rely on community members appropriately categorising new pages.

Military Service

It is proposed that the a new high level category Military Service replace the current Military Records. A sub-category for each major conflict will be created and within each of these a category for the principle combatants will be created. The categories might, for example only, look thus

    Military Service
        American Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
            American Armies (to include the Continental Army and Colonial Militia)
            Loyalists
            British Armies and Auxiliaries
        American Civil War (1861 - 1863)
            Union Forces
            Confederate Forces
        First Anglo-Boer War (1880-1881)
            British Forces
            Boer Forces
        Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902)
            British Forces
            Boer Forces

Many conflicts have alternate names, often reflecting the perspective of the victorious or defeated parties (American Revolutionary War -v- American War of Independence for example). It is proposed that we are guided by the primary Wikipedia articles from http://en.wikipedia.org in naming conflicts and participants.

Census Records

It is proposed to retain this category as a new high level category. The objective of the new sub categories would be to allow easy identification of individuals who appear of a specific, cited census. Being alive at the time of a census will not be sufficient, the individual must have been found on the census return and the source cited in the narrative on their Person Page.
The category might, for example only, look thus

    Census Record
        England & Wales
            E&W 1841
            E&W 1851
            E&W 1851
                  etc
            E&W 1911
        Scotland
            Scot 1841
	    Scot 1851
		  etc
	    Scot 1911
        Ireland & Northern Ireland
	    I+NI 1901
	    I+NI 1911
        United States
	    US 1790
	    US 1800
		  etc
	    US 1930

These two proposals are subject to suitable means to their implementation being found and the willingness of the community to appropriately categorise pages.

It is stressed this is a proposal. Your collaboration and views are invited.

Martin 8 Jan 2011

PS Comments, feedback and general discussion are brought together on this talk page.   17 Jan 2011