diff --git a/app/models/profile.rb b/app/models/profile.rb
index e1b029e7c..c3d196843 100644
--- a/app/models/profile.rb
+++ b/app/models/profile.rb
@@ -5,8 +5,14 @@
 class Profile < ActiveRecord::Base
   require File.join(Rails.root, 'lib/diaspora/webhooks')
   include Diaspora::Webhooks
+  include Diaspora::Taggable
   include ROXML
 
+  attr_accessor :tag_string
+
+  acts_as_taggable_on :tags
+  extract_tags_from :tag_string
+
   xml_attr :diaspora_handle
   xml_attr :first_name
   xml_attr :last_name
diff --git a/app/models/status_message.rb b/app/models/status_message.rb
index f44a345f4..445819847 100644
--- a/app/models/status_message.rb
+++ b/app/models/status_message.rb
@@ -4,11 +4,14 @@
 
 class StatusMessage < Post
   include Diaspora::Socketable
+  include Diaspora::Taggable
+
   include YoutubeTitles
   require File.join(Rails.root, 'lib/youtube_titles')
   include ActionView::Helpers::TextHelper
 
   acts_as_taggable_on :tags
+  extract_tags_from :raw_message
 
   validates_length_of :text, :maximum => 1000, :text => "please make your status messages less than 1000 characters"
   xml_name :status_message
@@ -45,15 +48,6 @@ class StatusMessage < Post
     self.format_tags(mentioned_message, opts)
   end
 
-  def format_tags(text, opts={})
-    return text if opts[:plain_text]
-    regex = /(^|\s)#(\w+)/
-    form_message = text.gsub(regex) do |matched_string|
-      "#{$~[1]}<a href=\"/p?tag=#{$~[2]}\" class=\"tag\">##{ERB::Util.h($~[2])}</a>"
-    end
-    form_message
-  end
-
   def format_mentions(text, opts = {})
     people = self.mentioned_people
     regex = /@\{([^;]+); ([^\}]+)\}/
@@ -102,22 +96,6 @@ class StatusMessage < Post
     identifiers.empty? ? [] : Person.where(:diaspora_handle => identifiers)
   end
 
-  def build_tags
-    self.tag_list = tag_strings
-  end
-
-  def tag_strings
-    regex = /(?:^|\s)#(\w+)/
-    matches = self.raw_message.scan(regex).map do |match|
-      match.last
-    end
-    unique_matches = matches.inject(Hash.new) do |h,element|
-      h[element.downcase] = element unless h[element.downcase]
-      h
-    end
-    unique_matches.values
-  end
-
   def to_activity
     <<-XML
   <entry>
diff --git a/app/views/profiles/_edit.html.haml b/app/views/profiles/_edit.html.haml
index 33ebf82f5..c7d9f1f39 100644
--- a/app/views/profiles/_edit.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/profiles/_edit.html.haml
@@ -29,6 +29,10 @@
     = select_date profile.birthday, :prompt => true,
       :default => true, :order => t('date.order'), :start_year => 2000, :end_year => 1930, :prefix => 'profile[date]'
 
