The new Findmypast (Part 2)

[smudwhisk]

Don't know if this has already been posted but it would appear the Northamptonshire FHS's Wills and Admons index is now missing from the site.   Well I can't find it anyway so we'll see if their Contact Us form brings a reply this time.

There is a set called Northamptonshire and Rutland Probate Index. Is this the one?

They have put a big box on their home page entitled what's new. If you select that and then select 'A new way to browse every single record set available on the site, available here' under new things added on Tuesday you can search for any record set. I typed in Northampton, and up came the above set.

Simon

Thanks.  You know why I couldn't find it originally?  They've listed it under the sub category of Deaths & Burials.   So if you follow their procedure of selecting a sub category under the BMD search page, you don't get it where it normally was under Wills & Probates.

[locksmith]

Thanks.  You know why I couldn't find it originally?  They've listed it under the sub category of Deaths & Burials.   So if you follow their procedure of selecting a sub category under the BMD search page, you don't get it where it normally was under Wills & Probates.

I knew it would be somewhere because they have mad a bit of a pig's ear of organising the data sets on the search all records page. I noted when I was looking that 'Great Western Railway Shareholders 1835-1932' was listed under Wills and Probate. 

Simon

[smudwhisk]

I knew it would be somewhere because they have mad a bit of a pig's ear of organising the data sets on the search all records page. I noted when I was looking that 'Great Western Railway Shareholders 1835-1932' was listed under Wills and Probate. 

Simon

That's about right.   Mind you if I'd not filtered to a sub category I would have been none the wiser, but was following their suggestion on how to best use the site.

[smudwhisk]

Looking at FindMyPast's Facebook page - you have to be quick they are not responding now just removing comments they don't like - I have seen this.

It seems that there are more complaints than first thought, it has now reached over 322 thousand. It also appears Who Do You Think You Are will be taking up the complaints plus, 2 London based companies who also had accounts have cancelled their accounts with a loss of revenue for Findmypast in over £16000............Yes 16 thousand

My belief is that they want to close down the company and making such a hash of the website was the easiest way to do it.

Yes but £16k is only the equivalent of about 160 annual Britain subscriptions, so on the scheme of things it's not that great a loss of income.  I doubt DC Thomson are trying to close down the site, it wouldn't do their reputation much good trying to get other Genealogy business and lets face it they are as has been seen by the recent announcement of the 1939 Register. 

Also Hertfordshire Records Office mentioned in an email reply to my enquiry in January 2013 that FindMyPast had "IT problems" which was holding back the launch of the Hertsfordshire parish records on the site.  I suspect that the site has been in development for most of the last year.  It's just they've paid more attention to fixing their infrastructure problems and little to the presentation of the data through the search engine.  That's where the problems are. 

It's obvious they didn't realise just how much opposition to the new front-end they would receive, because no commercial company would put itself through this many complaints when introducing a new website.  Sadly the blame is really on the senior and project management with the obvious lack of involvement from people who actually use the site.  Their staff may have test driven the site but I doubt many of their staff spend that much time actually using the old site.

Before anyone accuses me of trying to support them, I'm as p***d off with it as the next person and I've sent in some strongly worded complaints detailing what I think of the new site.

However, whether they like it or not, people are going to complain and removing the comments isn't helping whatever they think.  There is far too much publicity about the complaints for it to go unnoticed by other organisations who could give them potential new business.  Something I've pointed out to them politely in one of my messages.

[Gadget]

Vote to bring back the address list here:

http://feedback.findmypast.co.uk/users/49253976-jenny-hillier

I just can't believe that they've let this new system go live. I keep going in and, though I seem to get most of what I want, it takes so long to get there (and it's notjust  learning  a new system, it's all the steps to get there - where it was one click  before it now seems like 4-6).

Glad I've got my mind on housing 

[Hampshire Lass]

Maybe everyone's found this already but on the homepage if you scroll down and then click on any of the links to say census, bmd, or whatever on the right-hand side of the next screen there is a link to search all records. This then gives you a list of all the records and a space to type in the title of any record. It moves on to the required title quickly as it anticipates what you need.

Still don't like it though.

[mosiefish]

I`ve now been moved to the new search    It`s dire and I have given it my best shot and this may have been mentioned before, but there are now no images for Devon and Cornwall parish records, just transcripts.   

Mo

[locksmith]

Maybe everyone's found this already but on the homepage if you scroll down and then click on any of the links to say census, bmd, or whatever on the right-hand side of the next screen there is a link to search all records. This then gives you a list of all the records and a space to type in the title of any record. It moves on to the required title quickly as it anticipates what you need.

Still don't like it though.

Ah, that's where they've hidden this link. They introduced this on Tuesday, but didn't say where to access it from.

Simon

[Hampshire Lass]

 B silly place to put it if you ask me