Contact ID
There should be guidelines or rules for contact ID.
Comments
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There are guidelines for the Contact ID, which are shown on the Profile Settings page: "Always public. This ID is associated with anything I add or edit on FamilySearch."
Once you know that it is public and that it's associated with each of your contributions, you can make your choice as to how you choose to be known. What rules are you hoping for beyond that? There are actually some checks for appropriateness that are done, but it's best not to spell out what "appropriate" means (for some people, that creates a temptation to be right on the edge). Also, the Contact ID does have to be unique, but you'll discover that if you happen to choose one that is already taken, in which case you'll be guided to choose something else.
Other than the above, I think it's great that people have the freedom to be known however they would like. Some people use their name (perhaps with some digits or some other addition to make it unique); others mention a place ("Tennessee Grandma"); others describe their genealogy enthusiasm ("Pedigree Builder"); and others just have an interesting user name.
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I think it's great that people have the freedom to be known however they would like
I can't agree with you there, Alan! I have even been promised the issue of the problem with choosing certain "official sounding" usernames has been escalated. Everyday users deciding to pick usernames ending with "Project", for example, gives a clear impression of a FamilySearch authorised project, so others would give more credence to their inputs than by someone like me, who choses something direct like "Paul W".
Hopefully, certain usernames (as in this example) will be regarded as inappropriate in future, in the same way that a name resembling a profanity would be rejected (by a robot or administrator).
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My wife has recently been running into user "undefined" who is making changes scattered here and there. I've see a few others where it seems a user is trying to make it look like he or she is not a user but rather, as Paul W states, some official process.
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@Paul W I don't think we're actually in any disagreement. I mentioned the fact that "appropriateness" is one of the checks that is done. I would agree with you that those "Project" contact IDs are not appropriate.
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And I've encountered someone who keeps getting banned for bad behavior, makes a new username just 1 digit different from the previous one, and keeps on trucking. At last count, I've documented 21 usernames, and I'm sure I've missed some.
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@Alan E Brown , in addition be aware that these pseudonyms appear as the submitter name on temple cards, which is not helpful at all.
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This discussion is about the Contact ID. It's the Profile Name which is printed on temple cards. Of course, the Profile Name is also selected by the user, so it could have the same issues, but it is a different setting.
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Right you are Alan, different settings. My apologies to the OP for not being on point. Pseudonyms taken from the Profile Name and used as the Submitter name remains an issue for me.
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Alan E. Brown It's right. A person could remove their contact ID from Temple ordinance cards. In the new update there is the option to "Do not show contact".
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I'm aware of that option, but it refers to "Contact Name" (not Contact ID). I know the wording is a bit ambiguous, but it definitely means Profile Name, not Contact ID.
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Thanks. FamilySearch makes changes that are often overlooked. The contact ID, the user, the screen name, the public name etc... (Everyone is different).
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Thanks @Jeanie Hansen. We appreciate everyone's concern and input. Rules for the Contact ID are being discussed.
For those interested, the name that appears on family name cards is your FamilySearch profile Name. The name that displays in the Tree and here in the Community is the Contact ID and starts with @. See https://www.familysearch.org/identity/settings/profile.
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