Interactive Image Viewer – Coming Soon to More Collections!

Anybody else notice that the highlighted name most likely includes a transcription error?? ‘Anstin’ for ‘Austin’

We will always have the option of using the “Standard Viewer”, or will this eventually disappear? The Standard Viewer allows me to right-click on a document image and copy it to my desktop as a jpg file, or email it to another person. The new viewer doesn’t right-click copy. If there is another provision to do this on the new viewer, please let me know.

Just went to the interactive site and on the top right hand there is a MORE and arrow, click on it and you can save to tree or to computer.

I just wish Ancestry would go back to allowing us to use the mouse wheel to move up and down the page. To me, it takes incredibly longer the way it is now. I also wish Ancestry would start ALL search pages at the top of the page instead of the middle of the page. As always, it is more work. I would rather start at the top and work my way down to the bottom rather than start in the middle, go to the top and then work my way back to the bottom half. Right now, using the mouse wheel makes the page larger or smaller. I don’t like that at all. Sometimes the old way is better. I do very much like the names being highlighted.

Also, there was a point where I could see the names of all the columns the top of the 1940 census but I no longer see them. It is very rare to open a 1940 census and ever be able to read the headings. It was nice having those column names listed. Interestingly, I clicked on the interactive image viewer. It is one of the very few times I have ever been able to read the column headings. But even so, if I am at the bottom of the page, I have to move the screen all the way back to the top to see what column heading I am looking at and then move back to the bottom. Please add typed column headings back in so wherever we are on the page, we can see the column headings. I would also suggest adding dates (for example when they ask for income as of 12/31/1939). Interestingly, when I clicked on that little “Index” at the middle bottom of the page to see what it was. I then saw the column headings at the top. I hope the column headings are there regardless of whether you click on the Index button at the bottom of the page. I went back and looked at a 1940 census on one of my profile pages and the column headings did not appear until after I enlarged the page so they a are still there. But when I went back to that 1940 census on a profile page on my Tree, the column headings were not there the 2nd time and even when I clicked on that Index button at the bottom, the column headings did not appear. So, I would just like to be sure before this comes out permanently that we can always see the column headings. It would also be nice to have the typed column headings on all of the census reports, not just 1940.

Thanks very much.

I miss the right column that suggested additional records and indicated the other trees to which the record had been saved. Checking the other trees often helps to make sure that this is not a record for another person of the same name.

PLEASE don’t take away the standard viewer! I really
don’t like the new viewer at all. I find it incredibly
cumbersome to use. The two biggest problems are that
you can’t scroll with the mouse wheel, and that the
viewer hijacks the keyboard.

I can’t understand why someone made the decision to
use the mouse wheel for zooming. Think about it: which
action are you more likely to do over and over while
viewing an image: scrolling or zooming? I set the zoom
level the first time I view an image in a collection.
After that I almost never zoom in or out. Instead, I
move up and down the image looking for the person I’m
interested in. The natural way to do that is the mouse
wheel.

And I really hate that it takes away the browser
keyboard shortcuts. When you’re using the new viewer,
it’s impossible to control-page-down to move to a
different tab in the browser. It’s also impossible to
alt-back-arrow to go back to the search page. It’s
poor programming practice to swallow up keystrokes
you don’t process. Instead, you pass them up to the
calling routine.

I also can’t understand why you say it’s faster. The
time I used it, it took significantly longer to load the
image than the standard viewer does. I suspect that’s
because it always downloads the highest possible
resolution instead of the 100% view that I always use.

I repeat, PLEASE let us continue using the standard
viewer!

PLEASE remove notice of May 31 st, it takes up 10% of my screen. I have to delete the notice for every page !

PLEASE don’t take away the old viewer! I like how on the right side it shows others that have tagged a person for their tree. I use this a lot. Sometimes it helps confirm that I have found the right person. It gives me other trees to look at that may have made more progress than I have with a particular person. Your new viewer doesn’t even have this feature

I’ll strongly echo the above comments on the lack of the member connect and suggestions bar. Taking that away (or refusing access to the old viewer) just destroys the way I research in many ways. On census records, I like to look at how families living close to each other in small towns were related. When I see that the mother in a family is saved to someone’s tree with a maiden name that is the same name as a family two households down, it gives me an avenue for further research. While you always have to go further and find the documentation, situations like that have made this a game-changer in many ways.

