Preview search tips for the 1939 Register before you buy

[Blue70]

It got removed it's been discussed in various threads. You will still find it in the URL at the top of the page and it still works okay on the search.


Blue

[Beavances]

Thanks Blue70 - ah yes I see now! I hadn't read those posts so hadn't realised - I  had just been doing what had worked perfectly  the other day thank you for pointing me in the right direction.

[Guy Etchells]

I bought 2 records under the old system provided by the 1939 Register Team. I may get some images from FindMyPast at some point in the future. Sorry Guy I understand what you're saying but I don't feel obliged to buy to support future projects. I'm a former FindMyPast subscriber and they've had a lot of money from me in the past.


Blue

Have you ever been annoyed when a web site you subscribe to has slowed down because an online provider has a "free weekend" when non subscribers can access the site for free?

That in effect is what the use of reference numbers was doing to the 1939 servers. The result was more costs due to having to provide extra capacity to cope with unforseen demands. Which in turn means subscribers having to pay more.
The more costs also mean a longer period of charges for the dataset before it is added to the subscription site.
All in all it is for your benefit in the long term.

Cheers
Guy

[Blue70]

I bought 2 records under the old system provided by the 1939 Register Team. I may get some images from FindMyPast at some point in the future. Sorry Guy I understand what you're saying but I don't feel obliged to buy to support future projects. I'm a former FindMyPast subscriber and they've had a lot of money from me in the past.


Blue

Have you ever been annoyed when a web site you subscribe to has slowed down because an online provider has a "free weekend" when non subscribers can access the site for free?

That in effect is what the use of reference numbers was doing to the 1939 servers. The result was more costs due to having to provide extra capacity to cope with unforseen demands. Which in turn means subscribers having to pay more.
The more costs also mean a longer period of charges for the dataset before it is added to the subscription site.
All in all it is for your benefit in the long term.

Cheers
Guy

There was always going to be a lot of activity early on after the release of the 1939 Register on the site. I don't really think you should be judgemental about how other people use genealogical sites.


Blue

[Guy Etchells]

There was always going to be a lot of activity early on after the release of the 1939 Register on the site. I don't really think you should be judgemental about how other people use genealogical sites.


Blue

I was not being judgemental I was providing a reason for the removal of something that could cause extra expense for subscribers.

I could have used a different comparison but I chose not to as that one would have caused offence to many.
I am trying to make people realise that sometimes things are done which though they may be seen as trivial or annoying at first may have benefits in the long term for all.

Cheers
Guy

[sandiep]

Thank you Guy for giving us the other side of the story, made me think how much I spent on the 1911 when it came out and how excited I was to get answers...........I had thought oh I know where the family were in 1939 even found some on Electoral rolls, so anyway having a 25% discount as a subscriber I bit the bullet and bought some credits and surprize first 2 I unlocked where not where I expected them to be!! and although I had always known my mum to be a photographic printer I thought from school her she was in 1939 down as a dental operator!
I must admit to a little disappointment at the newspaper, photos and other bits but I am glad I have had a look.
Sandie

[chris_49]

It got removed it's been discussed in various threads. You will still find it in the URL at the top of the page and it still works okay on the search.


Blue

Disappointed that the URLs on searches have been changed so that they no longer contain the piece and item number,  nor do they appear as a quick flash when you first see the search results page. Unless someone has found a way to interpret the new URL.

i'm saddened because this was the only way that worked for me - so many of mine are missing (presumed badly transcribed with lots of ??s, or in some cases simply not there). Nor are address searches working for me (in villages road names seem not to be used). I'd provisionally located a number of people I meant to look up later, but stupidly never wrote down the piece and item number, so now they're still confusable with people of the same name.

Are FindMyPast deliberately doing this to make searches more difficult? Any ideas?

[clairec666]

chris_49 - FindMyPast are well within their right to change the way the search works, in my opinion. Allowing free searches is a way to entice people to buy credits, not as a means of free information. They've got to make money, after all! However they've got to provide enough information for people to be sure they've got the right household, otherwise people will be reluctant to spend their credits.

Anyway, that's just the way I see it...

EDIT
Sorry, didn't mean to sound ranty. I've been finding out loads of information from the free searches, and haven't bought any credits (yet). But I don't begrudge FindMyPast for needing to cover the extensive costs of hosting the register.

[suey]

chris_49 - FindMyPast are well within their right to change the way the search works, in my opinion. Allowing free searches is a way to entice people to buy credits, not as a means of free information. They've got to make money, after all! However they've got to provide enough information for people to be sure they've got the right household, otherwise people will be reluctant to spend their credits.

Anyway, that's just the way I see it...

I agree.  The free information gained ?   When searching with the reference number you got a list of presumably all the people on that page, neighbours, family members, others living in the household who are not redacted.  I don't really see that as free information.   In some cases with my family I have several men whose wives I have no name for.  I was working on checking say a Fred Bloggs married to Jane via freebmd in order to confirm the right Fred before spending money.   I can't do that now so won't be spending any money on guesswork.

I can however see that if (and in nearly all cases I don't) you know the address and the names of the people who ought to be living in a particular household the only information gained by paying to view the image would be someone's occupation 

FindMyPast have removed the reference numbers and we'll just have to lump it!