User Guide

Welcome to the new LLNL People website. Jump down for a list of features that differ from the old version of the site.

If you have questions about the status of your bio, please contact your directorate’s admin(s)—select your line organization, not matrix—who have access to approve and publish biographies. If you have questions or feedback that this User Guide doesn't answer, select the Website Feedback radio button on the contact form to let us know.

In this guide, user refers to an employee, whereas end-user refers to an external person visiting the public website.

Contents

  1. What Is a Biography, and Do You Need One?
  2. General Navigation
  3. Find a Biography (Live Site)
  4. Edit Your Biography (Internal Site)
  5. Admin Dashboard (Site Admins Only)
  6. New and Different Features
  7. Special Use Cases

What Is a Biography, and Do You Need One?

Think of this website like an LLNL-specific LinkedIn or a place to create your CV. Thousands of LLNL employees can share their bios—backgrounds, projects, contact information, and more—with collaborators, students, interviewees, and other external end-users. Each employee has a unique URL that can be shared with anyone. Participation is entirely optional; if you do not add content to your bio, end-users will see only your name and phone number.

Note: Your bio must go through LLNL's Information Management (IM) system before it can be shared outside the Lab. Please ensure your bio has an IM release number before filling out the following fields and submitting the content for approval on this website. If needed, contact your administrator to assist with IM submission. Examples of IM numbers are LLNL-WEB-XXXXXX and LLNL-MI-XXXXXX.

Most of your bio is editable via this website, but some of it comes from the LDAP database. LDAP is managed by LLNL’s Human Resources team. It populates the employee directory at search.llnl.gov as well as several components of your biography on this website, which regularly pulls data from LDAP (e.g., to include new employees). The chart below shows which types of data you can edit on this site (“Yes”) versus what comes from LDAP (“No”).

Bio field/data Editable by you via this website
First, middle, and last names; nickname * No
Pronouns Yes
Photos Yes
Title Yes
Email address and alias * No
Phone number ** No
Biography Yes
Education Yes
Publications Yes
Awards Yes
Additional information Yes
IM release number Yes

* LDAP by default includes your first, middle, and last names. A nickname is an alternate way of displaying your full legal name (e.g., Lulu instead of Lucille). An alias is an alternate email address, functioning like an OUN but easier to remember (e.g., lucyb instead of bell1). See these Knowledge Base articles about managing your alias and nickname (i.e., preferred display name). Open a ServiceNow ticket to resolve questions or concerns about data controlled by LDAP.

** Only phone numbers with the prefixes (925) 422/423/424 display. This reduces the likelihood of displaying a personal phone number.

Note: New employee data takes time to come over from LDAP, so please be patient if you don't see your empty bio right away after beginning your employment. You can log into this site to generate your record in this database, which enables you to draft your bio while the system syncs with LDAP.

Note: If your OUN changes (i.e., you changed your name), please notify webmaster-comp@llnl.gov so we can confirm that this site is correctly associating your bio with your new OUN. You can also submit this request via the contact form, selecting My OUN changed in the first dropdown field.

Opting Out

You can choose not to have your bio display on the website. Submit this request via the contact form, selecting Remove me from this site in the first dropdown field.

Note: Opting out is an all-or-nothing request. We cannot remove a single field (e.g., phone number); the entire bio is removed from the database.

Relationship to Lab Directory

Opting out of this website is technically a separate action from opting out of the employee directory at search.llnl.gov. See this myLLNL article about opting out of the latter.

This site and that directory are managed by different teams who are working to synchronize the process of sending opt-outs back and forth. When you opt out of this site, your bio is removed completely and near-instantaneously. The mechanism for opting out of the search.llnl.gov directory takes a little time to reflect the new status.

Opting Back In

If you change your mind about opting out, use the contact form, selecting Remove me from this site to request reinstatement. (There is no specific dropdown selection for opting in, as it's a rare scenario.)