The interface overhaul itself means little to me if the amazing ability to see what research and comments that others have left is just removed. Were all of those comments that I added to census records for others to see to disappear now as well?

Adding questionable functionality is one thing. Removing an amazing networking tool just so everyone is on the flashy new interface is an absolute travesty.

Rod wrote and I agree……I’ll strongly echo the above comments on the lack of the member connect and suggestions bar. Taking that away (or refusing access to the old viewer) just destroys the way I research in many ways. On census records, I like to look at how families living close to each other in small towns were related. When I see that the mother in a family is saved to someone’s tree with a maiden name that is the same name as a family two households down, it gives me an avenue for further research. While you always have to go further and find the documentation, situations like that have made this a game-changer in many ways.

The interface overhaul itself means little to me if the amazing ability to see what research and comments that others have left is just removed. Were all of those comments that I added to census records for others to see to disappear now as well?

Adding questionable functionality is one thing. Removing an amazing networking tool just so everyone is on the flashy new interface is an absolute travesty.

I hate all this changes Go back like it was I goy to where I hardly Check Cences anymore Cant Do it May even Consider Leaving Can find a lot of my family tree other places Should never been messed with in first place Everone is not a computer whize like these programers

What version of Mac and Windows are going to be required for this new stuff? I’m using Mac OS X 10.4.11 and Firefox 3.6.28 (which I think is the most current version of Firefox that I can use).
Second comment: It seems that Ancestry is only interested in randomly helping the novice at the expense of experienced, long-time users. All these bells and whistles are just an annoyance. I still use “old search” because “new search” has proven itself worthless.
Third comment: I couldn’t enter this on my Mac. When I tried to submit, it just gave me text of the name of the image file for which I was apparently to transcribe. Entering the file name just gave me an insulting comment. (You really do need more mature and intelligent programmers.)

The interactive viewer is much faster now since the flash has been eliminated. I would rather see it open with the index open and the option to close it, instead of having to open it on each screen. However, the right side bar information present in the older viewer is a critical asset that is not incorporated in the interactive viewer. The hints to additional records and other family trees the individual record is saved to on the right side bar is essential to research. In fact, if it is not present, there is no easy access to other family trees. I don’t want to sound rude, but if you want to support only one viewer, you should ditch the interactive viewer instead. It has never been user friendly, and in reading the blogs, not a hit with many serious researchers. The elimination of the right sidebar, coupled with the horrible aspects of the new system of matching records being added are problematic for the user. New folks might not know the difference, but those of us that have used Ancestry for a number of years will be trying to work in a nightmare! Realizing Ancestry has grown by leaps and bounds since I became a member, and also realizing how much storage space and maintenance must be involved, I understand the need to revamp the system. However, with the changes recently made, and the change about to be made, it appears the site is in control of programmers that DO NOT do research of their own! If they did, they would realize they are eliminating the featuures that have made Ancestry so popular! The problems with the matching records changes and the elimination of the right sidebar will only create more hits on the system because everyone will be searching constantly for records and affiliations that will not be easily found. Just thinking about it makes me need a tranquilizer! The new viewer was primarily designed for the huge amount of information in the 1940 census, and was never easy to use. The other records don’t have that requirement, so changing everything else to match that programming will just create grief for the user. I have adjusted to numerous changes in the past, but I’m working in a much older era now, and need the hints to confirm family connections. I don’t know if I can progress without them. I also use the records hints to find people in years the search doesn’t find them. The recent changes and now this one, which is almost unbelievable to anyone using the site, are by far the worst changes I have had to adjust to………….and I’m not a beginner to Ancestry or computer programs.

