Genes Reunited Blog

Love the idea of a certainty tool because it will enable me to go back and see which relatives need researching in more depth and which ones I don't need to look at again.

dont like being unable to view full family tree

List view ran for nearly 2 hours, got fed up waiting.

The fields in the edit panel are not big enough to show al details as in the old tree.

I agree with Robert, the fields in the edit panel for place of birth, marriage, death etc. are are much too small. I just could master viewing other trees.
I could easily come to the view the redesigns are being done as an academic exercise by a a computer technician who has never done a family tree. The changes may be clever in computer terms but most of us use the tree as a tool and the last two versions are no improvement. and do not help us to do a better job.

I am finding problems with the new tool in the panel which allows you to add parents as necessary. It is very hit and miss sometimes recognising your relatives sometimes not. Also in the "add" panel it doesnt recognise details if you add both parents just one of the parents. It worked fine before the update. The panel states NOT AVAILABLE when the other parent is obviously there.
Still cannot download photos "Invalid" logo instead of the photo appears.

I am impressed with the maiden name option when searching for births and have found quite a few more relatives. Hopefully you'll resolve the problems soon.

If you want to send feedback and get an error message? reduce the size of the sentence to the size of the box, that was my problem, I was trying to send to much.

I think the new tree is more like other trees eg Ancestry and is therefore more easily used by members who also use other sites.:-)
I also think that being insulting is not helpful in improving the new setup. :-P

I was really pleased with the updates to my tree, that was until I put new members on. Came back this evening to find three wives all the same person for one member. A wife and totally different husband for another. What is happening?

I agree with all of the above comments. One needs a wider view of the family,
instead of working through a tiny window.

Don't like the new tree as frustrating to use. All my notes and sources information disappeared on the new tree which was very worrying. After mailing GR they came back but I am now still using the old tree option which I hope will remain on the site as it is more user friendly. Additional items on the old tree would be good but this constant changing is getting very annoying. It seems from the posts here that many don't really likes the tree format to keep changing and as they say if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Oh dear! I had a very brief look this morning and was impressed! I should have tried using the tree I suppose so best delete my positive comment. On the initial glance it looked so much better, but reading comments above it obviously isn't. :-(


Sonia

Was shocked to find my years of research had vanished Wher the hell is it

I still don't like the new Tree, as several others have said the old one was quite simple to use, in all aspects. I'm also disgusted that you didn't make any announcement of the fact that the old tree was going to "disappear".

Much as I hate to say it, as I don't like using the new Tree, and I'm not particularly fond of those Trees available on other sites, I shall be thinking seriously over the next few months as to whether I should cease researching my Family Tree and cancel my subscription to this site when it becomes due for renewal.

I can see other members, particularly of the oldest generation feeling the same way that I do. :-(

i agree with most of the views as i have found it very difficult to use the last time you tried to change the tree you lost so much info that i had paid money for and after about two weeks i was told sorry but we cant get it back bring back the old tree it was so much easier to use i have been a member since but im not sure i will be for much longer plesse give people the right to choose which tree they prefer :-(

please don't take the old tree away.as for older people it is much easier to use it than try to work out the new one. I HATE THE NEW ONE .and a lot of other people feel the same. it takes ages to find our info and to have it get lost is very unfair, please the old tree here too.give people the option as to which one they want to use,or you may lose a lot of people. :-(

I agree with Elaine, it is dreadful, not thought out at all. This morning I have been using it as the old one has gone and everytime I add a new relation this thing doubles up on people and in one case tripled one.

Complete and utter waste of peoples time it is. :-(

Yes, I agree that the old format was better. Did anyone else notice that us long -time researchers have suffered a double whammy this week. Family search. org have deleted their old simple format, which we need when looking for pre 1837 relatives.
Keith.

I only subscribe for the old style tree which I prefer as it goes up and down and not sideways like on other sites.
The new style tree has listed my grandfather as a duplicate person instead of him having a first wife whom he didn't divorce, then my grandmother who he obviously couldn't marry as he was still married.
On the new style. there's a tree in the way that only states the obvious, and other signs thatcan be clicked on but not got rid of.
I was pleased to find a second cousin through one of the usually completely useless emails sent by Genes . One had found a relative that 'could' be mine and it was Susan, my daughter!! lol.

This new format is awful, old format was easy to navigate, edit and add too you could also print off the tree no problem. This new format does not seem to have been developed, tested and evaluated enough, if it had we would not be having these problems would we?

I am having a complte nightmare with this. On entering a partner, after just putting in the first and surname and date of bith then save. Having to edit to add more details (who ever thought of that is a genious) there is no option to add the marriage and when click save again that person is in limbo, added to no one.

They really tested this well. NOT. :-(

The new tree SIMPLY DOES NOT WORK !!!!

* I get duplicate people
* I am losing data
* I am getting lost links - and orphaned sections of my tree
* It couldn't even find MY name today

I have lost ALL confidence in GR to keep my research safe. I am trying to export everything to GEDCOM so that I can take my business elsewhere ... only it too is BROKEN !!!
:-|

GEDCOM NOT WORKING - GU PLEASE FIX THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sue

With there newest innovation to replace the site tree which did have limitations but worked to a fashion. Their most recent addition is neither stable or workable with graphics that don’t have a stable
position whatever your monitor ( drift comes to mind ). It is said the staff are trying to fix it but it is a little late after the launch. No beta. fully tested in the workshop. And with no alternative since the old tree format has been withdraw.

If this is your best effort need i say your in the wrong job.

Hi, me again, i went to my tree and tried to print it, i was very happy to hear of this, but when i tried, page came up part way, not even high enough to press print, tried to pull it up with my mouse, then the top half disappered. What does scaler mean anyway? I want choice to enlarge or shrink tree information. The scaler, orientation and printing did not work!!!! Linda Walters

We can only hope now that someone with at least a grain or two of commonsense in the Support Team has read through these blogs, and is prepared to do something about it.
If not then perhaps we may have to aim higher up the ladder.

I still don't like it, and am, in effect, using it under duress. :-(

I expected to see my comments in this list,so assume the answer is due to lack of space.
It's not often you see a business in self destruct mode.There must be a lot of smiling faces at Ancestry right now.

