One thing I don't like about Ancestry.com is the the lack of options. They definitely have one way they think your tree should look and one way your profile should look. I wish you could customize things a lot more, especially since they keep changing their minds. Over time, their new ideas have been making navigation of family trees harder and harder, and they end up looking more and more messy and elongated. I think they want to keep marketing themselves to older people who know nothing about the internet or computers, so in their mind they think they are simplifying their website so these persons will be able to figure more things out.
Their little survey pop-up appears every once and a while. I usually fill it out eventually, with A LOT of comments on how the site could be improved. I've also sent them emails with specific ways the site could be improved or retro-graded to previous versions that were better. But all I get is an automated email telling me to make sure my computer is turned on, and if I want to delete someone from my tree, all I have to do is close my eyes, click the little "x" in the top right corner of the screen and all will be good again. They really like charging their heavy membership fees, do they really have no computer people working for them?
I originally wanted to put lines and lines of text on my profile (even though I know most users do not look at these or know what they are, although that's now almost the only way to contact someone through the site) that describe why I'm interested in all the junk that I'm putting out there, who I am, my experience with genealogy, AND THEN most importantly how I organize and label and decide which information to include. This is very important when sharing information. But it seems that the Ancestry user profile is meant for you to state only a small paragraph describing yourself. Leaving enough room to right something about yourself, and then get scared that someone will use this information to steal your identity.
I like the idea of including a section on research interests on the profile. But it looks like ancestry only intend people to put list of surnames matched with locations here, so it was quite tricky to figure out how to include Norwegian dialects and entire counties on this section on my profile.
Enough! I'm way off topic now!
This is information I previously had on my profile, but I'm removing it now. It's way incomplete and looks stupid, stacked in a skinny column in the middle of the page. I really have to go back to the drawing board on this one, unless they up the characte limit for this section...
INFORMATION ABOUT MY TREES
My main family tree is the "Ellickson through Fretheim, and everything in between” These are two surnames of my great-great-great grandparents, Ellickson following the male line (my father's father's father's father's father) and Fretheim following the female line (my mother's mother's mother's mother's mother).I’ve been trying to update my tree by uploading an additional "supplement tree" to transfer new info and people, but ancestry currently can't handle quick tree deletes or integration. Sometimes the main tree is more up to date than the supplement. Old supplements will become private as soon as a newer one is uploaded. It takes time for the old one to be removed from search results and the new one to be integrated. Please see my main tree (without the word supplement in the name) for attached pictures/records. When I added this one originally, a lot of junk code got added (it looks like Y;Y;Y;Y;Y;Y). Mostly to the notes for marriages where I didn’t have a date listed. I’m slowing getting around to everyone and deleting this. For my family tree, my “research scope” is all ancestors of my self and all descendants of my 7xgreat grandparents. All these relatives + spouses and adopted children are included. I have also added other families who tie in a lot, or are part of my research interests.
