# Dear User

A **Dear User** is an incomplete user on your Users dashboard. They are incomplete because the platform is not able to retrieve their profile information from their respective channel. They are identifiable by their first name as **Dear User**

![A Dear User's profile](https://2535542804-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LirAdLo22OkAW9w3tvY%2Fuploads%2FGbn6xD23A9AKGRQZyRUP%2FScreenshot%202022-01-03%20at%2011.05.34%20PM.png?alt=media\&token=70c20784-07e4-45ee-ac64-2bb8182a35b3)

BotDistrikt calls them Dear User by default because when your bot references their first name in a story, the user receives a friendly, non-artificial-looking message anyway.

A story referencing a user's name like this:

![Story referencing user's name](https://2535542804-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LirAdLo22OkAW9w3tvY%2Fuploads%2FN6e2nw1oiI87NygPwjAT%2FScreenshot%202022-01-03%20at%2011.08.40%20PM.png?alt=media\&token=1b12b216-504e-48e5-a909-65974c77dacc)

appears in a generic (friendly) manner like this, even if the bot cannot retrieve their first name. 

![A Dear User receives a message like this](https://2535542804-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LirAdLo22OkAW9w3tvY%2Fuploads%2FwhVk4zLykIJn2f7nb1GR%2F2022-01-03%2023.13.16.jpg?alt=media\&token=1b6901ab-866e-4076-b9be-34f69e51f843)

## Why

They exist for various reasons on different channels. The reasons are listed below

### Telegram

A user without a name becomes a **Dear User**, because names are optional on Telegram.

### Instagram

A user without a name becomes a **Dear User**, because names are optional on Instagram.

### Facebook Messenger

The Facebook Messenger channel includes several plugins which each function on the basis that a user **opts in** to receive automated responses from the bot. 

A user who opts in via a plugin becomes a Dear User. 

Facebook does not allow a bot to retrieve a user's public profile information without their consent.

#### How to get a user's consent

A user consents to give their public profile information when they **send** **a reply** to any of the bot's responses. When a user replies, the platform automatically **upgrades** them from a Dear User to a normal user, allowing you to fetch these fields by refreshing their profile

* Profile Picture
* First Name
* Last Name
* Gender (if this feature is [approved](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/identity/user-profile#requesting-feature-access-to-user-fields-for-the-page) for your page)
* Locale (if this feature is [approved](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/identity/user-profile#requesting-feature-access-to-user-fields-for-the-page) for your page)
* Timezone (if this feature is [approved](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/identity/user-profile#requesting-feature-access-to-user-fields-for-the-page) for your page)

The upgrade processes or each plugin is described below

| Plugin                       | A Dear User appears                                                                                                   | They are upgraded                                                                    |
| ---------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Facebook Chat Plugin         | when a user clicks the "Continue as \[NAME]" or "Continue as Guest" button your Chat widget                           | when they reply, or click on a quick reply or story button from your bot's responses |
| Facebook Checkbox Plugin     | when a user checks the checkbox on on your website form                                                               | when they reply, or click on a quick reply or story button from your bot's responses |
| Facebook Private Replies     | when a user replies to any of your page's Facebook Posts marked for Comment-to-Messenger                              | when they reply, or click on a quick reply or story button from your bot's responses |
| Login Connect with Messenger | when a user clicks on the Login with Facebook button your website, and allows your page to contact them via Messenger | when they reply, or click on a quick reply or story button from your bot's responses |

{% hint style="info" %}
Quick replies and buttons are a great way to entice a reply, and therefore an upgrade.
{% endhint %}

#### Multiple Dear Users for the same person

When using multiple Facebook plugins, it is possible for multiple Dear Users to coexist for the same person.

It is also possible for one person to be a normal user and a Dear User simultaneously.

The fix? Entice your users to reply to your bot, because older Dear Users of the same person automatically get hard-deleted during an upgrade.

{% hint style="warning" %}
It is **highly encouraged** to entice your users to reply to your bot. This ensures that your billing plan accounts for exactly the same number of persons actually using your bot.
{% endhint %}

### Skype

When your bot is added to a group on Skype, it becomes a Dear User. 

However, they will be called a different name - "Channel by \[NAME]", where \[NAME] is the name of the member who added your bot to their group.

## Manual Upgrade

It is possible for you to upgrade users from a Dear User to a normal user manually if you have their profile information readily available yourself. You may upgrade users via

### User Profile

You may enter a user profile page and edit their first name, last name, and upload their profile picture manually

![](https://2535542804-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LirAdLo22OkAW9w3tvY%2Fuploads%2F7GDyM6fSyHoZpeQDXs1g%2FScreenshot%202022-01-03%20at%2011.05.34%20PM.png?alt=media\&token=d9c32c4a-c827-4713-9d95-ddb7cee36770)

### Forms

You may create a [Form](#undefined) that asks a user to set their *first\_name*, *last\_name*, and upload their *profile\_pic* like this

![Form for Member Details](https://2535542804-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LirAdLo22OkAW9w3tvY%2Fuploads%2FDnvOdWKqs4HLMUID3i8p%2FScreenshot%202022-01-04%20at%2012.01.10%20AM.png?alt=media\&token=284a0564-5718-48df-a3ef-5d628bd1d210)

{% hint style="info" %}
If you prefer not to use Forms, you may also set these fields manually in your own stories
{% endhint %}

### API

You may use the [patchAttributes](https://static.botdistrikt.com/api.html#operation/bot_user.prototype.patchAttributes) or the [upsertWithWhere](https://static.botdistrikt.com/api.html#operation/bot_user.prototype.patchAttributes) bot user API endpoints to upgrade a user in an automated workflow from your own external systems.