How can I rate an image? What is red-flagging?

A headstone image becomes a record after it is approved through the rating process. Green and red flags are a way to rate images. Images taken with the app are automatically marked green. Rating an image red will take it out of the transcription process.  There are a number of categories you can choose when red-flagging images:

You may need to select the appropriate option from the flagging drop-down menu, and scroll down to see all categories.  

Examples of image quality:

The photo is blurry and unreadable

Photos are often blurred when the photographer moves too soon after tapping the camera button or when their thumb gets in the way of the app’s camera lens. 

The "Photo is Blurred" option should only be used if the photo is so blurry you are unable to read what is written on the headstone or determine if it is a headstone at all. If the gravestone is a little blurry but still legible, please transcribe it, since this will give volunteers an incentive to replace it with a better photo. This photo is so blurry it can't be transcribed. 

The headstone in this photo is worn and unreadable. 

Some headstones cannot be read due to weathering or damage even if the photo itself is great. 

Select the "Headstone is Unreadable" option when the photo is of good quality, but the headstone is no longer readable. The photo will then go into the photographer's Reported Images file.  

This is a photo of the cemetery gate, sign, or property (not a gravestone).

The only photos in the transcription queue should be of individual headstones.  

If you come across an image that shows the cemetery gate, an entrance sign, or the cemetery property, select the "This is a photo of the cemetery gate, sign, or property (not a gravestone)." option. This will move the photo from the transcription queue to the general images of that cemetery. 

The objects in this photo do not contain any transcribable information. (car, person, grass, etc.)

Many cemetery managers install plat markers to designate locations at the cemetery. These can easily be mistaken for headstones, so sometimes volunteers take photos of them. If you see photos of plat markers in the transcription queue, select the option "objects in this photo do not contain any transcribable information". This will move the image from the transcription queue to the photographer's Reported Images file. You could also send the URL of the plat marker photos to support@billiongraves.com to request removal.

No names, dates, or other information to transcribe are visible in this photo.

Sometimes people take photos of monuments next to a headstone. Also, headstones photos are taken with no information visible on the stone. Flag images with no name or dates on them with the option "No Information to Transcribe".

This headstone is not in frame, and there is no information to transcribe.

From time to time, a photographer may make the mistake of photographing the middle of a grave or the side of a grave without the full photo. Sometimes the photo will be between graves.  

This photo contains inappropriate items.

Over the years, volunteers have submitted all kinds of inappropriate images - such as photos of credit cards, babies, or dogs. If you come across a photo in the transcription queue that is something other than a headstone, select the option "This photo contains inappropriate items". This will move the image from the transcription queue to the photographer's Reported Images file. If it is wildly inappropriate, such as men dressed up as pirates having a brewsky by a headstone (yes, we've seen that one too), please send the URL to support@billiongraves.com for immediate removal.

Other

If you are unsure how to rate an image, select the "Other" option. This will move the image from the transcription queue to the photographer's Reported Images file. You could also send the URL to support@billiongraves.com to request removal.

How do I red-flag an image? Step-by-step guide: 

To get to the transcription queue:

Step 1: Login to BillionGraves.com

Step 2: Hover over Volunteer in the main menu.

Step 3: A dropdown menu will appear. Click on Transcribe. A headstone image will appear.

To Rate an Image:

Step 1: To rate the image, click the green flag icon in the upper right-hand corner.

Step 2:  A dropdown menu will appear. Select the appropriate option.  (The headstone in this photo is worn and unreadable.)

Step 3: Once a selection is made, the flag color will change from green to red. 

_______________________________________________________________________

To learn how to transcribe, click HERE.  

For the First Pass Transcription Guide, click HERE.