Familysearch - What does it all mean

Familysearch.org is awesome.  And it has a ton of information on there.  But a lot of times people get on and say, "What does all this mean? And how can I use this?"

Information on Familysearch is compiled generally from member submissions.  The bulk of it was created from databases downloaded by previous generations (our grandparents and parents) that used the churches software to compile their data.  When they would upload their files to the Church, the church used them all to create one massive massive family tree.  However, all that came with it was the data, none of the sourcing.  So, while likely 85% of the information is correct, there is another 15% that is inaccurate or downright wrong.

What is good as that the majority of people that are on Familysearch.org have had their work done.  So even if we don't exactly know where the information came from, at least we know their souls are saved (well, at least that the have the option of saving their souls).  This is important to understand for those of you who want to simply find a line and experiment and try and find new information.  So, the best way to find potential names for temple work is to go to a line (or some branch of a line) that looks a little sparse or that cuts off early.  Then, you can search both in all directions (laterally as well as descendants and ancestors) to find new people to baptize.  When you find those people, you enter their information into Familysearch, including the source information, and then do the work for them!  Finding one new name can often lead to a cache of other new names.

I am involved in a project that is much more tedious.  I am highly skeptical of all of the information on Familysearch unless it is actually sourced.  I figure, while everyone needs to be baptized, I would rather work on people I know are in my family.  So I have been attempting to create a tree that has only information that I can pin to a specific source.  This project is not conducive to finding new names for baptism, but they do pop up occasionally.  Dataheads can join me in my quest.