Did you notice the dots in this video? Learn more about them here 🤩Color-code your Matches 👉🏼 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pLJ7mbWq0LeRd30.html

Good video. I often use the Common Ancestor first. I also like to check on unviewed cousins to see if there is some new, good info. Too often, these folks don't have trees. Again, thanks for the RootsTech spreadsheet. You really simplify my viewing schedule. I will keep checking for your updates.

Thanks for the great video.

Great video. I need to redo my color coding.

Well, sometimes I will sort out the unviewed ones to see if there are any new close matches. But that is a seperate topic then when I am starting to work with my matches. My first filter I typically use is color coding. Because I have tested my grandparents I like to narrow down my tree by a quarter. So then I am working with one grandparent (and depending on the grandparent, maybe half of their branch). Once I pick a match I will typically switch to my grandparent's account, find that match and then work through the shared matches from my grandparent's account. How do I pick that match? I will often use common ancestors, and then I will go to one with a private tree, then go through shared matches hoping the shared match will help me narrow down where the private tree match is located. Or I go through the public or shareable tree if I want an easier time. Another filter I use a lot is the search filter and Surnames in a tree. While I do not do that on my 'common' last names like Baker, Miller or Smith. But if I use something like Tripplet or Denham I am going to filter out a lot more false ones than on of the other ones. I almost never use shared DNA unless I am narrowing the names to go through to make a Leeds chart. I will filter my messaged or notes to see if I need to update notes or if I should send a followup message because a year or more has passed. I am hoping that they will be adding filters soon for those you have linked in your tree, and not linked; and a filter for those you have determined the relationship, and have not determined.

I really like the common ancestor filter on the DNA match list. That helps me out a lot. I have 93,545 DNA matches on Ancestry DNA. I only need the focus on about 1,556 of those.

Think I've identified almost everybody back to 4th cousin and some 5th and 6th.

I think they mixed my DNAand my son's because my results have his cousins that are no cousin of mine.