Ancestrys new annoyance

+6 votes
683 views

I have just found something on Ancestry that looks new. When you click on a record that is in the hints, it has this very irritating sidebar that pops out and  says  step 1 Evaluate record, then step 2 Add facts then step 3 Add people. Has anyone else seen this, and does anyone know how to get rid of it, sad xxx

in WikiTree Help by Karen Butler G2G6 Pilot (157k points)
Considering that hints may be irrelevant, step 1 is important. Some people do need to be prompted.
The hints are relevant, it is that they are showing them a different way that I don't like, I preferred the old way they used to show the record where you could  review it in the box where the hints are, I just don't like the sidebar and I want to turn it off and have them show up the old way xxx
It must have been implemented this afternoon because it wasn't like that this morning. After I saw your message, I checked it out. It is definitely different than the way we used to review records and will take some adjustment. It's too new for me to say whether I will like it or not. I did not see a way to disable it. Perhaps, as George indicated, it will encourage more people to actually review the record before attaching it and accepting the information in the record as belonging to that person.
It will take some getting used to, I though the "why did you accept?.reject" this hint bit was bad, but to me personally this is worse xxx
Back when the "why did you accept or reject" was begun, I answered a few times and then just ignored it. I still ignore it. Maybe I can ignore this new aggravating innovation!!
I've seen a number of very aggravating "improvements" in the last week or two. Perhaps they are a help to some. Meanwhile, I really wish they would correct their atrocious algos that show you "hints" off by centuries and in wrong countries!
Ginny, that is something else that I found annoying, I answered a couple of times then just ignored it xxx
T, I feel your pain, for more than a year the hints are telling me that I have 29 photo hints, I have contacted Ancestry about it, and was told it would be fixed, still waiting on that one, and I have had the same with hints that are nothing to do with the person in my tree, I think they would do better with fixing existing problems rather than adding irritating new features, they have really gone downhill over the last few years xxx
I've used Ancestry a bit this morning. I think I will get used to this new way okay, but it does not seem to simplify anything or make it better.

Regarding hints...if someone else incorrectly adds a source to a profile, then Ancestry is programmed to offer you the same hint, even if it is obviously incorrect. I don't like that either. I suppose that is why it is good for us to say why we rejected the hint, but that got so tedious, I stopped doing it after a while, too. I have written a few people who have incorrect sources attached to their trees and, therefore, incorrect information and/or incorrect connections, but I rarely get a response. The same thing happens at FamilySearch, which is worse, since it's a "one-world tree." I try to leave notes on FS profiles when I encounter bad info/relationships whether they are due to incorrectly attached sources or not. Again, little response. I sometimes detach incorrect sources there. I've seen the same sort of errors in sources and/or connections here on WikiTree, but at least we are usually more collaborative in making corrections.
Nelda, I also found it tedious, explaining why, and to be honest I didn't think it would make much difference to the hints offered. I have been contacted by people on Ancestry letting me know that I have followed a wrong branch, and  if they can take the trouble to let me know I am going the wrong way, I can take the time to thank them, delete the wrong branch and look for the right one, I do have gratitude to them for helping me out I tend not to add much to my tree on FS, I use them mainly for the source citations xxx
I just discovered this irritating feature today. Wish there was a way to turn it off.
I use the UK version of ancestry, and the new feature mentioned doesn't show up on my screen. I have a different new feature, a "mini-tree" showing the generation before and after the one that the hint record refers to. The reason I use the UK version is because the vast majority of my ancestors are from the UK, as I myself am. I used to get so fed up with all the US results on my searches on the dot com version, so I switched.

2 Answers

+5 votes
It looks like it is the new hint input screen(s) designed to fit the width of a mobile phone device.  It’s definitely a new annoyance. One thing I noticed is the place fields are too small to see the complete place.
by Tommy Buch G2G Astronaut (1.9m points)
Tommy, I hadn't thought of that, maybe it is better for people who do their tree on their mobile 'phone, I don't think I would be able to do this on a 'phone, but many people do. The fields do seem to be a bit on the small side, maybe they need to tweak it a bit, I would rather see them remove it, I found the old way much better and could see everything on it xxx
+2 votes

I found the sidebar "Evaluate record" really annoying too. 

I have just worked out how to get to the previous "Add new information to your tree":

On the Hint, Right Mouse Button on the Review button and select "Open link in new tab", which will open the "Does the <name> in this record match the person in your tree" window and you can select "Yes" (or "No" or "Maybe") as before.

by Keith Elmo Eldridge G2G Rookie (260 points)

Thanks Keith, I shall give that a try smiley xxx

Genius!

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