WikiTree Challenge #10: Blaine Bettinger

  Companion post to Episode 6 of A Country Girl Rambles, "WikiTree Challenge #10: Blaine Bettinger." What the WikiTree Challenge is, how to join in this week, and what's been happening around WikiTree.

Today's the day! The WikiTree Challenge kicks off at noon ET, and our guest for Challenge #10 is Blaine Bettinger! If you've ever used the Shared cM Project to figure out how you might be related to a DNA match, you've already used Blaine's work. He created it, and it's one of the most-used tools in genetic genealogy. He also writes The Genetic Genealogist blog. I'm so excited to be hosting this one!

So, what is the WikiTree Challenge?

Every month, we invite a guest genealogist to WikiTree, and the community spends a week researching their family tree together. The goal is to grow their CC7, the number of people connected to them within seven degrees, by adding ancestors and cousins, finding sources, and breaking down brick walls along the way. Then, at the reveal, we share everything the team found with our guest, live!

It's one of my favorite things we do on WikiTree, because it's collaborative genealogy at its best. Dozens of researchers, all working on the same tree, at the same time, sharing what they find. Nobody has to do it alone.

How to join in

Challenge #10 runs 8 to 15 October. Our team captain this month is Louis Kessler, who was a WikiTree Challenge guest himself, so he knows exactly what it feels like to be on the other side of the reveal!

You can find everything you need on the Challenge #10 space page, including the research notes, the locations in Blaine's tree, and where the team is chatting. Whether you're a DNA expert or just getting started, there's something for everyone to work on. Pick a branch, find a source, add a cousin. Every connection counts!

Here's the schedule for the week:

• Today, 8 October: Kick-off at noon ET
• Saturday, 10 October: Weekend Chat at noon ET
• Thursday, 15 October: Wrap-up at noon ET
• Wednesday, 21 October: The reveal livecast on YouTube at 8pm ET

What I've been working on

Besides getting ready for this week's Challenge, I've been wrapping up the Source-a-Thon! More on that in the news below.

I'm also sharing something a little different today. I've been building a surname tree app using Claude Code, and I'll be showing it off during the WikiTree Hacktoberfest livecast this afternoon at 1pm ET. It grows a surname (or given names) into a tree word cloud. There are multiple options for where you want to draw from (ancestors, CC7, WikiTree Plus, category), upload and image as a mask, save the finished image, etc. Come watch live on YouTube, or catch the recording later! 

News from around WikiTree

The 11th annual Source-a-Thon has wrapped up, and what a weekend it was! Together, 501 WikiTreers on 40 teams added sources to over 40k previously unsourced profiles. That brings the total over eleven years to more than 615,000 profiles! Congratulations to Kiwi Crew, our top team with 3,925 sources, and to P Staunton, our top participant with an incredible 1,540. You can read all the highlights on G2G and see the full team and participant stats on WikiTree+.

Also, registration for next month's WikiTree Challenge opens on Monday, 12 October! Our guest for Challenge #11 is Gideon Greenspan, and it runs 12 to 19 November.

Upcoming events & challenges

Today: WikiTree Challenge kick-off at noon ET, Hacktoberfest livecast at 1pm ET, and a Member Q&A at 8pm ET.

Friday: Ask Aleš at 9am ET, with Greg Clarke and Aleš Trtnik answering your questions about WikiTree+, and Friday Date Night at 4pm ET.

Saturday: Saturday Roundup at 10am ET, the Challenge Weekend Chat at noon ET, and the Genealogy Collaboration Hour at 5pm ET.

Monday: Hacktoberfest Work Session at 6pm ET.

Next Thursday: Challenge wrap-up at noon ET, another Hacktoberfest livecast at 1pm ET, and the US Black Heritage Cubicle Party at 6pm ET.

And don't forget the Weekend Chat on G2G every weekend! For everything else coming up, check out Help:Calendar.

Will I see you in Blaine's tree this week? Come say hello!

Hope to see you around the branches!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJx_07PsPWQ&list=PLUkc2NPPl39g