Webinar Wednesday 171 – January 31, 2024

SEGMENT: Search Members by Individual/Company (00:03:00)

• The ability to segment members now includes searching members in the admin area based on their status as an individual or a company, which will be helpful when creating smart lists (00:03:00).
• In the admin area, a new drop-down option called “member type” is available on the search members page, allowing for searches based on member type, including company or individual (00:03:19).
• Members can classify themselves as a company when joining, and their profile page may not show their first and last name, but rather the company name, such as The Coca-Cola Company, and this new search option accommodates such cases (00:03:26).
• The search function can be used to segment members, export them, or create a smart list for better marketing and targeting, with additional filters to be introduced in the future (00:03:58).
• Future updates will include new filters for the search function, which will be discussed in an upcoming segment on what’s coming soon (00:04:05).

ZAPIER: Create Member Reviews from 3rd Party Sources (00:04:10)

• Zapier is a tool that allows users to create member reviews from third-party sources, and an update is planned to integrate it with PAB, which will be available shortly after mid-February (00:04:10).
• With Zapier, users can create users, leads, and posts from third-party sources, and now they also have the ability to create member reviews from these sources, which can be attributed to a member and added to their profile on the Brilliant Directory site (00:04:25).
• The process of creating member reviews from third-party sources involves finding the source of the reviews, attributing them, and uploading them to the site, which can be done easily, especially for those collecting reviews from third-party forms or other data sources (00:04:42).
• This feature is beneficial for users who want to pin reviews to a member and add them to their Brilliant Directory site, making it a great way to collect and manage member reviews from various sources (00:04:54).

PROFILE PAGES: Option to Hide Post Tabs on Profile Pages (00:05:07)

• Member profile pages can display various tabs for content such as events, coupons, blog posts, and property listings, and the order of these tabs can be customized, with the option to choose which tab will be displayed first, second, third, or fourth (00:05:07).
• There is now an option to hide the post tab on the profile page, which can be useful if certain types of posts are not wanted to be attributed or shown on member profile pages, but still exist on the site in a different section (00:05:30).
• To hide a post tab, such as the events tab, users can go to the edit post settings under the my content section, search for the post type, edit it, and then toggle to the profile page design tab, where they can find the tab order and hide the post type on profile pages (00:06:17).
• The hide on profile pages option can be found at the bottom of the profile page tab order section, and once selected and saved, the post type will be hidden from the member’s profile page (00:06:42).
• This new option provides more control for users who treat specific types of posts in a certain way on their site, allowing them to customize the display of content on member profile pages (00:06:54).

POSTS: Use Stock Photos as Feature Images (00:07:02)

• The ability to search stock photos in the admin area has been introduced, allowing users to select stock photos when creating blog articles to set the feature image, which is a useful feature for creating and adding content to a site (00:07:02).
• An add-on for stock photos for posts has been released, which can be enabled in the advanced settings by searching for the word “stock” and checking the “enable for post feature images” checkbox (00:08:04).
• To use the stock photo feature, users can go to create an article, search for stock photos, and select an image from libraries such as Pexels, with options to filter by orientation and keywords (00:09:13).
• The stock photo feature can be used in conjunction with other add-ons, such as the chat GPT add-on, to generate articles and content quickly and easily (00:09:41).
• The feature image is the image that is pinned to the article and shows in search results on the homepage and other areas of the site, making it a useful tool for creating engaging and visually appealing content (00:10:10).

TRACKING: Admin Actions Logged in Activity Tracker (00:10:20)

• When admin users are added to a site, perhaps as staff members or hired developers, and they accept an invitation or are removed from the site, these instances are recorded in the website’s admin activity tracker (00:10:22).
• The website admin has visibility into some of the activity, including who is being added or removed from the site, and which staff member is performing these actions, providing a clearer understanding of site modifications (00:10:40).
• The activity tracker log stores information on who is being added or removed from the site, giving the admin more insight into site changes and allowing for better tracking of user management (00:11:03).
• The tracking feature is a useful tool for website admins to monitor and manage user access and changes to the site, and it is stored in the activity tracker log for future reference (00:11:05).