Bob

Hi....well after reading all the above blogs, I am so pleased to see that I
am not the only one "just hating the new tree system"....This is causing
so much stress to so many, and to be honest I can see GU losing an
awful lot of their clientele.......thanks :-|

I can only agree with "nannyb", I'm in the same age group, and the stress of the new tree is certainly making itself felt. :-(

Well, having found this post page I'm glad I keep another personal tree on my laptop so that if this GU one crashes I won't be up the creek without a paddle. I've always found it easier to enter data into my laptop tree (Family Tree V4 - obsolete but the best I've found) and then cut and paste to the old GU tree (I'm not touching the new one). It also holds sensitive data I don't put on GU.

Brian (a user of long standing)

The only problem I had with the old tree was not being able to merge entries, for example when first cousins marry. Has this been addressed with the new tree? Of course not! I was horrified when I found the old tree was no longer accessible because the new format is just too unreliable to work with. The same bugs are recurring over and over again. Why weren't they fixed before access to the old tree was removed? It's not only frustrating, it's galling to be paying for a service that we aren't getting.

Please GU, put back the old tree! Having read the above blogs, I'm in total agreement. I liked the way you could see much more at a glance with the old tree, and there was nothing obscured by directional arrows etc. Please do not dismiss your users as old fogeys who don't move with the times! We are not stupid, most of us have spent several years doing our research and we prefer the old tree because it was less time-consuming to use apart from anything else! I have my main tree on GU as I find my Ancestry one is also fiddly, as you have to keep going in and out of a person's profile to add details like baptism, DOB whereas you could add it all at one go on the old GU tree. As a librarian, who uses computers at work, I don't find the new website very user-friendly. Give us the option of the old tree by reinstating it please!

Like everyone else in this column, I too HATE the new tree format, even after it has been changed following its initial introduction.

Please, please, please can I have my old style tree back. It was so easy to use. There was nothing wrong with it.

Now some twerp in the Genes office (what was his name? - he wants firing) has decided that it would be better the way he thinks it should look. Going by all the comments above, he is definately WRONG.

Bill

P.S. By the way, I also HATE the term Blog. I don't recall that word in the English language when I was at school half a century ago!

I have been critical of the 'new tree' during the LONG development period. BUT at last [on my laptop] it all works as it should.............. this is not luck.........but the laptop is loaded with Google Chrome...... is this the new preferfed option that Genes Reunited should be telling us about?

On my PC I do not have Google Chrome - and I still have problems, come on Genes Tree Team come clean - state what we need to do to get there...............................................................Peter :-(

The link sent to me by GR to this blog FINALLY worked.

Have tried the new tree this week. Hate is as much as I ever did.

Sadly GR, it seems that the old tree technology cannot be supported as well as the new one and all your eggs are in that basket. I wish you well but shall not be renewing my membership to use the horrid nasty thing that is the new tree.

I think you you should think long and hard about the number of members who you will undoubtedly lose. We may be of a certain age - and I am certainly not a technophobe - but our money is as good as those who seem to like it. Pity that the people who do seem to like it don't seem to help out on the GR boards...because soon you are going to need them.

Like many others members I would like to see the OLD TREE back, so come on Genes team give your members what they want. The new one is RUBBISH!

There has been far to much time wasted by all concerned. Leave the `new` tree for `Find my Past` to put right. Reinstate the original tree now !

AndrewW

how many times that i am trying to get intouch with gens re united that i would like my old tree back. i can not get on with the new one. with the old one i can get other trees up. please give me the old tree back. i know i am not the only one complaining. yvonne.

I too preferred (and still would prefer) the old tree.Indeed,it was the reason I chose to use Genes rather than Ancestry as my tree builder.It was user friendly judging by the comments above.I continued using it when you started having visions of a different future. The first problem I found when you robbed me of my choice was clicking on the tree matches button...Nothing happened. Several times I tried,on different relatives.It would say such and such a number of matches..I'd click on the link,it'd click and........nothing.The only way to get around it was to open a new window with the home page and enter the relative's details to get to the matches page.I am now in the process of trying to copy (by hand) all the details I have uploaded after recent years to take my business elsewhere.
Please note, having something visually pleasing (to a 6 year old) that is all singing,all dancing isn't an improvement if it is out of tune and out of step!!! How about someone in the back office getting off their bum and coming to this blog to address this issue.
Regardng a comment above about insults not being helpful I'm just surprised you haven't had real insults.You are lucky you are dealing in the main (judging by the comments) with a more mature customer.
GENES REUNITED>>you had the best tree on the web and now you haven't. :-(

unbelievable how you could alienate so many of your trusted members by introducing a new tree in such a way as you have you should have taken a head-count as to how many members even wanted a new tree before you erased the old tree on reading members comments its quite plain to a blind man that they wanted the old tree left in place and should have been given the option "old tree or new" you have steamrollered members on to a tree they obviously dislike and the cost of this to GR will be dire as members in their droves will i fear defect & i will be one of them i have spent several nights trying to come to terms with this hated tree and have given up may i conclude by saying i dont know which blogs you are reading when you comment that the majority of members agree with the new tree i think thats a load of old codswallop

I have a father married to his daughter and cannot rectify this. How do you cancel a marriage? Help!! :-(

I now find I cannot access my tree at all, bring back the old tree

It is heartbreaking to see our, once much loved, Genes Reunited committing commercial suicide. Do GR management not realise that they are killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Any company that thinks it knows better than it's own customers what products they want is doomed to fail. When you have the best family tree format on the web it makes sense to let it evolve gradually rather than kill it off and start afresh with an untested, unreliable, faulty, time consuming, harder to use and basically ugly replacement. Will someone from GR please let us know if there is any possibility that our 'Old' tree could possibly make a comeback in the near future? A lot of customers need to make a decision soon about whether we new our subscriptions.

I too have had problems like Brenda with the clock face going round and round saying please wait. I can open the tree from the tabs at the top but on my pc I cannot add any relatives but I can now edit. I can add realtives using my husband's laptop and my son's desktop pc so it is just my pc that is the problem. :-\

Hi agree with everything that's been said the new tree isn't half as good, is it just me or have they now taken away the option of using the old tree. I haven't had the option when clicking on my tree for days. If thison i for one won't be renewing my subscription

:-(

I really resent having paid my subscription recently and now discover that I have to relearn how to navigate my tree due to the new format! I won't be renewing next year - and in view of the comments listed here from people who feel as I do - I'm off to join Ancestry!

Bring back the old tree. This new one just isn't up to it. Duplications are by far the the worst problem, and once you've got them you cant get rid .
After many years with GR I won't be renewing unless the old tree is brought back as at least an option.
Very disapointed, I thought it was about family history, it's more about looking clever and stuff the punters. :-(

Dear GR,

In your Tree Update(14th July 2012 ) you announce the new version with it's "exciting new changes".

