Find Ancestors

Time for a nudge.

And may I add - PLEASE DON'T DELETE YOUR THREAD WHEN I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF ADDING THE INFO YOU ASKED FOR!

(Yes, I know I'm shouting but it's just happened and I'm vexed!)

Dear Miss Gins....if nice Mr. Jonesey does all that impossible work for you and you don't return and thank him nicely......you will be talked about no end and then you will get a message from me! So watch out.....you 'ave been warned. ;))


Hope you've calmed down now A-M. Cx

Yes Cynthia, I'm as calm as a calm thing.

Yup. If they have not seen/read the HOW TO USE thread from the management, they are not going to see/read this one or any of the other slew of similar threads (please say please, please don't post more than once, etc. etc.) cluttering up the first page of the board.

Does nobody get it??

The site management sends everybody emails telling them to click to look at their SURNAME BOARDS. The surname boards are tiny little subsets of the great big trying to find board.

Many people who post here have only EVER looked at a surname board, or even multiple surname boards.

Most of what they see there, unless they are Smiths (and still, they are only going to read posts that look related to them), are ancient posts that have no replies to them.

THAT is what is modelling their behaviour.

Not how-to-use posts from management, not whatever tips there are from management hidden somewhere on this website, not the "guidelines for message board use" they are directed to by an obscure link under their compose-message box, that is full of junk obscuring the important points anyhow (like "do submit the same topic more than once").

It is ABSOLUTELY POINTLESS to keep posting these please-do-this and please-don't-do-that threads on TTF.

NOBODY, and I mean nobody (because I tried that little survey a few weeks ago, and the answer was nobody) has read the HOW TO USE post before posting, so they are certainly not going to have read any of these threads.

If anybody is peeved enough to post or post in these threads, what they need to do is communicate directly with the site management. I tried, to no avail so far. I said:

_____________________________________


My first suggestion would be that the guidance given in it be included on the page users are taken to when they click the link for starting a new thread (Add Topic). Only if it is presented directly to each user can it be certain that they will see it.

One reason for this is the huge design flaw in the present arrangement.

Your emails to users constantly direct them to go to their "surname boards" -- subsets of the various family history boards at the site, composed of queries categorized by the surname that users enter on their new posts.

For example, at Trying to Find, one can "Filter by surname" for, say, Smith. The subset of the TTF board that one is then taken to *does not* show the "How to use the 'Trying to Find board" thread pinned at the top.

The guidance is directed at new users -- but because new users are likely reading their "surname boards", not the full Trying to Find board, they will still never see it. We know this because of how often we see new posts on the TTF board where there is no surname anywhere in the subject line or body of the post. The user entered the surname in the "surname" line of the new post, but that is invisible on the post itself; it simply directs the post to the "surname board" in question.

So, there are alternate solutions:
- ensure that the post is pinned at the top of every "surname board" (and it is needed on the other boards, not just TTF)
- include the guidance on the page where users start new discussion threads when they click the "Add Topic" link, itself

________________________________________

If you agree, feel free to copy and paste, or use your own words, and email to

[email protected]

Well, I NEARLY said all that on page one! Just didn't use as many words ;))

Well here are some more. This has spurred me to act on my inttention of resubmitting the comment to "theteam". Herewith:


I am writing to reiterate the comment I made when the "How to use the Trying to Find board" pinned post first appeared on the TTF board (and then was added to other boards).

The pinned post has had no -- NO -- effect on the use of the boards by new users.

(I posted an informal survey a few weeks ago asking new users whether they had read that post. Not one new user replied to the question.)

The reason for this is that no -- 99% of no -- new users ever see, let alone read, that post.

And the reason for this is the practice by the site management of sending emails to users directing them to view their SURNAME BOARDS.

That is exactly what new users do. One indication of this is how, usually late at night, at least a couple of users will come along and start replying to 5-year-old posts on their surname boards -- that being all there is on them.

The "How to use" post IS NOT VISIBLE to users viewing surname boards.

The pinned post is having NO effect in terms of the quality of posts (users who do not give adequate information), the civility of posts (users who do not approach other members with polite requests and do not express any thanks for help) or other undesirable user conduct (failing to wait for replies, failing to find and read replies, failing to acknowledge replies).

The frustration level among the paying users who provide the "help" service that your website thrives on is enormous. This is plain from the constant (and constantly "nudged") posts, usually to be found on the first page of the TTF board, with headings like

PLEASE DONT POST THE SAME PERSON/FAMILY TWICE
DON'T POST IT AND DISAPPEAR
BEFORE REPLYING - CHECK THE DATE IT WAS POSTED
PLEASE - THE MAGIC WORD!!

The frustration of many members is often met by lecturing from others, and pointless bickering ensues.

Of course, those helpful threads are no more read by new users than is your "How to use" post -- since NEW USERS NEVER SEE THEM, trapped as they are in their "surname boards" -- with that obscure suggestion "To list the entire trying to find board again click here" up at the top, which means absolutely nothing to them.

There is only one good way to inform new users of the rules (e.g. no multiple posting) and proper practices (giving adequate information, waiting for replies, finding and reading replies, acknowledging replies in threads):

Incorporate the guidance offered in the "How to use" into the page users see when they click "Add Topic" on any of the help boards. Users should have to scroll through the instructions before reaching the message composition box. There is no guarantee they will read them, but at least no one could claim not to have seen or been able to find them, then.

This IS how things are done on other internet discussion forums. There IS NO reason why it could and should not be done that way here.

This is the ONLY way that users are going to get a clue about how the boards work, and how to use them. And the only way you will stop the constant carping on the boards about the behaviour of new users, and the site management's blithe disregard of the problems.

Please. Please show some effective consideration for the paying users of the site.

And I have had an out-of-office auto-reply to that email from Katie.

Interesting. It's from

[email protected]

and informs me, among other things:

"findmypast.co.uk is a brand of brightsolid online publishing limited"

So the buy-out really has happened then? New management. Dare one hope ... ?

Nudge more in hope than expectation.

We dont mind plonkers!

Its the serial posters who know what they doing ;)

Have read and agree with all you kind people,My membership is about 9years have never posted in case i am seen as a plonker. yep i am 71.Please keep posting maybe i will see some relevent info that I can take for my records.Thanks to everyone Ken Wareham.

"n"

"n"

Third time lucky? "N"

Check out new developments in my thread on TTF here:

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.asp?wci=thread&tk=1245265

It looks like we're under new management, and that it's going to be a fair bit more sensitive to the concerns of users, like those expressed in this thread.

One for luck! "N"

Time for a nudge.

Just thought I'd dig up this oldish thread
Luckily the Help Clinic guidelines don't ask posters to hang around...they could be in for a long old wait.
Katie

Nudge up