LDS Account E-mail to MLS

[coloradotechie-p40]

I would disagree with that claim [regarding the easiness of updating the LDS Account profile] -- it's quite easy to do. Yes, it is one additional place to go, but it's easy to update once you go there.

I agree that once you go there it is easy to do... but it isn't easy to get there. I tried talking my wife through the process: Login to LUWS, which she is comfortable doing), click "Update Profile", ignore that email address, click "Update password and other options", sign in again, then click edit.

I felt silly trying to explain the process:

"I have to login again?"
-- Yes.
"I can't just update my email address on the 'Update Profile' screen on the LUWS?"
-- No, you have two "profiles"... the website profile and the LDS Account Profile.
"Why are there two profiles?"
-- Well, they're working on making one profile (I hope) so that you'll just have your new LDS Account profile and a new web site called "My Directory". I know it is confusing right now but they're working on making it better.

I think trying to explain this to a member while at church is going to be painful, and thus I made the statement, "There is no easy way to update your LDS Account profile".

Originally Posted by coloradotechie
It is unknown when the new LUWS features will be rolled out (specifically directory of members) which use the LDS Account as the primary profile and get rid of the extra LUWS email address.

You speak of this as if it is a certainty. What is your source for the claim that the LDS Account will be the source of the LUWS email address at some point? Don't get me wrong -- I'd love to see this -- but the current version of the directory on labs.lds.org doesn't do this at this point, so I'm curious who is saying this is how it will work.

You're right... I don't have a source for that statement... instead I just assumed that with the new "My Directory" that the Church would go away from the current LUWS profile and use the LDS Account as the master online profile.

Moving forward, if they decided to keep separate profiles, I'd probably be confused... it just seems natural to only have one online profile, the LDS Account profile... and have info from the LDS Account profile feed into the "My Directory" where possible.

Anywho, THANK YOU for reading through my long post... it seems like all of this is heading in the right direction and for now I think I have a gameplan. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP IN THIS! I'd be way lost without this forum.

[coloradotechie-p40]

I just found out the LUWS admin cannot update a member's LUWS Email Address.

So, how about when a person logs into the LUWS for the first time? Does the system take the email address from when they register for an LDS Account and populate the LUWS Profile with it?

Or do they have to register for an LDS Account, then update their LUWS Profile with their email address themselves?

Thanks!

[aebrown]

I just found out the LUWS admin cannot update a member's LUWS Email Address.

Yep -- I already answered that in my long response to your long post. But that's the downside of long posts -- it's easy to miss things.

Question: Do LUWS Administrators have the ability to update members LUWS email address?

No. Only the individual LUWS user can update the e-mail address through Update Profile.

So, how about when a person logs into the LUWS for the first time? Does the system take the email address from when they register for an LDS Account and populate the LUWS Profile with it?

Or do they have to register for an LDS Account, then update their LUWS Profile with their email address themselves?

A new LUWS user definitely has to first register for an LDS Account before even thinking about logging into LUWS.

Then after they have an LDS Account, they can login to LUWS. The first time they login to LUWS, they have to say they understand the rules of using LUWS. And then they set up their profile. That much I'm pretty sure of. But this has all changed since I last went through the process myself, so I just don't know if the e-mail address field on the LUWS profile is initially filled in with the e-mail address from the LDS Account profile.

[coloradotechie-p40]

Thanks Alan. I went RIGHT over your answer

Well, it looks like I'll have to find someone in the ward who hasn't registered for either (LDS Account or LUWS) and then ask if I can look over their shoulder while they register.

We can then start promoting the LUWS and be better able to help people when they have questions.

Thank you!

[mfmohlma]

Well, it looks like I'll have to find someone in the ward who hasn't registered for either (LDS Account or LUWS) and then ask if I can look over their shoulder while they register.

I just thought of an easy way to do this. Are all of your children (assuming you have any) signed up for LUWS? If not, this might be a great time for them to register.

