Change LNAB's before linking to other profiles to reduce redirection in the future?

Question

Does it make a difference linking to a profile in need of a LNAB change with it's current ID or should the LNAB be changed beforehand?

Comments

I don't change it before hand if I know I'm merging into a different surname.  Seems to be one less redirect that way.  But just my opinion.
If you mean linking like child to father, that is different, but changing before or after linking shouldn't matter afaik.

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If I'm linking to a profile with a wrong LNAB from the bio of another profile and then the LNAB gets changed to the correct LNAB I have created the need for a redirect. Intuitively it seems that changing the LNAB first and then linking to the correct ID would save quite a number of redirects if many profiles are involved. I want to make sure that this is correct before starting to pester some PM's to change LNAB's so that I can continue to work on these bios.

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Well, yes, in the case of a link you create in the bio, would've helped to say that.  You can always update your link later as needed but I think links in bio would not be a big deal for ordinary profiles.

Answer 1

Helmut, I believe Mikey is correct in stating that changing a LNAB requires creating a new profile - in essence, a merge is done (I believe that Chris Whitten has mentioned that in one or more posts).

If you change the LNAB before you merge existing profiles, you are creating an additional profile - and more work for the servers!

Only if BOTH profiles have incorrect LNABs should you change one before a merge (or you could merge first, then change LNAB).

Here is the link that explains the situation somewhat:

http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Correcting_a_Last_Name_at_Birth

Comments

It's not about merging. I am working on bios for a pre-1500 dynasty, so lots of links from the bios to different profiles are needed. If these other profiles have demonstrably wrong LNAB's which will eventually have to be changed to the right dynastic name I have created a lot of redirects by linking to them. The question is how much of a problem is that, is it worth the effort to get the profile managers to change their LNAB's first before I link to them or is it just a minor issue?

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Doh! Looks like I misread your question, Helmut!

Now that I've re-read your question, I would say that it makes no difference as far as the mechanics of linking and redirects are concerned. Either way, changing the LNAB will result in a redirect for the original profile ID.

I now see what your concern is - if you code the old profile ID into your bio, you may need to update to a new profile ID if the LNAB is corrected. And that could mean a lot of work down the road!

So maybe it IS better to change the incorrect LNAB to the correct one BEFORE adding your links.