DCATraveler

New user... Not sure what the issue is. I'm trying to get to my profile page but when I click on my name where it says "Welcome, DC-Traveler". The URL takes me to http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/members/dc-traveler.html, however, the profile that comes up with it is "DC Traveler"'s page rather than my own.

Please fix

IBLib

Hi! I've been informed by IT that you're experiencing this issue because one of two things:

- You have the Facebook Connect option turned on, in lieu of the standard username & password option. I've PM'd you instructions on how to remove the Facebook Connect option. Let me know if it has fixed the problem.

- Your username is too close of a resemblance to the other user, so if the Facebook Connect option does not fix the problem, you will have to change your username.

Please keep me updated. Thanks!

lo2e

I know what the issue is, but I don't know how to fix it.

If there's a member who has a handle with multiple non-hyphenated words in it, their profile page will have the address word1-word2-word3.html (since putting spaces in the URL would result in an error).

So the profile for "DC Traveler" has to have dc-traveler.html as the end of the URL or else it wouldn't load at all.

Unless IB can come up with a technical fix for this "glitch", the best solution may end up being having the Community Director, whose handle is SanDiego1k, change your handle to a different name. Send her a Private Message if you intend to change your handle, as IBLib suggests.

lin821

I doubt anyone has been working on this glitch since I had reported this problem more than 2.5 years ago and asked IB how to fix it:

Profile Mismatch Followup: What's the IB Solution?

I brought this up again in 2010 (see post #2):

Porblem with dash as last character of login

Case in point: A real life example

As of today, I still can't find Fly-Me-to-the-Moon! to send him a PM since FT system only shows me the profile of Fly Me To The Moon, while these two are different FTers.

IB, what's your solution, if any? Are you guys going to contact every FTer with hypens in their handles and request them a handle change?

Or are you going to set up a system to NOT allow any new handle with any hyphen in it?

DCATraveler

I'm just going to have them change my name.. DCATraveler here I come

IBobi

I like both of those approaches

It's a technical issue having to do with the software that runs the site. Nothing that can be tweaked individually for FT, unfortunately. Maybe in some future version it won't be a problem any longer, or we will be able to turn off punctuation in user names. For now, we deal with it as best we can on a case-by-case basis.

lin821

Would that take another 2.5 years, or longer, before we see any "improvement?"

IBobi

I'd say the workaround is: if you are the one with punctuation in your handle that's preventing full functionality, request a handle change. And if you are trying to communicate with a member who has such punctuation in their handle, ask them to request a handle change. There are no handles that *need* punctuation -- and this is coming from an Irishman with an apostrophe in his last name

lin821

How? When all I can get to see is Fly Me To The Moon, instead of Fly-Me-to-the-Moon!?

Even if I could get the hold of him, who am I to request a fellow FTer to change their handle when FT software fails to deliver the proper profile of said FTer? Shouldn't it be the admin's job? I thought you meant IB would proceed as suggested when you indicated that you like my "approaches":
My mistake. I thought you guys wanted to fix this known issue.

IBobi

Salient points, lin821.

Have you tried PMing the hyphenated user? Go to your own profile, select "send new message" and start filling out the username you wish to send to -- it will prompt you with username suggestions, including the hyphenated version of the user you're trying to reach.

Failing that, there are many trusted Moderators who would I'm sure be very helpful in contacting a member on your behalf.

As to "who am I to request..." I would say you are a fellow FTer who wants everyone to be able to communicate with one-another. As these issues only come up every so often, it makes a lot more sense for them to be handled case by case than for us to legislate that every member with punctuation in their handle needs to request a handle change. I would think a fellow FTer would welcome a suggestion that would allow her/him to more easily communicate with their community, even if it meant a slight modification in their name.

lin821

(bolding mine)

What a novel idea! It never occurs to me to go to my own profile when PMing someone else on FT.

Since IB is so assured of no easy solution to the "limitation" of FT's current software, I am just surprised why this "workaround approach" wasn't suggested to me when I first presented this issue 2.5 years ago, or any of the followup inquiries since 2009.

Well, I can't personally confirm your line of thinking since I have no issue with my FT handle. However, I do know some people may not be as happy when hinted with a handle change:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/techn...confusion.html

My point is to not ask or expect general members to do what's better taken care of by the admin, especially when the issue lies at the heart of technology the site is using.

ETA:
BTW, if I am not mistaken, doesn't IB also "own" the software/technolgoy FT is operating on? That should make it easy for the company to come up with a better version and fix the known issue, shouldn't it?

If even I, a non-techie, can spot this problem more than 2 years ago, I can't think of a good reason why the software company doesn't or/and can't come up with a solution for a known problem after so many years.

IBobi

Lin,

I'm sorry nobody gave you a good workaround earlier... all I did was fiddle with a couple of different ways to try to do that, based on my own use of the site. At any rate, it's nice to know it works for you!

As to the Vbulletin question, yes, IB owns that as well. I am sure it does streamline the process to get fixes made but it still remains a process. Upgrading a given site (especially one as huge as FT) to new versions of VB is also a process, and not one we undertake lightly; we'd rather deal with a relatively small issue for a while than risk losing the whole site over a rushed update.

Thanks for your feedback, and let me know if I can help with any other workarounds in the future,

Paul

1flyer

On every forum page, there's a panel towards the top right that says something like "Welcome, $user$". You last visited: etc. In that panel, one's own user name is a link which takes you to the profile page.

Now, in my case, that link is to

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/members/-flyer.html

And apparently, that profile is associated with user "*flyer" which has been inactive for ~8 years. I would prefer if the link took me to my profile.

I know, it's a minor issue but I thought I'd report.

lo2e

This is an issue that the parent company of FlyerTalk, Internet Brands, is aware of but there is no fix for other than you requesting a change of your handle to one that doesn't include punctuation. See this thread for a problem that is very similar to yours: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/tech...s-profile.html Edit: Your question has now been moved into the thread that was linked, so there is no longer a need to click on the link.

That said, if you go through with the process of changing your handle for the above-stated reason, please take a look at this thread for guidance: Change user name / username / handle: Can I? How?