Ask HN: A better word for profile?

Posted by mhluongo on Friday December 31, 2010 @01:22PM
from the ask-hn dept.

The term is almost sickeningly ubiquitous, and doesn't necessarily fit where it's shoved.

We're building a social product where 'profiles' are generated, and then customized. Portrait is on the table, but has an artsy and possibly presumptuous connotation.

EDIT: We've thrown out bio & portfolio, because we can't suggest we've generated people's bios or portfolios. Vita is unfamiliar to most people. Overview is a bland alternative. Not sure about sketch (similar to portrait).

EDIT: The product is aimed at academics, and generated 'profiles' will include details like publishing history. Because a user may or may not have curated her profile, we don't want to give the impression that the profile was hand-crafted by the user if it wasn't.

( 5 comments | 7 points | on HN )

Re:Ask HN: A better word for profile? by kylelibra on Friday December 31, 2010 @02:00PM (#2056097)

Gowalla uses passport, which is created and appropriate. Page is ubiquitous, but I prefer it to profile. Definitely a tough decision.

Maybe we could get a few more details about the product? I think something unique to your product (like Gowalla's approach) is the way to go.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: A better word for profile? by mhluongo on Friday December 31, 2010 @02:23PM (#2056167)

Added a bit about our audience and structure. I'd like to come up with something unique- I thought vita was good, given the academic feel, but on second thought it might be stilted.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: A better word for profile? by DirtyPowder on Friday December 31, 2010 @02:51PM (#2056267)

Since you are aiming at an academic audience I think Curriculum Vitae might be a great option. It represents the professional and yet has a feeling of acedemia.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: A better word for profile? by mhluongo on Friday December 31, 2010 @02:56PM (#2056283)

Do you think confusing that with a user's actual CV would be an issue?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: A better word for profile? by DirtyPowder on Saturday January 01, 2011 @12:45PM (#2057924)

It would all depend on how you frame and present it. Your target audience is an intelligent one and I think would pick up fairly quickly that CV is representing more than just their resume.

Probably the best idea though is to take some of the ideas that you have and do some A/B testing. That way it's what can empirically be proven to work the best.

[ Parent | on HN ]