NEW ADD-ON: Block Traffic by Country (00:11:13)

• The top four security features are related to preventing unwanted traffic to a site, and a new add-on is coming soon that will allow the ability to block traffic by country, which requires careful consideration as visitors may be traveling from other countries (00:11:13).
• The new add-on will provide the option to choose from a list of countries and block IP addresses visiting from those countries, effectively preventing them from accessing the site (00:11:20).
• There is also a setting that allows traffic only from certain countries and blocks everyone else, which was previously recommended, and this option will be available with the new add-on (00:11:47).
• The feature will provide the flexibility to allow traffic from a specific number of countries, such as 10, and automatically block all other countries, with the expected release date for this feature being mid-February (00:11:54).

SECURITY: Block Disposable Email Addresses & DATA: Search for Duplicate Member Values (00:12:12)

• Disposable email addresses are temporary emails that are not a person’s real email address and are often used for spam or SEO listing companies, and it is generally not desirable to have these types of emails signing up to a site (00:12:13).
• The ability to search for duplicate values will allow for data cleanup and tidying, enabling the search for members with the same phone number, email, last name, company name, or other attributes, and then taking action to correct or remove duplicate records (00:12:39).
• Searching for duplicate values can also be used to identify duplicate IP addresses, which can indicate spam or unwanted listings, and having a large number of members with the same IP address can be a strong indication of this issue (00:13:08).
• The feature to search for duplicate values will give site moderators more power to moderate their sites and remove unwanted listings, allowing for a more controlled and tidy membership database (00:13:26).
• The search function will provide a list of records that share similar attributes and values, allowing moderators to review and take action on these records as needed, and most of the time no action will be required but it will be useful for identifying and removing duplicate or unwanted listings (00:12:41).

DATA: Search Member IPs by Country Name (00:13:33)

• The system allows searching for member IPs by country name, enabling the retrieval of all member signups from a specific country, such as the United States, by simply selecting the country (00:13:34).
• This feature can be useful in identifying and mitigating unwanted signups from a particular location, by searching for the IP addresses of members who joined from that country (00:13:43).
• The ability to search member IPs by country name empowers users to find all the IP addresses for members who joined from a specific country, helping to address potential issues with unwanted signups (00:13:55).
• The feature is designed to provide another way to mitigate unwanted signups and improve the overall management of member signups (00:13:59).
• The search functionality by country name is a valuable tool for identifying and managing member signups, and is intended to provide users with more control over their membership (00:14:02).

NEWSLETTERS: Updated Email Newsletter Features (00:14:07)

• The weekly newsletter has been discussed for a long time, with a planned release date set for mid to end of February, and a sneak peek of its features will be provided (00:14:07).
• The release of the newsletter is highly anticipated, and it is felt that a sneak peek is owed to the audience due to the numerous mentions of it in the past (00:14:18).
• Additional features are being added to the newsletter, including another stock photo library, which is expected to enhance its functionality (00:14:23).

PHOTOS: Final Stock Photo Library Being Added, Access 10 mil+ Images with Unsplash (00:14:26)

• The stock photo access is called Unsplash, which will be added as the final stock photo library (00:14:28).
• This addition will give BD users a total of four stock photo libraries, including Pixabay, Pexels, GIF, and Unsplash (00:14:32).
• The Unsplash library will provide BD users with access to over 10 million images and graphics (00:14:37).
• The inclusion of Unsplash will bring the total number of stock photo libraries to four, offering a wide range of visual resources (00:14:34).

DATA: Access Millions of Business Records… And Add Listing to Your Site in 1-Click (00:14:44)

• A new feature is being introduced, which will allow access to millions of business records, enabling users to search by category and location, and add listings to their site in one click, with the announcement being made about two months prior to its release (00:14:44).
• The data does come at a cost, so there will be limits on its use, but efforts will be made to negotiate the best rate with the data supplier and provide each site with a free small sample (00:14:51).
• This feature will be beneficial for users looking to populate their site and make it appear more established, and the goal is to pass on the best possible rate to users (00:14:58).
• The upcoming feature is part of several new releases, and users are encouraged to ask questions or provide comments about the new and upcoming features (00:15:29).
• A user, Brian B, has a question or comment, and is calling in from Arizona, but his question is not specified in this section (00:15:51).

