RootsChat.Com
General => Technical Help => Topic started by: Ringrose on Wednesday 27 June 18 17:50 BST (UK)
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I have not used this site for a while and was surprised to see that Ihad to log in before I did a search.I went to log in or register part and they asked for my age and date of birth and whether I was a member of the Mormons.My friend said she had the same trouble and there were other questions asked too which I didn’t bother to look at.
Has anyone else experienced this
Ringrose
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I registered ages ago and have never had any trouble with the site. I don't recall being asked any questions; certainly no religious questions. No religion has ever been mentioned to me at FamilySearch, even when I have contacted their help personnel.
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I have not used this site for a while and was surprised to see that Ihad to log in before I did a search.I went to log in or register part and they asked for my age and date of birth and whether I was a member of the Mormons.My friend said she had the same trouble and there were other questions asked too which I didn’t bother to look at.
Has anyone else experienced this
Ringrose
Yes, although I had seen that registration was going to be required, I decided not to register when I saw the questions.
Lisa
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I certainly didn't give them personal info when I registered.
There's nothing to stop you lying through your teeth to register, and it's such a good resource, you seem to cutting off your nose to spite your face.
They only thing they know of me is my email address.
Are you lot sure that their survey isn't optional? I don't remember being asked anything about religion
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I certainly didn't give them personal info when I registered.
Neither did I . Like Pauline all they know of me is my email.
You are losing out on an excellent resource if you choose not to register.
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I don't remember having to provide date of birth but then I've had an account with them for 9-10 years, ever since they started film ordering online. I suspect the reason for asking whether you are a member of the LDS is because church members have separate accounts which have wider access. Personally if I was creating one now I'd give an incorrect date of birth. I've done it on the odd forum as I don't think it should be used but many still do. As long as you are over the age of 18 years (or whatever the minimum age is), there shouldn't be any issue.
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Several months ago it became required that you register a free account. I dont mind. It is a great website.
And they have a catalogue of resources for each county in the UK and Ireland, which has many records that you never knew are online, scanned copies of original records. If there is a "camera" symbol next to the record list such as "Shoreditch Baptisms 1780-1800" you can view online any time. If the camera has a key above it, only LDS members can view online, and if it is a "reel" it is available at a Family History Centre. Unfortunately many Suffolk and Durham records on their site have the "key above the camera" symbol.
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The key symbol indicates that the record can be viewed at an LDS centre, either on microfilm or digitally if you have an account. I spoke to our local centre this morning because I am planning a trip there to view such records. I was told I can download onto my USB stick as long as I am logged into my account
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You have to be logged into your account since December to view anything at an FHC anyway. In the past you could access the restricted material at the FHCs without logging in and download as well. That changed when they implemented the login account policy.
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Oh OK I thought the key symbol was for LDS members online anywhere.
So it still has to be viewed at a LDS Centre digitally or on microfilm. I understand now.
I am sure I could remember when you could just type in a first name into the Family Search search engine, esp if a rare first name. Seems you have to at least select a country now. Ie if I type Blaxhall as a first name and nothing else it says there are not enough search parameters. If I add a country though, such as England, it accepts that.
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So it still has to be viewed at a LDS Centre digitally or on microfilm. I understand now.
Just to add to what has been said, you can no longer order microfilms from Salt Lake City to view at your local LDS centre as you used to be able to do. (Unless the LDS library has managed to keep a copy of a specific film - I understand they didn't have to send them back if they had them at the centre already).
They are all supposed to be digitised by 2020 - so they say! :)
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reading everyone's comments, it sounds like if you registered 'some time ago', it was only an email required, but after the announcement that registration would be required to use the site, then the extra questions were added to the registration process.
Lisa
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I have just looked at it. ;D
After you have put in your name and date of birth / sex and IGNORED I am a member of the Mormon Church it takes you to the next page
The next page asks for a User name or email address - Password - Recovery option ie email or phone - Country - You also have to agree to T's & C's
Apart from date of birth /sex I would have thought that these were reasonable questions for them to ask for registration
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I have never been able to see any original images on FS. The camera thing never works for me - I just get a blank page. It's very frustrating.
Melbell
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Does anyone know why they changed it and now require registration?
I know it has been compulsory for a while now. I left it till the last minute to register and find it a bit of a hassle to have to sign in (and I always forget my password).
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I have never been able to see any original images on FS. The camera thing never works for me - I just get a blank page. It's very frustrating.
Melbell
ONLY a limited number of datasets have original images online.
The remainder are at FindMyPast or at Family History Centres.
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I can see next to nothing on the iPad with FamilySearch now, laptop is fine, but lots of the same pages blank on iPad.
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I have never been able to see any original images on FS. The camera thing never works for me - I just get a blank page. It's very frustrating.
Melbell
ONLY a limited number of datasets have original images online.
The remainder are at FindMyPast or at Family History Centres.
I know, but I cannot see even those.
Melbell
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It's more than just a limited number of datasets.
Yes, some counties and records are locked up tight, but you never know what digitized films might be "open" on there until you look. I'm not sure they know themselves!
And of course not all microfilms have been digitized (and some that appear to have been do not have camera icons at the moment!)
