Ancestry users what do you think of your new Home page?

[At home in NZ]

From my perspective it's an unsightly mess. There is now no ability to organise the content of the page.
The links to the people in the Hints more often than not produce "We’re sorry, this page is no longer available"

The Search field to the right appears to be a copy of the one in FamilySearch.
I can't mush see the point as those of us who have more experience with the site would always use the drop down Search accessed from the bar across the top of the page.

There have been a few alterations to the site in the past few months or so which are also reminiscent of FamilySearch, they make me wonder if Ancestry has employed a bunch of ex FamilySearch developers?

 

[Heather]

There is now no ability to organise the content of the page.

My home page doesn't look much different, there is a "customise your homepage" button at the top right hand side, which may help.

 

[Bob Spiers]

My home page doesn't look much different, there is a "customise your homepage" button at the top right hand side, which may help.

I think you still have the old Home Page Heather. I do not view the Home page that often, but the one I now see is DEFINITELY NEW and DEFINITELY DIFFERENT. Indeed if any doubt it says at the top..."your new and improved homepage is here! Take a tour. (I don't see any 'Customise' button this time round, or if it exists (which is doubtful) I could not find it).

It is rare when 'improved' is acceptable to all, and am already upset to find 'Hints from the 1950 US Census' displayed and a variety of names -none of which I recognise - and likewise Family Photos all of American origins so I suspect once again Ancestry has defaulted to its 'All Collections' mode. It gets a little better when one comes to the 'Review Hints for xxx (the last person you were researching) and 'Newest matches' from my DNA results. Ethnicity Inheritances and Ethnicity Estimates are those found when checking out ones DNA (if you have tested of course) and can now be found on the Home Page, and finally 'Products' are links to other other Ancestry web sites.

The Search People bar may be useful if one is searching for someone new and wish to do so from the Home Page, but was amused to see the Quick Links showing and a note the feature is 'being retired'. The Special Record Collections feature (UK Census Records/BMD/Military etc links) also useful, as are Tools & Resources and Services if you ever use them, but most know how to access such things anyway. I suspect the new Home Page is merely another example of Ancestry trying to impress with new innovations - most of which are not new anyway -within a new design structure. I am sure it is here to stay, or at least parts that are not about to be retired.

 

[peter]

The new home page looks more attractive, and includes DNA information which is new. However, I rarely the visit the home page - when I do it's to use the links to the UK censuses or the Quick Links that that I've created.

The bad news is that the Quick Links are being discontinued - though existing links will remain. I haven't added any new links for some years, but will certainly consider doing so now!

 

[Pauline]

but was amused to see the Quick Links showing and a note the feature is 'being retired'.

I still have the old homepage, thankfully, as I would miss the Quick Links sections enormously. I use individual datasets most of the time, and having to go into the Card Catalogue every time to find them would slow things up so much - at present I just click on the one I want and away I go!

Or is there another way to do this on the new homepage? If not, I shall have to create my own Quick Links page elsewhere.

 

[Bob Spiers]

The links to the people in the Hints more often than not produce "We’re sorry, this page is no longer available"

Checking out the names shown under 1950 US Census Hints I too received the same 'unobtainable' response. I found the way round is to 'Check All' which then refreshes to show the same Hints and which do lead to Census results.

 

[At home in NZ]

The new home page looks more attractive

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I think it's 'too busy'.
I don't like the way the 'pick up where you left off' is displayed mine is a big dark oblong shape with 4 white oblong shapes within it.

was amused to see the Quick Links showing and a note the feature is 'being retired'

Good job you spotted that, I hadn't, thanks for drawing attention to it. (oops, Peter too).
I use the Quick links to other family trees where I have collaborated with the owners, I also have quick links to hard to find data sets such as the Marriage Notice Book for George the Martyr and the debtor's prison register. Also, to helpful pages in the Support section of Ancestry.
I will really miss quick link feature.

am already upset to find 'Hints from the 1950 US Census' displayed and a variety of names -none of which I recognise - and likewise Family Photos all of American origins so I suspect once again Ancestry has defaulted to its 'All Collections' mode.

