Ancestry or FMP - that is the question ???

[Antie Em]

Having been on here for a couple of weeks, moved house last week and the place is still like the wreck of the Hesperus.

I have until tonight to take advantage off a first (Britain) subscription with FMP - 20% discount and then as a loyalty bonus - 10% every year after as long as I pay before the time is up.

Now - I have been with Ancestry for years and apart from some of the dismal index transcriptions - have been very happy. Does anyone have both ? If so, which is the best deal.

Maggie xx

[snoopysue]

I have both, and I think if I had to chose one it's be FMP. That being said, it depends what you want, both have census, BMD indexes, but there are differences. I'd look what records they hold, and what you use most.
One thing I like about FMP is the ease of searching the census by address. There are transcription errors, but if you report the ones you find, they have a look and if they agree then the transcription is changed.

[snoopysue]

An advantage of Ancestry is the ease of contacting others with the same line of research. Although I keep my tree private I'm in no way adverse to helping others and have been contacted on a few occaisions through ancestry, where it has resulted in a rich and useful exchange of information. Am I wrong in thinking it's possible to keep your tree on Ancestry even though you're not subscribing?

[dudleytaylor]

An advantage of Ancestry is the ease of contacting others with the same line of research. Although I keep my tree private I'm in no way adverse to helping others and have been contacted on a few occaisions through ancestry, where it has resulted in a rich and useful exchange of information. Am I wrong in thinking it's possible to keep your tree on Ancestry even though you're not subscribing?

.

I have both too , but i find Ancestry easier. I too have a private tree ,and like you Sue allow others to view my tree if it helps them ,and have made many friends. You can keep your tree On Ancestry when you are not subscribing , it just goes back to only having the free BDM and 1881 and you cannot see original census , so I have copied them on the main family . I will shortly be stopping my subscription . I think I have done enough ,and I can add more personal things to immediate family

[Maths girl]

I have both and find they are useful in different ways

FMP tends to have had better transcribers so they pick up more of the odd spellings etc but they give only a limited list whereas Ancestry is more likely to give you way out ones that just might be the one you are looking for.

I agree that the address index on FMP is useful but it is very specific in what it looks up and allows no variation from what is written on the census --

High Street Cradley Heath
High St Cradley Heath

may well give you different results or indeed none at all.

I tend to play with ancestry because of the hints and then use FMP to chase details and missing census etc.

HTH

[Antie Em]

Just like to share - I rang Ancestry and told them that I had been a member for a number of years and that I thought about defecting to FMP because they were offering a loyalty discount. They looked at my record and were happy to provide me with a 20% discount on my annual subscription. RESULT

[snoopysue]

Just like to share - I rang Ancestry and told them that I had been a member for a number of years and that I thought about defecting to FMP because they were offering a loyalty discount. They looked at my record and were happy to provide me with a 20% discount on my annual subscription. RESULT

I'll try that, my subscriptions up for renewal with ancestry - they don't have to know I'm on FMP too!!

[Antie Em]

Just like to share - I rang Ancestry and told them that I had been a member for a number of years and that I thought about defecting to FMP because they were offering a loyalty discount. They looked at my record and were happy to provide me with a 20% discount on my annual subscription. RESULT

I'll try that, my subscriptions up for renewal with ancestry - they don't have to know I'm on FMP too!!

Definitely worth a go

[dudleytaylor]

I have stopped my subscription with Ancestry . It finishes the 17th of this month. I cannot expand my family any further,and I want to buy BMD certificates for my nearest family from the GRO. When the next census comes out , and if I am still around I can join again .

[AndrewA]

I was given family tree maker 2008, installed it and was amazed I was able to claim 3 months membership for free!

[dudleytaylor]

I was given family tree maker 2008, installed it and was amazed I was able to claim 3 months membership for free!

Andrew , can you tell me about family tree maker , i hear about it , but I don't actually know how it works , and why you would want one

[AndrewA]

I was given family tree maker 2008, installed it and was amazed I was able to claim 3 months membership for free!

Andrew , can you tell me about family tree maker , i hear about it , but I don't actually know how it works , and why you would want one

Well I could give you a short answer, but I will indulge in sharing a section of my tutorial I am working on, good chance for some feedback.

Family Tree maker is not really any difference to all the other geneaology software out there, such as these.

Free Open Source and unrestricted.
FamilySearch - http://www.familysearch.org Tribal Pages
 ScionPC - http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/scionpc/
 Gramps - http://gramps-project.org/
 GeneWeb - http://opensource.geneanet.org/projects/geneweb
 Tribal Pages - http://tribalpages.com/
Free Limited and Lite Versions of Commercial Software
 Legacy Standard - http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/
 Family Tree Builder - http://www.myheritage.com/
 RootsMagic - http://www.rootsmagic.com/
 Brothers Keeper - http://www.bkwin.org/
 Ancestral Quest - http://www.ancquest.com


Going Digital
In this day and age it is easy to keep a detailed archive digitally, by using software on your computer, using an online internet service or even using both, all thanks to a wide range of software and internet services which we looked at briefly in previous chapter.

There are many advantages in keeping your records digitally. For a start you will not have the problem of miss-placing or incorrectly filing documents or folders. This is not so bad if you only have 20 people in your archive, but imagine if you have several filing cabinets containing files on 3000 people and have to hunt for a misplaced document!

Another advantage is time saving as you will cut out the laborious task of producing and writing up charts and forms, especially if you find this a chore rather than a labour of love. IF records are kept digitally, all manner of charts and forms can automatically be created from the database. If you want a hard copy, no problem, simply print it out, a lot quicker than doing it by hand.

If you want to share data between different trees, lets say you find someone has already researched a branch of your tree and will let you have their research, then you can copy thousands of records in a few seconds by saving data in a format called Genealogical Data Communication, or GEDCOM for short. This is a universal standard which most software and services will recognise.

One disadvantage with keeping all records “online” is that you have to rely on a computer with internet access at the locations you are at. This is why combining your online data with software on your computer is a sensible option.

Services such as Ancestry have their own software, Ancestry’s software is called Family Tree Maker, which you can sync with the online trees. Advantage of this is that if you make any changes to the data either online or on your computer, the other is automatically updated with the changes you make.

If you are using software independently, then it is vital you make sure you remember to update the other service with the changes you make.
One draw back to consider, technology also fails from time to time. Hardware dies for example, so it is vital that you keep a backup of your work externally, I recommend that you use two separate backup locations.

Another scenario which happens from time to time; You are visiting an archive or going to meet someone and forgot to recharge your laptop batteries and have no power cable with you, oh dear, wasted trip. So remember to make sure your equipment is fully charged and in working order!

Despite the set backs, the advantages of digital records outweigh the few technical and logistic issues which may arise and certainly makes things easier when it comes to storage and record retrieval.

[dudleytaylor]

thanks Andrew , i think i understand

[AndrewA]

Errr... is this a compliment... or a critisim?
I am a little concerned that you just "think" you understand as that is a reflection on my ability to communicate.

[dudleytaylor]

Errr... is this a compliment... or a critisim?
I am a little concerned that you just "think" you understand as that is a reflection on my ability to communicate.

Not a criticism Andrew , just I am not very good at taking it all in . I like plain english. Its not your inability to communicate its my inability to understand .