What is it that you are not seeing?
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And of course not all microfilms have been digitized (and some that appear to have been do not have camera icons at the moment!)
This has been going on for some months. Some were resolved at the beginning of February in a major site upgrade but some that were updated last week with DGS numbers (yes I'm sad I've been checking the collection for a while for those that hadn't been digitised) are inaccessible. Unfortunately if you raise it with Familysearch Support they will not engage on the subject and tell you that its because of contractual reasons but in many cases I can't think it is. Many of those with DGS numbers (so digitised) but are inaccessible have microfilm copies available at some FHCs worldwide so I can't see any reason why they are restricted in digital format. Others are amongst collections where many of the consecutive microfilm numbers are available to view at FHCs but others are restricted. As the microfilm numbers are consecutive they must have been digitised at the same time under the same agreement so it looks like someone has made a mistake and indeed as I've already mentioned some were made available earlier this year in a major upgrade having previously been digitised but unavailable.
I'm currently making a nuisance of myself trying to get someone other than their "Helpdesk" support to respond about it, whether I get anywhere remains to be seen. I know some LDS Church Member Volunteers at some FHCs in the UK have been trying to raise the issue for months but are now getting ignored so am not holding out much hope of a response.
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Thanks for the update, smudwisk. And good luck with your investigations into the problem.
John
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Doubt I'll get very far as they seem to have their head in the sand on the issue. I, along with others, just find it really frustrating now that you can't even order in the microfilms to view. :-\
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Does anyone know why they changed it and now require registration?
I know it has been compulsory for a while now. I left it till the last minute to register and find it a bit of a hassle to have to sign in (and I always forget my password).
I think it happened when FindMyPast got it's finger in the pie.
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Does anyone know why they changed it and now require registration?
I know it has been compulsory for a while now. I left it till the last minute to register and find it a bit of a hassle to have to sign in (and I always forget my password).
I think it happened when FindMyPast got it's finger in the pie.
I would imagine that it had more to do with the fact that some records can only be viewed by Church members and that was the only way they could restrict it.
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Does anyone know why they changed it and now require registration?
I know it has been compulsory for a while now. I left it till the last minute to register and find it a bit of a hassle to have to sign in (and I always forget my password).
I think it happened when FindMyPast got it's finger in the pie.
I would imagine that it had more to do with the fact that some records can only be viewed by Church members and that was the only way they could restrict it.
Thanks SR and rosie.
Has it always been the case that some records are only viewable by church members? And if so, why?
What do FindMyPast have to do with them? :-\
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I think that the restrictions of 'viewable by Church members only' are put on by the Local Records offices that hold the original document that the LDS have copied/filmed.
I believe that these records are primarily for the use of LDS members to help them locate 'dead' members of their family so they can be received into the Mormon church and were filmed for that purpose. We are lucky that they also make some of them free to view for the rest of us. :)
Both Ancestry and findmypast use their transcripts. I don't know what the 'connection' is to F M P though I am aware that the LDS do give links to some records that they don't have but are available to view on F M P with a subscription to the latter. No doubt someone will know the answer to this
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Thanks for your thoughts rosie. I realise that the records are for the use of the LDS church members - still seems odd that they would let us non believers have free access to some yet keep others private.
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I think the keeping them private is the local record offices have not given them permission to make them available to us all and nothing to do with the LDS holding them back.
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Both Ancestry and findmypast use their transcripts. I don't know what the 'connection' is to F M P though I am aware that the LDS do give links to some records that they don't have but are available to view on F M P with a subscription to the latter. No doubt someone will know the answer to this
If you read the list of Partners on the Findmypast website, Family Search is one of them.
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Thanks Jebber ;D
I did look before I posted but only found this which did not mention it :)
Other Findmypast sites: Lives of the First World War The British Newspaper Archive
©2018 Findmypast
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From what I've read I don't think the partnering with Ancestry and FindMyPast led to the need to register and have a login account, the partnering happened a couple of years back. Familysearch have said that they needed to do this to allow access to more records, possibly because some of the Archives wanted a log of who was viewing and/or downloading what in case of possible issues. Or that's how I interpreted what was said.
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From what I've read I don't think the partnering with Ancestry and FindMyPast led to the need to register and have a login account, the partnering happened a couple of years back. Familysearch have said that they needed to do this to allow access to more records, possibly because some of the Archives wanted a log of who was viewing and/or downloading what in case of possible issues. Or that's how I interpreted what was said.
I wonder why that would be? :-\
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Thanks Jebber ;D
I did look before I posted but only found this which did not mention it :)
Other Findmypast sites: Lives of the First World War The British Newspaper Archive
©2018 Findmypast
There is a long list of Partners Rosie, you will have to scroll down.
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/partners
I may be wrong but I think the need to Register with Family Search was all part of their concentration on on line research, rather than any link with other sites.
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This is their explanation, and you don't need to be registered and logged in to read it!
FamilySearch Free Sign-in Offers Greater Subscriber Experiences and Benefits
https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/familysearch-signin-benefits/comment-page-6/
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Thanks for that Jon.
I still don't understand fully or notice any benefits, but ... no matter. :)