18 January 2012
What's Wrong Here?
I recently saw the following ancestry.com commercial on tv and realized there was a pretty glaring error less than 30 seconds in. I can't believe I didn't notice it before. It lead me to check out the video on youtube (which is longer than the tv commercial) and see what else I could find. Do you see it?
That's not a World War One Draft Card - it's a World War Two Draft Card, specifically from California. Also incorrect? That's not a 1910 census record - I think it might be 1870, when Mr George Littlewood wasn't even alive. And it looks like the family tree is wrong too. A quick search turns up George's death records and his mother's maiden name was Owen, not whatever 'P' name is in the video.
As I said, this is a longer version of the commercial they show on tv, and I'm sure there are more errors. But does this really matter? Yes and No. I would think that Ancestry.com would want to represent themselves accurately. There are probably a ton of people who recognized the draft card error long ago. I know I won't see this ad again without being distracted by it. But for those that don't see it? All they need to know is that these types of records are available.
I don't know, I just kind of feel bad for George Littlewood. He's stuck in a bad family tree which isn't just online, it's on national television (only half joking here).
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1 comments:
I think you’re right in saying that it does and doesn't matter. A company like Ancestry.com must want to represent themselves as knowledgeable and as being able to help genealogist find accurate information. I am sure this commercial’s goal is to encourage individuals to begin their research rather than recruiting experienced genealogists. However, even if most people don't notice those discrepancies - some do. Soon, you being to get blog posts like these, showcasing a lack of detail from the company when that attention to detail is sooooo important in family history research.
This is a well done commercial. It makes the research look easy (but not too easy - just do a little work and then follow the leaves!) and uses emotion to make the research look relevant. It is surprising that there would be errors in what the spokesperson/actor is saying and the documents that she supposedly used when that is the entire point of the commercial. But, for those who don’t spot the errors, it really is a good commercial.
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