Ability to remove middle name from anonymous email address
E
Erin Fumiko Kinney
Give alumni the ability to remove their middle name from the anonymous email address generated by the system. For alumni with identical names, a number could be used following the name. Removing the middle name from the profile does not remove it from the system-generated email address. We have received numerous, negative comments about this and there is no easy way to fix.
G
Ginu
Merged in a post:
Remove middle name from user profile url or allow site admins to be able to edit urls
E
Erin Fumiko Kinney
This is one of most common requests from users. They do not like to see their middle name appear in either platform-generated emails or urls, especially after they've removed the middle name from their profile. See screenshot below:
E
Elizabeth MacNeil Woodcock
I agree that a system-wide change would be preferable. Most people only use their middle name for legal or formal purposes. An option to include a maiden name would be helpful since many alumnae change their name.
G
Ginu
Hey Erin Fumiko Kinney, thanks for your feedback! I have a few more questions for you:
- Can you provide more details about the specific scenarios where the middle name appears in the platform-generated emails or urls, even after being removed from the profile?
- Are there any specific privacy or personal preferences concerns associated with the middle name appearing in the urls or emails?
- Would you prefer a system-wide change where no user's middle name appears in the urls or emails, or should this be a customizable feature for each user?
E
Erin Fumiko Kinney
Hi Ginu,
From our experience, removing the middle name from the profile does not change the url or the platform-generated emails, which makes it especially frustrating for users. Once they remove middle name, they want to see it removed completely from the platform.
Privacy/security has been the number one reason most people want to remove middle name. Other reasons have been because they are uncomfortable with their middle names and don't want them publicly displayed. Sometimes middle names are used for authentication questions on accounts, for example, my bank might have a security question that asks me for my mother's middle name, which anyone could find in Almabase if my mother was an alumna. Users generally don't want this info floating around.
I would prefer a system-wide change. We have had many people ask to remove middle name, but no one has said they like it.
Kanhai Shah
Erin Fumiko Kinney Thank you for the feature request. I would need some more details on this. We do not generate any email addresses from a user name. Would you be able to add screenshot of where you see the anonymous email address?
E
Erin Fumiko Kinney
Kanhai Shah: Here's a screenshot. In this example, Toshiko is her middle name, Abe is her maiden name and Oi is her last name.