Author Topic: Ancestry problems, how is FindMyPast nowadays?  (Read 6867 times)

Offline ggrocott

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Ancestry problems, how is FindMyPast nowadays?
« on: Wednesday 07 March 18 13:58 GMT (UK) »
Is anyone else having a problem with sharing trees on Ancestry?

Does anyone like the new font?

Does anyone else have the problem where they type a long reply to a message, press send and find the whole thing has disappeared?

Thinking I might revert to FindMyPast next year, but there search mechanism used to be even worse than Ancestry and you couldn't share tree with other family members or do DNA linking.

Advice much appreciated.
Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Tagg, Bowyer (Berkshire/Surrey), Adams, Small, Pratt, Coles, Stevens, Cox (Bucks), Grocott, Slater, Dean, Hill (Staffs/Shropshire), Holloway, Flint, Warrington,Turnbull (London), Montague, Barrett (Herts), Hayward (Kent), Gallon, Knight, Ede, Tribe, Bunn, Northeast, Nicholds (Sussex) Penduck, Pinnell, Yeeles (Gloucs), Johns (Monmouth and Devon), Head (Bath), Tedbury, Bowyer (Somerset), Chapman, Barrett (Herts/Essex)

Offline davidft

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Re: Ancestry problems, how is FindMyPast nowadays?
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 07 March 18 14:08 GMT (UK) »
1. Is anyone else having a problem with sharing trees on Ancestry?

2. Does anyone like the new font?

3. Does anyone else have the problem where they type a long reply to a message, press send and find the whole thing has disappeared?

4. Thinking I might revert to FindMyPast next year, but there search mechanism used to be even worse than Ancestry and you couldn't share tree with other family members or do DNA linking.

Advice much appreciated.

Re.
1. I can view trees as normal
2. What new font it looks the same to me
3. When that happens I think its me who has made a mistake and not watched what I am doing properly.
4. I think its best to belong to whichever site is most likely to give you access to the records you want rather than loads of records you will never use. On the point of tree sharing with relatives though I would suspect that Ancestry is streets ahead of findmypast
James Stott c1775-1850. James was born in Yorkshire but where? He was a stonemason and married Elizabeth Archer (nee Nicholson) in 1794 at Ripon. They lived thereafter in Masham. If anyone has any suggestions or leads as to his birthplace I would be interested to know. I have searched for it for years without success. Thank you.

Offline Pheno

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Re: Ancestry problems, how is FindMyPast nowadays?
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 07 March 18 14:12 GMT (UK) »
No I don't like the new format either - definitely a new font and now all info in boxes.  I guess its supposed to be clearer but because it all has to be squidged into a formatted box it doesn't appear that way.

Pheno
Austin/Austen - Sussex & London
Bond - Berkshire & London
Bishop - Sussex & Kent
Holland - Essex
Nevitt - Cheshire & Staffordshire
Wray - Yorkshire

Offline ggrocott

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Re: Ancestry problems, how is FindMyPast nowadays?
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 07 March 18 14:15 GMT (UK) »
Thank you for replying

Yes, I can view trees, but I want to share one, I can do it using an email address but not using their user name, which is a pain.

The new font appears on individual profiles, it is much blacker/bolder and gives me a headache.

I wish they would concentrate on making things work rather than fiddling!

I agree re. records, which is another reason why I might switch to FindMyPast so I can see the 1939 register and I think their parish record coverage might be better.  The only advantages I can see with Ancestry at the moment are the abilities to share trees and link DNA but that is no use if

a) the sharing mechanism won't work and
b) looking at the site gives me a headache!

Vis-à-vis the disappearing messages I now copy before I press send and if it disappears I send again, however, several I sent disappeared from my view, but did actually arrive, others disappeared and never arrived.

Also, and this has been the case for a while, you type in a comment and then it introduces weird characters, seems to particularly happen if you dare to use an apostrophe, which perhaps says something about their grammar.

