How do you make a profile more readable?

Question

I've been working on Civil War veterans' profiles and I'm wondering about how to make them more readable, rather than just a dry recitation of facts. I've been trying to write them as a story, but I'm wondering how others make the profile more visually pleasing and easier to read? (I hope I'm making sense, lol!) I would welcome any tips or examples!

Comments

I've recent started a new One-Place Study. As well as providing real depth of detail, I wanted to make it visually appealing and compelling to read. I kept focused on a page viewer with absolutely no connection to my topic and how I could draw them into my world [sounds a bit creepy now I see it in writing! ].

I hope there is something here that might provide a few ideas:

Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London - One-Place Study

Opps! Sorry I should have clicked the 'anwser this question' button.

Answer 1

Hello!  You might like to check out the Profile Improvement Project Voyage. The goal is to create profiles that are well-sourced, well-written, and well-structured.

Comments

I hadn't heard of this project! Thank you for sharing, Robin!

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Thank you, my friend Susan, for the star.

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I just finished the Profile Improvement Project Voyage, and it was well worth the time and effort. I learned a lot about making profiles more readableand attractive, as well as more genealogically complete.  I recommend it.

Answer 2

Have a look in here:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Examples

Comments

Wonderful! Thank you, Nick!

Answer 3

Have you looked at other Civil War profiles for ideas? The Military & War Project has a lot of resources and ideas. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:United_States_of_America%2C_United_States_Civil_War

Comments

I should have thought of that, lol! Thank you for the great suggestion, Nikki!

Answer 4

You may be interested in how I have started using AI to do this. An example of the result is at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Joy-3134.

I simply copied all of the source information that I have gathered into a text file and prefaced that with a prompt and, with a little editing, that was the result. Not quite how I would have written it but not too bad I think.

Most of the editing was consequent on the prompt asking the AI to identify any data inconsistencies (inconsistent census data age records, name spelling, etc) and write them up thus clearly identifying them for clarification.

Of course I had to add refinements and sources to the narrative but a good part of the work was done quickly and easily. I plan to develop this tool progressively but it looks like a big step forward in productivity.

I have also played around with asking AI to add social and industrial context and it looks to have potential

If you are interested in details of the prompt or other information, please ask.

Comments

What a great idea! I never thought to use AI for this. I also loved how you put the dates in bold - it makes for an easier read. Thanks for the suggestion!