Opinions on new/old ancestry search

[PDH]

Hi all,
I am about to help a friend start researching (as much as I can anyway- first thing to show her will be this forum...!!)
I'm caught between the old/new Ancestry search 'experience'.....might just be me, not liking change...

opinions please, what to recommend she starts with, what do you prefer?

[Keptin Thedark]

Well, personally I don't like the new search experience, but that is probably because it is a pain in the BS if you are trying a quick search for something specific. For an FT starter you might be better off with the new search, could throw up as many good hits hits as possible, then when she starts looking for particular things she might find it easier to switch to the old format.having said that she might loose out on varying search techniques if she starts with the new one.

[PDH]

I think I'll have to show both, see what she likes..
Glas it's not just me finds the new one a bit of a nuisance sometimes.....

[Olde Crone Holden]

Hate the new search and don't use it, despite Ancestry's efforts to try to force me to!

OC

[PDH]

Are they planning on a total switch tho'?

[HeatherD]

I don't like the new one, the old one seems easier.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

I don't like anything where the search results are anything other than what I asked for, sorted into an apparently random list of possibles. I like the exact matches only on the old search.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Are they planning on a total switch tho'?

They had better not be :(:(:(:(

[WendyPusey]

I don't like the new search either. Never use it.

[KiteRunner]

I find the star rankings very confusing - it often says it found no strong matches but shows me the weaker ones, and there will be a 2-star match at the top which exactly matches my search criteria.

[Linda from Murton]

Dont like the new search - have stuck with the old.

Linda

[Anne in Carlisle]

I've stuck with the old as well, but it could be just that I'm used to it and all its little ways! I didn't have time to 'learn' the new one when it was offered so I've stuck with what I know (Grump, grump!)

Anne

[Orangeblossom]

I tried the 'new' search a few times and I hate it. It never brings up the right results. As soon as I switch back to the 'old' search, results pop up straight away.

The 'new' search has been available for ages, so I hope they don't plan to remove the 'old' one. If they do, I won't be using it again.

[Uncle John]

Even with the "old" search you can just stick in a name and birth details on the home page and take pot luck. I've found that quite useful sometimes if I don't know much about someone.

[Jill on the A272]

We all like what we know. Someone beginning with the new search style will probably be fine with it, at least there's the option to switch between the two.

[Darksecretz]

I used to use the old search all the time, however, I figured that IF they were going to remove the old search then I would be ahead because I have taken the time to get to know it.

I now use the new search all the time, and prefer it (as I tend to use the advanced searching, and have found that it will also throw up member trees and other bits of info).

one thing I will say is that I do NOT like the new way of searching the BMD index, to me that will lose them ALOT of custom, as folks liked to be able to trawl and not have to go round the back of the houses to find what once was simple to find!!

[Elaine ..Spain]

I only use the old search method and always tick the box for exact matches only.

On the new search method there doesn´t seem to be anywhere to put a census reference - or am I missing something?

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

one thing I will say is that I do NOT like the new way of searching the BMD index, to me that will lose them ALOT of custom, as folks liked to be able to trawl and not have to go round the back of the houses to find what once was simple to find!!

Can't you still trawl the birth indexes? I can!

I've just looked through five years of births for someone (and found the entry) without any extra effort. The mmn was transcribed incorrectly which is why I couldn't find it otherwise.

[Mary from Italy]

I experimented with the new search method for about 5 minutes, and switched straight back to the old one. As Kite says, there seems to be no logic in the results you get.

[Mary from Italy]

Can't you still trawl the birth indexes? I can!

It takes about 10 times as long as it used to, though, because the search box that takes you to the right page has been removed. Unless you know something I don't?