Nearly a fortnight has passed, and of the 94 comments received from members, only about two are positive.

This means 98% of members(who have taken the trouble to comment) are in favour of keeping the old system.

Now you've got your feedback do something with it please.

I don't know how many loyal members you think you'll be able to retain with this user-hostile joke of a 'New' tree format even if you manage to irradicate all of it's bugs. Or indeed how many new members you'll be able to attract with it once word gets out about mass defections. The amount of notice given to members about the withdrawal of our beloved old "classic" tree was an absolute disgrace. Perhaps you should get out the company dictionary and check out the meanings of these word combinations:- Customer & Care; Market & Research; and Crass & Stupidity.
I see this blog thread has now been well buried. I wonder why?

Does GR ever read this blog or is it just here to pacify us ???? doesn't seem to be much response from them

N.B.

If it ain't broke don't fix it!

:-S

N.B.

If it ain't broke don't fix it!

:-S

Is anybody at Genes reading these posts or taking any notice??????????http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/blog.page/genes-reunited-blog/archive/2012/7/14/tree-updates#
http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/blog.page/addcomment?type=AddBlogPostComment#

Deborah & Judi79: Yes, GR do definitely read these posts even if they don't respond to them! That's why it is no longer 'Post of the Day' on the Home Page. Naturally more members want to read about one member's query concerning a relative's occupation rather than what their fellow members think of their "Exciting" new tree. Wouldn't want too many members reading what's written here - it might frighten the horses. Especially since GR have just shot their 10 year old champion thoroughbred and have entered their stubborn, young, cross-eyed, three-legged, bug-infested, donkey in the race against Ancestry.

Keep it simple like the old tree and you will recruit more members which will help us all. Keep this format and you will loose the lot like some of your members have ARE YOU LISTENING!!!!!!!

Not fit for purpose, the new tree takes ages to load, the search facility does not work

have contacted GR and they say my browser needs to be updated.
It works fine for everything else

I for one won't be renewing my membership

Francesca wrote: "We are not all old fogeys with laughable computer skills and a natural aversion to change"

Is there any factual base to this assertion? I am proud to fall into that category, and suspect that a huge number of members would be proud also to be called "old fogeys who don't like change". It doesn't make you a bad person, neither does it make you a hopeless family historian. Isn't that the point? We have a simple tree which our uncomplicated and untechnical minds can understand just about. We don't want a whistles and bells complicated tree that we never have any hope of understanding. We don't want to see our blood pressure going off the scale

And many of us will walk, taking our wads of cash somewhere else.

Does anyone know what percentage of current members wanted this new tree? Does anyone know how many are happy with this new tree? If it is more than 5% of membership then they are remarkably silent during this furore. And we old fogeys with our laughable computer skills are pretty vocal.

No response=No renewal.
Bob

I could have worded my post on 31st July a lot better. What I meant to say was it would be unwise for GR to dismiss it's feedback-providers as just a FEW disaffected Fogeys and Geeks. These almost universally negative reactions to the New tree must surely represent the views of a substantial chunk of the membership - no matter what their levels of IT skills.
I've got more than one foot in the Fogey camp myself. No offence intended and apologies if any was taken.
It's a real shame there wasn't a 'Membership Preference Survey' but I'd be surprised if GR hadn't monitored how many members were opting to use the Old and New formats while we still had both options. I doubt they'd be prepared to publish the results though. These figures would be a good indication of membership preferences. How about it GR ?

Don't care for the white background but I could live with it, the updated version seems to work
unlike the previous one, but its still so very slow IE still hanging and not responding
GR tell me my browsers the problem believe they are recommending firefox, but I don't really want to change as IE works fine for everything else I want to do.

Yes the new version is better but not as good as the original, and nowhere good enough to make me want to stay.

Have about a month left of my subscription, and unless there is a vast improvement in that time
I'm off.

Jim

Is there a simple user friendly site for old fogeys like me with laughable computer skills? But with very much experience of family history, wickedly brilliant and incisive logic skills and a loving desire to help other old fogeys.

GR has pitched at those under 25 with above average computer skills and a belief that change makes for a better world. I hope they have a happy and long married life without the distraction of us old fogeys who actually know what we are doing.

Amazed but certainly not surprised to see so many negative comments about the new tree. Thought it was only me having so many problems - relatives doubling up, can't get into other people's trees etc etc. Why change the old system that worked perfectly and was so easy to use and most people liked and enjoyed using?
Please re-instate the old tree asap and let us spend the time looking for our relatives rather than struggling with 'a supposedly improved tree'.
MICHAEL

Genes Reunited members be warned! There's a bunch of crooks going around thieving treasured family trees. To add insult to injury they leave behind a calling card of a steaming pile of whitewashed manure plastered in cartoon faces.
Snowblind of Newcastle.

Wow, I'm really impressed at the speed with which you responded to the "Positive" membership feedback (congratulating you for our migraines) on the lick of sparkly new paint applied to the ghastly 'New' tree on the 1st August. It only took one day of feedback on this Blog (one or two posts) and a few posts on the Boards before you were out of the blocks like a rat up a drainpipe. Team GB sprinters, take note!
One minor quibble I have is that there are almost three weeks worth of mutinous rumblings posted here, concerning the 'New' tree Vs 'Old' tree non-debate, which you seem to have overlooked. Could this valued membership feedback now be addressed too please? It is quite important to many of us. Thanks for listening.

I don't like the new tree either, please can you at least give us the option of working on the old format

GrU respoonse 1

Thank you for taking the time to contact us and letting us know what you think of the new look Genes Reunited. I am sorry that you do not like the changes we have made.

The decision to redesign the site was taken based on member feedback and in order to make it fresh, clean and easier to use . We will be taking on board all feedback sent to us regarding the redesign, and reacting to it where necessary. This initial change is purely a redesign, we have not changed the functionality and you should be able to find all the features you normally use in their usual place. This is the first of many exciting changes we have planned over the next few months.

We hope you continue to enjoy using Genes Reunited and thank you for taking the time to contact us.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GrU response 2

Thanks you for getting back to us with your views.

I am afraid it is no longer possible to view the old tree format.

After a long period of testing and reacting to user feedback, we feel that the new family tree is now performing sufficiently enough for us to retire the old version of the tree.

