Genealogy Chat

Hey, is it me?
I've just realised that I have no more record of the number of relatives(? ) that I have in my family tree.
GR have removed this info from the top of page and I can not find any reference to it anymore,
also
from previous comments I also find the Home page infuriating, as I have entered approx 100 names to my tree and NO new Hot Matches yet GR keeptelling me they can't find any New ones??
any comments?
Sam

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Thelma Abrahams (2977 relations)
Hot matches were changed in 2010 and are now pointless.
Better to search for your own in "search all trees"

Hot matches when you get them are not normally pointless. All those I have had since the changes have been genuine matches.

The problem is that they only compare a random 50 from your tree every fortnight. If you have a tree of 2900 entries and add 100 before the next run, then the chances are that only about three of those new entries will be selected for comparison on the next run.

It tells you how many are in your tree on the Home Page - down the left hand side below the new, large Keepsafe ad.

If GR can't find any new hot matches it's because no other GR members have people in their trees who match yours.

GR can't manufacture matches.......they have to exist before they can notify you of them

KenSE - 100 new entries in 3000 total entries seems more like 1 in 30 to me than 1 in 3.

There is also the fact that HotMatches were modified a year or so ago so they only reported where the Place of Birth matched too. This change was made to satisfy a handful of vocal members who were continually complaining that there were too many non-matches.

However, not everyone thought the same. I for one preferred it the way it was and was perfectly happy to make the final decision as to what matched and what didn't as indeed was the case with a number of commercial matching programs I was involved with in the financial services industry for several years before I retired.

Yes, they were significantly more complex and powerful than what we have here but ultimately required human input in making the final decision as to what matched and what didn't.

mgnv, what I said was that of the hundred new entries only about three will be considered for matches by the hot match program. That is based on one in thirty.

But I should have said about two rather than three.

Thank-you, KenSE.
I worked out that it should be about 2, based on your figures, then spent ages wondering where 3 had come from, and should I query it.
Decided that was too pedantic or nerdish.

Yeah - sorry Ken - I misread three as third

Do they still run Hotmatches? The last run from my home page was apparently on 20 Aug. Not that its a personal problem

Hot Matches were a nightmare when I first joined. Took me hours to delete the very many non matches but in the end I did get some very useful contacts.

I think (hope /suspect) GR are plotting a new system for high grade matching using formalised dates and place names. Note that the "new" system suggests you use the DD.MM.YYYY format. Also place names are now becoming available from a Database which may also become standardised.

Just a point GR...if Scotland becomes independent it will no longer be "Scotland, United Kingdom" Pleeeeease don't make me delete all those U.K.'s!!! ;-)

Yes DetEcTive they still run them although not regularly. My recent record from the home page is:

7 Oct 2 found
15 Oct 2 found
30 Oct 6 found
22 Nov none
6 Dec none

Not sure why GR have United Kingdom in the placename set. Isn't England, Scotland, Wales or NI enough?

Also, the set seems to have been produced using very current listings. Boundaries have changed over the years. And placenames have come & gone.

I do input the full date when I have it. But, for example, as "25Jan1870" not as "25011870".

However, I think that a high proportion of tree records on the site will only ever have the year. I doubt anyone could afford to buy all the necessary GRO certificates for post Jun1837 records.