+  %h4
+    = t('profiles.edit.your_tags')
+    = text_field_tag 'profile[tags]', profile.tags, :placeholder => t('.your_tags_placeholder')
+
   %h4
     = t('profiles.edit.your_bio')
     = text_area_tag 'profile[bio]', profile.bio, :rows => 5, :placeholder => t('fill_me_out')
diff --git a/config/locales/diaspora/en.yml b/config/locales/diaspora/en.yml
index cda1016c5..2cd0cbd22 100644
--- a/config/locales/diaspora/en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/diaspora/en.yml
@@ -409,6 +409,8 @@ en:
       last_name: "Last name"
       your_gender: "Your gender"
       your_birthday: "Your birthday"
+      your_tags: "You: in 5 tags"
+      your_tags_placeholder: "i.e. #ironing #knitting #kittens #knees #doors"
       your_bio: "Your bio"
       your_photo: "Your photo"
       update_profile: "Update Profile"
diff --git a/lib/diaspora/taggable.rb b/lib/diaspora/taggable.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cf5c955d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/diaspora/taggable.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+#   Copyright (c) 2010, Diaspora Inc.  This file is
+#   licensed under the Affero General Public License version 3 or later.  See
+#   the COPYRIGHT file.
+
+module Diaspora
+  module Taggable
+    def self.included(model)
+      model.class_eval do
+
+        cattr_reader :field_with_tags
+
+        def self.extract_tags_from sym
+          puts "extract_tags_from"
+          pp self
+          @field_with_tags = sym
+        end
+        def self.field_with_tags_setter
+          @field_with_tags_setter = "#{@field_with_tags}=".to_sym
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
+    def build_tags
+      self.tag_list = tag_strings
+    end
+
+    def tag_strings
+      regex = /(?:^|\s)#(\w+)/
+      puts "tag strings"
+      pp self
+      matches = self.send(self.class.field_with_tags).scan(regex).map do |match|
+        match.last
+      end
+      unique_matches = matches.inject(Hash.new) do |h,element|
+        h[element.downcase] = element unless h[element.downcase]
+        h
+      end
+      unique_matches.values
+    end
+
+    def format_tags(text, opts={})
+      return text if opts[:plain_text]
+      regex = /(^|\s)#(\w+)/
+      form_message = text.gsub(regex) do |matched_string|
+        "#{$~[1]}<a href=\"/p?tag=#{$~[2]}\" class=\"tag\">##{ERB::Util.h($~[2])}</a>"
+      end
+      form_message
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/controllers/profiles_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/profiles_controller_spec.rb
index 28461e091..2fae00b1e 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/profiles_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/profiles_controller_spec.rb
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ describe ProfilesController do
     end
   end
 
-
   describe '#update' do
     it "sets the flash" do
       put :update, :profile => {
@@ -45,6 +44,15 @@ describe ProfilesController do
       flash[:notice].should_not be_empty
     end
 
+    it 'sets tags' do
+      params = { :id => @user.person.id,
+                  :profile =>
+                   { :tags => '#apples #oranges'}}
+
+      put :update, params
+      @user.person(true).profile.tags.should =~ ['apples', 'oranges']
+    end
+
     context 'with a profile photo set' do
       before do
         @params = { :id => @user.person.id,
diff --git a/spec/models/profile_spec.rb b/spec/models/profile_spec.rb
index c7ebb1eab..372a98694 100644
--- a/spec/models/profile_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/profile_spec.rb
@@ -146,6 +146,13 @@ describe Profile do
     end
   end
 
+  describe 'tags' do
+    before do
+      @object = Factory.build(:profile)
+    end
+    it_should_behave_like 'it is taggable'
+  end
+
   describe '#receive' do
     
     it 'updates the profile in place' do
diff --git a/spec/models/status_message_spec.rb b/spec/models/status_message_spec.rb
index e98a7c693..06a110824 100644
--- a/spec/models/status_message_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/status_message_spec.rb
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 
 require 'spec_helper'
 