We have been planning to retire the old tree for a while now. The old tree was built when Genes Reunited first launched in 2002 and since then the user base and technology available has changed dramatically. Supporting the old tree was restricting us from making further improvements that we have planned for the coming months. We intend to continue work on the new version of the tree, reacting to your feedback and introducing new features that will make the Genes Reunited family tree one of the best that is available.

If you are experiencing any problems with the new version of the tree please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do everything we can to rectify the problem as quickly as possible. You can also find help with the tree on our help pages - http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/help.page/faqs where there is a section with full details on how to use the tree. In the meantime, try out the new tree, look for the new features including the list view and full screen option, and keep sending us your feedback.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It looks like we are stuck with the crap new tree format

It can't have escaped your notice that the New tree has received overwhelmingly negative, if not downright hostile, reviews and that there have been many howls of protest at the scrapping of the Old tree. You've made no 'Announcements' hinting at even the mildest membership dissatisfaction with the current situation.
Reading this Blog it is clear that many of your paying customers still believe that you will listen to what we are saying and will soon give us our Old tree back.
Some of us are still paying you subscriptions in the (forlorn ?) hope that this will happen. If there is no possibility that we can have our Old tree back it's about time we were told. It would be despicable of you to continue taking our money without clarifying the situation. Please don't treat your members with such contempt.
If you've made a definite decision to withdraw an excellent service (forever) and expect us to continue paying you for a sub-standard one can you at least be open and honest about it. Many of us are becoming increasingly angry with you.
We want clarity. CAN WE POSSIBLY HAVE OUR OLD TREE BACK, OR NOT ???

Francesca

OOoh!! You are so cross. Don't worry your pretty head so much. I am sure the nice people at Genes will notice how upset you are and try to pacify you.

I totally agree with you. I love reading your views, and as you know, I also love you. May we enjoy family history in the Brave New World which regrettably looks like it will exist outside Genes.

Bring the F for fun back into family history.

It is classic material for a business school business case. We used to study the launch of the Ford Edson in USA. Ford spent a fortune and I think they sold 6 cars - something like that, it was the biggest disaster in corporate history. Then there was De Lorean in Northern Ireland!

Even my old company, Tesco, had huge problems back in 1978 when rumours were rife that a weakened Tesco was about to receive a hostile takeover from Kwik Save (sic). From 1976-78, Tesco had made many potentially terminal mistakes which looked like sending the business into a rapid downward spiral. And I was one of the 20,000 staff at the time. It was Lord MacLaurin (of cricket fame) and David Malpas who took charge, made very crucial changes and pulled Tesco out of the mire.

Genes Reunited could be great material. Think I will start writing something up right now for the academic business schools. Hope GR can react like Tesco did ie total change in our customer focus, our management style and the way we supported our front line staff like cashiers with better scheduling, better conditions of work etc.

I'm having a recurring nightmare. I'm trapped in the lower decks of 'H.M.S. Genes' with my family of 12,000 and many hundreds of fellow 3rd Class passengers whose computer skills are as negligible as my own. We've heard that the Captain has charted an innovative new course and (with a mad look in his eyes) has locked himself in the bridge while the ship steams inexorably towards a giant iceberg amid some very jagged-looking rocks. No-one can waken the rum-soaked officers from their drunken stupors. Someone is asking a crew member for a step-by-step guide to safely evacuating his family and their possessions but the sailor just runs away, laughing hysterically, grabbing a life-belt as he goes. We hear of the 1st Class passengers' desperate scramble to get aboard a strange craft called a 'Gedcom' lifeboat until it is full to bursting but we can't make our way there and wouldn't recognise one even if we stumbled over it. Some passengers are whispering excitedly that the 'Gedcom' is holed below the waterline anyway and the life-rafts are all punctured (see earlier posts above).
A glimmer of hope is briefly ignited by stories of passengers, with admirable IT skills, who have been airlifted off and have secured berths on other vessels but, of course, we have no such hope.
There are tales of terrified 2nd Class passengers hurling themselves overboard into the icy waters, in huge numbers, after spotting the steamer 'S.S. Ancestry' on the horizon.
Then I look at my large family and my fellow 3rd Class passengers, as we all cling together in the gloom, and with a sinking feeling of desperation I realize that we are all doomed.
Then I wake up in a cold sweat and discover that it wasn't a dream after all.

Oh dear. Sorry to add my moans and groans but don't our ancestors look weird with modern cartoon hairstyles....and what is the bit about searching other trees when you highlight one of these poor dead departed to see where they appear in other trees? - I have clicked and waited and nothing happens. :-(

Admit it...
The new tree is a disaster...slow and cumbersome.

Otherwise you will wreck GR.

I am not in favor of the new format by any means however slow i beg to differ.
Mine go's like the clappers. With regard to the colour scheme the following came from Lisa today...

Currently there are no plans to amend the colour of the site, however, all feedback that members have written in regarding this issue has been passed to our developement team to take into account of for any further changes to the site.
Kind Regards, Lisa..... Genes Reunited Support Team

Although i use internet explorer in the main i have increasingly move to an alternate browser which seems to be more compatible and shows background
areas without glare. for those interested Maxthon 3

I've just finished scouring the site for any indication that GR are aware that some members are displeased about losing the Old tree and are unhappy at their inability to confidently build their family trees on the New version.
Sadly, I found nothing. Is it just me or does anyone else find GR's inability to acknowledge that there may be a problem, apologize for the upset they've created, or inform us whether or not they will consider reintroducing the Old tree (by popular demand) rather exasperating ?
On the 14th July 2012 Genes Reunited announced, in a masterful public relations coup [sarcastic enough for you, John ?], that they were going to 'RETIRE' the old version of the tree and that it was to be 'REMOVED' later the same day.
I was really happy about having such a long notice period [there I go again, John].
This is not the same as saying they intended to kill off the Old tree forever and that it could never be brought back. There is a difference between being 'Retired and Removed' and being 'Stone Dead and Buried' for which many of us are very grateful. Remember Alex Ferguson - look at him now. So, no, I don't feel that GR have told us that we can't have our Old tree back yet. I know several members think they have. Please tell me where I can find the GR announcement.

I know what will be retired and removed unless jeans soon recognise they have a big problem and announce that they are aware and are addressing matters. Notice how many came on here in high indignation when they realised what had happened. Don't see many coming back to have another go and I rather doubt any of them are now happily banging in their relations in yellow on their Antarctic background.

It won't just be the old and faithful tree that will be retired and removed, unless they move their.........................ideas.

