ANSWERED:"pronouns" field on profile

[lexi_]

i was talking about this in a different thread, but i wanted to make a full suggestion for it on its own.

 

we have a spot on our profiles (optional, of course) for "location" and "gender". i think it would be extremely helpful to have another option for "pronouns"--again, completely optional.

 

"we already have gender, why do we need a separate one for pronouns?"
some people go by multiple pronouns. some people have a complicated relationship with gender that doesn't fully match what there is for the options on our profile. of course, people can always put their pronouns in their signature or otherwise on their profile, but it can easily get lost in blocks of text. i think having a nice little designated spot on our profiles to fill out our pronouns would be very useful, if possible. it would keep things uniform and easy to find, and much more personal and customizeable than the gender option, which, as i mentioned, isn't always 1:1. 

thoughts?  

 

EDIT: 

the field for "gender" on the profile is... iffy at best. if it were possible, what if a field were added to write-in yourself either your identiy or your pronouns, whichever fits best, and have it show up where your location does under your profile picture on posts? this entirely relies on the forum software, but i thought it was best to add this in on the original post, as it addresses the concern that not many people check profiles for things. 

Edited May 2, 2021 by InvaderAlexis

[Fuzzbucket]

Lots of people put it in their sigs. I think that works better, to be honest - few of us go to a profile to see what you'd prefer.

 

Also - I think probably most of us stick with he/she anyway - if we even include our gender. But could you not put it in the gender box ? Where people would notice it along with your gender, rather than having to look for a separate box ? As it's in a way more important than your gender, since it's the way you want to be addressed in posts.

 

Just a thought. I'm not agin it, but I think sigs work better.

[lexi_]

4 minutes ago, Fuzzbucket said:

Lots of people put it in their sigs. I think that works better, to be honest - few of us go to a profile to see what you'd prefer.

this is why i addressed this in my original post-- as of right now, i don't have a signature. it's far too overwhelming for me personally to go in and try to organize it, so i just never bothered. i like how the fields for location and gender are set up on people's profiles because it is much easier to find exactly where specific things are. even if not everyone uses this feature, i think it would be helpful for those who WOULD find it useful (i.e. people who use multiple pronouns or whose gender does not align with their pronouns). i assume you're cisgender, so it woudn't make much of a difference for you anyway, but for those who are not and for those who have comprehension issues , having a designated box would be very helpful

 

8 minutes ago, Fuzzbucket said:

But could you not put it in the gender box ? Where people would notice it along with your gender, rather than having to look for a separate box ? As it's in a way more important than your gender, since it's the way you want to be addressed in posts.

i'm not sure what youre talking about here. again, some people's relationship with gender does not fit into the pre-picked boxes of male/female/transgender/not telling/genderless. there isn't an option for people who prefer to go as nonbinary (as opposed to "genderless", there IS a difference!), or for demi-gender people, or genderfluid, or genderqueer... the list goes on. it's an accessability thing, and making people feel comfortable. if it's possible, i don't think it's too much to ask for something that will make people feel a lot more comfortable in what theyre putting and to feel seen. even if it isnt useful for you, i think it would be a nice quality of life touch for trans/gender non-conforming people to be able to express themselves, because even the "gender" field is... iffy at best. "transgender" isn't... a gender. and as i said, genderless and nonbinary can be different. it doesn't feel like an end all be all, and doesn't feel nice for people who don't fit strictly into a box. 

once again, people could put it in their signature or on their profile otherwise, but what i'm saying is that if there's a field for gender, that is already flawed, i think it would be nice to put a field for people who don't fit into those boxes and identify otherwise.

 

hope this clears things up  

[Jazeki]

I wouldn't mind if this were implemented, but as Fuzz said, many people don't read profiles and signatures are a more viable option. You could put your preferred pronouns in your custom user title if you're at level 10. If there was a way to make it immediately visible somewhere (like under your avatar if you want), I'd be more supportive. 

 

I think Fuzz means the literal box, not the metaphorical one. Like to have it say "female-she/her" or something of that nature instead of one singular gender option.

 

Edited April 26, 2021 by Jazeki

[LadyLyzar]

I am not certain if the forum software supports adding additional fields.  I will look into it, though!

 

However, I do feel a signature is a good compromise at this time.  It's very easy to do under your Account Settings.  Also, your signature is automatically displayed whenever someone views your profile, so it would be visible there as well.

[Jazeki]

6 minutes ago, LadyLyzar said:

I am not certain if the forum software supports adding additional fields.  I will look into it, though!

 

I just checked and there is a blank option that is able to be selected. Could that possibly become a customizable field?

[lexi_]

11 minutes ago, LadyLyzar said:

I am not certain if the forum software supports adding additional fields.  I will look into it, though!