General Navigation

URLs to bookmark:

On people-update, you can do the following:

  • Log in or out
  • Access instructions for using the website by selecting the User Guide link at the bottom-right corner of the page
  • Contact a site admin by selecting the Contact link at the bottom-right corner of the page or using the link in the blue banner above your bio
  • Navigate to the main LLNL website (llnl.gov) by selecting the LLNL logo displayed at the top-left or bottom-left corners of the page

On people (live), you can do the following:

  • Run a search by clicking on the magnifying glass icon at the top-right corner of the page
  • Return to the home page by clicking on the site name at the top-left corner of the page
  • Navigate to the main LLNL website (llnl.gov) by selecting the LLNL logo displayed at the top-left or bottom-left corners of the page

Find a Biography (Live Site)

You can locate a bio on the live site by searching or directly modifying the URL. Results appear in alphabetical order by last name, with 12 results displayed per page.

The table below shows the search criteria supported (indicated by an “X”) by the two types of searches, as well as examples of text formats appropriate for each query field.

Query Site Search URL Search Query Text Example Results
OUN   X bell1 Exact match
Alias   X lucyb Exact match (if one exists)
First and Last names X   Lucille Bell Exact match(es)
Nickname or middle name Future enhancement   Lulu Exact match when combined with last name

Locate via Search

  • Place your cursor in the search box, enter your query term, and press Enter/Return.
  • First and last name must be entered together to produce results. Many employees use their nicknames or middle names in place of their first names; these variations are not yet supported in search but will be soon.
  • Do not use quotation marks or @llnl.gov in your query.

Locate via URL

  • Place your cursor at the end of the URL in your browser's address bar.
  • Type a forward slash ( / ) and the person's OUN or email alias. For example, people.llnl.gov/bell1 or people.llnl.gov/lucyb.
    • Note: Because of the way aliases are stored in LDAP, a personalized URL using your alias (e.g., /lucyb) may be implemented on a case-by-case basis. Please fill out the contact form to request this.
  • Press Enter/Return.

Edit Your Biography (Internal Site)

Log In

To edit your biography, you must log into the internal people-update website (https://people-update.llnl.gov). The Log in link is located at the top-right corner of the page, to the left of the magnifying glass icon.

  • Use your Active Directory (AD) password.
  • The current login session lasts 23 days, independent of your VPN session.
  • The Log out link appears in the same place as the Log in link.

Versioning and Publication Workflow

This website saves two versions of each bio: a draft in progress/under review and a published version. Bios must be reviewed by a trained admin(s) in each directorate. The review step is necessary to prevent any sensitive information from being published externally. If you are creating your bio for the first time, please send it through the IM process before loading bio content into this site. Substantial changes to an existing bio should also be run through IM.

As you edit your bio, bear in mind:

  • You cannot save your draft repeatedly as you go. The Send to reviewer button at the bottom of the edit page saves what you've entered and submits your bio to your directorate admin(s).
  • Accordingly, once you have submitted your draft for review, you cannot re-edit it until it's been reviewed by the admin(s) for your directorate. Contact your admin(s) if you accidentally submit your bio too early or want to change it after submitting. Or you can wait until you receive notification that it's been published, then go through the editing workflow again.
  • If you rely on a directorate admin to update your bio on your behalf, they can do so only if they are also a people-update site admin.

Editable Fields

After you've logged in, follow these steps to create or edit your bio:

  • Click the green Edit Bio button beneath your photo.
  • Fill out the following fields, as desired.
    • All of these are optional.
    • Unless noted otherwise, these fields will not display if empty.