How clever of you to mention Alex Ferguson. I was thinking of her only yesterday. What a beautiful voice. When she was in the Three Degrees, Prince Charles was a big fan :-D Mal Kee am byth.

Kenneth. Also we have been told that they will update us regularly via Announcements. Last one was 2nd Aug (9 days ago) to tell us they had had good comments but some issues (eg brightness) were being addressed.

Probably because they risked being sued for affecting people with migraines, epilepsy etc. That would certainly have caused a lot of grief and affected their bonuses.

I still have this innate belief that they can turn this round and keep most (if not all) on board. But each day I look at announcements, and each day I have been disappointed :-(

Think dear Francesca has left. I will miss her a lot, though I doubt Genes will care about her feelings. She is only one insignificant member - and there are thousands more who will replace her.

We are constantly being told to write to Genes and give our views and keep pressing for a personal reply. And it has been suggested they never look at this sort of thread. Only "proper channels" will get a hearing and we are all breathing hot air into the wind.

Why? They started this thread. If I start a thread, and I am pretty busy too, I tend to check it occasionally and see what people think. I suspect that we would all do that. So why do they not appear to read their own threads or respond to criticism.

I will withdraw that if we get a clear announcement in next couple of days that they recognise problems exist. But, if not, I feel there is a duty to keep pressing for a personal reply to this thread. But so many seem to be looking for a way out from GR, that it may be too little, too late when they finally make an announcement that admits the new layout in rubbish, rubbish, rubbish (copywrite Ian)

Where is the HQ? I have put a banner in Welsh across the M4 near Splott. But only the local Welsh community newspaper (Baner ac Amserau Splott) has picked it up so far.

May be able to fund this light aircraft - have some savings, And a nice Nigerian lady has recently e-mailed me..... But how many days will it have to circle before they see the banner? How will they be able to read it at all if their windows have a strong rose tint

Have just noticed that MUGS is an anagram of UMSG

Mal Kee am byth. Belle Ami am byth :-D

There is still nothing on the GR Announcements board to acknowledge the membership's unfavourable reactions to the toxic 'New' tree format. Nor any utterances about whether or not they have either the capability or the will to consider bringing the 'Old' tree format back out of retirement (something which I understand they have done before - so maybe not yet wholly impossible ?). There is still no admission that GR are even aware of any problems at all. With their heads buried deep in the sand it seems GR management are unable to see the growing queues of disgruntled members at the Exit doors. I don't think that ignoring this problem will make it go away. So sad.

Peter: Well done you. We've been banging our heads against a brick wall on this Blog for weeks without a peep back from Genes. To whom did you address your feedback and more importantly what was Genes' response ? Do tell us, please !!! Did you really receive a credible response from GR and an explanation for why are they destroying their website ?
Is it really an insurance scam ?
Did the Head of Public Relations do a Shergar ?
Is it an asset-stripping exercise by Brightsolid ?
Are the GR Executives racing against time to get the 'Insolvency' notices put up before Brightsolid can finalize a "review" of their current Pensions, Redundancy & Severance packages ?
Have they all been away on their holidays since the 19th July 2012?
Or is it something I haven't thought of yet ?
You would be doing us all a great service if you could enlighten us. It would be great if you could 'Copy & Paste' their reply and post it on this Blog ? Please !!! We're all a bit information-starved here. Cheers.

I also have not addded any relatives to my tree since the old tree was retired and rested (hopefully it will soon be known as Lazarus). I looked at the new tree when it first came out and tried to add a couple of relllies unsuccessfuly. Backed out when I realised I was married to my own father and we had 2 children - my auntie Polly and my great grandfather. Had to pull this reveal screen across to find anything out (bit like a reveal toilet on the train)

They do seem to have tested new tree out on people who are pretty puter savvy. Surely it should have been designed to meet the Lowest Common Denominator. Not the very thickest person, but someone just above my level. And one screen for one person should have been a fundamental design (KISS technique - Keep is Simple, Sailor)

I think the team has the same holidays as MPs. So they will be back in Sure-ditch in October. Till then we are all officially "generally happy" with the new layout, and so are all the opticians.

Michael: see post by Sonya on 24 Jul 2012 at 00:56 above. She doesn't seem to think so. Sorry!

I can understand this problem of first cousins. I always find it very difficult to display that in an ordinary handwritten tree, so it must be very difficult indeed for a programmer.

And marriages between first cousins seemed very common in 19th century. It was apparently against church law and civil law to marry your dead spouse's sibling (which happened quite often and sounds a good idea to us in 21st Century). But first cousins was legal and proper - I would even venture that is was encouraged when families had assets and land. I know Prince Albert would agree with me.

So I have never expected Genes to solve that problem (new or old tree) and I simply put a note to refer the reader to another part of my tree to see the family of one of the first cousins involved.

Intriguing letter from Lisa in support team - but not sure she is referring to what we are all referring to. :-S

How is GR's recruitment drive, for new paying members, going by the way ?
They'd better get their skates on replacing the multitudes who are currently jumping overboard before their entire membership-base dwindles to a tiny rump of hardcore loyalists and prospective escapees currently shackled to GR by our technical inability to transfer our family trees, fully intact, to somewhere more welcoming and customer-responsive.
Thanks Peter: The 'problems' I was referring to in my post on 13th Aug. were not the problems of the 'New' tree format's host of bugs, health & safety hazards, and other faults (a couple of which they have acknowledged in their Announcements) but the bigger 'problem' of the membership's reactions to it - which they have not yet publicly recognized. In a nutshell 9 out of 10 tree-owners, who expressed a preference, prefer the 'Old' format to the 'New' one. Also I estimate that about 3 out of 10 would prefer to abandon their family history research altogether rather than use the 'New' tree. It is that bad. We are just waiting for GR to admit that having so many unhappy and angry members is a huge 'problem'. We are becoming extremely frustrated and incensed at being ignored by Genes. They have had our feedback but have not yet reacted to it in their Announcements.

The new layout is affecting me medically. Am now passing bright solids. Doctor has given me Milk of Magnesia, and told me his surgery is heaving with family historians with migraines, sight problems, and many other complaints. Yes, I know. I must write to team@ jeans and provide a sample as proof the new layout is affecting me

I've ticked my 'Auto Renew - Off' button. Just another raindrop in the flash-flood.