Totally agree with this, we all know USA is the biggest and best!

The Special Record Collections feature (UK Census Records/BMD/Military etc links) also useful,

They were in the 'old' home page.

is there another way to do this on the new homepage?

Unfortunately not Pauline, I doubt if any amount of grumbling to Ancestry will have an effect.

 

[jorghes]

I still have an old page, but if it's like what appears on the mobile app, which I don't really mind, I will probably be fine with it. But then I only rarely go to the homepage, I'm generally in the tree all the time.

 

[peter]

Or is there another way to do this on the new homepage? If not, I shall have to create my own Quick Links page elsewhere.

In the old days we used to bookmark web pages in our browsers - you can still do it, but it seems to have gone out of fashion.

 

[Pauline]

In the old days we used to bookmark web pages in our browsers - you can still do it, but it seems to have gone out of fashion.

I don't consider browser bookmarks as out of fashion, but I also wouldn't see this as a good replacement for having the Quick Links section on my Ancestry homepage. So yes, I could add an Ancestry section to my browser bookmarks, and then add in all the Quick Links, or I could create my own page with all the required links on it. I think I might prefer the latter - I'm not a great fan of having masses of bookmarks - while others might prefer the former.

 

[peter]

Ancestry aren't doing away with existing Quick Links, so I've just set up a load of new ones.

 

[PhilGee]

I suspect adding "yet" before "doing" is likely to be more accurate

 

[peter]

I suspect adding "yet" before "doing" is likely to be more accurate

If that was truly their intention why would they not have warned users?

 

[Pauline]

If that was truly their intention why would they not have warned users?

I'm erring on the side of caution here and have now got all my Quick Links backed up. In due course, if necessary, I can reproduce them either as browser bookmarks or create my own webpage of them (or both).

 

[At home in NZ]

In the old days we used to bookmark web pages in our browsers - you can still do it, but it seems to have gone out of fashion.

I don't know how we could know whether it is in or out of fashion without doing a survey of the millions of people who use t'internet.

I have hundreds of bookmarks which I have organised into folders, my Genealogy folder has 14 sub folders and several stand alone bookmarks that I haven't yet categorised.

 

[peter]

I don't know how we could know whether it is in or out of fashion without doing a survey of the millions of people who use t'internet.

I guess you didn't bookmark the discussion on statistical sampling?

 

[At home in NZ]

I guess you didn't bookmark the discussion on statistical sampling?

What do they say about sarcasm?

 

[peter]

What do they say about sarcasm?

Since there was a discussion about statistical sampling on this forum surely it's ironic that you didn't bookmark it?

But I'm very happy to go along with the Oscar Wilde quote you alluded to - it's a great compliment.

 

[Bob Spiers]

surely it's ironic that you didn't bookmark it?

There has been an awful lot of references to Bookmarks in this thread, so much so for me to remark I no longer use them. Now bear in mind I have been a long time user of Computers, in many disguises (save for Apple devices) way back before the onset of Microsoft Windows so Bookmarks are no strangers to me.

I just gave up on creating them myself although now and again (I think the last time 5 years ago) unable to recall the name of a hotel we had used a few times in Birmingham (and always booked online), I found same by clicking on the 'Other Bookmarks' tab auto saved long ago in my Chrome browser. There were scores, or should I say hundred's, similarly created and the same on other devices in other browsers, but very few of my own manual creation.

On the other hand I am an advocate of multi tabs in all my browsers which I occasionally 'prune' but know how to Bookmark if needed. I am also fond of creating internet links in my Tribal Browser to take me to sites I might well wish to visit another time. So although I have my own means of obtaining quick access to sites, I do not do so by Bookmarking, per se.

 

[Pauline]

We've now got the new homepage, and I don't really see it as an improvement. The majority of the page seems to be taken up with stuff about my tree and my husband's DNA matches, neither of which seem to be of much use, and both of which were readily accessible previously. The bits of the homepage I use most are now smaller and further down the page but thankfully still there.

It feels a bit like they are now presenting the site as being primarily for family trees and DNA, and the original data which is so vital for research has been downgraded as of only secondary importance.