Left-hand area of the page:

  • Title – job title/position
  • Pronouns – select from dropdown; multiple selections supported
  • Default Image – upload from your computer
    • Auto-crops to 220x220 pixels
    • File types supported: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif
    • Displays LLNL logo if empty
  • High Res Image – displays only as a download button; button is grayed out if empty
    • Note: If you upload a High Res Image without also uploading a Default Image, the LLNL logo will display; the High Res Image will be downloadable but not visible unless downloaded
  • Display Email Alias – check this box to display your alias, if you have one, instead of your regular OUN-based email address (e.g., lucyb instead of bell1)
    • Aliases are stored in LDAP; if you don't see your alias displayed, please open a ServiceNow ticket
    • This checkbox displays only for you; a site admin cannot check/uncheck it on your behalf
  • Display Organization – check this box to display your line organization name (i.e., directorate and division)
    • Default is unchecked
    • Displays Not Available if unchecked

Main area:

  • IM Release Number – does not display to external end-users
  • Biography – WYSIWYG field; displays "This user has not yet created a biography" if empty
  • Education – add a new line for each degree/certification
  • Publications – WYSIWYG field
  • Awards – WYSIWYG field
  • Additional Information – WYSIWYG field for patents, personal websites, or other info that doesn't belong in previous fields

WYSIWYG Tips

In the WYSIWYG (rich-text) editor fields, if you prefer to work in HTML markup, select the Source button at the top-right of the editor toolbar.

  • If you are pasting content from Microsoft Word, you may want to check the Source markup to ensure that special formatting is intact. The editor will automatically change italic (<i> to <em>) and bold (<b> to <strong>) tags when saving/publishing, but more complicated markup may need finessing.
  • When you select an icon in the toolbar (e.g., create a hyperlink) that launches a dialog box, you may see a button called Send to reviewer. In the specific case of dialog boxes, this button functions as Save and close (i.e., saving your data in the dialog box and closing it). Clicking it will not actually send anything to a reviewer. (The button's label is tied to the label for button at the bottom of the entire bio page.)
  • Your biography will be published on a government website, which must comply with accessibility guidance for disabled end-users who use assistive technology to help them navigate and read web pages. The styles available in the WYSIWYG editor conform to these rules. Please do not change styles in HTML markup. (Note: The website automatically adds alt text to your bio photo so you don't have to.)

Send to Reviewer

The revision log message is saved with each version of your bio as an historical record of what changed. For example, you can note "added two publications for 2021" or "changed description of LDRD project." External end-users do not see this.

As described above, the Send to reviewer button saves what you've entered and submits your bio to your directorate admin(s). Please work with your admin(s) if you prematurely click this button, or if they have concerns about your changes that need to be resolved. Once you submit, the admin(s) will make any further changes, if necessary, before publishing. You will receive an email notification when your changes are published.

Note: As described above, your bio cannot move "backward" in the workflow. Similarly, the database cannot be frozen or the push to the production server delayed for one bio without affecting others. Contact your admin(s) if you accidentally submit your bio too early or want to change it after submitting.

Admin Dashboard (Site Admins Only)

You have more options in the site menu than regular users, but you can still edit your own bio (see My Bio in the site menu) the same way as described above. However, clicking the Send to reviewer button on your own bio skips the review step and publishes it.

Review Pending Biographies

You will receive an email notification whenever a user submits their bio for review. To review pending bios, you must first log in (see steps above).

  • Select the Admin Dashboard link in the navigation bar. A counter on the page shows how many bios are in the queue. The dashboard shows 25 results per page.
  • Bios awaiting review are listed by name, organization, date of last revision, revision log message, "call to action" buttons, and IM release number (if one exists).
  • You will see bios for only your directorate.

Look at the Compare column when deciding how to proceed. 

  • A user who has submitted updates to their existing bio will have an amber Compare button, which lets you see the user's new draft compared to their published version. This "diff" view shows content additions in green and subtractions in red with strikethrough only for fields that have changed. If changes are administrative and acceptable, and/or if there's a release number, click the blue Publish button at the top of the page.
  • A user who does not have a published bio will have a green New Bio button, which displays their bio content in green (i.e., as additions).
  • A release number, if one has been entered, will appear at the top of the draft above the Fields heading. If the user has created a new bio but has not entered a release number, check with them to see if they have a release number or prompt them to send their bio through the IM process.