On one of the 'General Chat' threads I found this GR reply to a member who recently asked GR if s/he could still use her/his Old tree:
"We’ve now permanently removed the old tree from Genes Reunited, so you can’t access it any more. We’ve developed, tested and tweaked the new tree with a huge amount of input and feedback from members and we hope that you’ll enjoy the new features."
So, one lucky [?] member has apparently wrung an admission from Genes that the beloved 'Old' tree is not just "Retired & Removed" but "Permanently Removed". It is a great shame they didn't put out an Announcement to that effect responding to the pleas of 97% of us whose feedback requested/demanded the 'Old' tree back. GR must be highly selective at choosing which feedback to read.
Over the last month I've gained a clear impression that the Genes Reunited management team are indeed a total bunch of 'Tweakers'. This confirms it.
I think that is my cue to get my coat. My tree and I will soon be off to sunnier climes. "So long, it's bin good to know ya!"

They will not be back off their holidays till October. Then they will help you, Francesca. Calm down, dear.
Has anyone seen or heard of Phil Moir - who has "lead" in his job title. Last two announcements from him were 2nd Aug and 9th Aug. On 2nd we were told wonderful feedback, one or two issues to be resolved. On 9th were were told he had darkened our screens (significant that he is wearing sunglasses in his photo).

Both announcemenst would surely have been written before Genes finally removed the old tree, otherwise Phil would have acknowledged his revolting customers. He would have said "we have had some excellent feedback from a very intelligent few of the 500 members we involved in the testing, though very many who know nothing about anything and moan a lot have complained......"

I remain convinced that the whole team have taken a "parliamentary" break till October, so we have to wait a bit for them to acknowledge the 97% dissatisfaction level about the new tree.
Don't agree it is 97% - my figures say 93% unhappy with changes, 30% flippin angry.

At last a further announcemnet from Genes. From Phil Moir

"Darker grey header, profile on post compressed. We have applied some minor adjustments today. These include, making the grey panel header slightly darker, and applying a border at the bottom to highlight the change. Also on the boards, we have compressed the profile details. When you hover over the image, the details will appear and you can click on the send message button. The reason for this change is to compress the post section on the thread view, and reduce the unnecessary white space. You should refresh your cache to ensure all the changes to effect.

Researching:
I am the lead developer for the Genes Reunited team"

Sounds like they are really on the case. That was as recent as 9th August, so they are clearly responding to all the criticism in this thread and beyond. I must refresh my cache. Do I have to move it from Barclays or just move it to another account?

John (I am the tail of the dog Phil is leading)

ps if he clicks his little button to return to old tree format (one simple click, Phil - a small leap etc, I will wag my tail greatly :-)

I am wanting out of GENES REUNITED have never come across a system so wacky, it does not work, freezes up, I can not add photos, or even export Gedcoms files. I have never been so frustrated, GIVE US BACK THE OLD TREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I suppose if no company can provide a tree that is easy to use and meets our needs, we may have to go back to what we were all doing before computers. Just having a small tree in various folders.

Shame, as I think the idea of building your tree, having matches with others and writing to them and discussing things is a brilliant and simple idea.

Most of us are free or basic members, and presumably fresh income needs to be generated. This could be achieved if significant members went to a higher mambership grade. And we would - if the databases were unique and useful. Just needs some lateral thinking about what might be useful and new.

I cannot see this new layout (even with significant tinkering and testing) ever being fit for purpose. It was like a Ford Focus basic. I would have liked a Ford Focus Ghia - still familiar but nicer. We seem to have a De Lorean for some reason.

I contacted you a few months back to state that I considered your new tree version to be awful. You say that you are listening comments and making corresponding improvements but the one comment which comes up most is just being ignored. Here it is again. WE HATE THE NEW TREE AND WANT THE OLD ONE BACK. The old one was a pleasure to use and caused me no frustation what-so-ever. The new one drives me mad so I try not to use it, just use the B.M.& D and census search sections of your website.
I've just tried to look at my tree. Although you've the rotten sliding panel thing smaller, once it's been pulled out & pushed back, the space it was taking up does not revert to tree space and the 'tree area' is only about 1/4 of my screen area, USELESS. This is just one of my many 'new tree' complaints. Goodbye
Robt Milton

Bob, I reckon old tree could be returned to us as the touch of a button. But we are taking your advice. We are moving. Genes (and you) either have to shape up to customer demand or we all ship out.

If you are last one on ship, Bob, would you mind switching off the light. :-D

;-)keep making it better then you will be one of the best go for gold

John.

I jumped ship weeks ago.

Bob

John,

Hold on to Genes until Feb raid the Piggy Bank now and join "A".

I was fortunate in running both Genes and "A" together from the begining so no transferring needed. It may be different in your case and could be time consuming,but believe me it will be time well spent.

Bob.

Hurray

At last, Genes have taken the initiative today (24th Aug). First move since 2nd Aug "good feedback" and 9th Aug ("made it darker")

On Suggestions Board. Three suggestions threads started by Genes, presumably to channel opinion and give a clearer idea what we ant.

Not sure if returning to old tree is an option for them. They say "no" but never say no or cannot.

I hate the new tree.
I have 2 ancestors on my tree that were House Painters.
I now find that I have many, many, many ancestors who are House Painters - men, women and children.
What's that all about.
Also, as I am getting a bit forgetful I am wondering what else GR have screwed up on my tree.

Better than me, Carol. If my boss texts me (rarely, thank goodness), I have to rush home and get my son to reply on my behalf. There was no telly in our house till I was 12 (in 1958). And, if I remember correctly, my computre back in 1958 only had 320MG of storage. What a difference 54 years makes.

But we all have our strengths. I am the greatest amateur genealogist subscribing to Genes. And also one of the humblest :-)

You had a computer in 1958 John? My university had one which occupied a building and had 4096 words of storage.

Southampton, which was a fairly new University then. The computer was a Ferranti Pegasus. It had a lot of valves and required at least half an hour's maintenance when it was switched on in the morning.

What is a MG, is it a million gigabytes?

Have been unable to visit Genes Reunited for a while - I am so dissappointed that I am unable to access the old tree version. I found the old version so easy to use and view. I find the 'view' now, like so many other sites that I chose not to use, confusing and not at all what I consider an improvement - in fact although I am aware of the skill involved developing the site I feel that it wasn't broken in the first place so why change it. Is there no way the old tree view can be accessed.

It's slow coming up and also viewing your own tree it takes some time to move it up, down, side to side i get bored of waiting for it so i shut down.
Also can't seem to view the other person's online tree which she's opened for me to view.

