diff --git a/app/controllers/user_controller.rb b/app/controllers/user_controller.rb
index f3ec2e243..d79041b4f 100644
--- a/app/controllers/user_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/user_controller.rb
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ class UserController < ApplicationController
   layout 'site'
 
   before_filter :authorize, :only => [:preferences, :api_details, :api_gpx_files]
-  before_filter :authorize_web, :only => [:rename, :account, :go_public]
-  before_filter :require_user, :only => [:rename, :account, :go_public]
+  before_filter :authorize_web, :only => [:edit, :account, :go_public]
+  before_filter :require_user, :only => [:edit, :account, :go_public]
  
   def save
     @user = User.new(params[:user])
@@ -18,11 +18,12 @@ class UserController < ApplicationController
     end
   end
 
-  def rename
-    if params[:user] and params[:user][:display_name]
+  def edit
+    if params[:user] and params[:user][:display_name] and params[:user][:description]
       @user.display_name = params[:user][:display_name]
+      @user.description = params[:user][:description]
       if @user.save
-        flash[:notice] = "User display name updated OK."
+        flash[:notice] = "User edited OK."
         redirect_to :controller => 'user', :action => 'account'
       end
     end
@@ -137,5 +138,12 @@ class UserController < ApplicationController
     end
     render :text => doc.to_s
   end
+
+
+  def view
+    @this_user = User.find_by_display_name(params[:display_name])
+  end
+
+
 end
 
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/site.rhtml b/app/views/layouts/site.rhtml
index d32490729..c7670e795 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/site.rhtml
+++ b/app/views/layouts/site.rhtml
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
     </div>
 
     <span id="greeting">
-        <% if @user %>
+      <% if @user %>
         Welcome, <%= @user.display_name %> |
         <%= link_to 'account', {:controller => 'user', :action => 'account'}, {:id => 'loginanchor'}%> |
         <%= link_to 'logout', {:controller => 'user', :action => 'logout'}, {:id => 'loginanchor'}%>
diff --git a/app/views/trace/_trace.rhtml b/app/views/trace/_trace.rhtml
index f6c00448b..b79638d17 100644
--- a/app/views/trace/_trace.rhtml
+++ b/app/views/trace/_trace.rhtml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   <% cl = cycle('table0', 'table1') %>
   <td class="<%= cl %>">
     <% if trace.inserted %>
-    <a href="<%= url_for :controller => 'trace', :action => 'view', :id => trace.id, :user_login => trace.user.display_name %>"><img src="<%= url_for :controller => 'trace', :action => 'icon', :id => trace.id, :user_login => trace.user.display_name %>" border="0"></a>
+    <a href="<%= url_for :controller => 'trace', :action => 'view', :id => trace.id, :display_name => trace.user.display_name %>"><img src="<%= url_for :controller => 'trace', :action => 'icon', :id => trace.id, :display_name => trace.user.display_name %>" border="0"></a>
     <% else %>
     <span style="color:red">PENDING</span>
     <% end %>
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
     <a href="/edit.html?lat=<%= trace.latitude %>&lon=<%= trace.longitude %>&zoom=14" title="create maps">map</a><br />
       <%= trace.description %>
     <br />
-    by <%= link_to trace.user.display_name, {:controller => 'trace', :action => 'list', :display_name => trace.user.display_name} %>
+    by <%= link_to trace.user.display_name, {:controller => 'user', :action => 'view', :display_name => trace.user.display_name} %>
     in 
     <% if trace.tags %>
       <% trace.tags.each do |tag| %>
diff --git a/app/views/user/account.rhtml b/app/views/user/account.rhtml
index bfa247904..81f72fe04 100644
--- a/app/views/user/account.rhtml
+++ b/app/views/user/account.rhtml
@@ -2,8 +2,9 @@
 <table>
   <tr><td>id</td><td><%= @user.id %></td></tr>
   <tr><td>email</td><td><%= @user.email %></td></tr>
-  <tr><td>display name</td><td><%= @user.display_name %> (<%= link_to 'change...', :controller => 'user', :action => 'rename' %>)</td></tr>
-  <tr><td>account created</td><td><%= @user.creation_time %></td></tr>
+  <tr><td>display name</td><td><%= @user.display_name %> (<%= link_to 'change...', :controller => 'user', :action => 'edit' %>)</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>account created</td><td><%= @user.creation_time %> (<%= time_ago_in_words(@user.creation_time) %> ago)</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>description</td><td><%= @user.description %>  (<%= link_to 'change...', :controller => 'user', :action => 'edit' %>)</td></tr>
 </table>
 
 <h2>Privacy</h2>
diff --git a/app/views/user/rename.rhtml b/app/views/user/edit.rhtml
similarity index 100%
rename from app/views/user/rename.rhtml
rename to app/views/user/edit.rhtml
diff --git a/config/routes.rb b/config/routes.rb
index 9d26eb0fa..039eea09f 100644
--- a/config/routes.rb
+++ b/config/routes.rb
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ ActionController::Routing::Routes.draw do |map|
   map.connect '/search.html', :controller => 'way_tag', :action => 'search'
   map.connect '/login.html', :controller => 'user', :action => 'login'
   map.connect '/logout.html', :controller => 'user', :action => 'logout'
+  map.connect '/account', :controller => 'user', :action => 'account'
   map.connect '/create-account.html', :controller => 'user', :action => 'new'
   map.connect '/forgot-password.html', :controller => 'user', :action => 'lost_password'
 
@@ -44,13 +45,18 @@ ActionController::Routing::Routes.draw do |map|
   map.connect '/traces/mine/tag/:tag', :controller => 'trace', :action => 'mine'
   map.connect '/traces/mine/tag/:tag/page/:page', :controller => 'trace', :action => 'mine'
   map.connect '/traces/rss', :controller => 'trace', :action => 'georss'
-  map.connect '/user/:display_name/traces', :controller => 'trace', :action => 'list', :id => nil
-  map.connect '/user/:display_name/traces/page/:page', :controller => 'trace', :action => 'list', :id => nil
+  map.connect '/user/:display_name/traces', :controller => 'trace', :action => 'list', :id => nil
+  map.connect '/user/:display_name/traces/page/:page', :controller => 'trace', :action => 'list', :id => nil
   map.connect '/user/:display_name/traces/:id', :controller => 'trace', :action => 'view', :id => nil
   map.connect '/user/:display_name/traces/:id/picture', :controller => 'trace', :action => 'picture', :id => nil
   map.connect '/user/:display_name/traces/:id/icon', :controller => 'trace', :action => 'icon', :id => nil
   map.connect '/traces/tag/:tag', :controller => 'trace', :action => 'list', :id => nil
-  map.connect '/traces/tag/:tag/page/:page', :controller => 'trace', :action => 'list', :id => nil
+  map.connect '/traces/tag/:tag/page/:page', :controller => 'trace', :action => 'list', :id => nil
+
+  # user pages
+  
+  map.connect '/user/:display_name', :controller => 'user', :action => 'view'
+  map.connect '/user/:display_name/diary', :controller => 'diary', :action => 'view'
 
   # test pages
   map.connect '/test/populate/:table/:from/:count', :controller => 'test', :action => 'populate'
diff --git a/db/migrate.sql b/db/migrate.sql
index 6073c96a7..f6d2fc408 100644
--- a/db/migrate.sql
+++ b/db/migrate.sql
@@ -33,3 +33,5 @@ create index users_display_name_idx on users(display_name);
 alter table users add data_public boolean default false;
 
 alter table gpx_files drop column tmpname;
+
+alter table users add column description text not null;