RYO Membership Directory Plugin Administrator Manual
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It's important to set up a Page on your website to help your members edit their pages. Once you set up the page, go to Member Directory, Directory setup ad add the URL of that Page to your setup. That way, when editing their profile, your member can easily access the help page.
What to put on the page? Below is an example of what we used on one project. If you're using parts of the profile for a member directory, and different parts for a vendor directory, be sure to explain that clearly.
This example is for folks using the Markdown plugin. If you're not using Markdown, be sure to remove formatting references.
Members can edit their website profile online and expect immediate update of most information on the website. Complete instructions are on this page...
Please note that this does NOT update your information on record at the association office. If addresses, phone numbers, or other information change be sure to update it with the office, as well as online here for your online profile.
Problems? Questions? See below...
To save your changes, click Save Member Profile. Then look for Click here to return to website and click the link to go directly to your profile.
To make further changes, click Click Here to Edit at the bottom of your profile.
Hint: If you can't find the Click Here to Edit link on your profile page, you're not logged in.
When you're finished, be sure to click the Logout button in the sidebar.
Frequently asked questions
Okay, some of these aren't questions, but they beg for an answer...
My login doesn't work
Both userid and password are case sensitive. Also, no spaces, including spaces before or after the userid and password. Check that before panicking or requesting the system issue a new password.
I forgot my password, or, I forgot my userid
You can log in with either your userid or your email address. So, if you forgot your userid, use your email address. Also, your userid is displayed in 
small grey type at the bottom of your profile listing, after topics (see red arrow). Your email is displayed in your profile. When you're trying to login, there's an option for members who have forgotten their password. Click that option and an email will be sent to you with a link that will generate a new password and email you (in a second email) with the new password.
Your userid and email are both case sensitive, so note how they are displayed on your profile page when requesting a new password.
Where do I find my online profile?
Click "Find a Speaker" in the sidebar and search on your last name.
My address or phone numbers look funny
Use multiple lines for your address, like you would address an envelope.
Put each phone number on a separate line.
My name sorts in the wrong place.
Alphabetical sorts use your Last Name. No, you can't change your last name to AAAble just to get a better sort.
How do I edit the copy next to my picture in searches?
This is the Promo copy. This is for a short description of your business. It will appear in search results. Please limit to 35 words. The system will chop off anything over that! And the system counts punctuation as a word -- if it stands alone like the dash in this sentence.
The text in my listing is cut off mid-sentence.
Promo copy is limited to 35 words. See above.
How much copy can go in my profile?
We haven't set a limit. This is your chance to do some marketing. Think of it as a nice online one-sheet or brochure where you can tout your business.
How do I show up in the Category listing searches?
There’s a long list of categories or specialties that you can choose for listing in the database. These are the category headings used to find you in the Business Directory.
Under Categories, select one or more topics by holding down the Ctrl, Command, or Apple key as you click on the desired topic headings. The bar at the right edge of the topic list may be used to scroll through the list.
Can I change my password?
You can change your password. Enter a new password in the Password field, and type it again in the matching field. Leave these blank if you don't want to change your password.
How do I edit my designation (CSP, CPAE, PhD, MBA, etc.)?
You cannot edit your designation (CSP, CPAE, PhD, MBA, etc.) These should not be included in your name. If you've qualified for one of these designations, please email the association office so we can change the record.
How do I change my photograph?
Your photograph should be a 4x5 or 8x10 photograph. You may use a black and white photograph, but your color photograph will look great on our website! It should be scanned as an RGB photograph, jpg format.
While you're logged in at your Edit Directory Profile page, you'll notice the area at the bottom where you upload your photograph. Before you do your upload, be sure you've saved any changes to your profile in the upper portion of the page.
How do I include my blog posts in my profile?
Look for the RSS URL field, and enter the URL to your blog's RSS feed. This is NOT your blog's web address. It's the address you usually find with the little orange block that says RSS or is an orange box with radiating circles.
My Blog's RSS feed doesn't appear on my page
If you've put it in properly (see above question) and the screen displays "Loading..." but never seems to load, you've either entered the wrong URL or the feed is invalid XML. Test it at W3 Feed Validation Service.
Note that some readers may be able to handle a certain level of invalid xml, so it's possible to be able to see a feed in FireFox or Internet Explorer, but have it fail in the jquery process used in the Directory. The solution is to use a product that generates good xml for feeds. WordPress and other blog platforms generally do this well, but some plugins may interfere with that.
The following is for sites running Markdown as a text formatter. If you're not running the Markdown plugin, don't include the following...
How do I put an email address in my profile?
Your email address already appears at the top of your profile, next to your photograph.
If you need to put in a different email address for a special purpose, put it inside angle brackets, like this:
yourname@example.com
It will appear like this: yourname@example.com, complete with a link that will work in the user's email program. Not only that, the email address will be scrambled in the underlying webpage code so it's less likely to be picked up by the spambots that constantly troll the internet looking for email addresses.
My profile looks funny. How do I fix it?
There are several secrets to editing your profile.
There must be a blank line between paragraphs. Otherwise, the system will assume you wanted them to run together. (If you really must have several paragraphs together, without a blank line between them, like you might for an address, put two blank spaces at the end of each line. That will signal the system not to combine them into a single paragraph.)
Don't start paragraphs with blank spaces or tabs. These trick the computer into messing up your page.
Paragraphs are running together
See previous question.
How do I italicize a book title?
If you need to italicize your book title, surround the title with an asterisk, like this:
Beth's book is *How To Succeed.*
That will appear like this: Beth's book is How To Succeed.
How do I create a bulleted list?
To create a bulleted list, begin each line with a hyphen and a space, like this:
- Bulleted item #1
- Bulleted item #2
That will appear like this:
-
Bulleted item #1
-
Bulleted item #2
How do I create a subhead?
To create a subheadline, begin the paragraph with ###. (No, don't end the line with anything special.) You will type something like this:
###This is a short headline
It will appear like this:
This is a short headline
This only looks good if you do it for occasional, short headlines.
Please use these forms of emphasis sparingly, because the appearance of your profile reflects on the whole organization. If it's abused, we'll have to turn the feature off for everyone.
Question not answered here?
Email webmaster@example.com.
