What are the top way to "pimp" a profile?

Question

Some profiles look great!  And others are more like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  

What are the top 2-3 things that make a profile look awesome in your opinion?

Comments

 I ... well, I had to google "pimp" to find out what the ... to find out .... eh. AH HAH!! The INFORMAL use of the word ... to make "showy" ... I had not encountered this before ... bling, yes?

The FORMAL use of it, yes ... thus, my confusion about why anyone would want to act a s pimp for a profile ... 

Goes a long way toward kick-starting your day, to run across someone asking for someone else to pimp a profile, and let me tell YOU about eye-openers!! 

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Haha!  Sorry for the confusion.

Answer 1

Sources.  And interesting narrative.  A few nice photos, perhaps.

Comments

Well, that is spot on! But the question was what makes a profile look awesome? I would say pictures, entertaining narrative, then sources.

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True!

Answer 2

A subtle background.

Comments

I'm so happy you italicized that. Definitely subtle and not some eye-popping busy background!

Answer 3

"Pimped-out" means flashy and tacky. So don't try to pimp out a profile with colors, multiple fonts, flashy backgrounds, etc. Go for a clean and simple style. A few appropriately placed and sized in-narrative photos are a nice touch, but should complement the text and not break it up too much or overwhelm it.

Answer 4

I think everyone will have their own opinion, as one man's fully finished profile will be another who says it's only just begun. For me:

1) Clear, well-written biography that is fact-based, but has some entertaining language that paints the picture of what happened, during what time period, and relates to to historical references of the time and to the events of that person's life. It should also be easy to follow and not jump around, but take you from birth to death and have some foundation in genealogical research (and not just a copy of Wikipedia, for example).

2) A tasteful background that's clean and not animated nor overly detailed. Too much in this case can quickly become... too much.

3) Pictures that support the profile, to include the individual (2-3 at most - more than this tends to lean towards overkill), possibly a photo of their gravesite, and possibly a photo of some key event in their life. Generic photos are OK, but I usually don't care much for them. Showing a "Conestoga Wagon" photo of a museum piece to denote someone who made a wagon trail is OK but not really necessary. Although showing a drawing from the period of the same thing helps draw me back to that time period, so it can be done right.

4) Lastly, templates and categories that support the profile.

So I exceeded the 2-3 - oh well... had to fit that last one in.

Comments

Aww. I was hoping for rims and hydraulics. Ya know like I did for Stan Lee's profile. ;)

Great points as usual, Scott!

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I also don't care for generic photos (and it's annoying to have my Ancestry hints cluttered with them).  For a person for whom no photographs (or other portraits) exist, another possible illustration would be a relevant map.

Answer 5

Thanks for the tips.  Here is my understanding so far.  

1.  The "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" profile has the bare minimum with no bio, perhaps an imported set of sources that can't be opened or found except behind a paywall.  

2.  The basic profile is a "work in progress".  I want to put a placeholder up so that I can keep coming back to it and perhaps attract cousins to share what they know.  Put in as much as I can with the knowledge that it might change.

3.  The good profile is a decent understanding of the person with sources for each fact provided, and a nice bio that boils all the research down into an enjoyable and readable form.

4.  The awesome profile is a good profile that adds photos if available, stickers (categories, templates) for major historical events, and tracks down siblings and children beyond just the line the profile manager is in.

5.  The best profile is an awesome profile that CONNECTS - we start to see relationships beyond our own resources, DNA , and links to pre 1700 and beyond