Here is a list of recurrent questions that we ask ourselves when we make our first steps on geneveMonde.ch. We are sure that the answers provided here will be useful to you. However, if you have a question that is not yet listed, please let us know. We have also put online a user guide here

What is the purpose of geneveMonde.ch?

To give a place to your personal history, by highlighting your private archives, to enrich and illustrate the history of international Geneva, alongside documents from institutions and Radio Télévision Suisse. Published on the platform, your documents and stories become sources of general interest and benefit from digital exposure for the greatest number of people. geneveMonde.ch also allows - and this is important - to discover the archives of other members, whether they are individuals or institutions.

What is the difference between an album and a gallery?

A gallery is composed to gather documents from all eras on a same theme. This is why the galleries are necessarily classified among the list of the eight themes of geneveMonde.ch. The gallery can be collaborative - other members can share content - or non-collaborative. In this case, only you can gather content. When the gallery is collaborative, the member who created the gallery has full control over its content. In this sense, the gallery owner can choose not to keep a document added by another member if he/she feels that the document does not belong there.

The album is a set of personal documents composed by the member and does not necessarily have a thematic dimension. It allows you to classify your documents on your profile. You can also gather in your albums on your profile documents from the platform that you wish to collect in order to write a story, for example, or to collect in the form of a basket.

What is a theme?

These are seven denominations that cover the main domains of the history of international Geneva. Each theme is subdivided into several sub-themes. These themes have been determined by the editorial team. A sub-theme is a subdivision of a theme that allows a gallery to be classified more precisely within that theme.

Why are several galleries dedicated to the same theme?

Because everyone is free on geneveMonde.ch to create his own galleries according to his interests and goals. For example, to build a "library" of sources. Nevertheless, we try to encourage the participative dimension on geneveMonde.ch and invite members to use collaborative galleries to enrich them. Do not hesitate to contact a member who has had the idea to create a gallery on the same theme as yours. Mergers of interest are possible.

How can I use illustrations in my stories?

Illustrations are images that are published in your writings and we make the distinction with original documents (your photos, your audios, your videos published under your profile). You can add them to the story by copying the web address where the illustration is hosted and pasting it in the place of your choice in the text. You can also save it "in draft" on geneveMonde.ch and use the web address of the draft page to place it where you want in the story. An insertion of the document will be done in the story after having saved these additions.

What is the purpose of a tag?

A tag is a keyword, it allows to indicate to the internal search engine of geneveMonde.ch the object of your request. We recommend you to think about the most relevant tags to facilitate the search of members and increase the visibility of your documents. Only single documents have tags, galleries are referenced via a thematic classification.

How to be in contact with other members?

By following a member's profile, by writing to him/her thanks to the "messaging" feature, by posting a message/question on the forum that will call for comments/answers.

How can I make sure that my activity and my content are seen by as many people as possible?

Supplement your materials with as much reliable and newsworthy historical data as possible that will be of interest to as many people as possible. This will also give the editorial/social media manager of geneveMonde.ch the desire to highlight your documents/galleries on the homepage, in the geneveMonde.ch newsletter and on social networks.

Is it possible to classify my content differently on my profile or in my galleries?

Only one classification is planned, respecting a chronological order of publication.

Who are the members of geneveMonde?

They are people who have a link with the history of international Geneva. We also count among our members the international organizations present in Geneva, the RTS Archives and heritage institutions.

Who is "behind" geneveMonde?

The FONSART, a foundation created in 2005 with a double mandate: to restore the archives of Radio Télévision Suisse and to promote this exceptional content to the public. In 2009, the FONSART launched the first participative historical platform notreHistoire.ch. Since 2017, two other such platforms have been opened, lanostraStoria.ch for the Italian-speaking Swiss and nossaistorgia.ch for the Grisons.

The editorial team of geneveMonde is composed of 4 people from the fields of journalism, web publishing, historical research and content production. They are Claude Zurcher (editor in chief), David Glaser (reporter), Véronique Stenger (historian) and Zelda Chauvet (content producer).

Who owns the content I publish?

To you or to the rights holders who have allowed you to publish their content. Not to the FONSART.

What does moderation mean?

It is a work of control of the publications and of intervention with the members who would have deviated from the rules of use of the platform. This moderation applied by the editorial team is based on a charter that you can consult by this link.

How can I find content that interests me and that I want to see again?

With the "search" and "advanced search" functions. You can also create your "My favorite documents" gallery and collect the content you like.

Is it possible to refuse that another member follows me?

No, as soon as you accept to validate the user charter, you accept that other members of geneveMonde.ch follow your activity on the platform.

I consider that a member is becoming too intrusive, what can I do?

I request the intervention of the moderator and/or the editorial manager.

I don't like it when one of my documents is shared in a gallery without my consent.

You should report it to the moderator and explain what is bothering you.

I would like to see my commitment better highlighted, what can I do?

Contact the editorial manager and ask that your content be highlighted on the geneveMonde.ch homepage and on social networks.

Is it possible to publish content from other sites on ourHistory?

No, unless you are the owner of the documents already published on other sites. You may, as part of a written story, use information from other sites as illustrations, meaning that content from other sites is visible within your story.

I've written to a member several times and haven't received a response.

Ask for help from the moderator who will try to contact the person directly.

I don't want my content shared on geneveMonde to be used on other sites, how can I avoid this?

You are in the digital world, and you cannot avoid that your content is published on other sites. On the other hand, you can protect your content with a license. We have selected three licenses on geneveMonde.ch: "all rights reserved" (which normally obliges the user to obtain your prior agreement), a Creative Commons license which invites other users to quote you, not to modify your document and not to make a commercial profit from it. And finally the "royalty-free" license.

I've spotted errors in dates or facts, how do I report them?

Ask the editorial manager to contact the authors of documents containing erroneous information. They will then make the necessary corrections. You can also write a comment at the bottom of the document in question.

If everyone can do what he wants with his galleries, why take care of my own work?

The respect of the work of each one and of the visitors of the platform is at stake. We publish in the hope of contributing to the common edifice that is the collaborative platform geneveMonde.ch, therefore we must have a minimum of requirement when publishing documents.

A document or a comment shared seems inappropriate to me, what can I do?

I report it to the editorial team with arguments.

I don't have any content to share, can I still use geneveMonde.ch?

Yes, as a visitor. Or by posting a comment or additional information to a document.

Should I add my portrait and write a short presentation of myself in my profile?

Yes, it is a question of respect for the members of the community who have in their majority accepted to play the game. We want to be able to animate a community of members who are respectful of each other and this is achieved through these two rules of decorum and openness.

A point has not been addressed? You can send us your remarks and comments by using the following email address: info@genevemonde.ch