Q: How to get rid of the Specialities associated with ones profile?

At the present time, there is no way to get rid of the specialty badge icon. Apparently the PTB, think that it is cool and we are stuck with it for now. It is supposed to encourage new members to join in and participate.

Demo's right, of course.

The only thing one can do to replace the one that appears next to your username in threads is

• pick some "interest" that you prefer instead
• complete the "tasks" to advance in that "Specialty"
• it seems that just ONE tick line below the Badge itself does the trick

Demo wrote:

 

At the present time, there is no way to get rid of the specialty badge icon. Apparently the PTB, think that it is cool and we are stuck with it for now. It is supposed to encourage new members to join in and participate.

There IS as a matter of fact... trouble is, it kills the POINTS as well

• use Stylish for Firefox, Stylish for Chrome, Stylish for Safari, or Stylish for Opera.
• install this CSS WITH Stylish > This used to NOT kill the points before the last forum change
  Apple Support Communities - No Badges-With Points - Themes and Skins for Apple - userstyles.org
  https://userstyles.org/styles/127930/apple-support-communities-no-badges-with-po ints

If you only want to hide speciality badges use this:

div.j-status-level.expertise-tile {visibility: hidden !important;}           /* Hide expertise tile */

tt2

You're da BEST!

Apple Support Communities - HideStinkinBadges - Themes and Skins for Apple - userstyles.org

https://userstyles.org/styles/131259/apple-support-communities-hidestinkinbadges

TESTED

Eloquently stated. I agree wholeheartedly.

Cascading stylesheets (CSS) are the way that most websites use to ensure a consistent look across a site, and to update that look centrally without having to recompose every single page. Essentially different parts of the page are marked in some way either by their html element type, a class label, or a specific name, and the stylesheet defines how each object should look and/or where it appears. In the case of expertise badges this is a div element with the class labels .j-status-level and expertise-tile attached to it. The CSS instruction I gave above overrides the style of the page and hides the icon, label, and blue dots associated with the speciality for each speciality listed on the page.

Note however that using CSS in this way only hides this stuff for you, everyone else still gets to see what you've hidden. It is perhaps a shame that those running the site couldn't have described these badges as "interests or specialties". In the ideal scheme of things the more blue rectangles that you see associated with a badge the more likely it is that someone would have some real expertise in that area. Unfortunately the rules have been constructed in such a way that you have to do certain tasks like asking a question which most seasoned helpers have no cause to do. Some of the best experts we have in particular topics don't have a badge, or have one that doesn't reflect their expertise. Mine is currently showing as iPod when my main area is iTunes.

Bottom line is don't read too much into it. A lot of blue rectangles might hint that somebody really knows their stuff, at least in one area, but not seeing them doesn't necessarily mean all that much.

tt2

Must have been quite a doozy. I was of course responding to your reply above.

[chuckle]

Like going to a party at someone's house and pooping in the punchbowl?

FWIW, quite a few of us agree about the ambiguity of the term "Specialty" AND their mere existence is not helpful to most of us - but I cannot think of any other term to use that would encompass the "journey" of "becoming expert (a Specialist)" from beginning with "interest" in a subject

The CSS discussion was in response to the statement by Demo, who

wrote:

 

At the present time, there is no way to get rid of the specialty badge icon. Apparently the PTB, think that it is cool and we are stuck with it for now. It is supposed to encourage new members to join in and participate.

as there indeed IS a way to just "not see them yourself"

I certainly realize that it has no effect on what others see and believe about what they see - therein lies the rub.

Apple has heard all this fro many of us here, but seem committed to the system - so that's that.

• You should have a button on the toolbar of your browser for "Stylish" the add-on
• choose it, and a menu drops down
• you should have ONLY one "style" installed (if you were successful in using the style's link and Button to Install with Stylish)
• your page should look like this for you and everyone else in terms of Badges