New site search 2022
Hello,
Although I know you are fully committed to this new format for search, and change can be difficult for a lot of people, I'm willing to work with it. I have been a user for many many years and I understand your desire to focus on making it easier for new people, but whatever you have done to the search engine has made it difficult or impossible to find results.
Searches I have used for years that brought up records bring up nothing. Searches where I know the record exists bring up nothing. Removing enough criteria to get a record gets way too many.
I don't like the home page at all, but like I said, I'm willing to work with it, but please fix the search engine. Records I know you have are no longer showing up in search.
Thank you for the important work you do,
Amber Lee Dennis
Answers
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Amber
Welcome to this "Community.FamilySearch" Forum.
I am just another 'lowly' User/Patron ...
And, in relation to, the "Changes" of, the NEW "Search Records"; and, the resulting "Results" page/screen ...
You are certainly not alone ...
And, just in case you, were not aware ...
Here are some FOUR (x4) posts, in date (and, post) order of being posted, from someone, stating, to be part of the 'FamilySearch' Team that, 'Designed'; and, 'Developed", the the NEW "Results" page/screen, for "Search Records", which appears, in some of the posts, to give some "Instruction", on HOW to use the NEW "Results" page/screen, for "Search Records".
"Ideas" (ie. 'Feedback) Section
15 July 2021
[ 1 ] Discussion 90536
'Category' = Records (Searching And Viewing)
Home > Ideas > Records (Searching And Viewing)
Hello FamilySearch Community! Try out the new update to Record Search.
29 September 2021
[ 2 ] Discussion 103619
'Category' = General User Interface
Home > Ideas > General User Interface
FamilySearch's Updates to the Search Page
https://community.familysearch.org/en/discussion/103619/familysearchs-updates-to-the-search-page
[ 3 ] Discussion 103620
'Category' = Records (Searching And Viewing)
Home > Ideas > Records (Searching And Viewing)
FamilySearch Employee Responding to Search Page Feedback
[ 4 ] Discussion 103621
'Category' = Records (Searching And Viewing)
Home > Ideas > Records (Searching And Viewing)
FamilySearch Employee Responding to Search Page Feedback
I hope, that some of the information in these posts, may offer some help/assistance.
And ...
There are OTHER posts throughout this Forum, where the instigator of the above posts has responded with, advice; direction; instruction; help/assistance, on the NEW "Results" page/screen, of "Records Search" ('FamilySearch').
Now ...
That Said ...
You may like to ADD, your thoughts/comments, in those particular posts; so that, your thoughts/comments, like those of MANY other UNHAPPY Users/Patrons, ARE 'seen', by the Team, in 'FamilySearch', that 'Designed'; and, 'Developed" the NEW look "Search".
As you can 'see' from those posts ...
DESPITE, all the NEGATIVE 'Feedback', with regard to the NEW "Results" page/screen, for "Search Records", from those that matter, the 'lowly' User/Patrons, where the NEW "Results" page/screen, for "Search Records", was 'foisted' upon them; BEFORE, being "Fully" released to ALL User/Patrons - 'FamilySearch' RELEASED the NEW "Results" page/screen, for "Search Records", to ALL Users/Patrons.
As I already suggested ...
You are not alone ...
We are ALL "Struggling"; and, NEED "Help", with the NEW "Results" page/screen, for "Search Records", which is NOT very 'User Friendly'.
MOST Users/Patrons want the NEW "Results" page/screen, for "Search Records" to be "Reverted" BACK to the PREVIOUS "Results" page/screen, for "Search Records".
But ...
That Said ...
SADLY, I doubt that will happen ...
And ...
Finally ...
'FamilySearch' has made, MINOR "Changes", to the NEW "Search Records"; and, the resulting "Results" page/screen, hopefully such will keep occurring ...
I know, that this DOES NOT help/assist; but, I hope, that this gives you, some additional, insight; and, perspective.
Brett
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Yes, I've read these posts. I know where to find the features. That's not the problem.
The problem is that even a very broad search often comes up with no results, or a search for a specific record that I have accessed on familysearch before is now impossible to find. I don't like the new page at all, but like I said, it's not meant for people who already know how to find records. It's meant for new people. No amount of whinging will change that.
What I am talking about here is that the search engine is not functioning properly. For example, I just put in "James McLean" in Scotland. One of the most common names in the country. No city, nothing else. Apparently family search thinks that there are only 12,000 James McLeans in the entire country.
So I searched for records I know are on Familysearch because they are in my tree here. I searched for James McLean but narrowed it down by location, adding "Kingussie, Scotland," for a birth place. A couple hundred results popped up from all over the UK but not a single result included Kingussie. So I clicked the box for 'exact' and there are no results at all. There are many records attached to my tree from familysearch (let alone everyone else who has ancestors there) for the parish of Kingussie. There should be hundreds of results from Kingussie alone.
I hope this helps you understand what I'm talking about here. The search parameters have been altered, and not for the better. All kinds of records are inaccessible now because the search doesn't find them anymore.
Thanks for your response, though.
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I wonder how you are making your inputs, as I am getting rather different results from you. Depending on whether fields (name & location) were checked (for "Exact"), I just got between 2851 and 12719 results in searching for a James McLean in Scotland. If I put "Kingussie" as the placename I got 5 results (see link below that illustrates search criteria).
I think where you are going wrong in this last example is in entering "Kingussie, Scotland". This is not being recognised, as it is not an "exact placename". You need to search on either "Kingussie", "Kingussie*" or "Kinggussie, Inverness-shire" - inputting any of these produces the same 5 results.
In such cases, I would always enter the placename followed by a wildcard. This ensures that whatever the format of the placename (and however many places of that name there might be) all results including "Kingussie" should be produced. If there are other places in the world of that name that you wish to eliminate from your search results, just add the county (Inverness-shire) since - as you have found - inputting a village placename followed by a country just doesn't work.
I admit the problem is in finding the time to try various combinations of inputs - e.g. using "Exact" searches, or not, and also by using wildcards. Initially, I did find difficulties, but now find myself in no different a position in getting the anticipated results than in using the old search routine. That is not to say that I would not be as pleased as just about every other user who comes to this forum in seeing a return to the former interface, but as there seems no sign of FamilySearch management deciding to revert to that, we just have to make the best of the current tools.
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Please don't think I'm offering any "definitive" answer to your problem here - I'm sure you could still have difficulties in finding all the sources that you know are in FamilySearch collections relating to the object of your search. My main point is that - as applies to all the major websites - you have to find ways of maximising (or minimising!) your results by understanding how their search routine works. I still can't get my head around the way Ancestry operates and even struggle with Find My Past on occasions, so please keep persevering and I'm sure your search experiences will improve in time.
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Hi Paul,
As I'm seeing elsewhere on the discussion boards, there is a known issue with search and some browsers on Mac machines. I am surprised they didn't work this out when it was in beta, but I expect at some point it will be fixed. In the meantime, I'll have to search elsewhere.
Thanks for weighing in.
Amber
https://community.familysearch.org/en/discussion/112273/search-not-working-on-any-browser-on-mac
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