Sigh!
Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Tagg, Bowyer (Berkshire/Surrey), Adams, Small, Pratt, Coles, Stevens, Cox (Bucks), Grocott, Slater, Dean, Hill (Staffs/Shropshire), Holloway, Flint, Warrington,Turnbull (London), Montague, Barrett (Herts), Hayward (Kent), Gallon, Knight, Ede, Tribe, Bunn, Northeast, Nicholds (Sussex) Penduck, Pinnell, Yeeles (Gloucs), Johns (Monmouth and Devon), Head (Bath), Tedbury, Bowyer (Somerset), Chapman, Barrett (Herts/Essex)


Offline KGarrad

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Re: Ancestry problems, how is FindMyPast nowadays?
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday 07 March 18 14:51 GMT (UK) »
I don't see any change in fonts?
Neither do I see "all info in boxes"?

I prefer to use email addresses; never have used Ancestry usernames ;D
Garrad (Suffolk, Essex, Somerset), Crocker (Somerset), Vanstone (Devon, Jersey), Sims (Wiltshire), Bridger (Kent)

Offline davidft

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Re: Ancestry problems, how is FindMyPast nowadays?
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday 07 March 18 14:52 GMT (UK) »
I see what you mean about the new font now. All I can say is that when another site "improved" their font last year it initially had a lot of disparaging remarks, however after a few days most had become accustomed to it and it wasn't mentioned again. Maybe you will get use to it in a few days, but getting headaches from it is no joke and I sympathise with you on that.
James Stott c1775-1850. James was born in Yorkshire but where? He was a stonemason and married Elizabeth Archer (nee Nicholson) in 1794 at Ripon. They lived thereafter in Masham. If anyone has any suggestions or leads as to his birthplace I would be interested to know. I have searched for it for years without success. Thank you.

Offline ggrocott

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Re: Ancestry problems, how is FindMyPast nowadays?
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday 07 March 18 14:57 GMT (UK) »
Ancestry did a lot of similar changes last year too with fonts and colour schemes, the font change didn't worry me but the colour scheme was awful, following the avalanche of protest they gave you a choice on colour schemes, one of which was close to the original, which I think many people, including me, switched too.  They also enable us to switch off the awful time line feature!
Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Tagg, Bowyer (Berkshire/Surrey), Adams, Small, Pratt, Coles, Stevens, Cox (Bucks), Grocott, Slater, Dean, Hill (Staffs/Shropshire), Holloway, Flint, Warrington,Turnbull (London), Montague, Barrett (Herts), Hayward (Kent), Gallon, Knight, Ede, Tribe, Bunn, Northeast, Nicholds (Sussex) Penduck, Pinnell, Yeeles (Gloucs), Johns (Monmouth and Devon), Head (Bath), Tedbury, Bowyer (Somerset), Chapman, Barrett (Herts/Essex)

Offline Jomot

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Re: Ancestry problems, how is FindMyPast nowadays?
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 08 March 18 02:10 GMT (UK) »
Is anyone else having a problem with sharing trees on Ancestry?

Does anyone like the new font?

Does anyone else have the problem where they type a long reply to a message, press send and find the whole thing has disappeared?

1) Haven't tried so can't comment.

2) I like the new font & layout, although it seems I'm in the minority

3) Yes, and also sometimes it seems not to send but if you leave it about 5 minutes it does eventually go. 

Other current problems:
a) Images not available - replaced by a 'placeholder' image and they have no idea when this will be rectified (London Workhouse & Soldier's Effects are particularly bad)

b) My 'last person viewed' no longer comes up on my home page.  So if it's someone more distant or with a common name it can take some time to reach the individual I want to work on.

I honestly think they still see themselves as the undisputed market leader and it's made them greedy, lazy & arrogant.  When I rang them earlier in the week I asked the call-handler to pass this on as 'feedback' and pointed to a few recently-failed retailers who made the same mistake  ;D
MORGAN: Glamorgan, Durham, Ohio. DAVIS/DAVIES/DAVID: Glamorgan, Ohio.  GIBSON: Leicestershire, Durham, North Yorkshire.  RAIN/RAINE: Cumberland.  TAYLOR: North Yorks. BOURDAS: North Yorks. JEFFREYS: Worcestershire & Northumberland. FORBES: Berwickshire, CHEESMOND: Durham/Northumberland. WINTER: Durham/Northumberland. SNOWBALL: Durham.

Offline lanercost

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Re: Ancestry problems, how is FindMyPast nowadays?
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 08 March 18 06:02 GMT (UK) »
2) I like the new font & layout, although it seems I'm in the minority

Also standing up in defence of the new font and layout. I like it!