Unviewed Results Only - Another Ancestry Pro Tool

 

Wishing all my readers and followers a very Merry Christmas!

As I was researching the husband of a great-grandaunt this morning, I happened to notice an Ancestry Pro Tool I've not seen mentioned anywhere. To be fair, I haven't really been paying much attention to the hubbub since I signed up and wrote my post on my first impressions of the new features. My opinion hasn't changed...I still think the price is a bit high for the features...but if they add more useful tools in the future perhaps it will be more palatable. Public opinion seems divided. Some people love the new tools, and others agree it's pricey for what you get. Most folks can probably do without them (especially if you're using desktop software as well as Ancestry.com). 

When I clicked on the person search (magnifying glass) from the upper right hand side of person profile page for my target, I happened to notice a new option in the search results! There's a Pro feature called "Unviewed results only". While it's not the end all be all of search tools, I can say this is one I *might* actually use. If you've subscribed to Ancestry Pro Tools, you can check the box and select apply to remove links you've previously viewed from the search results. 

How many times have you stubbed your toe against your brick wall and wished there was a better way to filter through the plethora of search results? I know I've clicked on the same links time and time again (desperately hoping to see something new and different). Sure, good research etiquette would be to record the links as having been reviewed, but let's face it, who really has time to keep a lengthy log of links with no value? This new feature filters out links you've accessed previously (in the detailed search only) making it easier to see results you may still want to review.

While not labelled as a beta feature, I also didn't find anything about it in the support pages on the site. I don't think this one additional tool adds enough value to justify the cost, but I did want to take a quick moment to point it out. If you've decided Ancestry Pro Tools aren't for you right now, this one feature isn't so fantastic you should reconsider. But if, like me, you've signed up for Ancestry Pro Tools, give it a look next time you're doing a bit more searching.