# Members and profiles

Understand what a member is in RandomCoffee, what information a member has, and what you find on each member's profile page.

import Callout from '@components/Callout.astro';
import MemberProfile from '@components/app-screens/screens/MemberProfile.astro';

## What is a member?

Members (also called users) are the people you add to your RandomCoffee workspace. You find them all in "People" > "All members".

Each member is identified by a unique identifier: their **email address**.

Each member can also have profile information, such as their country or department. This information is stored in [categories](/admin/categories-and-audiences/categories/).

<Callout type="note">
  Categories are optional. They unlock more advanced [matching rules](/admin/matching/matching-rules/), but you can enjoy the full RandomCoffee experience without adding any.
</Callout>

## Member status

By default, the members you add are "Active" right away. Learn what each status means in [Active and inactive members](/admin/members/active-and-inactive-members/).

People you invite by email or with the invite link join the member list only once they sign up. Until then, the people you invited by email appear in "People" > "Invites" with the status "Pending". See [Invite members](/admin/members/invite-members/).

## The member profile page

Each member has a profile page that brings together their details and their activity in RandomCoffee. To open it, click the member's name in "People" > "All members".

<MemberProfile variant="profile" alt="A member's profile page, with the Attributes, Overview and Audiences tabs, and the Edit panel open on the right" />

At the top of the page, you see the member's name, the date they joined, and an "Edit" button to [update their details](/admin/members/update-members/).

The page has three tabs:

- **"Attributes"**: the member's first name, last name, email address and the value of each category.
- **"Overview"**: the number of RandomCoffees the member took part in, shown month by month over the period you choose (the last 6 months by default), and the timeline of their activity ("Members' activity").
- **"Audiences"**: the [audiences](/admin/categories-and-audiences/audiences/) the member belongs to. Click "Add to Audience" to add them to another one.