Webinar Wednesday 163 – August 30, 2023

SEARCH: Add Custom Content to Membership Plan Search Result Pages (00:03:23)

• Users can now add custom content to membership plan search result pages, allowing them to create unique pages for specific membership plans, such as a “California member search results page” or a “Pro members” page, with the ability to add specific content, images, and videos (00:03:23).
• To customize a membership plan search results page, users can start in the admin dashboard, go to the finance tab, and edit a membership plan, where they can find the option to customize the URL and add custom content (00:04:10).
• The custom content can include text, images, forms, and embedded videos, and can be added to the page using the web page builder, where users can select the “member search results page” option and add content above or below the search results (00:05:20).
• To create a custom membership plan search results page, users need to copy the URL they set for the membership plan, go to the web page builder, create a new page with the same URL, and select the “member search results page” option, then add custom content and save the changes (00:05:41).
• The custom content can be displayed in different ways, such as in a tab or above the search results, and users can choose from various options to customize the layout and design of the page (00:07:21).
• This feature allows users to create dedicated pages with customized content for each membership plan, providing more flexibility and control over the content and design of their membership sites (00:07:50).

SECURITY: Set Maximum Time Member Login Sessions Remain Active (00:07:56)

• When logging into certain platforms, such as Facebook or online bank accounts, users are often required to log back in after a certain amount of time has passed due to a security feature that prevents accounts from staying open indefinitely on public devices or computers (00:07:58).
• By default, member sessions on BD sites were previously set to remain active for 7 or 30 days, but now users can decide how long a member session will remain active on a specific device before being automatically logged out, with the option to set the time in minutes (00:08:19).
• The setting to adjust the member login session active time can be found in the advanced settings by searching for “session” in the keyword search, which will display the “member login session active minutes” option, allowing users to increase or reduce the time as needed (00:08:53).
• The “member login session active minutes” setting is represented in minutes, with a default value of 10,080 minutes, which is equivalent to 7 days, and can be adjusted to a shorter or longer period, such as 60 minutes, at the user’s discretion (00:09:03).
• Users can choose to reduce the amount of time a member session remains active if they are concerned about the sensitivity of their site, or keep it at the default or longer if they are not concerned and the site is not sensitive (00:08:37).

LANGUAGE: Ability to Change or Translate Deeper Hard-Coded URLs “Page URL” (00:09:31)

• The site has been focusing on providing more translation options over the past year, including the ability to change or translate deeper hard-coded URL, such as those used when members are editing their own posts, with the URL structure previously being hardcoded as “account SL blog” or “sledit” (00:09:31).
• The majority of these hard-coded URLs have been updated to be translatable, but there are still a few places that need to be updated, and users can report any remaining issues to the support team (00:09:35).
• To translate the URLs in the web browser, users can go to the advanced settings and search for “page URL” in the filters, where they will find a handful of settings, including the dashboard URL, which can be changed to support different languages such as Polish language, German language, or Chinese language (00:10:08).
• The page URL settings include options for translating various page URLs, such as the arrange page for photo albums, and users can scroll down to find the specific URL slugs they need to translate for continuity (00:10:17).
• If users find a URL that cannot be translated, they can report it to the support team, who will create a ticket to get it added to the list of translatable URLs (00:10:51).

SPEED: More Optimizations for Admin Speed & Stability were Released (00:10:59)

• A significant number of speed optimizations have been added, primarily focusing on the admin area to enhance performance and stability (00:10:59).
• The front end is currently stable and visually appealing, but there is an ongoing effort to identify opportunities for further improvement (00:11:01).
• The goal of these optimizations is to achieve better speed and stability, not only in the admin area but also in other aspects of the platform (00:11:03).

SEO: Ability to Optimize Filenames and Alt Tags of Post Images & Album Images (00:11:10)

• The ability to optimize individual file names and ALT tags of post images and Album images is a feature that will be available soon, which can help improve SEO, particularly with regard to photo optimization (00:11:10).
• This upcoming feature will provide users with the ability to edge their SEO with regard to photo optimization by allowing them to optimize individual file names and ALT tags of post images and Album images (00:11:13).
• Access to this feature will be granted soon, allowing users to take advantage of the SEO benefits it provides for photo optimization, including optimizing individual file names and ALT tags of post images and Album images (00:11:15).