Search for duplicate member addresses with the upcoming data update? (00:16:04)

• The upcoming data update will allow users to search for duplicate member addresses by putting the first line of the address in the location field and then performing a search (00:16:05).
• The search function will enable users to choose an attribute, such as people who have the same address, and find any records with matching addresses (00:16:22).
• The search is not for the value itself, but rather for the attribute that would have duplicate values, making it easier to identify duplicate addresses (00:16:38).
• A new interface is being created to allow users to search records, and the goal is to work with multiple data companies to procure data for all users, as some companies specialize in specific regions (00:16:50).
• The plan is to start with one data company and potentially team up with others to get good data for users in different regions, such as the United States or Australia (00:16:55).
• The new data update is expected to be a useful feature, and users are encouraged to ask questions about the upcoming release and provide feedback (00:17:12).
• A user, Carolyn from New Jersey, had a question or comment, but the details of her inquiry are not specified in this section of the transcript (00:17:28).

Hide post tabs on profile pages by membership plan? (00:17:32)

• The function to show and hide tabs on a member’s profile page was discussed, with events as an example, and the possibility of setting this up by membership plan was explored, allowing for different tabs to be shown to members with different membership plans, such as plan A or plan B (00:17:33).
• The current update to hide tabs on profile pages is sitewide, but there are small workarounds that can be implemented using a snippet of code, which would require assistance from the BD staff or the Facebook group, to achieve the desired functionality by membership plan (00:18:02).
• If a member hasn’t created any events, for example, the events tab won’t show on their profile page until they create their first public and published post, and this update was primarily to hide tabs (00:18:25).
• Members are encouraged to ask in the Facebook group for help with implementing workarounds, as someone may have already found a solution, and the BD staff can also assist with this (00:18:41).
• The updates are often a result of suggestions and recommendations from the BD Community, and the community is thanked for their contributions to the development of new features (00:18:54).

Email Newsletter Feature Updates (PREVIEW) (00:19:05)

• The email newsletter feature updates are being introduced to add more functionality to the email newsletter features within the admin area, allowing for more useful features when sending email blasts to members or newsletter subscribers (00:19:06)
• The update was conceived in detail about a year and a half ago and aims to enhance the overall experience of the website admin area (00:19:18)
• The key features of the update are intended to provide more functionality to the website admin area, although the specific details of these features are not yet fully outlined (00:19:43)
• Now a quick overview of the coming soon email newsletter feature updates (00:19:18)
• The update is expected to include a range of new features that will be useful for users, with the goal of adding more functionality to the email newsletter features (00:19:29)

Key Features (00:19:46)

• The update is expected to be released within the next month or so, sometime in February, with key features including enhanced statistics and reporting based on the newsletters sent out to certain segments (00:19:53).
• The update will introduce dynamic newsletter editing with a refreshed UI for creating, editing, and previewing email newsletters, making it more intuitive (00:20:01).
• Users will have the ability to schedule newsletters, allowing them to draft a newsletter today and schedule it to be sent out at a later time, such as in one week or the next day (00:20:13).
• The update will also include the ability to include or exclude certain recipients based on smart lists, allowing users to segment their members and choose which lists to include or exclude from the newsletter (00:20:31).
• The statistics and data reporting features will be expanded, providing more insights into the performance of email newsletters and allowing users to gain insights and improve their newsletters (00:20:47).
• The update will remove the limitation of sending only 1,500 emails at once per newsletter, allowing users to send more emails depending on the number of members they have (00:21:07).

Newsletter Update Goals (00:21:27)

• The goals of the newsletter update include allowing users to have a more complete understanding of their website’s email marketing performance based on the newsletters they send to their members and email subscribers (00:21:29).
• The update aims to provide a more intuitive newsletter creation user interface, making it easier and faster to draft and send out newsletters (00:21:53).
• The key features of the update include the ability to dynamically preview newsletter drafts, send newsletters to more specific audiences via Smart lists, and schedule newsletters for future send dates and times (00:22:07).
• The update also includes the ability to see the performance of each newsletter, with statistics such as the total recipient list, delivery rates, bounces, opens, and clicks (00:22:53).
• The ultimate goal of the update is to provide users with the necessary features to rely less on third-party email marketing platforms, such as HubSpot, Keap, and Mailchimp (00:23:27).
• The update is designed to give users enough features to be effective and have an edge over their competitors, while also being able to work quickly and efficiently (00:24:02).