[coloradotechie-p40]

Okay, I just composed a message to the clerks and the Bishop and I wanted to see if it sounded okay (considering email messages and forum posts don't really have tone to them, I wanted to make sure I don't sound abrasive like I may have sounded at times here... I'm really not a meanie, I promise! )

(We are about to start encouraging everyone to register for an LDS Account and check out the ward web site, I want to make sure we as clerks and the bishop understand the situation so we'll be better equipped to answer questions and help members utilize this great resource).


#### BEGIN MESSAGE #####

Dear (Bishop + other clerks) ;

It turns out I was wrong about the MLS and Local Unit Web Site Sync. Here is how it is going to work until the church rolls out "My Directory" and web site features which may change how things work:

For starters, there are three sources of information:

* MLS: This now has a place for individual email address as we've discussed in the past

* LUWS: ("Local Unit Web Site") - this has an "Update Profile" link which lets people type in a LUWS email address

* LDS Account: This is the Church's new login/profile system which spans different systems (http://labs.lds.org, the LUWS, their testing and development stuff, etc, etc... one login, many church systems, makes it easy to update your info in one spot).

Well, the "sync" process it turns out isn't a "sync" at all. It is a one way data push for individual email addresses from the LDS account to MLS individual email addresses in MLS:

LDS Account email address --> Individual Email address in MLS

This is both good and bad news.

The good news: anyone with an LDS Account can update their LDS Account Profile email address and it will automatically propagate to MLS Individual Email address.

The bad news: the LUWS email address is still separate during this transitional period... so members would need to update both profiles (LUWS and LDS Account) if they want to keep their email addresses the same.

Other things we'll have to watch out for:

* when members create LDS accounts, it will override the individual email address in MLS, even if a clerk changes it... so I think the best way for people to keep their email address up-to-date in MLS is to create an LDS account (we currently aren't producing reports for people with individual email address, but I could see us starting to do this more and more once everyone has an LDS account b/c the email addresses would be more accurate)

* if a member tells their respective auxiliary about an email address change and then the auxiliary tells a clerk, that is good to know, but the member should also be updating their LDS Account whenever they tell an auxiliary about an email address change
(If the member doesn't have an LDS account, then we should encourage them to create one... they'll be able to update their email address and get on the ward web site).

* [OPTIONAL] if a member updates their LDS Account and we see the change come through MLS (we'll be getting update messages when this happens), then we should probably let the auxiliary know about the email address change so the auxiliary can keep up-to-date info also

I know this may be a lot right now and maybe a little confusing, but it will get better as we go through the transitional period (until the Church rolls out the new "My Directory" and starts utilizing the LDS Account more).

Let me know if you'd like to talk more about it in person or if you have questions let me know.

Thanks!

###### End Message ######

Does all of that sound reasonable?

Thanks!

[joel]

The email situation will be fixed soon (in the next couple of months). You'll be able to have multiple email addresses in LDS Account and you can designate them for LUWS or for the local ward directory. One database of email addresses.

Ward clerks will also be able to change your email address for you (for those who can't bother to create an LDS account).

[greggo]

Ward clerks will also be able to change your email address for you (for those who can't bother to create an LDS account).

This is great news!
I do; however, have a couple of questions.

How will ward clerks be able to change another's email address? Will it be via MLS or some other way?
And what can be done if a member already has an LDS account but with an outdated email address? Will a ward clerk be able to change or eliminate this address (at least in MLS)?

[joel]

This is great news!
How will ward clerks be able to change another's email address? Will it be via MLS or some other way?

As of right now, both through MLS and through a web page.

And what can be done if a member already has an LDS account but with an outdated email address? Will a ward clerk be able to change or eliminate this address (at least in MLS)?

Yes, clerk will be able to change it, but email will be sent to both your new and your old email addresses.

[coloradotechie-p40]

The email situation will be fixed soon (in the next couple of months). You'll be able to have multiple email addresses in LDS Account and you can designate them for LUWS or for the local ward directory. One database of email addresses.

Ward clerks will also be able to change your email address for you (for those who can't bother to create an LDS account).

Wow! Thank you thank you!