Add Drupal Answers profile field to user profile on drupal.org

subscribing... it's a nice to have...

Currently the Drupal Stack Exchange site is in a probationary status and might get shut down. Until the stack Exchange folks agree to make it a full-fledged community I don't think we should do this. So I suggest we postpone the issue until then (though we can discuss whether it's a good idea assuming that it would get approved).

As it stands people can add it to their profile, but only one user has done it:

mysql> select count(1) from profile_values where value like '%stackexchange%';
+----------+
| count(1) |
+----------+
| 1 |
+----------+
1 row in set (3.66 sec)

It seems that it's not a very popular idea so far.

-1, in a big huge way.

It will only detract from any movement towards obsoleting drupal answers in favor of something more like http://drupal.org/sandbox/HedgeMage/1088372

I'm fine with this either way.

I agree with greggles; it is too early to decide about this, as the Q&A site will be evaluated in 38 days. So far, 3 of 5 parameters are not so promising.

I would add that developing support.drupal.org and having Drupal Answers are not in conflict with each over. Having project issues and a forum on Drupal.org didn't stopped users from asking questions about Drupal on Stack Overflow, and (vice versa) having Drupal questions on Stack Overflow didn't stop us from improving Drupal support on Drupal.org.

I would also add that StackExchange promotes SE sites with conference speaking sponsorships, which would be proposed also for Drupal Answers, if the site goes off beta phase.

Drupal Answers is now out of beta, so I'm un-postponing this issue.

Makes sense to me to add this. +1

I think the decision on this should be postponed until there is a consensus on #1236290: Decide on a course of action for improving support options on Drupal.org.

(Personally I am in favor of both.)

* To clarify (because I missed that the issue title changed):
+1 to embrace drupal.stackexchange.com, which is being debated in #1236290: Decide on a course of action for improving support options on Drupal.org
+1 to add a profile field (this issue)

I do feel the latter should wait until there is a consensus on the former.

I agree with Laura that it should be postponed.

Quick update: the Drupal.Stackexchange community is pretty vibrant. There are now 8 users on drupal.org who have their stackexchange profile linked from a profile field.

People who like this idea should add their StackExchange url to their d.o profile fields.

I'm now +1 on the idea of adding this as a unique profile field. Adding the field simply recognizes that the SE site is a resource for our community. It doesn't say that we've given up on the forums any more than having a linkedin profile field says we've given up on the marketplace.

@alexweber - I disagree: it's not just as relevant as any of the other social networks. It's *more* relevant :)

+1

@dddave - if you are in favor of this idea you can add your Drupal.SE profile url into your Drupal.org profile field and then my query will catch it when I run it again in a week.

I encourage anyone interested in this idea to do that *instead of voting with a +1.* Taking action via your profile doesn't add comments here and shows that you really would use this field if it were available.

+1 on a field.

It's not clear to me what's desired in #13/#18: Simply add the link somewhere anywhere in any text area under any profile tab?

@alexweber, thanks.

I just checked and there are only 17 people who have done this organically.

I'm still in favor of the idea. Maybe my test isn't a reasonable gauge of how interested people are in the idea.

select count(1) from profile_values where value like '%://drupal.stackexchange.com/users%';

It's an odd way to express a +1, but I just added mine, fwiw. When it has to go into a paragraph of text, one has to think of context. When it's a profile link, it's a no-brainer to add.

This is 2013, and connecting identities is important and normal and customary. And it's voluntary. If people don't want to share a profile or connect it to their Drupal presence, they don't have to. But pretending that d.s.c doesn't exist and preventing an easy way for people to connect their identities strikes me as a trivial non-action taken out of spite.

It will only detract from any movement towards obsoleting drupal answers in favor of something more like http://drupal.org/sandbox/HedgeMage/1088372

If drupal.stackexchange.com has relevance, we're not helping things by pretending it doesn't. If any movement to a home-grown *.d.o solution happens, its relevance won't succeed or fail based on whether d.o profiles pretend drupal.stackexchange.com doesn't exist, but only on its own ability to provide relevance (and a good UX). I don't mean to pick on a 2yo comment, but rather to take up a previous objection. And this doesn't even get into the epic delays in the in-the-works D7 upgrade of *.d.o that is a prerequisite to new features such as our own cool info exchange. Meanwhile in the interest of open exchange of knowledge, let's get this profile field up!

As for objections that somehow having a profile is an endorsement, are we endorsing LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google+? No. We're helping d.o users connect their d.o profiles to the rest of their online identities. I fail to understand how those are okay but anything Drupal-related would not be okay.

+1 for adding the field, even though I don't use SE. It's a valuable support resource for the people that use it.

Edited my comment in #4, that was when I thought that sandbox was actually going somewhere.

So...seems like there were good reasons to postpone this (the site not being official, a nascent effort to build something similar on d.o that felt threatened by a profile link). Personally, I agree with folks who have pointed out that linking to Drupal.StackExchange profiles is not necessarily in competition with any other solution. But...even if you feel that way I think it's been a long enough period without the link and no solution has evolved. It's time to add the field.

I propose:
https://drupal.org/admin/user/profile/add/url
* Category: Drupal
* Title "Drupal Answers profile url"
* profile_drupal_answers_url
* Explanation: Add the url of your profile on http://drupal.stackexchange.com/
* Visibility: Public field, content shown on profile page but not used on member list pages.
* Rest: defaults

+1 on #26.

+1 from me as well.

Now done.

I put it on the "Personal Information" screen since that's where other profile urls are.