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DNA Matches - Functional Suggestions

DNA Matches - Functional Suggestions

Posted: 15 Jun 2015 8:19AM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 15 Jun 2015 8:22AM GMT
Suggestion:

Please, Ancestry. PLEASE allow us to sort our DNA matches by:

1. Shared surnames. I saw a place to 'search by surname' but that's only searching the user name, not the shared surnames in the trees.

1B. Sort to exclude matches WITHOUT shared surnames. (Temporary sort option.)

2. Exclude all matches with NO TREES. What is the point of having a match with a total stranger, if they have no tree up at all? (Unlike other sites, we can't do a chromosome comparison etc. so there's no point if there's no tree.) I'd also like to exclude people with trees that are 1, 2, 4 people...maybe even under 100 people. But I'd settle for excluding the "NO TREES" people. Not permanently - just a sorting option.

You could of course make an exception for very close matches. But I have no idea how to figure out how I'm related as a 5-8 cousin or even 3rd cousin to a stranger without any tree linked. If I sound a bit exasperated - I'm paging through 57 pages of results, about 80 percent of which have NO TREE linked. There is no way to exclude them. I have to click one by one, then 'sort by new' to not see them again.

3. Geographic sort would also be nice! Or sort to look for a specific surname. Or to EXCLUDE a specific surname: in cases of very common surnames that might be handy. I get an awful lot of false matches on some of my lines.

Anyone else have suggestions to improve the functionality of the Matches?




Re: DNA Matches - Functional Suggestions

Posted: 16 Jul 2015 2:58PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 16 Jul 2015 3:05PM GMT
A Chromosome Browser to qualify and quantify the accuracy of the alleged matches. So far my test results have been a huge waste of time without this.

I'll also take the liberty to link this other related post from another member: http://boards.ancestry.com/topics.ancestry.ancestrydna/247/m...

Re: DNA Matches - Functional Suggestions

Posted: 17 Jul 2015 5:32AM GMT
Classification: Query
Thanks, nice suggestion.

Re: DNA Matches - Functional Suggestions

Posted: 17 Jul 2015 6:27PM GMT
Classification: Query
You wrote: 1. Shared surnames. I saw a place to 'search by surname' but that's only searching the user name, not the shared surnames in the trees.

This is incorrect. AncestryDNA's surname search searches the trees of your matches for the surname. Ancestry provides no way to search by username (although there is a 3rd party tool which does).

Re: DNA Matches - Functional Suggestions

Posted: 20 Jul 2015 3:06PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 20 Jul 2015 3:17PM GMT
sl_kelly said:

"This is incorrect. AncestryDNA's surname search searches the trees of your matches for the surname. Ancestry provides no way to search by username (although there is a 3rd party tool which does)."

In my experience the reverse is true. I was purposely searching for surnames I know I have in common with many DNA matches. None of them came up.

Re: the user name question, I believe you have slightly misunderstood my meaning. But it isn't worth the going back and forth to try to clarify that.

Edit: Out of curiosity I just tried the surname search function again. This time, it worked properly. Thank you for the correction.

Post script: I do still wish we could filter out the 'no trees,' and filter for (all) *results which feature common surnames* which is different than searching one surname at a time for a shared surname among our matches.

It would also be nice to stack results by size of tree, number of shared surnames, etc., etc.

By the way, nice to meet you sl_kelly. Do you have any "functional suggestions" for the DNA matches?

Re: DNA Matches - Functional Suggestions

Posted: 20 Jul 2015 3:48PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 20 Jul 2015 3:49PM GMT
Odd - suddenly it is not working, again.

I had some fun with the 'new toy' I learned of in your post sl_kelly; and now, it once again is not working properly.

To test it I tried surnames I had, just moments before, found multiple examples of using said function.

So perhaps I ran into a glitch, the prior time and this.

Re: DNA Matches - Functional Suggestions

Posted: 20 Jul 2015 3:51PM GMT
Classification: Query
Another suggestion: It might be nice to be able to sort results into 1, 2, and 3 stars.

I am putting a star by any result which might later prove promising, but some are 'better' than others.
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