How To: Adding Location to your info/posts.

[Bruce Fielding]

"I know where you live"

No I don't.

This is just a reminder that for all sorts of reasons, it's really useful to let others on the forum know where in the world you are.

Here's how to get your location showing in EVERY post you make (thanks to Driver):

Click the Profile button at the Top of the page:

On the Left side of the page under the "Modify Profile" section click the link titled "Forum Profile Information"

A page will come up and all you have to do is fill in the first field called "Personal Text:"

Below is a clipping that shows the field and what i have entered, if you look over by my avatar you can see how it is displayed. Let me know how it works for you.





edit: changed name of thread - D

[Driver]

Here's a bump so you can see how it displays under my Avatar (that logo/picture thingy underneath your number of posts to the uninitiated).

It's important to put your location in the Personal Text area specifically - We are a International Forum - people don't know where you are talking about/from  for the most part. Just Do It.

The Location field also is there, but it only shows up when people click on your name to see your complete profile, an additional step most will not do.



The stuff at the bottom of ones post is the Signature, that's a different subject but works in a similar fashion. For me I use a image and some text. Wider horizontal images work better than vertical oriented ones (less space and better for people scrolling through a post.). If theres interest we can cover that as well. When using images its best to keep them small (Less Clutter).

[g8kam]

thats still is only volunteer info. , not mandatory

[Driver]

None of it is mandatory (would be helpful to the rest of us if people that post would do one or the other though). I've been thinking this for all year and mentioned it long before this thread..

This thread is just showing people how to do it so the forums are easier to follow when people are posting geographically bent info and not actually saying where they are in the post. Lots of places in the UK and the US share the same names so at times it gets confusing.

[Jammer]

at very minimum, its sooo helpful if you put the country...at minimum. 

[John Lloyd]

Just to get this one to the top again.

Please show via your profile, profile information in either area called Personal text or signature the following

town, county/state, country.

Atom bhp UK or USA etc

Thanks

[Driver]

I don't even care if people show their local town. They might not want to be targeted by people, but State or some generic geographical "area" like their country would be so nice.

Ross, can you see if tsome of the fields can be made mandatory in the signup process for a Forum ID? Or for the Location to show under their Avatar? Links to approriate fixes from SMF are below.

Here's one specific to forcing people to fill out a Location (which doesn't help as it doesn't show unless one goes to their profile but it's not bad and can be used for other fields. Or it could be used in conjunction with the last mod below.

Here's a similar modrequiring Websites be listed. I just think Personal Text should have something as well as Signature. It would make our Atom Forum so MUCH more personable. And it is a simple text change to the Profile.php file.

Here's something else that can be done to prompt people without making it mandatory. Just a nudge for them to actually go to the profile and fill it out. Which may be all that is required.

Here's a mod to force the Location Field to show under a persons Avatar (Hey I could actually use personal text for something else.)

[Alec]

[quote="Driver"]
I don't even care if people show their local town. They might not want to be targeted by people, but State or some generic geographical "area" like their country would be so nice.
[/quote]

Agreed. 

It would make reading posts so much easier and quicker if they could be put into context immediately with a glance at details like location, instead of having to open up profiles to search for the information.

[Driver]

Just the first and the last mod on my list would make it so much better around here. Figured I'd save Ross some legwork and provide direct links to those topics.

Until then. People that have already registered, please go complete as much of your profile as you are comfortable doing. We are a community, it's fine t have a alias, but you loose nothing by saying where you live, give or take 500-1000 miles. You don't have to be literal. But country would be helpful at least.

[John Lloyd]

Bounce,  please could everyone make the effort to put a location in there signature/avator even if it's just the country you're in.

[AtomicCharlie]

Sorry Guys Hope this post is correct as Ive attempted the changes !

[Alec]

I might have a vague idea though. 





. . . and also what you're using. 

[Driver]

[quote="AtomicCharlie"]
Sorry Guys Hope this post is correct as Ive attempted the changes ![/quote]

No need to put the actual word location in there. "Worcester Central United Kingdom" is plenty.

I think most people just don't realize it needs to be in the field called PERSONAL TEXT for it show up under your name on the left. Yes, there IS a field called Location but that DOES NOT show up when you post.

I'm going to chenge the name of this thread so people don't get so paranoid. It'll be easier for them to find as well as stickying it.

[Matt_E]

Think I need to grind out some pointless posts before I can have the luxury of updating my location.  This is one of them.

[Matt_E]

Thank you for fixing