You may decide not to publish the user's bio immediately. For instance,

  • Reject: If you have concerns about the user's submission, contact them offline (e.g., via email) to resolve before publishing their bio. Because the bio is sitting in the reviewer's queue, you will have to make any edits on the user's behalf.
  • Fix: If you want to edit the user's bio yourself (e.g., to fix a typo or to resolve a reason for initial rejection), click the blue Edit button on the dashboard and make the desired changes. This enables you to edit the user's submitted draft. Because of your elevated permissions, clicking Send to reviewer at this stage will publish the bio, removing it from the dashboard in the process.

Note: You cannot send the bio "backward" in the workflow. Similarly, the database cannot be frozen or the push to the production server delayed for one bio without affecting others. If you accidentally publish a bio that should not have been approved, one option is to iterate with the user (submit, approve, submit, approve, etc.) to modify or remove the problematic content. If you run into an issue with the workflow that cannot be resolved by this user guide, fill out the contact form with the Website Feedback radio button selected.

Notate Pending Biographies

The dashboard's Notes column lets admins keep track of relevant information pertaining to a user's bio while it awaits approval. For instance, if the user submitted their bio but did not provide an IM number, you may wish to "hold" the bio on the dashboard until IM is resolved. A note can remind you and other admins why the bio has not yet been approved.

To add a note, click the green Edit button for the desired bio. Above the IM field is a right-facing arrow with the heading Editor Notes (only admins can see this). Click the arrow to expose the field. Type in your note and click Add Note beneath the field. The field saves this information immediately and displays it beneath the field. Admins can enter multiple notes, edit an existing note, and/or remove a note from any bio. Removed notes are not retrievable.

You do not need to save the entire bio (i.e., click the green Send to Reviewer button at the bottom of the page) in order to save a note. You can go straight from entering a note back to the dashboard to continue reviewing submissions.

This is not the same field as the revision log message that's available when you publish a bio (see previous section).

Find/Edit Any User

If you need to edit the bio of a user who has not submitted their bio for review/approval, use the Edit User link in the navigation bar to locate any bio, regardless of its submission status (or lack of). This search box accepts a single OUN only. Click the resulting Edit User's Bio link to open the editable view of the user's bio.

After making changes, click the Send to Reviewer button and enter a revision log (optional). This action bypasses the Admin Dashboard, and the user will receive the usual email notification that their bio has been approved.

Note: If you edit a bio that you located via this Edit User search box, and that user's bio is pending approval, you will simply be editing the version of their bio that's pending. Pending bios can only be published by the steps described above: (1) click the amber Compare button or the green New Bio button, then (2) click the Publish button to switch the status to Published.

Replies for Common Issues

Issue Response Action
No IM number on new bio When creating your bio for the first time, please send it through the IM process and reply to this email with the release number. Later on, minor changes (e.g., adding new publications) don’t need to be re-IM’ed. Let bio "sit" on the admin dashboard. Add a reminder (see Notate explanation above), if desired, so the dashboard will show at a glance that this bio is in IM. When user follows up with their IM number, add the number to their bio and publish.
Request to remove or cancel submitted (not yet approved) bio

Such as when a user is asked to obtain an IM number before their bio can be approved

A bio cannot move backward in the workflow. It's fine for it to remain in Draft status until you have a release number, as it won't be public until I approve it. I'll approve it after you provide a release number.

 See above.
Not familiar with IM IM stands for Information Management. It's the process of reviewing content (print, web, video, journal articles, etc.) produced by the Lab for external release. Your bio is essentially a web page on an externally facing website, so it should be IM'ed. One of the administrators in your division should be able to help you submit an IM ticket (https://imreview.llnl.gov/) or do it on your behalf. There are different types of content you can select in the IM interface; I recommend MISC or WEB for a biography. n/a
Submits an unprofessional photo (e.g., their pet, no human)

I will approve your bio content without the photo. For this external-facing site, [YOUR ORG's] policy is to use a photo of a person or none at all. Thanks for understanding.

