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I am concerned that the FamilySearch.org website is going through a phase of reorganizing rather than taking advantage of new tools without throwing out the old.
Recently, I spent about 45 minutes adding two image to the FamilySearch Memories section. I found that the entire procedure for uploading a single memory had changed. The last explanation of the update was a post back on May 11, 2024. https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/memories-viewer-updates-2024 This short announcement doesn't describe any of the major changes. Here is a screenshot of one of the two uploads that took so long to do.
The main issue was tagging a photo. The process of tagging apparently now takes several steps. I didn't think I could yet describe the steps because it is so complicated. When I started writing this post, I noticed that Elias W. Tanner's wife Rebecca P. King was also on his grave marker so I decided to see if I could describe the process.
Step #1: I clicked on the image with Rebecca's name. Here is what showed up.
Step #2 I remembered that I needed to have her ID# or name, so I typed in her name. The name wasn't recognized so I had to click on her husband who I already had listed and found her name Rebecca Potter King and ID#. I copied the ID number and pasted in the number.
Step #3 Remember, I had recently already managed to tag four other people. However, at this step, if I click on the name that says "Add New" the program does not look up the ID# it just adds the ID# as the name for the tag.
Step #4 At this point I am puzzled. Below the number it says Attach to Tree. Well, Rebecca is already in my part of the Family Tree, but I decide to click and see what happens. Now it asks me to search for the number I just copied from the Family Tree.
Step #5 I don't seem to remember that it was this complicated just to add one tag. But I click on search the family tree and now I am lost. I am taken to the general search page.
I already know that Rebecca is in the Family Tree so I change the field to Find by ID and once again put in her ID#.
Step #6 Remember again, that I am trying to tag an image in memories and it shows me her entry in a search field.
Step #7 So far, I haven't tagged the photo and I am totally lost because I don't know what to do next. I see the normal Select button that takes me to the person in the Family Tree where I started. So, I click the button. Amazingly, this takes me back to the Memories section and there is a tag on Rebecca's name. although the name on the tag is an ID#
Step #8 Now, I can't remember how I got the names on the other tags. I randomly decide to click on the ID#.
Step #8 Remember, I am still just adding one tag to one person and I have spent almost an hour writing this blog post so far. Here is what I am looking at when I randomly click on Rebecca's ID#
Step #9 I can detach the memory from the Family Tree. This is not what I wanted to do. So, I do what I usually do in these situations, I click on stuff. I click on the number. Not that there was any particular reason for clicking but I see that the number is blue and that usually indicates a link.
Step #10 Apparently, I can now edit the ID# tag to a name. So I type in her name. That changes the name to Rebecca Potter King.
Step #11 Now what? Do I have to do this for every single memory I put on the FamilySearch.org website? There must be a shorter way to do all this. So I look for some instructions on the new changes. Remember, this is me looking for one of my memories. I know how to search since I sit here and do that almost all day, every day. I do not find any instructions. I decide to click in the image.
I now have one tag on an image with seven potential tags.
Does anyone out there know of a better system for adding one tag? I do figure out that there is one small shortcut. But I am keeping that to myself until I see the explanation in print from someone who should have stopped trying to reorganize the team.
