Developing Your Profile

At this point, your theme, modules, and layout are basically set. Of course, you’re free to change any of your customizations at any time. But for our purposes, we’ll imagine that we’re all happy with the current setup, which means it’s time to conjure up some information. One of the first pieces of information you should add is your profile data. As mentioned earlier, profile information is pulled directly from the MSN Member Directory. If you’re just getting started with MSN, your profile is most likely empty. You can create an MSN Member Directory profile from your MSN Space. To do so, follow these steps:

1.      Click Customize, and then click Edit Profile in the Profile module.

2.      On the Create Your MSN Nickname page, type a nickname, and then click Save. We entered nightwatch_tiger, but you’ll need to enter a unique name. The MSN Member Directory page is displayed.

3.      Complete the form by filling in only the areas in which you’d like to provide information. You are not required to supply information for every field, and you can always return to edit your profile. At the bottom of the form, read the code of conduct, and then select the I Accept check box if you agree. In the Home Page box, you might want to enter the Web address of your MSN Space (in the form spaces.msn.com/members/your_space).

4.      After you’ve filled in all the form fields that you feel like addressing, click Save. Your Member Directory (MD) statistics are displayed. You can use this page to add a picture, specify Member Directory interests, and edit your information. The following figure shows a modified Member Directory page with a picture added (phattigercat.jpg) and 10 MD Category Interests (the maximum allowed) selected.

An MSN Member Directory profile

5.      Close the MSN Member Directory page, and return to your MSN Space. Your profile information should now appear in the Profiles content module. If not, click the Refresh button on your browser’s toolbar. Figure 7-9 shows the Phat Tiger Says… space updated with Phat Tiger’s profile information.

MSN Member Directory profile information in an MSN Space