Starter guide to the new findmypast

Following some Family Tree readers contacting us as they were finding difficulty using the new findmypast site we looked into the matter and asked genealogist Mary Evans to write a guide, in which she outlines the three main search strategies and some of the current problems too.

Comments from our readers and the findmypast  feedback forum showed that users were not finding the new site intuitive to search, and in addition there were issues with certain function buttons, search fields and record sets. As you can see from the feedback forum there were numerous points made about the usability of the site. However, with the goal of keeping our guide to a succinct and usable length, we have chosen to cover just what we feel to be the key points, to try and make research on the site as straightforward as possible for those who would like some help using the site.

Following calls from users, changes continue to be made to findmypast - which you can keep abreast of at the site (see either the feedback forum or the weekly update blogs from findmypast CEO Annelies van den Belt). We have covered the new findmypast in our June issue and there have been changes to the situation since we went to print  - most notably, we have been informed that findmypast are now offering refunds, judged on a case by case basis. We will also be including a very similar guide to this one in our July issue.

Genealogist Mary Evans is the FT forum administrator and contributing expert to our Q&A pages, and to the magazine more widely, and we are grateful to her for the considerable time she has spent compiling this guide for the benefit of readers. To read the guide, please click here.

If you have comments about the new findmypast that you would like to share with other readers, please email me at [email protected].