I have no problems with the new viewer. My concern is that you have not used it in the same way to note what other researchers have looked at this record, commented on the record, or posted the record to a public or private website. Many times I will follow a record chain from the record, to a tree and back out again to a record that I might not have seen otherwise. I suspect that this may be the easiest shortcoming for Ancestry to fix with the new viewer. It is not a software issue, it is simply a matter of continuing to provide the service or your choosing not to.

I see you are taking away the STANDARD VIEWER on May 31. Well, you will lose me as a subscriber because with this supposedly NEW BETTER VIEWER I get NO VIEW AT ALL except a BLACK SCREEN most of the time. I keep updating my FlashPlayer and it will work for maybe a couple of days and then it is back to BLACK SCREEN. The moving around with the CLUTCH HAND (when I get an image) is very tiring and causes me to have hand cramps. Moving around with the arrow keys is SO MUCH SLOWER than scrolling with 2 fingers on a track pad. I have to keep clicking again and again on the page if I have another window open at the same time. GET MODERN. Many of us don’t use a mouse anymore; clutching and arrow keys are OLD. WHY CAN’T YOU LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE AND LET ME DECIDE WHICH VIEWER WORKS BEST WITH MY COMPUTER. THE NEW ONE STINKS on my Macintosh!! By the way I’ve been here nearly 10 years as a paying subscriber.
You also do a GREAT disservice by eliminating the right column in an image view. That holds many hints to use that now will not be available without more searching on a different page. I like to see what other trees are citing this information but with new viewer I can’t without selecting TREES in a general search. More back and forth and it wears me out.
PLEASE DO NOT ELIMINATE USE OF THE STANDARD VIEWER.

I’ve been a World subscriber for many years & have learned that Ancestry doesn’t often listen to it’s subscribers.

I’ve hated the “New Search” since day one. I find it cumbersome with the results listed over pages & pages rather than all clear & concise on one page as with the Old Search and the results pages themselves unnecessarily cluttered.

I do & will continue to use only the Old Search.

AND now along comes another unpopular change in the form of the new image viewer which we will all be forced into using.

About the only feature I like on the new viewer is the highlighting of the searched for individual & associated individuals.

My concern is that between the 3 trees I have in my Family Tree Maker program, I have several thousand individuals, many, many of whom have various images such as censuses attached to them.

And I’m certain that close to 100% of Ancestry’s subscribers also find themselves in this situation.

Those attached images in my trees have within their sourcing information link addys to the images at Ancestry.

I can’t possibly pull-up all those images & convert the image addy links to the links for the new viewer between now & 31 May when those links to the old viewer will no longer be active.

So my questions are ….

WILL ANCESTRY AUTOMATICALLY REDIRECT USERS TO AN IMAGE IF THE ONLY ADDY A PERSON CAN INPUT FOR THE DESIRED IMAGE IS THE LINK TO THE OLD VIEWER ??

OR, WILL EVERYONE, IN ORDER TO UPDATE SOURCING INFORMATION IN THEIR TREES, HAVE TO GO BACK AND RUN A SEARCH FOR EACH AND EVERY IMAGE IN THEIR TREE AFFECTED BY THIS VIEWER CHANGE IN ORDER TO GET THE NEW LINK TO THE NEW IMAGE VIEWER ??

I agree with ALL of the comments posted here! I have been a member of Ancestry for years however, if this new viewer is forced upon us (the old viewer becomes unavailable) I see no option except to cancel my subscription. I’ve tried using the new viewer, it’s dreadful; takes all the enjoyment out of searching. Does anyone read this thread? Why can’t Ancestry continue to offer BOTH options!?!?

I really must say that I am extremely disappointed in the services that Ancestry has been changing over the course of the past several years.

The interactive viewer is a pain in the rear to use. I do not want nor do I need moving images. This also makes it impossible to print documents without the URL on them. I have no need for the URL on the documents that I use.

To those complaining about the mistakes on transcriptions, blame Family Search Indexing. I trascribed the 1940 census records and the rules they make us follow are insane. We cannot alter what it looks like the image says no matter if the item makes sense or not. I ended up with a County that I have done genealogy work in for years. I know the families and the people there, some families, personally. However, when the census taker wrote down Barlow for the last name, I had to put that on the sheet even though I KNEW their last name was Harlow. Please, before you blame those of us who transcribed it, take a look at the rules we had to follow.