-
 describe StatusMessage do
   include ActionView::Helpers::UrlHelper
   include Rails.application.routes.url_helpers
@@ -174,60 +173,14 @@ STR
       end
     end
   end
+
   describe 'tags' do
     before do
-      @sm = Factory.build(:status_message)
-    end
-    describe '#format_tags' do
-      before do
-        @str = '#what #hey'
-        @sm.text = @str
-        @sm.build_tags
-        @sm.save
-        @sm.reload
-      end
-      it 'links the tag to /p' do
-        link = link_to('#what', posts_path(:tag => 'what'), :class => 'tag')
-        @sm.format_tags(@str).should include(link)
-      end
-      it 'responds to plain_text' do
-        @sm.format_tags(@str, :plain_text => true).should == @str
-      end
-    end
-    describe '#build_tags' do
-      it 'builds the tags' do
-        @sm.text = '#what'
-        @sm.build_tags
-        @sm.tag_list.should == ['what']
-        lambda {
-          @sm.save
-        }.should change{@sm.tags.count}.by(1)
-      end
-    end
-    describe '#tag_strings' do
-      it 'returns a string for every #thing' do
-        str = '#what #hey #that"smybike. #@hey ##boo # #THATWASMYBIKE #hey#there #135440we #abc/23 ###'
-        arr = ['what', 'hey', 'that', 'THATWASMYBIKE', '135440we', 'abc']
-
-        @sm.text = str
-        @sm.tag_strings.should =~ arr
-      end
-      it 'returns no duplicates' do
-        str = '#what #what #what #whaaaaaaaaaat'
-        arr = ['what','whaaaaaaaaaat']
-
-        @sm.text = str
-        @sm.tag_strings.should =~ arr
-      end
-      it 'is case insensitive' do
-        str = '#what #wHaT #WHAT'
-        arr = ['what']
-
-        @sm.text = str
-        @sm.tag_strings.should =~ arr
-      end
+      @object = Factory.build(:status_message)
     end
+    it_should_behave_like 'it is taggable'
   end
+
   describe "XML" do
     before do
       @message = Factory.create(:status_message, :text => "I hate WALRUSES!", :author => @user.person)
diff --git a/spec/shared_behaviors/taggable.rb b/spec/shared_behaviors/taggable.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9c7248fd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/shared_behaviors/taggable.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+#   Copyright (c) 2010, Diaspora Inc.  This file is
+#   licensed under the Affero General Public License version 3 or later.  See
+#   the COPYRIGHT file.
+
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe Diaspora::Taggable do
+  shared_examples_for "it is taggable" do
+    describe '#format_tags' do
+      before do
+        @str = '#what #hey'
+        @object.send(@object.class.field_with_tags_setter, @str)
+        @object.build_tags
+        @object.save
+        @object.reload
+      end
+      it 'links the tag to /p' do
+        link = link_to('#what', posts_path(:tag => 'what'), :class => 'tag')
+        @object.format_tags(@str).should include(link)
+      end
+      it 'responds to plain_text' do
+        @object.format_tags(@str, :plain_text => true).should == @str
+      end
+    end
+    describe '#build_tags' do
+      it 'builds the tags' do
+        @object.send(@object.class.field_with_tags_setter, '#what')
+        @object.build_tags
+        @object.tag_list.should == ['what']
+        lambda {
+          @object.save
+        }.should change{@object.tags.count}.by(1)
+      end
+    end
+    describe '#tag_strings' do
+      it 'returns a string for every #thing' do
+        str = '#what #hey #that"smybike. #@hey ##boo # #THATWASMYBIKE #hey#there #135440we #abc/23 ###'
+        arr = ['what', 'hey', 'that', 'THATWASMYBIKE', '135440we', 'abc']
+
+        @object.send(@object.class.field_with_tags_setter, str)
+        @object.tag_strings.should =~ arr
+      end
+      it 'returns no duplicates' do
+        str = '#what #what #what #whaaaaaaaaaat'
+        arr = ['what','whaaaaaaaaaat']
+
+        @object.send(@object.class.field_with_tags_setter, str)
+        @object.tag_strings.should =~ arr
+      end
+      it 'is case insensitive' do
+        str = '#what #wHaT #WHAT'
+        arr = ['what']
+
+        @object.send(@object.class.field_with_tags_setter, str)
+        @object.tag_strings.should =~ arr
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
+
diff --git a/spec/spec_helper.rb b/spec/spec_helper.rb
index 66275fd2b..3a19f50f2 100644
--- a/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ support_files = Dir["#{File.dirname(__FILE__)}/support/**/*.rb"] - [fixture_buil
 support_files.each {|f| require f }
 require fixture_builder_file
 
+Dir["#{File.dirname(__FILE__)}/shared_behaviors/**/*.rb"].each do |f|
+  require f
+end
+
 RSpec.configure do |config|
   config.include Devise::TestHelpers, :type => :controller
   config.mock_with :rspec