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Geni writes:
https://www.geni.com/discussions/289136
Today we're happy to announce a new addition to our Name Preferences that allows users to add metadata such as Tribe, Royal House, DVN, "GRanDMA OnLine" number, etc wherever names are displayed on Geni. This removes the need to add such information to the Suffix fields and gives everyone greater flexibility with how they want to view profile information on the site. Read more about it here:
One of the challenges of building and maintaining the World Family Tree is balancing personal preferences within a shared, collaborative environment. A perfect example of this is how names are displayed on Geni. From surnames in all caps to displaying birth surnames instead of last names, Geni’s flexible Name Preferences settings offers you the chance to view profile names exactly how you want them without imposing your preference on others.
Today we’re excited to take these customizations even further! You can now add custom profile facts to name displays, giving you even more control over how you see names across Geni. These custom facts will appear wherever names are shown, including profile pages, tree view, list views, and more.
What are Custom Profile Facts?
In addition to the standard data fields provided by Geni, you may create your own custom fact labels and values to display on a profile. These labels and values are displayed on the profile page in the main information section next to the profile photo. Since these are displayed prominently on a profile, we ask users to be selective about what information is placed here. Some suggested uses include:
- De Villiers numbers (DVN)
- Tribal/clan affiliation
- Royal house affiliation
Custom profile facts can be seen by anyone on the profile page, depending on their viewing permissions.
How to Add Custom Profile Facts
When you edit a profile, scroll to the bottom of the Basics tab and click “Add more information.”
Custom profile facts are made up of two parts: Label and Field value. In the “Label” box, enter the name of the fact you would like to add. Or you can click on the down triangle to view a list of custom profile facts that were added to profiles you follow.
Next, enter the value of the field in the “Field value” box.
After saving your changes, you will now see the new custom profile fact in the main information section of the profile page.
Why Add Custom Profile Facts to Name Preferences?
Despite the addition of custom profile facts on profile pages, many users continued to place non-name information into the suffix field of profiles in order to see this data wherever names appear on Geni. Adding custom profile facts to the name preferences means there will no longer be a need to do this, and by making it a user-selected option, they can see the information without forcing it upon everyone else on Geni.
When you customize your name preferences, only you will see this additional information where names are displayed.
How to Add Custom Profile Facts to Name Preferences
You can add custom profile facts in your Name Preferences settings.
https://www.geni.com/account_settings/name_preferences
First, click on your name at the top right of the page and select “Account Settings.”
Next select “Name Preferences.”
In the section to set your preferences for general name display on Geni, check the box “Show custom profile facts when viewing profile names.”
Once checked, you may start typing the custom profile fact label into the box to create a new label or select from an existing fact label you have already created. Or you may click on the down triangle to a list of custom profile facts that already appear on the profiles you follow. After selecting or creating a label, click the button “Add Label to Profile Names.”
An example of how names will be displayed will appear below. You may further customize how these fact labels are displayed by filling in the “Prepend” and “Append” boxes. For example, if you would like to see Royal houses next to profile names, you may add the label “House.” “House” will now appear in the example name above the labels list. If you would like to see this data within square brackets [ ], then you may add [ in the Prepend character box and ] in the Append character box. The example will show the profile name and [House] after it. Once you are done, click “Save Changes.”
Now when you view a profile that has “House” as a custom profile fact, you will see the field value with the profile name.
You may add multiple custom profile facts to the name display and customize how each one will be displayed using the “Prepend” and “Append” character boxes. To reorder how the fact labels are displayed, simply click on the horizontal lines at the left and drag the label to your preferred order. Be sure to save your changes after reordering the labels.
If you no longer wish to see a custom profile fact displayed with names, click on the x on the right for that label.
If you would like to remove a custom profile fact from the list of suggestions, you may click on the x to the right of the label. Removing the label from the list will not delete any data from profiles using that label.
Search Custom Profile Facts
We’re also happy to announce that custom profile facts are now searchable. A new search field called “Custom Profile Facts” has been added to our advanced search filters. You can search for the text that appears in the label, field value, or both. Note that you do not need to include any name fields when searching for custom profile facts.
For example, if you perform a search for the custom profile fact “Immigration to Australia,” then the search results will list all profiles that include “Immigration to Australia” as a custom profile fact and the names will be displayed in accordance with your name preference settings.
Summary
With these new enhancements to Name Preferences, Geni continues to empower users with greater control over how they view names on the site. The ability to add custom profile facts to name displays and search for them makes it easier than ever to personalize your experience while keeping collaboration seamless. We’re excited to see how this update enhances your experience on Geni!