Suggestions

Stephen


let's be clear


I have not used the trees ......... I freely admit that

The one trial I did on Friday worked fine for me. I said that I must be lucky





Ergo .............. I do not know the problems that you and all the others are experiencing

Therefore, I cannot tell you how to correct those problems .............. nor am I in any way attempting to do so.


What I AM saying is .........................

all the threads that are on all the Boards have achieved nothing


the few emails that have been sent have seemingly had little effec



One suggestion from me is ........................... flood GR with emails to see if that works.



But please, will you and others stop blaming us for not giving you answers on the Boards.


You know that we are only members like yourself, and can achieve nothing more than you can achieve for yourselves.

The ONLY advice that WE can give any of you is .................


use the feedback


and send emails.




sylvia

Look at this thread re the makeover

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.page/board/genealogy_chat/thread/1304182?page=4



Phil posted late on Friday as follows .....................


Beat you to it Sylvia! %3A-%29 It's still (just) Friday in the UK. I have mailed a few members who have posted on the boards regarding blocked emails. I managed to get Jeremy's sorted yesterday, so hope we get a few more resolved (unblocked) on Monday.

Yes, yes, yes... we are listening to you regarding the "makeover" changes and the colour contrast.

The purpose of the makeover is to make things clearer and cleaner, not just in terms of colour, but in terms of helping to focus on what members are trying to do. We are trying to develop consistency, such as all input forms having the same size of data entry boxes, same location for buttons. Data entry forms and primary panels being predominantly green based, secondary having a purple header section and the grey based panels for general sections. As it was noted by a member earlier in this thread, there is a performance gain from a lot of this work, in that there are far less background images being loaded.

We are trying to get as much feedback as possible, and I would really appreciate those who have been invited to view the beta, to take a broader look across the whole site, and to compare.

Areas that I have not heard mention of yet, but have also been given a freshen are:

= the data entry forms, such as the search forms (both central and left hand side bar, the fields are now much wider and fatter), the message centre forms, the mini search forms that appeared above the messages is now off to the left and clearer (I hope).

= the two primary help pop up sections. The first appear to the right hand side of many of the large font page titles, and appears as a small circle with a question mark - click on these. Also at the top of many panels, again top right, and again a small circle with question mark, these also drop down.

= the search records menu has been decluttered, and the search trees link added to this search.

= the home page has a lot of things on it, but has actually less than before. Tell us what is of use and what is not, and what you would like to be on "your" home page. I know many on the boards don't visit this regularly, so what would make you use it.

= the top navigation menus have also been decluttered and rearranged. Yes this might take some getting used to, but this is just moving furniture to get a better fit.

= transcription detail pages don't have the "oldie" scroll background.

= if you opt to print the pages (exclude tree from this reference for the moment) then this should work much better than before.

These are just a few things I can suggest taking a look at. The boards are due for a major makeover and we didn't want to spend a huge amount of time on this section until we were really ready, but we are aware that it needs something.

In the meantime, have a good weekend everyone and thank you for participating (if you have access that is) in this beta review.

Regards
Phil


and then, a little later .................


Glad to hear people are going to take deeper look. Some more things that have been changed (that I have now remembered are:

= the logo, have you spotted the change %3A-%29

= the main menu navigation at the top used to have the main item as a link, and if you clicked to open up the drop down menu, it would navigate you away. Personally I found this quite annoying especially on mobile devices, and also quite disheartening to watch members struggle with it at FH events . Now (with the exception of the Home item) if you click the drop down menu of options will appear and you can then use this to navigate.

= we have also reviewed and housecleaned ALL the code that sits behind the pages for performance improvement and bug eradication. Not something that is directly visible on screen, but all in an effort to minimise the load time of pages.

We are closely watching for any bugs getting reported in the database, but feel free to pass on to the "TheTeam" email any bugs you come across.

Thanks
Phil





The trees have not so far been touched, if I am reading this correctly.




sylvia

Sylvia, check my post

22 Jul 2012 23:18

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.page/board/suggestions/thread/1304311

Roy

I've been a member of GR for some years, but I've only been using the boards for about 18 months.

I have sent many emails to GR over the years about problems with the site, and my tree. Most of the time I got the usual generic rubbishy replies.

Since I have been posting some of my problems and frustrations with the site on these boards, the responses have got better. Not a lot better, but better.

Funny about that.

:-D

Scozz


a lot of other people, including myself, have been complaining about always getting the generic reply


I know of at least 6 people who have told GR that it is insulting, to say the very least, to only ever receive the generic reply, time after time after time.