Live Demo (00:24:16)

• The current email newsletter system allows users to send newsletters by going to the send newsletter section, giving it a nickname, choosing an email template from their template bank, selecting the recipients, and then saving and sending the newsletter, which is a straightforward process that has been working well for a long time (00:24:27).
• The system is due for an overhaul, and the future version will have a table with dedicated columns for total list size, delivered, failed, open, and click statistics, providing a comprehensive view of the email send performance (00:25:05).
• The new system will also give users a breakdown of the percentages based on the total list size, allowing them to see how their email sends are performing (00:25:34).
• The updated system is being tested on a test site, where features may look slightly different, but it will provide users with a 360-degree view of their email newsletters and allow them to schedule new newsletters (00:25:10).
• The test site will enable users to view all their email newsletters in one place, with columns for key statistics, and will also allow them to dive into the statistics and see how their email sends are performing (00:25:21).

Creating a Newsletter (00:25:43)

• The new email newsletter update allows users to choose a template to start with, and then work on that template, with the ability to create different templates for different newsletters, such as a standard template for monthly newsletters (00:25:50).
• The “create newsletter” section has a nickname for the newsletter, and the first tab is “edit email”, where users can start working on the email they want to send, choosing a template to start with, and customizing the “from” address, subject line, and body (00:26:34).
• While working on the newsletter, users can preview the email dynamically, and also send a test email to see how it looks on different devices (00:27:18).
• The platform allows users to select specific lists of recipients, including smart lists, and also exclude certain lists, such as lead form submissions, to create segmented emails (00:27:51).
• The total number of qualifying recipients is displayed, taking into account excluded lists and duplicate or invalid emails, to protect users from sending emails that may not be delivered (00:28:40).
• The email send process omits certain emails for unqualified or disqualifying reasons, resulting in a slightly lower number of sent emails than the total, to ensure that people who shouldn’t receive them are excluded (00:29:14).
• The schedule email tab currently allows for sending emails in real time, but it will also have a calendar feature to choose a date and time for the email to be sent, which will be synced with the website’s time zone (00:29:30).
• The date and time selected for sending the email will be synced with the website’s time zone, which is set in the general settings, and this will apply to all websites regardless of their location (00:30:01).
• There is a limitation in the current legacy system that only allows sending batches of 1500 emails per send, but this will be changed to unlimited in the new system, with a monthly limit of around 45,000 emails per month (00:30:30).
• The newsletter creation process will include features such as excluding certain emails and scheduling for later, and users will be able to sort and view statistics for their sent emails, including sample data (00:30:50).
• The statistics for sent emails can be sorted by status, and users can view sample data, including fun numbers, by scrolling down and clicking on specific emails (00:31:15).

Newsletter Statistics (00:31:24)

• The newsletter statistics feature allows users to see the number of email addresses included in a list, and by clicking on the number, they can view the specific email addresses, along with three columns of information: email, smart list association, and status, as long as the smart list hasn’t been deleted (00:31:25).
• Users can toggle different statuses to see who the email was delivered to but still unopened, and create a smart list from this information to send follow-up emails with stronger subject lines or softer reminders to take action (00:31:56).
• The feature also allows users to see which emails failed and the reason why they failed, including bounces, rejections, and other reasons, and create smart lists or export this information to find alternative contact methods, such as phone numbers, for recipients with non-working email addresses (00:32:56).
• Additionally, users can view spam complaints, which are people who received the email and marked it as spam, and create smart lists to ensure they don’t send to them again, or put them in a bucket to handle in the future (00:33:56).
• The statistics feature provides granular control and the ability to reach people based on different actions they took with the emails, and will be available to all BD users in mid-to-late February (00:34:37).
• Users can create smart lists to create sub-segments based on email sends, and the feature will be released to all BD users, allowing them to make data-driven decisions and improve their email marketing strategies (00:34:40).