THEMES: Refresh on Staple Themes + Themes for More Niches, Post Types & Color Sets (00:11:26)

• Refreshing staple themes and creating new themes for specific niches, post types, and adding more color sets are currently being worked on (00:11:28)
• Themes are a great starting point for a site, allowing users to get started and then add their own touches, with the goal of having 75 to 90% of the site built (00:11:30)
• The purpose of a theme is to provide a foundation for a site, enabling users to plug in and play, making it their own with minimal additional work (00:11:49)
• The development of themes is intended to facilitate a smooth entry point for users, helping them to get started with their site (00:11:43)

WEBHOOKS: Schedule Automatic Smart List Syncing to Send Out Webhook Data (00:11:58)

• Migrating data to third-party platforms regarding web Hooks and smart lists will soon be possible, allowing for the automatic scheduling of smart list syncing to send out and trigger web hook data to be sent to third-party sources (00:11:59).
• Smart lists are dynamic, meaning that as new members enter into a smart list based on filtered criteria, the list will update, and this updated data can be sent to the platform of choice every hour or every day (00:12:13).
• The web hook data can be sent to third-party sources, and if there’s a new entry, it will either add them to the list or reset the list entirely, depending on the configuration (00:12:25).

HELPBOT: BD’s Building a Helpbot to Assist with Your Site & Answer General Questions (00:12:33)

• A helpbot is being developed to assist with sites and answer general questions, with a sneak preview already shared in the Facebook group, and its release is expected in the next few weeks (00:12:33).
• The helpbot is powered by chat Generative pre-trained transformer, allowing users to have conversations with it, and it prioritizes questions related to BD, but can also perform other tasks, with guard rails in place to ensure its answers align with Brilliant Directories (00:12:58).
• The helpbot can be used to generate content, such as email subject lines, blog article ideas, and marketing ideas, and can also help with troubleshooting questions about the BD site (00:13:21).
• The helpbot will be able to answer basic questions and, as it continues to get trained, more granular questions, making it a helpful tool for BD users, especially those in countries where chat GPT is not available (00:13:53).
• The release of the helpbot is expected to be within two to three weeks, or by the end of September, and it will be available to all BD users, allowing them to access and use it to bounce ideas off and assist with their BD site (00:14:05).

TONS MORE: Speed, security, quality-of-life features and exciting new releases on the way! (00:14:31)

• Many updates are a result of support tickets and feature suggestions created by users, with a significant portion of these updates being pushed out to improve the platform (00:14:33).
• The community is encouraged to provide feedback and ask questions about the current updates, with the option to raise their hand and engage in discussion (00:14:35).
• Olga has raised her hand to provide feedback or ask a question, and her input is acknowledged and welcomed (00:14:53).

How to moderate articles published by members? (00:15:00)

• To moderate articles published by members and prevent them from being removed or changed, the Advanced post moderation add-on can be used, which removes the ability for members to unpublish or delete their own posts (00:15:45).
• With this add-on, members can create and add articles, but the admin will control the post moderation, determining whether the article remains published or not (00:16:02).
• Additionally, it is recommended to hide the delete button under the actions section to prevent members from deleting their posts, which can be done by editing or hiding it with CSS (00:17:04).
• Using the post moderation feature and removing the delete button will provide control over the articles and prevent them from being removed or changed by members (00:17:12).
• There is a video available that provides more information on how to set up the post moderation feature, which can be useful for further guidance (00:16:18).
• It is also important to consider the arrangement and ownership of the articles, as members may decide to change or remove them, but with the right settings, the articles can remain on the website (00:15:14).

Facebook Group Giveaway (00:17:34)

• A Facebook group giveaway was held, and the prizes included an IPad, an Amazon (company) gift card, a lifetime website plan, and a surprise prize, with the winners to be announced after randomizing the names of all participants who entered the giveaway (00:17:34).
• The giveaway had a large number of participants, with 7,139 comments on the post, and after filtering out the names of those who entered, there were 676 unique names left, with duplicates removed (00:18:25).
• The names of the participants were copied into an Microsoft Excel list, and a tool called wheelofnames.com was used to randomly select the winners, with the first prize being the iPad giveaway (00:18:42).
• The winners will be hunted down and notified, even if they are not present in the webinar, to ensure they receive their prizes, with the surprise prize being kept secret for now (00:18:58).
• The giveaway was a fun event, with a large number of participants, and the use of the wheelofnames.com tool added an element of excitement to the random selection of the winners (00:19:15).
• The community was thanked for their participation, and the event was considered a success, with the winners to be announced after the random selection process (00:18:19).

iPad Winner #1 (00:19:25)

• The wheel has been populated with the names of participants, and a spin is initiated to randomly select a winner, with a total of 676 entrances, and the winner of the IPad Air is determined through this process (00:19:27).
• The winner of the iPad Air is Jackie North Edge, also known as a BD Allstar, who has been a part of the community for quite some time, and although Jackie is not present in the webinar, they will be notified and congratulated on Facebook (00:20:05).
• The name of the winner, Jackie North Edge, will be removed from the list to prevent them from winning another prize, and their information will be retrieved to send them the iPad Air, with a message to be sent on Facebook to obtain their mailing address (00:20:32).
• The giveaway is not over yet, as there are more prizes to be awarded, with at least one more prize to be given away after the iPad Air (00:20:43).

