Changes made to Suggest An Idea

Adrian Bruce1

If it takes 2 or 3 weeks for a comment to appear, @Maile L , then how long will a clarification in response take? A further 2 to 3 weeks, I presume, unless I'm missing something fundamental. Such a timescale simply destroys the possibility of a dialogue. In which case,as @Áine Ní Donnghaile says, Suggest An Idea becomes pointless, if discussion and clarification is forbidden for all practical purposes.

Paul W

@Maile L

The problem lies in the "new" Suggest an Idea not functioning as we were told it would.

If FamilySearch does not have the resources to moderate new ideas within a day - let alone two to three weeks - surely it needs to revert to the old format, pending a reassessment of the future of the section.

At present, we post an idea and it vanishes into thin air: how are users to know if their comments have been lost, or if that's just the new design?

I did ask @Stephanie V. for clarification on the various problems we've experienced, but your comments of today are the first indication that this behaviour is what we should now expect.

Áine Ní Donnghaile

Perhaps @Maile L meant to indicate that we should expect things to settle down in two or three weeks. If that's the case, then maybe the section should be closed (while awaiting whatever is coming in 2-3 weeks) or revert to the previous format until then (if that's possible).

We already have posters, not understanding the Community format, who are upset when they don't receive an immediate reply to a query.

Áine Ní Donnghaile

And one of my pending replies has made it through moderation.

I just want to add that I don't think what we are doing, in this thread, is complaining. This thread is mostly the Community's most regular participants and helpers. We're trying to understand the process so we can work with it.

Áine Ní Donnghaile

📢 The downvote button is enabled. 📢

Thank you!

Stephanie V.

Suggest an Idea is a place for us to gather ideas you may have on improving our site. Once ideas are posted, our aim is to make sure those ideas are seen by our engineering teams. This hasn't always happened. What we are trying to do is make this better.

 We understand that you are concerned about how long it takes us to moderate. With our engineer's assistance, this process was created to get the ideas directly into their hands. Posting them quickly would make it faster for all of you to see the idea but that's not the purpose of this part of the Community. The purpose is to get the ideas to the engineers.

 In order for that to happen, we need the ideas formatted in an actionable and consumable way. We moved to a pre-moderated format for two reasons. The first was to improve the ideas being posted. The second is directly related to all of you. What we have seen in this category more than any other, is meanness and unnecessary criticism that makes others feel that they can't or shouldn't post ideas. That's against everything we want our community to be.

 It may take us a while to moderate these ideas, especially in the beginning as the process goes through its initial bumps and hiccups, but let's keep our eye on the purpose of this category. It's not about how fast an idea or comment gets posted. It's about moving ideas forward to our engineers.

 This process was tested prior to launch and was fully functional. However, we've had some very unexpected technical issues that have proven to be much more challenging than anticipated. These are being addressed by our vendor as quickly as possible. Remember, change can be very complex and takes time.

Based on your feedback, we are currently making adjustments to the instructions. We are hearing you and reacting as we are able. Yes, we have limited resources but we do the best we can with what we have. Repetitive complaining isn't helpful and distracts us from making progress in our work. In our efforts to be transparent and communicate with you, we have let you know through announcements that we were aware of the issues and we reported back to you that they were being addressed. When we have a status update, we will continue to do the same to keep you informed.

 We have asked that you be patient with this process. We share the same goal of ensuring your input is heard and considered. Your collaboration in this endeavor is invaluable, and we kindly request constructive contributions over feedback of our efforts. Together, let's strive for excellence in achieving our shared objectives. In the words of our CEO, Steve Rockwood, "Let's play well". 😊