I also despise the entering of family information into the user created trees without sources. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to correct information about people I knew personally, like my grandparents, or how many arguements that I have gotten into with other users who refuse to accept scanned death certificates as real. Please, I beg you, get rid of the “add this to my tree” feature and make people do the research to get to add it if you are determined to keep the user created trees. There is no reason for misinformation to get out there with the amount of documents you store and provide except for pure laziness.

Sincerely,
Virginia Mitchell

I’m dreading the end of May when I will be forced
to make the decision whether to stay with Ancestry.com or not. Please, leave the standard option left in place for us. Kindest regards

I called customer service just a few moments ago and they have not been informed that it is going away. I told her that I can only use the new viewer on 1880 and 1940 Census…any other screens it takes me back to their home page. I have tried on 3 different browsers and have the same issue on all of them. I also said that I would hate to cancel my subscription because of this.

I hate the new viewer, I want the old original viewer. Why are the new owners so dead set on going against what their customers want? I am paying for a service that I used to enjoy using, now it is a pain in the a**.

PLEASE keep both options! I am happy with the old census records the way they are! I have much more difficulty looking at your 1940 census, & I HATE that interactive viewer feature!! Thank you!

I am happy to see the comment made by Crista Cowan (just after Larry, #22) as it tells me Ancestry is at least reading these comments. I think it’s fair to say that there are always going to be people who like the old way and people who like the new way. Solution? Why not keep both and let us choose what works best for us? Right now there is still an option to Return to the Standard Viewer. Leave us that option and everyone will be happy. Thanks for allowing us to provide feedback.

It would be wise to offer researchers the option of using either the old viewer or the new one. The new one is rather cumbersome and not as user-friendly as the old one.

As far as transcriptions go, there are many, many errors in the records I’ve used and I have been at this for a very long time. I don’t know if ancestry.com has anyone who reviews the transcriptions for errors, but if not, they certainly need people to do that.

I think ancestry.com needs to listen to its subscribers. Most of the comments were negative toward the new viewer. I, like the majority, would like to be able to choose which viewer I want to use. Are you listening ancestry ????

I agree with 17, 19, 21,40, 51 and almost everyone on here. I am no pro, but I am a serious researcher. I have used Ancestry for 2-3 hrs daily for over 5 years. That’s a lot of money, prob like most of you on here. However, if my only option is the new viewer, I am not sure I will continue to use this site. I enjoy searching all docs I can and I also spend a lot of time correcting misspelled words, adding nicknames or maiden names on censuses. When the 1940 census came out, I tried it and liked it for the info it had, however my Mac does not scroll easily and I ended up continuing w/the old method. I have 1 main tree with 13k people on it and I have access to 4 other member trees who I found in the directory. We have a very unusual name and we all spell it differently. Nice to be able to compare notes with people. We got to stay several days and they took us all over the area. May have never met them if not for Ancestry. I hope that Ancestry makes the right choice. Let’s keep it simple!!!

MEET THE NEW VIEWER, SAME AS THE OLD “NEW” VIEWER OF A YEAR AGO!

If this “new viewer” looks like the illustration at the beginning of this blog, it will be terrible. The highlighted yellow, orange and green make it hard to read the census. If this will be the same as about a year ago it will not be fun to use, to say nothing of harder to read.

What part of “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke,” doesn’t Ancestry understand?

Please keep the old/standard/basic viewers for those of us who do not have the newest hardware and software, due to the expense. It was an absolute nightmare for me to say nothing of the printing problems I had. My browser made the job easier and much better that the program.

Every time Ancestry rolls out an IMPROVEMENT, I have new problems! I’m getting sick of looking for fixes all the time. Sometimes there are no fixes and I’m stuck with taking extra time to accomplish what once was very easily done.

GIVE US OPTIONS AND CHOICES!!!