For COMP staff only: Please sign up here if you would like your portrait taken.

 Click the blue Edit button on the dashboard, remove photo, and save (this updates the submitted draft). Return to the dashboard, click the amber Compare button or green New Bio button, then publish normally.
Doesn't see updated bio after receiving publish notification Data is pushed to the production server every Monday through Thursday at 5:00pm Pacific. n/a
Request to save/preview bio (without submitting for approval) This feature was not available out of the box on the new platform, and the development team had to prioritize launching the new site before the old technology was deprecated. But they are looking into the ability to save a draft without submitting it. I will let them know another user has mentioned it. Forward the request to webmaster-comp.
Request for a new feature Thanks for the feedback. I'll pass your idea on to the team responsible for the website's development. Forward the request to webmaster-comp.
Request for bio to be removed so it cannot be found externally Please submit your request via the contact form, selecting Remove me from this site in the first dropdown field. n/a
Finds a bug, including on a mobile device Thanks for the feedback. I'll pass this info on to the team responsible for the website's development. Pease provide the following: steps to recreate the bug, which browser you're using, PC or Mac (or mobile device). Forward the issue to webmaster-comp.
Site doesn't work the way it used to Please see the user guide section on New and Different Features that explains some of the differences. n/a
Request to modify a field controlled by LDAP

Please see the chart at the top of the User Guide for a list of which fields are/aren't editable here. Data in the ____ field is pulled into this website from the LDAP database. You may open a ServiceNow ticket to resolve questions or concerns about data controlled by LDAP.

 n/a

Blurb for New Employees

The people.llnl.gov website is a public-facing LinkedIn-like directory of LLNL employees. You can upload a biography including your photo, education, awards, publications, and other career-relevant information. Employees' office phone numbers and Lab email addresses are displayed. You can opt out if you don't want to be included. Log into people-update.llnl.gov with your OUN/AD PW to read the user guide and update your bio.

New and Different Features

Feature Old website New website
Availability COMP, ENG, and PLS directorates Everyone with an OUN (including students, contractors, and retirees)
URL people-int (internal) and people (external) people-update (must be on LLNL's yellow network or VPN) and people (external)
Fields One primary field for all types of bio content Separate fields for various bio sections; new pronouns field
Photos Upload multiple photos Upload one default photo and one high-resolution photo
Versioning Three versions of your bio: draft in progress, internal published *, external published Two versions of your bio: draft in progress/under review, published
Publishing After you submit your bio for review, it’s live for internal users to see. After the admin reviews your bio and clicks Publish, it’s live externally. After you submit your bio for review, it remains in draft status until reviewed. After the admin publishes your bio, its status changes to published on people-update. A daily script pushes published bios to the production server where external end-users can see them.
Notifications None Admins are notified when bios are submitted for review. Users are notified when bios are published. (There is no notification when people-update data is pushed live.)

* The myLLNL portal houses internal-only bios, so they are no longer supported on this platform. To create an internal-only bio on the portal, click on the user icon in the top-right corner of the portal, then select My Public Profile. Public in this case means public to anyone who can access the portal.

Special Use Cases

Request Admin Privileges

A directorate's site admins may change over time. To request changes to site admins, including adding a new admin, please fill out the contact form, selecting Become an admin in the first dropdown field. The form will then reveal another dropdown field where a specific organization can be selected.

Developer API

An API is available for posting biography information, including photos, onto other LLNL websites. As of the end of FY22, the API is currently in development with PLS customers. To request endpoint access, and so the web team can work directly with developers on their integrations, please fill out the contact form, selecting Request to use API in the first dropdown field. The form will then ask for rationale for the request as well as a list of the site(s) for the API's intended use.