I know 'Genes' that you trying your best of updating etc... and tidying the glitches and so on but wouldn't of been better to stick with the old version, the new one dosen't really grab me.

Lorraine, it sounds like you need to read and act on the suggestions in Porky_Pie's thread "Problems with the New Tree" which is on the Suggestions board.

I find navigating on the new tree much faster thanks to the drag and drop facility and the tree icon. Also the search function is much better because you don't have to clear out the boxes you don;t want to search on.

As for the missing census data that is probably due to transcription errors. You could ask on the Find Ancestors board as the helpers there are good at finding apparently missing records.

The tree is horrendous.

I hate the:
1. lack of colour scheme
2. the cartoon male and female images that look tacky and not in keeping with a professional slick look that we had before.
3. the way the boxes in the sliding panel are already filled out with the title of the boxe eg. occupation' written in occupation box - it makes it so much harder to scan the boxes and see/review what you have input today or on a previous occasion.
4. the way the photos appear without frames - it means all photos appear in the same shape of a box whether they fit best in that shape or not. For example horizontal photos automatically become smaller than they would have been on the old tree.
5. the sliding panel gets in the way of navigating the tree. Opening and closing it to move about the tree is also unsatisfactory, it was so much better at the bottom of the screen which is now just wasted space.
6. the fact that surnames in my tree are getting random capital letters in them that cannot be deleted. they appear to delete and when I next enter my tree they are back.
7. dates of birth and death don't appear when first added. It takes a few saves first.

If we can't have the old tree back 'as was' then design a new version one in a similar vein to the old one, it's not impossible.

We are the customers, we should be listened to not ignored. This issue isn't going to go away and you should know that by now.

Negative, negative, negative is all I see on the boards and the blog. Who are you designing a tree for? Yourselves? Its certainly not the customers from what I can see.

I am another subscriber who absolutely HATES this new tree. I live in a rural area with low bandwidth speeds. The previous tree was simpler. This new one is more sophisticated, supposedly, but it clearly is more demanding of bandwidth. As a result, whereas before I could navigate around my tree with speed and ease, the new one is incredibly slow.
I am VERY disappointed the old style tree has vanished and am already using this site far less than I did and am likely to cease using it altogether come subscription renewal.
What an unnecessary mistake!!!

Scozz: the unusual reports of sightings of ... "really positive feedback" came from Genes Reunited themselves. See my post on 22 Aug 2012 15:53 above:
'Genes Reunited have now acknowledged that they have been reading the members' feedback about the New Tree. Please see their post on the Suggestions Board thread 'Put it to us the members!' on 21 Aug 2012 at 15:57.
Here's a choice extract:

"... in the main the feedback has been really positive. But it is really important that we know what you think. "

I suggest you read the whole thing in case I'm accused of quoting them out of context...'
It seems strange to me that they chose a rather obscure Suggestions Board thread to respond to the membership's feedback about the New Tree. I think that this official Genes Reunited 'Tree Updates Blog' would have been the most appropriate forum in which to place this post. Admittedly it would have looked rather incongruous here and their rose-tinted analysis (or 'spin') of the members' feedback would seem spectacularly inaccurate amid this sea of discontent.

Since this blog was started by Genes and their announcements on 2nd Aug and 9th Aug that feedback was good and that they were adjusting the brightness, we have been eagerly awaiting an announcement that confirms they are receiving poor feedback about the new layout and what they plan to do about it.

At last!!! A major Announcement has been made on 28th August 2012. Here it is:

"Have you uncovered an interesting story when using our Military records? Do you have a war hero in your family tree? If you’re happy to share your story with the media please email us at: [email protected]"

Thank goodness they are on the ball. Perhaps even more revelations next week ;-)

Bob. Make sure you find the Save button and press it each time you cough :-D :-D

And suspect a lot of members have already pressed the Escape button ;-) Perhaps more permanently.

Look foward to another Announcement next week that follows on from the encouraging Announcement last week. "Using Miltary Records" clearly means "we will immediately ditch new layout" in code. Will PP finally be made CEO, as we lobbyists are pushing for.

Am writing this from my padded cell - hope it makes sense :-D :-D Narrow gap between madness and genius

Oh Sylvia :-D :-D :-D

Have done the same. I have actually got 2 children, but a third one appeared on my tree. I don't know him, but he was born 1898 and died 1954 (when I was 8).

Anyway, that decided me to put my tree esewhere. So I bought a huge magnetic board and put all the names on small magnets and the tree covers most of the wall of my study and it looked very impressive (and easy to change if my father is not really my father). Unfortunately, I have 3 kittens who got into my study last night and caused havoc. Now I have 17 children - most older than me. And my wife is the late Princess Andrew of Greece. :-S :-S

There are huge trees on Genes. Many of them have been complied by people who are not very good with computers but found the tree and site so user-friendly until 6 weeks ago with this new and exciting launch.

I have stopped adding anyone to my tree. Quite a few others have - one with 28,000 on the tree. I have 23,000 (all put on and checked by myself)

A few have said they have enjoyed the new tree and have put relatives on. But usually that is about four relatives and it has not been easy for them.

I must have put an average of 3,000 a year (250 a month) on the old tree over last 8 years. Has anybody put a significant number of new rellies on this new tree. Anybody more than 20 in last 6 weeks, for example?

hmmmmm

is there a way of posting that lets people know I'm being flippant??

My comment about "positive feedback" was NOT serious!

I've seen very little positive comment, thought maybe there were hundreds of posts hidden somewhere lolololololol (lots of laughing, so you'll know I'm joking!)

I've added names to MY OWN tree in the last few weeks, but only a couple to the GR tree, it's too fiddly.

I thought things were looking up, because I got a contact message! whooohoooo!! Then I read it........ somebody asking if my "Joe Bloggs" born in Edinburgh could possibly be her "Joe Bloggs" born in Derby. I wonder if people think?

Was hoping for a new Announcement or some news after the Newcastle genealogy fair on Saturday 8 Sept. I there going to be any official response to what we think on this blog about the new and exciting developments? :-S

Or did any members manage to get to Newcastle and have a coffee with the team? Any feedback?

My wife and I have been having terrible problems with GrU ever since they started "improving" things. With this latest whiz-prang idea we have to wait thirty seconds before any entry shows on the site. The new tree is awful. Many an e-mail to them has resulted in an answer, it would seem, by a two year old . My wife has about 12,000 on her tree and feels the last twelve years has now been a waste of time as far as GrU is concerned. In fact they don't seem the least bit bothered by the problems they have created.