 

this was what i was worired about  

 

i'm not against putting it in signatures for the time being, but still, my point was if it were possible it would be nice to have a spot for it since we have a spot for gender. it just makes sense to me, if you have one then why not the other?  especially when the options for gender here aren't great. lol. 

[LadyLyzar]

22 minutes ago, Jazeki said:

I just checked and there is a blank option that is able to be selected. Could that possibly become a customizable field?

Again, not certain.  That's a Teej question as he handles all the technical aspects of the forums.  However, I've sent a query.

 

I know the dropdown options of some of the existing fields are editable, as Gender has more options than it did before.  Initially, I'm fairly certain it was Male/Female by default (granted the forum software has been upgraded since then!) and the other options were added later on.  I do not know, however, if such a field allows a user-generated custom option.

 

I also do not know if entirely new customizable fields can be added, and if they can be, if they would display on your posts like Location does now.

[Fuzzbucket]

49 minutes ago, InvaderAlexis said:

this is why i addressed this in my original post-- as of right now, i don't have a signature. it's far too overwhelming for me personally to go in and try to organize it, so i just never bothered. i like how the fields for location and gender are set up on people's profiles because it is much easier to find exactly where specific things are. even if not everyone uses this feature, i think it would be helpful for those who WOULD find it useful (i.e. people who use multiple pronouns or whose gender does not align with their pronouns). i assume you're cisgender, so it woudn't make much of a difference for you anyway, but for those who are not and for those who have comprehension issues , having a designated box would be very helpful

To be honest, while yes, I am pretty much cisgender, I don't actually care what pronouns people use for me. On another forum I'm on I happen (for strange reasons) to use a male name, and people frequently use he/him of me/. The only time I bother to say anything is when they ask me for a male POV... I don't feel qualified. But if you have pronouns you want to see used, you are far more likely to get a result using your sig - and it really is VERY easy to open it up and just type in something like "Pronouns: she/her (or whatever you'd like.) Feel free to say here what you'd like, though, and I for one will try and remember !

 

49 minutes ago, InvaderAlexis said:

i'm not sure what youre talking about here. again, some people's relationship with gender does not fit into the pre-picked boxes of male/female/transgender/not telling/genderless. there isn't an option for people who prefer to go as nonbinary (as opposed to "genderless", there IS a difference!), or for demi-gender people, or genderfluid, or genderqueer... the list goes on. it's an accessability thing, and making people feel comfortable. if it's possible, i don't think it's too much to ask for something that will make people feel a lot more comfortable in what theyre putting and to feel seen. even if it isnt useful for you, i think it would be a nice quality of life touch for trans/gender non-conforming people to be able to express themselves, because even the "gender" field is... iffy at best. "transgender" isn't... a gender. and as i said, genderless and nonbinary can be different. it doesn't feel like an end all be all, and doesn't feel nice for people who don't fit strictly into a box. 

This came up a few years ago, and there were so many options it pretty much died a death in discussion.

 

 

49 minutes ago, InvaderAlexis said:

once again, people could put it in their signature or on their profile otherwise, but what i'm saying is that if there's a field for gender, that is already flawed, i think it would be nice to put a field for people who don't fit into those boxes and identify otherwise.

 

hope this clears things up  

 

42 minutes ago, Jazeki said:

I wouldn't mind if this were implemented, but as Fuzz said, many people don't read profiles and signatures are a more viable option. You could put your preferred pronouns in your custom user title if you're at level 10. If there was a way to make it immediately visible somewhere (like under your avatar if you want), I'd be more supportive. 

 

I think Fuzz means the literal box, not the metaphorical one. Like to have it say "female-she/her" or something of that nature instead of one singular gender option.

 

I actually had never looked at the box, so I can't in honesty say I did mean that - I don't think changing that dropdown would work.

 

I can't see the extra box you refer to, Jaz...

[lexi_]

@LadyLyzar thank you for asking!! 🙏 i appreciate this a lot. even if the original suggestion is too much, the current system is..... mehhh... for reasons ive already said  i appreciate you sending in a query  

 

7 minutes ago, Fuzzbucket said:

I can't see the extra box you refer to, Jaz...

i think jaz meant the blank box thats filled as default..? which, if im correct, results in it not showing up in your profile at all. 

 

i dont know how having more options could be harmful, but i havent looked at that thread yet... i'll check it out later when i have the time to read (i'm in a class right now, i really shouldnt be here LOL). but if its possible, a fill-in-the-blank could solve all the problems we have here. 🤷‍♂️

Edited April 26, 2021 by InvaderAlexis

[Jazeki]

@Fuzzbucket Ummm. I'm on mobile, but I switched to desktop mode and it shows up above "Not Telling." It's selectable and I assume it would just be a blank space where the gender would be. I've included a screenshot, but I guess it won't matter unless TJ weighs in. 

