Removal of Life Sketch

PMHann

I dislike the new format. After thinking you removed the Life Sketch for the automated, and useless, About tab I found the Life Sketch at the very bottom of the page. What a bad idea. Why would you put Life Sketches at the very bottom of the page?

Áine Ní Donnghaile

Make sure you are viewing the Details tab and not the About tab. The About tab has an automated life history that you can replace with your own work.

And when you are on the Details tab, you have the option to move the Life History that YOU write anywhere on the page. Check the Tools box on the right side and decide where YOU want the Life History to be.

Gail Swihart Watson

@PMHann It is really too bad you did not engage with the designers months ago (when we were all invited to.). Our opinions on the default location (and name change) of the Brief Life History were solicited. I agree with you but the majority of users who gave feedback at that time did not like the Life Sketch at all and argued strongly for its elimination. Moving it to the bottom as a default location - as was giving notes the option to be a pop up alert - was a compromise. Users wanted this. If more users like you have been involved, perhaps this decision would have been different. However, notice I said default. Go to the details page of a person and notice the tools section at the bottom right. Click "My Layout Settings" and notice how you can customize what you see. Just drag Brief Life History to the top. Anything you critically want viewers of the page to see, well, don't put it in the Brief Life History, put it in the notes and make it an alert. Much better than the old way, actually!

PMHann

Hi Gail, Well, honestly I think I did give feedback to the designers. Good to know I can move the Life Sketch. I don't know how well the alert for notes works as it seems almost nobody uses the alert. Really, most wanted Life Sketch to be eliminated? If there is a well written Life Sketch it gives you so much more info. I'm just not one to change things for the sake of changing things. I guess I'll get used to the new format and customize it as much as I can. Thanks so much, Pamela

Gail Swihart Watson

@PMHann if you want to see an example of an alert, go to Marie Pedersdatter, KCBD-HC7, and check out an alert I made. It is a real one, not a test alert.

Áine Ní Donnghaile

And I have a number of alerts posted as well. In one branch of my family, I've worried that my cousin and I may have too many alerts and that might have the opposite effect of what we desired. Too many alerts and people will start to gloss over and ignore them, in my opinion.

PMHann

Okay, great. Thank you both, Gail and Aine.