KenSE Everything was so quick and easy with old tree. Each relative on one page. Loaded almost instantly every day. Don't know who was complaining old tree was not fit for purpose, but doubt it was any of us with large trees. We were just getting on with things and writing to contacts, checking things out on various free and subscription databases.

This was the best tree for me. You can do clever things on other trees, but some of us like to keep things simple. It would have been much more profitable to make the searches easy to search, accurate and attractive. If people upgraded to Diamond, they could advertise all over the site without too many complaints from us. Thus extra income and a very profitable future.

Still no announcement since 2nd Aug. Don't think many will be as patient as Genes think we should be. I note the helpers are less in evidence now, and you experienced and dedicated helpers are demanding Genes staff come out of the closet also.

A strong management team would have abandoned the change to the new layout in July, would have agreed a strategy with Bright Solid and would have put out an apology and a plan of action to the membership before end of July when it was already evident people were still choosing to use old tree option and were not interested in reveals, browsers, compatibility, snow blindness etc etc.

All we know is that Estelle has been on holiday for 2 weeks, that Phil Moir is still there and that no one other than Estelle wants to talk to customers. And Phil only wants us to twiddle with his new creation until it works. A sort of massive and prolonged beta test.

And they are sitting down as a team and looking at our suggestions. Well, even us old people live in a world that moves a lot more quickly than that. Far too little, far too late. And still the official line is that "there has been positive feedback...." Well, from Joan in Budleigh Salterton and Phil in Shoreditch perhaps.

I have just returned to my tree after a few weeks off, my platinum subscription duly renewed (and £7.96 taken from my bank account for what I have no idea!!!!)
well what a let down! a lot of my family had mov ed around in my absence, my husband is now married to my 3 x great grandfather, and many others have been duplicated and cannot be deleted.
I do not like this new tree, please bring back the old one.

I thought thats what it could have been John, it was paid out a week after my platinum subs. I'll wait and see if it happens again, if it does then thats me cancelling.

I can not master using this tree. It is frustatingly slow and difficult to use and I wonder if I am doing something wrong. I found the old tree very easy to use. Can anyone help?

I think you are reading too much into the difference between erased and retired, John. I don't believe there has ever been a realistic possibility of the old tree being reinstated after the official link was removed in July.

I am surprised they didn't remove the url for the old tree then. I hope using the unofficial link wasn't responsible for the tree errors some people have had.

As far as I am concerned, you can take your NEW TREE and set FIRE to it.

it is sluggish , non responsive and downright crap.

Posted by Lead Programmer Phil Moir today at 4.12pm on a suggestions thread:

"me and my dev team have been working very hard to make the right improvements for all users of the site. If I explain it this way. If we were Ford Motor Cars and after designing the Model T and everyone liked it but we decided job done no more changes we would be out of business. Change is inevitable, and we have to try and work out what is right for members and what is right to stay competitive in the online genealogy business. Some members like the change some dont."

This looks familiar

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards/board/general_chat/thread/1110220

:-)

Not my memory John. I did a quick search for Airlock hoping to find a post that Rollo made recently but I think he must have deleted it. It did throw up a lot of threads from about 2008 though.

There was once a young tree sapling looking forward to new branches with new shoots forging left and right, but little did it know the woodman had other ideas. As it stood alone one dark night it felt strange and noticed that it’s main trunk was missing. The little sapling was no more the woodsman had placed around it’s stump ornaments that resembled it’s former self but without meaning or worth.
The tree of life being lost in time for an imitation that was inferior for those who preferred the young sapling.


;-)

Yes Peter, Airlock designed the old site, that was the point of my post above with examples of what members thought about it - migraines, epilepsy, not renewing subs etc.

In case anyone is still looking at this blog and has given up on the new tree, please note that Genes have been updating the tree and there are many improvements, so it is worth giving it another go.

Francesca You will still remain a member, won't you. A free member. I would hate to think that you were going out of my life forever.

Agree totally - far too little, far too late. Total disregard for customers. Lost a huge opportunity to develop search facility and not only keep paying customers but encourage them to upgrade to Diamond.

What is the point ? I have spent the last hour reading all the comments. No-one is listening at Genes. They have spent the money to make the changes and nothing is going to make them revert to the old tree system, that would be having to admit they were wrong and they are obviously not going to do that. I am also leaving after 4 years. Just too much trouble and it used to be fun. I very rarely commented on anything but did enjoy the banter and topics discussed over the years, but, as of my next subby date I am offski to my other site which thankfully I kept up to date.

stuart i agree. i will also leave the site after 6yrs subs. its a mess, i cant add other family members on to my tree. have wasted to much time and money. its past its sell date. comments i added onto my tree have been lost. tell me a better site please.

i'm coming up to 80 soon and iv'e had my annual blood test; my doctor says there is something wrong with my genes, I can't believe it I said you must be out of your tree, if you don't believe me he said just take a look at your ancestry .......................
.co.uk
stephen

It's goodbye Genes and hello ANCESTRY,last day 20th Dec 2012. So as the sun sinks slowly in the west we bid farewell to all of you who tried to influence the moneymakers at Genes.I have decided that if you can't beat them join those that have left for pastures new.
Good Luck Bob.

What is going on,The sooner you revert back to the old site the better.

After being absent for a while I've just renewed my membership for 6 months!!! No fool like an old fool, when it runs out I will absolutely NOT be renewing my membership again, ever! The site is total rubbish, it's taken steps back not forward! Was someone actually paid to write this ''new improved program''?? I suggest he, she or they need to go back to school ..... Ancestry gets my vote. Shame on you gr!!!

When I use the 'add' box to add a child, I only get the 'enter the name of the person you are looking for' box. As I want to enter someone totally new, this is not the answer. What has gone wrong, and how do i solve it?

When I use the 'add' box to add a child, I only get the 'enter the name of the person you are looking for' box. As I want to enter someone totally new, this is not the answer. What has gone wrong, and how do i solve it?

what happened to the the place were peoply were looking for some oneI loved lofrom laura oking to see who was looking for who from laura not happy

what happened to the the place were peoply were looking for some one I loved looking at it I found peoply on there I could not find any where els Laura

I am very frustrated with the new web site, I was able to use the old one so much better, and I am disinclined to bother with the new one. I have tried to download photos and cannot do so, and I do not have the time to mess around with this. I note that other people are having trouble also. Please remember that many of us who use this web site are older people and we need user friendly sites!
Julia Liddle