[Fuzzbucket]

Gotcha. I thought you meant there was a completely separate box, like the ones for gender, location, etc. Thanks.

[UnicornMaiden]

If it would make trans/NB users more comfortable using the forums then certainly it would be a good addition. Though I will agree with others who said that putting it in the signature might be more practical. I don't usually look at people's profiles unless I want to message them, so I wouldn't see the pronoun info if it was there. If it is in the signature then I would see it as soon as I read a person's posts.

[dragongrrl]

I'm on mobile so I never see sigs unless I look at the profile.

 

Personally, it makes no difference to me, but if it makes others more at ease on the site, then yes, support.

[Tini]

The transgender option has always been awkward. It's not a gender, its an adjective. But I recognize it's someone's heart in the right place. I've frequently bounced between not telling, genderless, and occasionally the transgender option, but none of them are actually right. I am trans but that doesn't actually tell anyone anything about my actual gender.

 

Looking through that thread is. Uncomfy. To say the least. Glad I wasn't around when it was going on.

[Fuzzbucket]

This suggestion is only about indicating what pronouns you want used, though. You don't have to say what gender you are, in fact - just that you want to be referred to as (insert choice of pronouns here).

[Laura-Borealis]

23 hours ago, InvaderAlexis said:

i was talking about this in a different thread, but i wanted to make a full suggestion for it on its own.

 

we have a spot on our profiles (optional, of course) for "location" and "gender". i think it would be extremely helpful to have another option for "pronouns"--again, completely optional.

 

 

I support this wholeheartedly! Thank you for bringing it up, InvaderAlexis. 

 

I (just now, after reading through the thread) added my pronouns to my signature. They have also been in my profile for ages. But my profile and sig are minimalist. As you said, such information can easily be lost in blocks of text, or in the visual chaos of signatures. 

 

I'd love to have a profile option for pronouns, one that's in the same format for everyone, easy to find.

 

Or remove the Level 10 requirement for custom user titles so we can use the space under our icons.

 

 

Edited April 27, 2021 by Laura-Borealis

[Marrionetta]

I'd love a super simple way of letting folks know I'm nb and use they pronouns. This isn't a burning desire but it sounds like a nice QOL update for someday.

[steeve]

fun idea and it would be a nice QOL update like Marrionetta said above, but also... i don't think most people go to profiles, so if anything, it should be listed under the icon like location. or signatures. these are places people will actually see it.

 

(personally, as a nonbinary person, i wouldn't use it. i feel like most people just use... names, or quotes, instead of using pronouns. or, fall back on the polite 'they' to refer to someone whose pronouns we don't know. i don't think anyone in my 7 years on the forum has ever referred to me in the third person to warrant a pronouns tab. for all i know no one here /has/ pronouns which is why we generally quote or just use usenames to identify others because everyone is largely anonymous. it can't hurt, of course, but that's just my personal 5 cents. would love to hear what other trans users think.)

[animatedrose]

While a pronouns field would be nice, I gotta agree with the notion that it being on the profile wouldn't help. It being on the side of your posts, like Location and Post Amount, would help more with it being seen. I frankly never go to profiles of anyone unless I'm specifically looking for, say, trade info. I wouldn't be looking for pronouns and would likely skim over it, like I do locations and such, because that's not why I'm there. It being in your signature would also be more noticeable, since most look at those for banners or trade info or just to check out scrolls.

 

A nice QOL addition but I don't think profile is the best spot to exclusively put it if you want it seen and used. Hopefully this does get noticed, for those who would find it helpful. :)

[lexi_]

i meant to update my original post a few days ago but ive been completely forgetting  

if it were possible, i like the suggestion of it showing up where your location does, on the side underneath your profile on posts. i always find it really odd that theres a location feature that is so accessible, i wouldnt really want to give that information out so easily, yet something that feels like it would be beneficial to some people.. isnt? i just woke up, sorry if this doesnt make sense  

 

im not sure if the forum software would allow that though, thats the only thing. it would be nice if it could, but thats why i made the suggestion, because i wasnt completely sure if something like this could happen. 

 

thank you for the input, everyone~!

Edited May 2, 2021 by InvaderAlexis

[OMGitsKairi]

I would most likely use this. But I also wouldn't be too terribly broken up if it couldn't be or wasn't implemented. 

[TJ09]

Ah, I haven't seen this thread, but yeah this is planned. Here's an example of what it'll probably look like

 

[Confused Cat]

Should the "freeform" option really be "singular/plural", not "nominative/accusative"?

[Tini]

1 hour ago, TJ09 said:

Ah, I haven't seen this thread, but yeah this is planned. Here's an example of what it'll probably look like

 

oooooh nice