Scotlands people searches

[Forfarian]

Just annoying that SP cant find him....

If you find an error in the SP index, tell them about it and they will correct it. If they don't know about an error they can't sort it.

I'm more concerned that SP won't find families I don't have if this is the level of searching they produce.

It's far better than the indexing on certain other sites I shall refrain from naming. And, unlike some, SP does eventually correct errors if the errors are brought to their attention.

I haven't used them at all since the they changed ownership, but I seem to think that this type of mistake wouldn't have happened previously, or have I rose tinted glasses?

Rose-tinted glasses. SP has not 'changed ownership'; it remains under the 'ownership' of the Registrar General for Scotland, where it always was. The only change is to the software contractors who are supplying the online interface. The content and indexing are identical, except of course where errors reported to them have been corrected.

Perhaps your recollection is that you almost always found what you were looking for easily enough in the past. It makes sense, then, that the last few are going to be the most difficult, because you've already got the straightforward ones. It's like the way my car keys are always in the last place I look in when they have gone missing

I take it that you have viewed the original images, now that you know how they are indexed? You will need to have done that in order to report the errors.

[Grothenwell]

Hi Forfarian,

It is good to be reassured that the new on-line interface company do the same job as the previous.

It is just that my search in 2011 for Peter, was accurate, just now it isn't. That is the crux of my query - why?

Perhaps it is to do with being definite with the parish, as Ev found him with that (and age) - and I did in 2011, but why would that make a difference?

Or is it in 2011 I used a "Soundex" search, not available now (or is that called Phonetic now?)

[Forfarian]

Or is it in 2011 I used a "Soundex" search, not available now (or is that called Phonetic now?)

Yes, that is possible. I don't find the phonetic search very useful as it seems to take in too many names that seem to me to be totally irrelevant.