Ideas & Q & A
Greetings Friends,
We will soon be making a couple of small process adjustment to Ideas. Ideas is intended to capture suggestions and feedback on a variety of topics, and we’ve started to see an increase in question or problems being reported here.
The adjustments will include:
- Moving non Ideas related posts to the appropriate area in the Q & A section.
- Splitting posts where an Idea and a problem/question are shared, moving the problem to the appropriate area in the Q & A section.
The intent of these changes is to be better able to organize and respond to posts. Q & A is being actively monitored by FamilySearch support, so please feel free to ask questions, report problems, or request general help there.
Best,
Mark
Comments
-
Thank you for advising Mark.
For the help of those accessing either the Q&A (Help Center) page or the Ideas page, I think the above information should be included on both those pages, with also a few examples for extra information, particularly in respect of reporting problems, which surely it is to FamilySearch's benefit to know about. Make it clear that the Help Center Categories page is actually about QUESTIONS and PROBLEMS. Also have this information on the Community Main Page, and also the linked page "How to Use FamilySearch Community"
As part of the extra information, in my view some of the current Help Center Category description should be amended.
Under Search it currently says "Discover new search strategies for finding historical records" which says nothing about asking questions or the type of questions to be asked. I assume that this category is currently meant to cover Historical records generally, as there doesn't seem to be another category, so perhaps it could be changed to a heading of "Historical Records", with the description "Ask questions about searching for your ancestors, ask for translation help for records you have found, report catalog errors in respect of microfilms".. . Note I am assuming here that these requests would be part of Historical Records, perhaps FamilySearch has other ideas.
My own view is that frequent questions, such as questions about searching for your ancestors, or questions about translation help could have their own category, but if separate categories are decided against, at least make it clear where they should be posted.
Also the Q& A category Family History Centers says "Share ideas for improving your local family history center". Surely that is incorrect and should be "Ask questions or report problems about"....
Perhaps the reason for many questions being posted in Ideas is that the FEEDBACK button at the foot of the FamilySearch webpages which says "ask questions and discuss potential product enhancements" defaults to the Ideas page, so unless you are familiar with the Community section, you would expect to post questions on the Ideas page. Surely it would be better to default to the Community Main Page , which however doesn't seem to say anything specifically about Ideas, so you may miss out on some Ideas unless something specific is added to the Community Main Page.
5 -
@MaureenE123 Thanks for the feedback, your points are spot on. I appreciate the level of detail - the footer Feedback text really highlights a great opportunity to be clearer in what folks should expect when they click “Go to Discussion Board”.
Several of your suggestions are on the list of improvements to make, and I’ll add the ones that aren’t.
2 -
I must admit I am now quite confused. I posted a question in Q and A, and it was suggested that I repost in Ideas
Q And A topic
Blog How to Become a FamilySearch Affiliate Library: Updated details for contacting FS required.
Ideas topic
Affiliate Libraries contact details with FS required. (Advised to repost here)
0 -
MaureenE123
Can I make comments on a comment?
0 -
There is a need to allow comment to be attached to a comment. This facilitates focused discussions.
0 -
MaureenE123 and Mark,
Your comment is good. However, it presents multiple ideas. I think the way to handle this is to submit each idea individually. This doesn't much more time and will allow others in the opportunity to comment on only they want.
1 -
The Community splash screen (is that archaic) is unbalanced. Top of page graphics obscure the Community News. The news is more important, more so for first time users.
1 -
@MaureenE123 Apologies for the confusion, but I believe we've sorted the issue out with the info I provided. In not, please let me know.
0 -
@Douglas McPhaden Appreciate the feedback. We're working on making some adjustments to the home page, this being one of them. More to come.
0 -
Not to be annoying but really a serious question: If we have a problem on the web site to report and want to suggest an idea of how to fix it, is this an Q&A/Help Center topic or an Idea topic?
Also, you stated, "Q & A is being actively monitored by FamilySearch support," who from FamilySearch is actively monitoring the Ideas section and are Ideas posted here getting sent to the right department for consideration? We were told repeatedly on the getsatisfaction board that every post was seen and if appropriate sent off to the engineers or other suitable department for consideration. Is this still true?
0 -
Hi @Gordon Collett - this is still true. Please use the Ideas section to capture suggestions of any sort. There is a dedicated team of FamilySearch staff reviewing and routing these suggestions to the right folks within the Family History Department.
0 -
In my mind, I would not post a functionality issue or glitch I am experiencing in Q&A. When I have a glitch, I don't have a question about it. I have been posting a 404 error for 2 months. I wound up posting it in Tips and Tricks because I didn't have a question about it and it wasn't an Idea.
I suggest a new board for Functionality Issues and glitches.
The current structure and navigation of this Community is so confusing and frustrating that as a T&FH Consultant, I do not even present it.