Can ChatGPT be used to create newsletter templates? (00:35:45)

• The development of the platform is being done in three phases, with the first phase being the release of the current features, the second phase focusing on making the newsletter editing process easier and more intuitive, and the third phase involving the creation of a library of newsletters and templates that users can choose from (00:35:46).
• The second phase will include the addition of more draggable content blocks, making it easier for users to build newsletters from scratch or create their own templates (00:36:06).
• The third phase will provide users with a library of several dozen templates to choose from, allowing them to easily add their logo and images to create a beautiful newsletter (00:36:31).
• A user has a long list of states on their menu that drops down the page, and they are looking for an option to display it horizontally to improve the appearance (00:36:55).
• The user’s website, myONcontractorNetwork.com, will be reviewed to see what they are referring to and to find a solution to their issue (00:37:22).

Better design for main menu dropdown with list of all states? (00:37:27)

• A long dropdown menu with 50 states can be difficult for users to navigate, and a suggestion is made to link to a static page with a list of states in alphabetical order (00:37:51).
• An alternative option is to create a page with links to each state, making it easier for users to find what they are looking for, and this page can be designed with a visual element, such as state flags (00:38:57).
• A link is shared in the chat about how to list states and countries in a user-friendly way, with the US states listed in alphabetical order at the bottom (00:39:35).
• The idea of creating a static page with links to each state is discussed as a simple and effective solution that does not require a lot of programming (00:40:02).
• The topic of newsletters is brought up, and the question of best practices to avoid having the primary domain name marked as spam by Google is raised, with the suggestion of using a different email address (00:40:30).
• The discussion touches on the idea of using a separate email address for sending large volumes of emails, such as 10,000 or 50,000, to avoid being marked as spam (00:40:40).

Best email newsletter practices to avoid Google marking domain as spam? (00:40:45)

• To avoid getting marked as spam by Google, it is essential to break down a large email list into smaller batches and test them out to ensure a low spam complaint rate and minimize bounces, which are not a significant issue but can be a waste of resources (00:40:45).
• Segmenting a large email list, such as 50,000 emails, into smaller groups of 1,500 or 10,000 emails is recommended, as tens of thousands of emails can attract monitoring and create junk online (00:41:10).
• Testing a small sample of emails is also beneficial for AB testing, allowing you to gauge favorable responses and avoid spam complaints before sending emails to the rest of the list (00:41:28).
• Using an email list verification tool can be helpful when sending a large number of emails, as it helps to ensure the quality of the email list (00:41:41).
• Email drip campaigns can be an effective way to encourage upgrades or interact with inactive members, and tools like smart lists and Zappier can be used to automate these campaigns, allowing for manual sequencing of one-off emails (00:41:52).
• Automating drip campaigns can be done using various tools, and it is possible to manually sequence one-off emails, which can be useful for encouraging engagement with inactive members, as mentioned by Kim in the context of the three phases (00:42:10).

Will email newsletter feature update include drip campaigns? (00:42:15)

• The fourth phase of email newsletter feature updates is expected to include creating additional triggers and potential drip campaigns, allowing for dynamic sequences of emails based on a member’s actions or lack thereof (00:42:17).
• Drip campaigns would enable sending continuous emails to members with a nurture sequence, but this feature has been approached with hesitation due to the existence of other solutions that specialize in it (00:42:39).
• The possibility of experimenting with drip campaigns may be explored in the fourth phase of updates (00:42:49).
• A question was raised about whether there will be an option for recipients to manage their preferences instead of simply unsubscribing from newsletters, as some users may want to receive fewer or less frequent emails without completely opting out (00:42:56).
• The desire for a manage preferences option stems from the experience of receiving too many or irrelevant emails from companies, and wanting to stay in touch without being overwhelmed, rather than unsubscribing altogether (00:43:11).

