Genealogy Chat

evening all, I too would like to see some form of 'Delete' on my hot matches, its not much fun collecting more 'useless' matches, I have used this service, and had some success, I do find however the auto responses a little offputting, A please wouldnt go a miss. When making contact with a hot match I always try to be as polite as i can be, unlike some people whom i've had requests from like: what other siblings did so and so have?? and nothing else I think that's just damned right rude!!!!! sorry for waffling on (Moan Over) Julie BTW I have actually begun deleting names from my tree that i frequently get usless matches on, surely this isnt the ultimate aim of GR??? to have less, rather than more????

Hi Dea What are hot matches then lol?!!! I can't remember the last time I received any - contacted GR asking why I hadn't received any as it still says they are sent every fortnight. Unfortunately they haven't replied! Debby

I am still on A and B surnames so by the time we reach the end of the alphabet I will have joined my ancestors in the big tree in the sky. jenny x

I'm not sure Helen, but it is interesting that you actually want to. This could be a useful service if we get it sorted out. Watch this space............... Dea x

I haven't kept up with reviewing my Hot Matches and currently have 54 pages. I deleted 3 pages last time round. About half of the first page are proper matches. I get slightly annoyed when I do get round to deleting some, that every time it goes back to the list, they're in a different order, so I don't know if that John with 2 matches is one I've kept to look at further, or a different one. How do you opt out of the thing? Helen

I dont mind getting them. I do mind faffing about, opening each one, finding it has either been removed from the site, or its John Green born in Kyoto in 1975. A simple front page listing would sort this out (why do I get John Green 1975 anyway? I certainly havent got one on mine). As we all have different criteria for deleting people anyway, at least this way you could quickly zip down a page of info deleting the useless ones, and leave the others up to ponder for a bit. I routinely get 10 pages, 10 NEW pages. Out of these, I probably contact 3 people? Even the one who had nine matches with my tree, was the random matches of Smith Brown Jones Bell Green etc and there was no connection between us. OC

When someone reloads their gedcom you get their matches all over again. I have just managed to get to D. Hubby's hasnt got past B yet. An opt out system for some names would be great. Some of the names I get matches for are those who married into the families I am researching. I am not interested in these peoples ancestors, only those children and grandchildren etc of the marriage. I now automatically delete all Hot Matches that have only one match. I had one with seven matches this week. No connection at all. Margaret

I requested that no hot matches be sent to me.So I don't get any.

Jay, I don't want to spoil it for anyone - That is why I appreciate your opinion. Just trying to understand how it works, and hopefully help it to work better for all. Thanks, Dea x

What I meant was......if I don't delete any more now.....then I will have two pages of Matches still waiting next time GR give me some more. Will I therefore show as having 6½ pages, because I had some left from last time? I was just trying to work out why others were saying they were given different numbers.....was it just because they had forgotten they had some left from the time before? And I did begin again after I uploaded my second gedcom!! It would be nice to get just ONE match after all this time! LOL Merry

So look on the bright side! That's 46 pages of Matches you won't be getting again... In other words, you're not starting from scratch each time. So why you only get 4.5 pages is a mystery... Gordon

46 (plus four pages not yet ignored, because I'm still in the process of deleting them!) Merry

Merry, When you click on View Ignored Hot Matches, how many pages of results do you get? Gordon

Lol Dea!! I uploaded my tree for a second time since joining the site about 6 months ago. Before that I had got to D on my Hot Matches.......I didn't realise that they would go back to A because of re-uploading the tree (I never thought about it!) When people are saying they get varying numbers of New Matches given to them by GR and I always get exactly the same number.....Would be be because I am always beginning with a clean sheet each time? I always delete all my Hot Matches as I have never had a real match in over a year (except with people to whom I already send Christmas Cards!!) (My next ¼ birthday is June 29th!) Merry

4 1/2 pages Merry ??? - Is that like 41 1/2 which should REALLY by now be 41 3/4 ????????? Anyway, I believe there is some way you can 'opt out' of them, someone put this on here earlier, BUT, that would be a shame as, potentially, it should be a good service. Also, it seems that if you have a LOT of people on your tree (e.g. your tree), you seem to get fewer matches as you only get the first ?? letters of the alphabet and never move forward ?? I'm not sure how it really works?? Dea x

I'm clearly missing out as, even with my Browns and Edwards, I rarely get more than a dozen new hot matches. While we are allowed to upload gedcoms (and I simply wouldn't have a tree onsite if I had to retype every blessed piece of information) there will never be uniformity of treatment of placenames. With boundary changes and the creation of new administrative areas, you're not even on safe ground with counties. We do seem to be losing those dead hot matches (at least I assume that's the reason the number of my genuine hotmatches keeps on going down. But does nobody else get New Names Alert? This is a much more useful feature. Like tree matches, but in a single list, weeding out all the no matches. All the names, on a timely basis. It's much easier to pick out potential rellies, even if they've used dob from censuses and are a year or two out.

I have 2,800 names on my tree. I always receive 4½ pages of Hot Matches each time. Never more, never less. I would like the details of the person GR are matching to (in my tree) to be shown underneath the Hot Match. This would make evaluating the match simpler. Also instead of clicking each Match to view it.....can't we just have a straightforward list (theirs, mine, theirs, mine, theirs, mine etc)? Then a line of ''tick to delete match'' boxes down the side? Just view the list and then delete the matches we don't want. End of story. I wish we could opt out of Hot Matches with some surnames. If I had no Allen's on my tree I might get somewhere! Merry

I think adding 'new' next to them has really helped - they now stand out from the ones I have previously looked at and kept. I don't have a problem with the hot match system - yes it can get a tad frustrating when they are not 'hot' at all, but we have the choices of never bothering to look at them. Am I mistaken, or isn't there an option not to receive them at all? Jay

Your opinion is appreciated Lyla - As I said, SOME people find it useful. I think it depends how many surnames you have on your tree and how common they are. - If you have many and they are common, the hotmatches can be a 'real' pain. More opinions welcome. Dea x

I have about 600 on my tree.I get 5 pages of 'Baker's as hot matches each time & nothing else. I think they should re think the system & put all match details on the first page so that we can just tick the 'don't show me this again' box without having to go through all the palaver of going in to each match to see who, where & when. That would cut down the time spent checking them. I sent GR a mail suggesting this a couple of days ago. Hot matches IS a good idea but it's not operational in its present form ie it doesn't look for ALL matches (I don't only have 'Baker' on my tree but I do have a Charles Baker - & so do god knows how many other people - I dread to think what it must be like to have John Smith or Mary Ann Brown ! !) I hope they read this thread & that everyone replies to it - Sarah :-)