Familysearch opening url defaults to "South Africa".
I am a reasonably experienced researcher from South Africa, researching not only in South Africa, but other countries as well and when the Africa home page first debuted, I checked it out, but was not interested in that being my opening page. Every time I sign in to Familysearch.org, the question is asked whether I want to go to the Africa home page which I always declined until yesterday, when I clicked on it, but found, again, that I do not want my access to be via that opening page, etc.
Since then I have attempted every suggested avenue to stop the South Africa url to automatically become the default url for me, but no amount of clearing the cache and cookies, checking that Chrome browser has the latest update and switching off my computer, has resolved the issue.
When I accessed my account in the past some 6 years, "familysearch.org" opened up.
Now, although I type in "familysearch.org", what appears is the following url:
and then:
I would appreciate any assistance as to how I can get beyond this problem.
Thank you.
Answers
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I rely on my browser(s) to access the specific FS options I prefer. Using the home page of the browsers, I go directly to my preferred starting point, the main Search page. I can edit that if I change my mind.
I also keep many FS bookmarks in my browser bookmark bar.
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BTW - have you tried clearing your FS site-specific cookies? That can often fix all manner of ills.
https://familysearch.org/cookies0 -
Yes, I have cleared everything the FS sire-specific cookies, the Chrome browser cookies and cache,, numerous times. I have tried everything recommended, to no avail.
The Africa home page is with respect, not for me. I prefer the Standard Global Homepage.
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When it was first trialed, there was the prompt to "try the new africa homepage" with a toggle to turn it on or off. Even saying no thanks, it would ask everytime you login regardless. Its based on your country's IP address, so if you use a chromium based browser eg edge or brave, it defaults to the "africa" page. Firefox opens at the global page. Both home pages still insist on throwing that box "find your ancestors" in africa at you with the assumption that every user from africa has oral history and belongs to a tribe. Most results it finds can be found the conventional way by searching the tree for names that already exist, or searching for indexed records. It is of little use otherwise, especially given how few records there are available for african countries, and sets that were available have been so heavily restricted that users cannot find the pieces of puzzle and connect the dots any longer. The rootstech video popup that insists on loading and playing every time is also getting a bit much.
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I have contacted the Africa help centre via email repeatedly and, I have followed every suggested avenue, from googled queries, to familysearch, to tech support via the internet, but the problem cannot be overcome.
One of the AI suggestions I received was as follows:
Phoning is simply not an option due to the expense (I live in Cape Town and the phone number is located in Johannesburg)and my emailed request did not elicit a response to the effect that there would be help forthcoming from that source which could assist in resolving this rather inconvenient problem.
The familysearch page I now have, ie. Arica specific, etc, does not have a toggle permitting me to toggle to the Global Homepage.
The fact is that my Familysearch.org access worked perfectly for six years until the past Saturday. I have been researching on Familysearch for 6 years, extensively, and am fully au fait with the site and with the interne, my laptop, my Chrome browser, etc. I have experienced no similar problems with any other sites I visit.
I would appreciate any assistance.
Thank you.
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@PerfectPastime I'm curious to see what home page you are directed to if you use the URL https://www.familysearch.org/en/home/portal/
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Thank you for your response. I am still directed to the AFRICA home page.
The frustrating aspect is that there is no toggle that one can switch to the Global Home Page.
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@PerfectPastime Thanks for checking that URL. I will report this as a bug and see if we can get it fixed for you - or at least an answer about how to proceed.
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My suggestion is Virtual Private Network (VPN): This is the most reliable way to get a USA IP address. By connecting to a server in the USA, the VPN encrypts your traffic and makes it appear as if you are browsing from there. You should then hopefully be able to use the USA Home page. This may bring up other issues, of course, like security certificates and proving you are human many times.
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@PerfectPastime I received information from my supervisor and understand that the South Africa page is frustrating for you. Unfortunately, there has been a change, and all members are being directed to the home page where they live. As mentioned, a VPN is the only workaround.
VPNs can be problematic, too, since they make it hard for FamilySearch to properly detect the country in order to ensure legal compliance, for example, in Russia.
I know this is not what you were hoping the outcome would be. Are there specific pages that you do not have access to, or is it just the home page? I would be happy to share links you can bookmark for future access.
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Thank you for your response. A VPN is not an option. It would appear that there is no further recourse to this enforced African home page.
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