Option for email recipients to manage email preferences rather than unsubscribe? (00:43:21)

• When someone is on an unsubscribed list, they will still receive transactional emails from a site, such as receipts, but will not receive newsletter emails, with the specifics of this process being outlined in available documentation (00:43:23).
• There is currently no direct option for email recipients to manage their email preferences, but a workaround exists where individuals can be added to a smart list by submitting their email to a form, allowing them to exclude themselves from certain types of emails, such as newsletters (00:43:47).
• Transactional emails, including those related to receipts, need to be delivered to the recipient even if they have unsubscribed from newsletter emails, as this is a standard practice across the internet (00:44:17).
• A smart list can potentially be created for members who have not logged in for a certain period of time, but the default setting only shows members who have logged in within the last 30 days, and the process for creating such a list is not immediately clear (00:44:35).
• The idea of creating a smart list for inactive or non-logged-in members for a specific period is being considered, but the exact steps to achieve this are not specified, and may require further investigation or documentation (00:44:52).

Create smart list of members who have been inactive for a certain period of time? (00:44:55)

• Creating a smart list of members who have been inactive for a certain period of time is a helpful feature, allowing administrators to reach out to inactive members with a specific message, such as a reminder or an offer of assistance, and this can be achieved by excluding active members from the list (00:44:56).
• The current default settings for member activity include options for members who have logged in within the last seven, 14, or 30 days, but there may be a need for more customized options, such as identifying members who have not logged in for a certain period of time (00:45:14).
• Using web hooks can provide workarounds for tracking member activity, such as identifying members who have recently updated their profiles or saved a form, but the focus is on identifying inactive members (00:45:30).
• The 80/20 rule suggests that 80% of members may be inactive, and identifying these members can help administrators target them with specific messages or offers to re-engage them (00:45:57).
• Creating a smart list of inactive members can be done by excluding members who have taken action, such as logging in or engaging with the platform, and then emailing the remaining members who have been inactive (00:46:18).
• The ability to schedule newsletters based on intervals, such as every Wednesday at 2 p.m. or the first of every month at 12 p.m., is a useful feature that can help administrators plan and automate their newsletter campaigns (00:47:51).

Can newsletters be scheduled to send at repeat intervals? (00:48:10)

• Newsletters currently need to be created and scheduled individually for each send, with no option to schedule them at repeat intervals, such as every Wednesday at 12:00 pm (00:48:10).
• Scheduling newsletters at repeat intervals could be useful for reminders or regular updates, such as a weekly blog post, where the content may not change every time (00:48:21).
• The contents of the newsletter may not always be different every time, as some newsletters may serve as reminders or feature regular updates from a blog or RSS feed (00:48:46).
• The ability to schedule newsletters at repeat intervals is a good use case, and it may be considered for a future release (00:49:18).
• Another related idea is to sync smart lists more frequently, such as once every hour, which could be useful in situations where members complete their profiles or other actions that require frequent updates (00:49:54).
• The current options for syncing smart lists are daily, weekly, or monthly, but more frequent syncing could be beneficial in certain situations, such as when using PAB or Zapier (00:49:42).

Sync smartlists to webhook platforms (Zapier, Pabbly, etc.) more frequently? (00:50:09)

• The current system sends member information to other platforms after a delay, such as 30 minutes or an hour after they complete their profile, and ideally, this delay could be shortened to make the process more efficient (00:50:13).
• Syncing smartlists to webhook platforms like Zapier or Pabbly more frequently, such as every hour, is a possible solution and is considered doable (00:50:42).
• Another approach could be to sync the smartlist whenever the number of recipients or contacts in the list changes, which would provide a more dynamic and responsive update process (00:50:53).
• The original desire was to trigger the sync as soon as a member completes their profile, which would require a defined completion criteria, but this might be more complex to implement (00:51:16).
• Setting the sync to occur at regular intervals, such as every hour or half hour, could be a simpler and more feasible solution (00:51:40).
• The discussion also touches on the topic of blocking traffic by category and the security of member information, with a question from Openhouse Texas about whether the platform is secure enough to protect member info (00:52:00).
• The member info is protected, but the question of whether to block traffic from certain countries, such as India, Pakistan, and China, is a separate issue that requires consideration (00:52:21).

