As you know, we have had a members-only area in place for about a year. I’ve been experimenting with various plugins so that we could have a nice member profile area and an online membership directory. So once you register (and for that all you need is an email address, a User ID and your Idylwood address), you will need to take it upon yourself to update your member profile area (called a Directory Entry). Here’s how.
Access The Directory Entry
Once you are logged in, at the top right you will see a “Howdy, [Your Name]” at the top right. Hover over that and you’ll get a drop-down panel. Click the link “Edit My Directory Entry”.
About Your Membership Profile
You’ll see first of all that there are several levels of transparency for each listing. I’ll go through each one.
1. Organization: If you have a business you want to promote, don’t do it here. Simply use the Business Directory for that. So you will most likely choose Individual
2. Individual: This is the most common choice for an Idylwood resident’s profile for the reasons stated above.
3. Public: I do not recommend a public listing because although the Member Directory is only visible to logged in users, it’s better to check Private, which does specifically restrict viewing to logged in users.
4. Private: Choose this one unless you are still working on your profile information, in which case you should choose Unlisted.
5. Unlisted: Choose unlisted while your profile is in draft format. Then once you’re done, change it to Private and republish the entry.
The Name Panel
Now you can get down to populating the actual directory listing itself. And remember, you can add as much or as little information as you are comfortable sharing with your Idylwood neighbors. The first panel should be self-explanatory. You can add your name however you want it to appear in the membership directory listing, but make sure your neighbors can find you!
The Image and Logo Panels
You can upload a logo/avatar and an image to represent you on your profile. A logo/avatar will appear on your individual profile page.
The Addresses Panel
You have the option of adding your home or work address or both. It’s up to you how much informatoin you wish to disclose on the membership directory!
The Phone Numbers Panel
As with the Address Panel, you are not limited in the amount of information you choose to share. There are fields for work, home and mobile phone numbers here.
The Email Address Panel
Many people have dual email addresses and the system lets you choose however many email adddresses you want to display. NOTE to Directors and Officers: You may wish to share your Idylwood.org email address a a Civic Club contact.
The Messenger IDs Panel
There are a variety if instant messaging programs that are represented here, including AIM Skype, Goottletalk/Jabber and ICQ to name a few. Choose the one you use the most or create an account on a separate program to funnel your Idylwood chats.
The Social Media IDs Panel
Just about every iteration of social media outlet is represented here, including Angie’s List, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, ReverbNation, Tumbler, Flickr, RSS, Smugmug, and much more. Whatever you choose to share will be shown on your member profile as a link to that social media app.
The Links Panel
Share some of your favorite links here. Do you have a pet charity project or own several web sites? Promote them here!
The Dates Panel
This is the place for birthday and anniversaries. It also allows for other life events such as baptisms, graduations and even death.
The Biographical Info Panel
Here is where you can really go to town. This is a great way for your Idylwood neighbors to get to know you. NOTE to Officers and Directors: This is a great way to get yourself known in the neighborhood. I expect full biographical profiles from all of you!
The Notes Panel
This is a catchall category so use your imagination!
And the End Result?
Here is what the membership directory looks like. It’s paged and sorted in alphabetical order. Once you click on an individual member’s name, you will be shown their profile page.
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