Amazon Gift Car Winner #1 (00:20:47)

• The giveaway features three $150 Amazon (company) gift cards, and the first winner will be determined by spinning a wheel (00:20:50).
• The wheel is spun to select the first winner of the $150 Amazon gift card, and the winner is announced as Sarah Jane (00:21:14).
• Sarah Jane is congratulated on winning the $150 Amazon gift card, and efforts will be made to connect with her and deliver the prize, even though she is not currently visible in the webinar (00:21:20).
• After Sarah Jane’s win, her name is removed from the list, and the wheel is spun again to proceed with the next part of the giveaway (00:21:41).

Amazon Gift Car Winner #2 (00:21:43)

• The audience is encouraged to raise their hands for a chance to win, with the idea that it may bring good luck, and Steven is noted as one of the participants raising his hand (00:21:44).
• A winner for the next $150 Amazon (company) gift card is announced, and the winner is revealed to be Daniel, with congratulations extended to him (00:21:58).
• The winner, Daniel, is to be added to a list for the $150 gift card, and other participants, including Robert and Brian, are also showing excitement by raising their hands (00:22:09).
• There is a moment of confusion as Daniel’s name is not immediately found in the list, but this issue is acknowledged and moved past (00:22:16).

Amazon Gift Car Winner #3 (00:22:19)

• The third and final Amazon gift card is being given away, with the winner determined by spinning a wheel (00:22:20).
• The potential winners have their hands up, including Dax, and the winner is revealed to be a member of the Contractor Network Houston Facebook group (00:22:25).
• The winner of the Amazon (company) gift card is from the Contractor Network Houston Facebook group, and this is in addition to other prizes such as an IPad and other gift cards (00:22:31).
• The next set of prizes after the gift cards includes a lifetime website giveaway as the third runner-up prize (00:22:51).

Lifetime Website Winner #1 (00:22:55)

• The lifetime website plan from Brilliant Directories is equivalent to a $1450 plan, and the winner of this giveaway will receive this plan, which is a valuable prize (00:22:58).
• If the winner already has a website and does not need another one, a free license transfer will be included, allowing them to give the prize to friends, family, or colleagues (00:23:19).
• The winner of the first lifetime website giveaway is Darren Monk, who was selected by spinning a wheel, and although he is not present on the webinar, he will still receive his prize (00:23:37).
• Since Darren Monk is not on the webinar, the wheel will be spun again to give away another lifetime website, which will be followed by a special surprise at the end (00:23:55).

Lifetime Website Winner #2 (00:24:10)

• Congratulations are being given to Christine, who has been announced as the winner of a lifetime website, with the announcement being made to express happiness for her win (00:24:14).
• The winner was selected from a group of participants, and the announcement is part of a larger event where surprises are being revealed, including a fourth surprise that will be shared at the end (00:24:24).
• The event involves interactive elements, including the use of a “razor hand feature” that promises to be loved by the participants, and an invitation for the audience to show their hands in response to a question (00:24:30).

iPad Winner #2 (00:24:38)

