FMP announce a new FMP is coming! - Genealogists' Forum

ElizabethHerts · #1 22-01-14, 08:52

They are promising new records, which is good news, because they seemed to have stalled recently.

Most importantly, they are improving the search facility:

"A new way to search

We have made some changes to the way you search the records that gives you far more control and should help deliver even more accurate results. These changes will allow you to search across selected categories of records (for example Census records and Military records at the same time) and filter based on keywords, records sets and country. You'll be able to search all censuses at once for the first time too."

I just hope you can search baptisms etc by parents' names.

kiterunner · #2 22-01-14, 10:10

I'm guessing that they mean they are switching over to the search facility that is used on their other sites (US, Australia, Ireland.) It sounds like it from their description.

If that is the case, then you can try the search out right now, by going onto "Search all records" on the UK site and then select "Where - collections from" and choose a different country. Then start your search and you will see what kind of results you get and how you can filter them. You get a "keyword" field and I have found in the past that you could use that for spouse's name or a parent's name, but because it is not a special "name" field, it won't allow for variants. But sometimes you do get fields come up for the spouse's name. I'm not quite sure what triggers this as they have changed this search a bit since my US site sub expired.

Which reminds me, the other way you can test their new search is by going onto one of their other sites, for instance www.findmypast.com which is the US site, and then go Search all records - then if you select United Kingdom from the list of countries you can actually search the UK records using the new search, which might give you a better idea of how it works as you could do this in one window / tab and compare with the old search on www.findmypast.co.uk in another window / tab.

A few problems I have found with the new search when I was using the US site:
(1) When I have viewed a particular match and then click to go back to the list of matches, it would often take me back to page 1 even if I had been on, say, page 5, and I would have to page through them all again.
(2) I cannot get my head to remember what the difference is between "Record collection" and "Record set" and I invariably choose the wrong one when trying to filter my results. Not sure if it is just me or if there is no obvious way of telling which is which?
(3) It still doesn't seem to search properly if you enter more than one keyword.
(4) Sometimes when I selected a few record sets (or perhaps record collections?) to filter, and clicked the search button, it would just get stuck in the search and never come back with the results and I would have to start all over again. Not sure if it still does this?

Anyway, I should think it is worth having a go with it now to get an idea of what it is like for yourself.

Margaret in Burton · #3 22-01-14, 10:50

I wish they'd let you search BMD indexes by registration district. Just having a keyword box would help surely.

kiterunner · #4 22-01-14, 11:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret in Burton

I wish they'd let you search BMD indexes by registration district. Just having a keyword box would help surely.

Yes, you can do that with the new search, Marg - give it a try on the US site searching UK records.

Kit · #5 22-01-14, 12:07

I don't like the search facility on the other FMP sites. I had the worldwide sub and found it harder to use than the normal FMP one.

I am happy for the new records they keep promising though.

kiterunner · #6 22-01-14, 12:10

I hope they are finally going to make the Index to Death Duty Registers fully searchable by name now. Not sure how it would fit into the new search otherwise.

Margaret in Burton · #7 22-01-14, 12:18

Yes it worked Kate.

kiterunner · #8 22-01-14, 15:02

They have also announced a new feature called the "Feedback Forum". Details here:
http://blog.findmypast.co.uk/2014/fi...ng-a-dialogue/

Note to Kit: it includes the following sentence - "It’s a little early to go into details, but we have some exciting plans for 2014, including the imminent release of the British in India record sets. "

This is the link to the actual Feedback Forum:
http://feedback.findmypast.co.uk/

Kit · #9 26-01-14, 07:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiterunner

Note to Kit: it includes the following sentence - "It’s a little early to go into details, but we have some exciting plans for 2014, including the imminent release of the British in India record sets. "

Thanks Kate, that is exciting. I haven't read the email yet. I hope it really is soon. I've already had a 12 month sub expire since they first said it would be released soon.