Introducing Unified Profiles
Common is launching a new feature: Unified Profiles.
Unified Profiles offers users a way to create a personalized page on our platform that showcases their activity and interests and connects them with wider communities across Common. In this blog post, we'll explore the problem that led to the development of Unified Profiles, the key aspects of this new feature, and the benefits it brings to our users.
Over the past few months, we’ve noticed that a vast majority of our users want to use the same display names across communities. Our previous model required users to create Multiple Profile(s) for each community they joined. This was the case even if profiles were across different chains (such as Cosmos or EVM-based chains). This led to a ton of unnecessary clicks, made it difficult for users to manage their profiles, and generally created friction when exploring threads and activity related to other profiles.
Now, by providing users with a way to create a unified profile that's consistent across all communities and chains that they've joined, we’re aiming to unify the user experience, simplify profile management, and provide ways for their reputation to be portable across multiple communities.
What User Impact Should Be
With this update, you'll have a single display name across all your communities, making it easier to connect and engage with others. This change will go into effect March 9th, 2023. To prepare, we’re asking all users to provide a new display name for their unified profile.
Please note that your previous activity and actions will not be erased. Only your current profile name will be replaced by your new display name.
For users who don’t opt-in by providing a new Unified Profile display name during this transition, the following will occur:
One Address and Profile ⇒ No Change!
Most users (95%+) only have 1 address and 1 community profile. There should be no change with this migration, all activity will be transferred.
Multiple Addresses and Profiles (with the same display name) ⇒ Merged into a Unified Profile
Some users have multiple addresses, but all of their community profile display names are the same! There should be no change with this migration, all activity will be transferred.
Multiple Addresses and Multiple Profile Display Name ⇒ Merged into a Unified Profile (with user-chosen name) or will need to be manually relinked
For users who do not opt-in during this period, rather than doxxing them by unifying all their profiles and addresses publicly, we have decided to split up their account. What this looks like is that each address will have their own separate account and profile on Common. To log in to each account, the user can simply sign-in with each address.
For impacted Users who want to relink their addresses into a single unified profile, they just need to sign from each address again! To do so, the user can “Connect a new address” from their account dropdown popover and sign for the address that was unlinked. This will migrate the address + all its activity to their currently logged in account.
NOTE: If you don’t believe your case is here, please reach out to developers@common.xyz or @RhysFH on Telegram, and we will resolve it!
Other Exciting Features
Personalized profile page
Users can set a background and/or cover photo to personalize their profile page, making it their own and showcasing their creativity.
One profile can own multiple addresses across chains
With Unified Profiles, each user will have one profile that owns multiple addresses across many chains. Users can now have the same display name and avatar across all the communities they've joined.
Customizable metadata
Users can customize their profile with metadata such as their bio, interests, and contact information, all of which provide an opportunity for users to showcase their personality and share their interests.
View history
Users can view their history on the site, including likes, comments, and posts. This feature provides users with a way to look back on their activity on the platform, engage with their past interactions, and foster a stronger connection with the community.
Looking Ahead
We will continue to experiment with ways to make the profile your home in crypto. Whether you’re a governance super-delegate, an NFT collector, or DeFi Degen, we want to let you showcase your interests. We’ll be experimenting with rolling out features such as badges for participating in community discussion, options to display NFTs that carry personal significance, and customized actions users can take to participate further in their community. We’re excited about these features and can’t wait to continue to make Common a seamless, personalized, multi-chain experience for each user.
If you have other ideas on improving profiles on Common, please feel free to reach out.