Indexing activity number source?

In LCR there is the "Family History Activity Report". In that report is a graph of member activity. It includes the metric for members doing indexing.


Our current report shows 2 members doing indexing. It has been at 2 for months. Just now in Ward Council we counted 5 who have done indexing this year. And we know of several others, including youth, who have done indexing. 2 is incorrect, we think.

Where does that count come from? Do I misunderstand what it is counting or is it broken or needs me, ward clerk, to refresh the data somewhere?

I don't know the specifics of the indexing section of the report, but here are a couple of ideas:
– I think the report is updated once a month, a week or two after the month ends. So, if a member started indexing in July, they won't be added to the report until mid-August.
– Reviewing names in the Get Involved app, which was emphasized for the 1950 census project, isn't the same as web indexing, even though it helps the same cause. It may be that only web indexing counts towards the report.

The report is updated each month and captures the information for the month previous to the date it is updated.

FamilySearch specifically reported (before the 1950 Census was available to index) that those totals would not be included in regular indexing totals. They reported they wanted to include them in the future but gave no timeline on when or if that would occur. Until then, each member has an indexing total on the indexing page and a 1950 census total on the 1950 census page.

Another couple of things that could be a factor (I have no special knowledge - these are just guesses and could be wrong)
1. Other parts of that report will change with move-ins and move-outs (go up or down only because a person with data moved into or out of your ward/branch). Indexing totals might be the same.
2. Members submitting names to the temple are only counted the first time they submit for the year. They can submit every day, but they will only be counted once (the first month they submitted) each year. Indexing totals might be the same.

Since the church doesn't clearly tell us where these numbers come from, we are left to accept them or speculate. I consider the report interesting, but useless for improvement activities since we are not provided with any actionable information that drives the charts. You could provide feedback from the Family History Activity Report page that you believe the data for your ward/branch is incorrect. That feedback should be routed to someone who could investigate it. You might receive an answer (or you might not).

alandd wrote: Sun Jul 24, 2022 1:15 pm In LCR there is the "Family History Activity Report". In that report is a graph of member activity. It includes the metric for members doing indexing.

Our current report shows 2 members doing indexing. It has been at 2 for months. Just now in Ward Council we counted 5 who have done indexing this year. And we know of several others, including youth, who have done indexing. 2 is incorrect, we think.

Where does that count come from? Do I misunderstand what it is counting or is it broken or needs me, ward clerk, to refresh the data somewhere?

The two previous replies have included helpful details, and I'll raise one additional possibility: Have you verified that for each of the specific ward members who have reportedly done indexing, that they have done that indexing using a FamilySearch account that is linked to their membership number? I have seen cases with both youth and adults where they created a FamilySearch account but neglected to connect it to their Church membership number. Or they have multiple accounts, but only one of them is connected to their membership number, and they did the indexing while signed in to one of the other accounts.

And to clarify:

• You as ward clerk have no ability to refresh any of this data;
• Only traditional web indexing is counted (not any work with the Get Involved app or website such as for the 1950 Census);
• Children are not counted, only youth and adults (where "youth" has the definition of someone turning 12 in this calendar year);
• There is no way to see on a report the names of who is has done any of the activities that are counted on the FHAR; all you can do is contact individuals, see what they have done, and verify that they did it while signed in to a membership-linked FamilySearch account.

Thank you all for the information and educated speculation. I now can tell the story of that number!