I think a lot of us can take credit for having brought home to GR what they have been doing.



I personally usually end an email to GR saying something along the lines of "I do not wish to receive your usual patronising reply. I want a real answer to my problem".


I've been doing that for at least 18 months ............................


and to give them credit, I have NOT been receiving patronising replies, and my problems have been solved in short order. :-D




sylvia

I usually don't get generic or patronising replies these days, but I don't get REAL answers!! Most of the time the response is "we're working on it".

I had to laugh at a reply I got last week. Said they were "upset" that I was considering not renewing my subscriptions.

Upset?

They will be more than upset when there are only a handful of paying members left.

When did this site start - 2002? TEN YEARS and they can't give us a tree system that works.

All the blurb about the LAYOUT! Arrrrrrgh! Never mind the layout, get the system to work first.

They're working on it.

I checked 3 pages of my sent messages - there are 12 not read. I know people lose interest, die, leave the planet etc, and there are many non-financials who just use the tree, but I don't think the claim of millions of members is exactly right.

BTW in the last five minutes I've had three purple error messages :-P

Scozz, When did this site start - 2002? TEN YEARS and they can't give us a tree system that works.

That is not quite correct, the tree did work fine the problems with the new tree only started after brightsolid acquired the site in 2010 and then decided to launch their new version of the tree in i believe 2011

The tree has been a joke ever since then

Roy

not many of us laughing :-(

I had some problems with the old tree ~ trivial compared to this new disaster

This was on the Announcements Board when I came on the site about 4 hours ago, and I have posted it in several places in case some people have not looked on there.


It looks as though the Team has listened to you all re the bugs ..........................



24 Jul 2012 04:55 PM by Genes

We are really sorry to hear that some of you are having problems with the new tree. We just wanted to update you all on a few things as we are all working really hard to make sure these things are fixed as quickly as possible.
Firstly we have found some bugs:
1). When adding names to your tree duplicates are being created.
2). When you search for names in trees you aren't always shown a name that you know is there.

These 2 bugs are being looked at by our tree team as a matter of urgency and we hope to have them fixed in the next few days.

We also know that some of you are unable to see the link to view other trees as it is being obscured by the search box. The way to correct this is to press CTRL and the - (minus) sign on your keyboard. This will decrease the size of the text on your screen slightly and you should be able to see the link again.

We are also aware that our members who use Windows Vista as an operating system are finding that the tree is quite slow for them. This is also something we will be looking into.

Again, we are really sorry if these problems are spoiling your enjoyment of the tree. We hope you'll bear with us while we get the bugs fixed.

Don't forget we have added a 'how to' blog here - http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/blog.page/genes-reunited-blog/archive/2012/7/14/tree-updates. We have also got some exciting new features planned for the coming weeks.

The Genes Team.





sylvia

Error in the link as posted by GR, it should be:

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/blog.page/genes-reunited-blog/archive/2012/7/14/tree-updates

yep


the "period" after updates really mucks it up!

well a suggestion that they fix bugs seems fair enough to me yr milage may vary

another suggestion may be that either they do read this board or else shut it down ; imho they do read the this board as anything that seriously pulls their chain is rapidly rrd

they don't seem to read the support messages either

they certainly can't code or do beta testing - the duplicate rellies bug has been in the "new tree builder" for months

most of the membership use this site for the tree, rarely if ever visits the boards ; conversely most of the suggestions and a lot of the bug reports over the last year have concerned "MyThreads". and log on problems. Are you saying that it is ok to post here about bugs about these matters here (as you have done) but not the tree 'cos you don't have any interest in it ?

As well as not working the new tree builder is clunky slow and difficult to use.

No nipping down the road to the Olympics for PM then hubble bubble toil and trouble.

Let's have a board for everybody with an ancestor born within a mile of Bow Bells or at least E20. Or maybe working there.

A Shoreditch Song

Mother phoned up last night she was going spare
She was in a temper pulling out her hair
'Your sisters courtin' a scruffy looking Ted
Father dont give a monkeys & this is what he said'

I dont care I dont care I dont care if he comes round here
I got my beer in the sideboard here let mother sort it out
if he comes round here

I said to me mother let me have a talk to dad
so he comes to the telephone he wasnt half mad
says 'shes got no sense the silly little cow
and if he comes round here theres gonna be a row'

'I'll tell you something else an' all he's never got a job
he hangs around the betting shop the lazy little yob'
mother says 'calm down dad hes alright
there out there snogging in the passage all night'

Biggy was a tramp with stubble on his chin
he looks like something that the cats brought in
never got no money smokes all my fags
got holes in his soles and his hanging in rags

On top of that he says I tell you why I got the hump
she had a skinny little belly now its sticking out the front
theres nothing seems to fit her shes a running out of clothes
if he thinks he's takin liberties I'll punch him on the nose

I dont care I dont care I dont care if he comes round here
I got my beer in the sideboard here let mother sort it out
if he comes round here

I said to me mother let me have a talk to dad
so he comes to the telephone he wasnt half mad
says 'shes got no sense the silly little cow
and if he comes round here theres gonna be a row'

with apologies to Chas & Dave & Adrian Mole

;-)

Rollo


for heavens sake ........................