• The Facebook group giveaway had a bonus surprise of an additional IPad, which was given away due to the high number of entries, almost double the amount from the previous giveaway in March (00:24:38).
• The final prize, an iPad Air, was awarded to Alina, and there were also two other iPad winners, Jackie and Alina, as well as several runner-up winners (00:25:21).
• The winners will be contacted shortly to receive their prizes, and the giveaway will likely be repeated towards the end of the year, with the goal of encouraging participation from the community (00:25:39).
• The session then transitioned to a Q&A section, where participants could ask troubleshooting and strategy questions about their membership websites, and the hosts offered to review sites upon request (00:25:56).
• Brian suggested several ideas, including the ability to customize sidebars for mobile views, particularly for search results and static pages, which is currently on the roadmap (00:26:28).
• Brian also proposed a new theme idea for a dating or people connection site, which will be considered, and the hosts are also exploring themes in other languages and popular niches (00:27:11).
• Additionally, Brian asked about the possibility of tokenizing categories to allow for customizable URL, which is also on the roadmap (00:27:44).
• The session continued with other participants, including April, who was self-muted and then introduced herself (00:28:21).
• A digital nomad, currently in Willemstad, Curaçao, is seeking help with creating a directory of professionals using Brilliant Directories, and is looking for a fast track to get started with the platform (00:28:31).
• There is a 15-minute setup video available that can help with the basic configuration and setup of the site, allowing for a minimal viable product to be created and marketed (00:29:44).
• To get started, it is recommended to watch the setup video and follow the instructions in the admin area for technical configuration, such as connecting Google Maps, to ensure the site’s search function works properly (00:30:01).
• When starting a new site, it may be beneficial to have it open and free at first, and then start charging for membership once more features and content are added, giving people a reason to join (00:30:36).
• Having a strong mission page, populating the site with founding members, and making the site appear established are important steps in creating a successful directory (00:30:54).
• There are blog articles available on the Brilliant Directories blog that provide tips and advice on getting started, including an article on 25 ways to show credibility on a new site (00:31:22).
• The blog articles can be found by searching the Brilliant Directories blog, and can provide helpful information for those just starting out with creating a directory (00:31:47).
• A jobs post type is being set up, and the goal is to remove the start date from the search results page, with the option to either hide or completely remove it (00:32:11).
• The search results page is being customized to edit templates, such as the header and loop, to achieve the desired changes (00:32:54).
• When adding a job listing, the start date field can be hidden so that users do not enter it, and this can be done by editing the form to remove the start date field (00:33:45).
• The form can be further customized to replace a specific field with a free text field, allowing users to enter their preferred format, such as hourly rate or annual salary (00:34:13).
• To make this change, the form manager can be accessed, and the default form can be customized to change the field type from “Price” to a single-line text field, with the option to add help text and placeholder text (00:34:47).
• The customized field can include placeholder text and help text to guide users on what to enter, and the field can be limited to prevent users from entering too much text (00:35:22).
• The changes can be made to the default form, and the updated form will reflect the new field type and formatting (00:34:57).
• To test and validate user input, options can be set to limit the number of characters that can be entered, which helps users be more careful with their choice of words, and this can be done by going to validation options and setting a max character limit, such as 100 characters (00:36:12).
• The webinar is recorded and the replay will be available in the Facebook group shortly after, allowing viewers to watch it again and follow the instructions to make changes to their site (00:36:37).
• Karen’s site was discussed, and it was mentioned that she has made progress with her site, which is not the first time she has shared it, and she is always working hard on it (00:37:00).
• Stephen’s site, boardcertified.com, was reviewed, and it was suggested that no drastic changes are needed since the site seems professional and has a good calm demeanor, which is suitable for a medical site (00:37:45).
• Stephen’s site has a large number of members, with 400,000 leads and 26,000 to 27,000 paying members who send annual checks, and the site receives tremendous feedback from the medical community, particularly from plastic surgeons and aesthetic practitioners (00:38:33).
• The site’s design was complimented, with good font families, limited use of bold text, and a calm demeanor, and some minor adjustments were suggested, such as fixing the menu option to be on the same line (00:39:24).
• The website’s homepage is well-organized, with a clear header and main menu, and the call to actions are easy to find, making it simple for doctors to know they are meant to be found on the website (00:40:17).
• The website has a good balance of information for its two target markets, patients and physicians, making it clear who the audience is supposed to be and who belongs on the website (00:40:41).
• The website’s design is reputable, with a good use of colors and streaming widgets, and the presence of happy faces and star ratings adds to the credibility of the site and its members (00:41:00).
• The website has a search box that lets doctors know they are meant to be found on the website, and the search function is working quickly, even with over 400,000 listings (00:40:21).
• The website has recently been sped up, making it faster and more efficient, with search results coming up quicker than before (00:42:17).
• A user, Stephen, shared his experience with the website, stating that it is working well for him and that he appreciates the improvements made, comparing it favorably to another directory site he used to use (00:42:52).
• Another user, Kim, had a question about reflecting incoming money from off-site enrollments on their website, which they started about a month ago and has had two or three enrollments (00:43:43).

Lifetime Website Winner #3 (00:51:51)

• The wheel is spun one more time for a final lifetime website giveaway, which is totally randomized and could be won by anyone still participating in the webinar (00:51:51).
• Drew is announced as the winner of the lifetime website, and congratulations are extended to all the winners of the giveaways (00:52:22).
• The winners will be contacted on Facebook and notified of their prizes, which include two IPad, three lifetime websites, and several Amazon (company) gift cards (00:52:30).
• A replay of the webinar will be posted in the Facebook group for those who missed it, and the next webinar is scheduled to take place in September (00:52:52).
• The webinar series is hosted the Brilliant Directories team, who express their appreciation for the participants and look forward to the next event (00:53:11).
• The next webinar will be held in two weeks, and participants can join by visiting brilliantdirectories.com (00:52:56).
• The team bids farewell to the participants, wishing them a great day and a brilliant week, and inviting them to join the next webinar (00:53:21).