I really dislike the new viewer. I do not install Flash on any of my computers because it really slows down my browser and my computer. I understand your site does not tax my computer with Flash but many other sites overuse Flash. For that reason it is not installed AND will not be installed on any of my family’s computers.

Being forced to use the Flash technology (a declining technology) as of May 31, 2013 is just bad customer service.

Leave the viewing as-is and allow us to make our own choice!

One thing no one has mentioned is that when you are on the image page and try to copy the census source location at the top (eg New Hampshire > Carroll > Wolfeboro > District 30 > 3) you can NOT do this with the new viewer. Those boxes around each part prevents you from copying and pasting that information (as I just did with the old viewer). When you try to copy, each part turns into a separate box and can NOT be copied as a line.

If you INSIST on using the new viewer, at least keep the source format from the old viewer. I really don’t like having to click on MORE, then VIEW SOURCE and/or typing in an S to get the full source. I like the “abbreviated” source, plus its shorter and just one line compared to the 2 lines of the full source.

As usual, the Geeks, have messed up. The old way of viewing census records was fine. The same with Family Maker 12, that gives me a pain where a pill won’t reach as my Aunt Tressie used to say. go back to the old way, give us oldsters a break. Joy Miller

I get Dick Eastman’s newsletter, and from his last one I went to the short video by Christa on the “new” stuff Ancestry is going to dump on us come May 31st. As you can tell from my first sentence, I don’t like it. I find nothing of any value to me. In fact the “new” viewer will cause me problems in many ways.

First, the census pages take much more time to load. I don’t want colored highlights because they make it too hard to read the handwriting and they are a hindrance and a distraction since they move around with the cursor. You already have so many errors in the transcriptions, I don’t need a side panel to pop up with the existing errors and take up precious space. I don’t want to trust other people’s sloppy erroneous transcriptions of names etc, to say nothing about the errors the census taker put there. We also need to look at neighbors as many people lived close to relatives. That is the whole point of looking at the actual record.

It is true the headings on the newer censuses are hard to read. They all are hard to read! Newbies should have a handy blank print of these to help them. I have years of experience with the censuses and know where I am and what I am seeing at any given time. The zoom tool should be on the left and should be text only as it is in the current image viewer. The new “zoom in-zoom out” thing (whatever it is called) should be left to sites such as Google Earth, or your map utility.

You are over zealous about your self-serving ads. I don’t get ads from outside sources, thankfully; you put in more than enough!

Please give us the choice to use the current/old image viewer to save time and hair-pulling frustration and eyestrain. This “new” viewer looks like the one you dumped on us about a year or so ago but you did keep the option to use the older viewer. Please do the same. Give us choices and options.

The member connect section is very important and I am glad to hear that ancestry is working to implement that into the new viewer and will not discontinue the old viewer until they figure out how to implement that.

Granted most of the members on the member connect are name collectors with erroneous information and NOT genealogist, but every once in a while we are able to connect and collaborate with a serious researcher and that one in a 100 is worth it.

I do like the look of the new viewer BUT it is essential to have the member connect.
I am also not sure about the scroll up/down VS zoom in and out. That is taking some getting use to.
I use Mac with Safari, so things tend to get updated and fixed last with Safari on ancestry.

I can see how the new viewer maybe slow if you have dial up or dsl but it works fine with my internet.

Please fix the member connect!

thank you gdavies for clarifying and responded to each persons complaints and comments.

I just read through the comments, having been greeted by the “new” viewer for the first time today. I hate the new viewer. Please tell the geeks who made this that they have no idea what works for real researchers.

What’s next down the line? Switching to touch-screen rather than keyboard access? Progress is not always progress. I am not a happy subscriber.

I have emailed and emailed ancestry!! I can NOT even see ANY records AT ALL when I try to use this new thing! All I get is a black screen where the record should be. And I have updated EVERYTHING so it’s not ME who needs to fix things. I have told them and told them but NO ANSWER!! I pay too much for this for this to happen! I use the actual records themselves for a LOT of my research and if i can’t see them it will throw a HUGE monkey wrench into what I try to do!! Maybe somebody will read this and I’ll FINALLY get SOME response!!