I said no such thing!!


I myself CANNOT do more than say a very weak ............

....... "GR, the tree needs to be fixed, because other people say they have major problems"


That's because I don't use my tree, and have not used it for about 3 years ..... and that is no secret to anyone. I've said it often enough!


I DID have problems with My Threads and with log on problems, and could state what was wrong, hopefully succintly ............... on threads on here AND in emails to GR.

Many of the others who had the problems with My Threads and log on were also sending emails to GR at the same time that they were posting on the relevant threads.

We were also posting on the FB Wall .......... until GR got fed up with very public exposure of the problems


All I was trying to say with this thread was .................

................ please do not just complain on threads on all the Boards on this site, send many, many emails to GR


and also ..........

............. please do not blame us, the helpers,when we cannot solve the problems. We are only members like yourself, who pay a sub, and try to help other members out of the love of genealogy and the "hunt" for ancestors.


We can do nothing ........

............. and being b****y rude to us achieves nothing, except possibly some sort of weird satisfaction for the generic you.


BUT sending constant emails to GR might well achieve something .........

............... and don't get mad at us when that is what we tell you.




You and Stephen are putting words in my mouth that were never there ................ and I do not appreciate it!


I am sick of being a member who tries to help and is blamed for the problem!


There has currently been very little civility around the tree problems



sylvia

Sylvia
I have innundated support with enails - nothing gets sorted - 20 different people reply and they obviously dont read the complaint because nobody reads the emails. they send the same reply whatever the problem. there is no phone number to call. They reinvented the wheel when it was not broken and made it square and no surprise it doesnt work. If you google GR problems the chat rooms are flooded with complaints and requests to go back to the tree that did work, but nobody seems to be interested at GR. Simply if they dont start looking after members pretty sharpish they will find somebody else will. Bill

There are only 12 people work for GR :-D

Hi All SylviaInCanada's original post is inaccurate.

I spent a couple of hours in their office last week - asked many questions.
They do read all the boards everyday and take notes of complaints - fact.
All GR staff are working none stop on the development of the new program and the expected new facities.

The issue of the boards is sort of on hold at the moment even moderation. They do look at the posts reported when they have time. :-( :-(

NanaSue


That may be what they told you .............


but I myself have NEVER had any evidence of that taking place


......... including the fact that one very common response to an emailed complaint is very often along the lines of "we did not know about this. Please provide all details of when the error occurred" .......


.................. and that is after days and weeks of people complaining on the boards.


IF GR did read the Boards, then they would be well aware of the problems ............ yet they never are!



and it is not the Boards that are causing much problem at the moment ............................. it's the tree


and that is the reason I started this thread .............. because so many people are complaining on the Boards (not only Suggestions Board) re problems with the tree.


I wanted to try to bring it home to them that people with problems MUST email or contact support@gr


Just posting on threads is not much use ........................ because GR has almost never responded to them, based on all the evidence that I have




sylvia

The team themselves ALWAYS stress the point that problems must be reported to them directly, it isn't physically possible for them to respond to every post on this board or any other no matter how many of them they manage to read.

If everyone had the same problem at the same time then the team reading about it here might suffice, but that's just the point...I can have a problem one day that no one else has, or a small/large number of people have, but which not everyone has.

There are variations, it's no good one person on here saying 'my new tree works' ( mine does) and another saying
' my new tree doesn't' ( lots don't) if that is all that GR gets from reading ... they need to know specifics. which is best done by members contacting them as requested surely?

I also very much doubt that GR read the boards daily

several times members have had to report problems on FB to get a response and even then they have replied on FB days later saying the were unaware of any problems.

If they are checking the boards daily why do they need to go on FB to find out they have problems on GR

If they are checking the boards daily why are they not moderating the
boards as has been requested in the past

If they are checking the boards daily why are the threads/posts that have been requested for revue left sometimes for several days

If they can checked the boards daily then they should be more active on the boards daily

Roy