1911 census..

[Gadget]

I think the analogy is slightly out - it's more like asking us to pay the full wack each time we  test drive 

[kerryb]

Spot on Gadget 

[Nick29]

Well, nobody is forcing you to do the beta testing, which is why only those who expressed an interest in viewing the 1911 census were invited to do so.  I'm more than happy to test out their software in exchange for letting me view and download the census material (that I've been waiting for 2 years to see) in 2008, instead of 2009.  So far I have spent about £12.50 on the beta site, and downloaded 3 census forms, and I consider it money well spent, because although it hasn't smashed any brick walls, it has filled in a few blanks, inlcuding my father's elusive side of the family.  I look upon it as a surprise Christmas present, because it has made me very happy

Incidentally, the general public were the "final stage" beta testers - according to the blog, the software was tried out on many smaller closed groups first.  As for being paid to beta test products - most of us have been doing it for free for years for Microsoft ! 

[kerryb]

That's still different from the pleasure of being charged to beta test which in effect is what is happening here. 

Anyway I'm very pleased with the information I gained, it hasn't smashed through any brickwalls but it has opened up some more searching - unknown babies.  I had an interesting conversation with my dad at the dinner table yesterday about his great grandmother who was living in the town he and I were both born and he didn't know that.  Everyone else at table did this - 

Kerry

[Gadget]

Nick - have you read the other thread?  This would show you that we have all spent money on finding ancestors.

I have spent £31 and I also had 218 credits  left over from pre-sub days. I don't mind spending the money to find my Mother and Father for the first time on the census and my other ancestors and my in-laws.

However, a test is a test and we are providing valuable feedback. This should be acknowledged in some form or other by credits or lower rates.

Gadget

[kerryb]

Well I told them what I thought in the feedback survey and I hope others will too!

With the pre sub ppvs I have used and the one I bought the other day I have spent over £50 and yes I have downloaded some 8 census returns but it is still way too expensive!

Kerry

[Nick29]

Nick - have you read the other thread?  This would show you that we have all spent money on finding ancestors.

I have spent £31 and I also had 218 credits  left over from pre-sub days. I don't mind spending the money to find my Mother and Father for the first time on the census and my other ancestors and my in-laws.

However, a test is a test and we are providing valuable feedback. This should be acknowledged in some form or other by credits or lower rates.

Gadget

Gadget, yes I have read the other thread.  As far as I'm concerned, being able to read and use the 1911 census information weeks (at least) ahead of the masses is reward enough.  Maybe my expectations are too low ? 

Well I told them what I thought in the feedback survey and I hope others will too!

With the pre sub ppvs I have used and the one I bought the other day I have spent over £50 and yes I have downloaded some 8 census returns but it is still way too expensive!

Kerry

Well Kerry, put it this way, if you had a company and had employed lots of staff and bought equipment so that you could photograph, digitize, and store 42 million photographic images, spent thousands of man-hours transcribing and entering the data from each one, then employed a team of programmers to design a program so that tens of thousands of people could simultaneously access the data (whilst blanking off the part that the government doesn't want us to see until 2102), how much would you charge per sheet, and make a profit on your labours ?

If I buy credits at £24.95 a batch, getting a copy of an actual form filled in by my ancestors costs me about £2.80 a sheet, which is about a third of the price of a BMD certificate from the GRO.  To me that's good value, but we're all entitled to our own opinions.   

Incidentally Kerry, how did you spend £50 on eight census returns ?  Even on the £6.95 credits package it only costs £3.60 per page ?  Where did the other £21.20 go ?   

[kerryb]

Trying to find my great grandfather who doesn't want to be found.  Unfortunately there were several options on the results page.    But with not quite enough details present none of them were him.  I will find him one day 

Kerry

[smudwhisk]

I'm not happy with the pricing and have put that in my feedback but as a friend pointed out - its still cheaper than paying £45 for a copy of an address direct from the National Archives - which she did earlier this year! 

I hope the search function remains as is for the launch of the site since in many ways the advance functions are much better than the search function provided on the original 1901 site.  My only real gripe with it is the fact that you can't use "*" in names and there is no soundex option.  I've see very few transcription errors in the index names but not that many so far - either that or I've just not been able to find some people and assumed they were in Essex rather than London.  Its nice to be able to confirm who's in the household with the same surname without necessarily purchasing a copy of the transcript or original image.  I'm being a skinflint anyway and refusing to buy original images until the price drops or I can get them using my Findmypast subscription, which I suspect is a long way off happening (probably talking years rather than months).  However the transcripts I have purchase have been sufficient to give me the info I require so I'm happy with them. 

Just wish metropolitan Essex would appear since so many of mine had moved out the East End into Stratford/West Ham/Plaistow etc by then!!

Nicola