1 -
The reason FS is having so much trouble "directing traffic" between Q and A and Ideas is that they should not be separate.
Behind every suggestion is a problem that someone encountered, and behind every question is an idea about how things should be improved. We should not be tasked with figuring out whether what we have is a suggestion or a question, because there is no functional difference between them.
Likewise, the reason FS is having so much trouble with people posting in the wrong category is that there are WAY TOO MANY of them. Like, nearly an order of magnitude too many.
FS's help-and-feedback forum needs exactly two categories: General and LDS. That's it. Anything beyond that will just confuse people and make it impossible to find things, like in the current setup.
5 -
My fathers aunt was born in 1917 she had no direct children, sisters, or brothers can I do her temple work?
0 -
Leave a Comment box needs a Cancel button. Now once a comment is started, the only choices are Save Draft and Post Comment. The result is zombie comments. Eventually they turn up in the contributor's Drafts menu where they can be deleted.
0 -
dontiknowyou,
For now you can save the draft and delete it.
0 -
Yes hi I’m curious to know if one can attach a DNA sample from other sites here? I have a myheritage sample.
0 -
Marcello
Welcome to the "Community.FamilySearch" Forum.
I am just another 'lowly' User/Patron ...
FYI
Short Answer:
'FamilySearch' DOES NOT "... provide specific features to post or link DNA groups based on DNA matches".
Here is a "Knowledge Article" in 'FamilySearch'
Using DNA in family history research
https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/using-dna-in-family-history-research
Where is states, among other things:
Quote
------------------
DNA testing does not replace traditional forms of family history research. Rather, it can complement a well-documented family tree.
Please note that FamilySearch does not endorse or recommend any commercial DNA applications for genetic genealogy. Nor does our Family Tree provide specific features to post or link DNA groups based on DNA matches.
------------------
I know that the aforementioned is not what you were hoping.
I just wanted you to be aware of such.
Brett
0 -
A question was raised asking why a guest can't submit a "New Idea" in topics in Community. The example given was indexing. I am a moderator so I can see the "New Idea" button. However, I created a new public account and the button is not there (for example, in Indexing). Also, a guest who is a member and a family history consultant raised the issue. Is this a new feature or a temporary glitch for anyone who is not a moderator to not be allowed to submit new ideas?
0 -
Bruce
I am just another 'lowly' User/Patron ...
FYI
[ And, so that you can pass onto the OTHER Participant (User/Patron) ... ]
I raised this problem/issue the other day.
The problem/issue has been forwarded to the "Development" Team (of the Forum) for investigation.
Please refer to this previous post of mine:
'Ideas" Section
'Topic' = "FamilySearch Community"
Home > Ideas > FamilySearch Community
Fault / Flaw; or, By Design? FYI. We can NO LONGER submit a NEW IDEA from (within) a (ANY) 'Topic'!
I hope this helps.
Brett
0 -
I apologize if this is not the appropriate arena for my request, but I find it difficult to know how to post a comment unless it is tacked onto another previous comment. My request to the powers that be is that we need many more beginning batches than have been available for indexing in the past year. I am an advanced indexer, so it does not matter to me that 99% of the batches are Advanced, but wards are trying to encourage new indexers, and the only beginning batch currently is the Liberia census. This is not nearly enough, plus I understand from a post that batch is messed up. Where are the many beginning batches we used to access. It is really discouraging to new indexers not to have choices.
1 -
Wow, the Liberia census isstillbeing indexed? I worked on thatyearsago.Wait, no, I did Liberia marriage records.
Nevermind...
0 -
One problem is that the "Q & A section" does not LOOK LIKE a Q & A section! I don't want to "Get help building your family tree" under "Family Tree" -- that sounds like a bunch of links to training videos and blogs. I want to ASK A QUESTION about the Family Tree. The section should be labeled, "Questions and Answers about the FamilySearch Family Tree".
<<
- Moving non Ideas related posts to the appropriate area in the Q & A section.>>
0 -
I hope it's not 'wrong' for doing - but here are my suggestions on changing Community (also here). I 'think' it might be more efficient to handle routing/classifying of the 'question' prior to opportunity input the message/question.
0 -
Hello...
I've been doing some research on a particular ancestor who has had some questionable documentation regarding the last name. There has been quite the discussion and controversy...so it would be nice to not allow deleting of of comments and notes that have been left there as people searching will have not know the possible discrepancies and controversy when they may have clear evidence appear in the future. This is in a family of historic nature regarding settlement of America.
Also people deleting the information may think that theirs is the correct version when it may not be...theyve changed the information on other sources as well..
Thank you
0 -
Yes, yes, yes. Well said and I hope someone reads this, understand it and that they simplify it for us. I am completely puzzled as to why it has to be so complicated to get help.
0