How secure is member data and blocking traffic from specific countries? (00:52:31)

• Sensitive data on public pages of a site is open to anyone to view, and with simple highlighting and copy-paste, others can scrape the data (00:52:31).
• The block by country add-on can automatically block all traffic from specific IP addresses without requiring manual intervention, allowing users to stop traffic from certain countries with just one or two clicks (00:52:42).
• A feature is coming soon that will enable searching for specific businesses and immediately importing them into a website, with the business records potentially including profile photos or logos (00:53:00).
• The data companies being worked with are being carefully selected to ensure they have records that include logos and profile photos available (00:53:15).
• The upcoming feature aims to provide a seamless experience for users, allowing them to import business records, including those with profile photos or logos, into their website (00:53:18).

Will future update to find and import businesses include their logos? (00:53:27)

• The future update to find and import businesses is expected to include their logos, which will be part of the business or company information, allowing users to add logos to the businesses they import to their site (00:53:28).
• When adding businesses to a site, users will have the option to include logos, which may reduce the available data since logos can be harder to obtain, but most business records will have logos available (00:53:35).
• The update will enable users to import businesses with logos, making it easier to manage and display business information on their site (00:53:45).
• Additionally, users can upload emails via Comma-separated values by creating a new membership plan, making it non-searchable, and importing the emails as a general contact list or prospective member list (00:53:51).
• The imported email contacts will not be searchable on the site, will not have profiles, but can receive emails inviting them to join the site, take action, or claim their profile (00:54:13).

Can contact email addresses be uploaded/imported via .csv? (00:54:20)

• The discussion involves a claimable profile and mentions a person named John, as well as a query from Tess on YouTube regarding email verification tools (00:54:22).
• There is a recommendation for an email verification tool, specifically one from PAB, which is also referred to as an email cleaner or sanitizer, and is officially known as an email list cleaning tool (00:54:30).
• The email verification tool from PAB is one of many available options, and most of these tools provide similar functionality, with pricing often based on the size of the email list (00:54:40).
• The tool is useful for those with large email lists, as it helps to clean and sanitize the list, with costs typically incurred on a per-list basis (00:54:52).

Email verification tool recommendation? (00:54:55)

• Email verification is a helpful process, especially for larger lists or those that haven’t been emailed in a long time, to ensure that the email addresses are valid (00:54:56).
• A recommended email verification tool is Five Plus Email Verification, which is one of five options listed, and it can be tested to verify its effectiveness (00:55:10).
• When populating a site with members and their email addresses that didn’t sign up themselves, it’s not recommended to send them an email as part of a mass email without their consent, and instead, the same suggestion given to Rich should be considered (00:55:54).
• The context of “claim listings” is mentioned, where members are categorized, and it’s implied that these members did not opt-in to receive emails, which raises concerns about sending them mass emails (00:55:51).
• The discussion involves Carolyn asking a follow-up question about newsletters update and Jason responding to her inquiry (00:55:34).

Send a mass email to claim listings? (00:56:07)

• To avoid spam complaints when sending mass emails, it is essential to ensure that the email is tasteful and resonates well with the recipients, as spam complaints are a key indicator to email services that the sender is annoying people (00:56:08).
• A good strategy to minimize spam complaints is to send an email to a small subset of the list, such as 250 or 500 people, to test the stats and see how many opens and spam complaints are received (00:56:34).
• The most important thing to look out for is spam complaints, as people not opening the email is not a significant issue, but spam complaints can be a problem (00:56:51).
• There are companies that can help send emails and mask the domain, which can be useful for senders (00:57:08).
• Roger, a newbie to this topic, called in from Northern Wisconsin and asked for help with adding a fourth column to the homepage, having purchased several Brilliant Directories and still learning the system (00:57:25).
• Roger has been working with WordPress for 18 years but is still wrapping his head around the new system and had submitted his question in the chat section (00:57:27).

Add a 4th column to the homepage hero divider? (00:57:50)

• The homepage hero divider is a legacy streaming widget that can be modified using content blocks to make it look nicer, and it initially has three columns (00:57:51).
• Instead of using the existing options, a custom content section can be used with pre-made elements and basic blocks to create a four-column layout, allowing for the addition of images, icons, and other elements (00:57:55).
• To add multiple buttons within one column, the buttons can be converted into links and then customized with different colors and sizes, or a table can be inserted to create a more uniform layout (00:58:01).
• The table option allows for the creation of a grid with buttons that can be linked and customized, providing more control over the look and layout of the buttons (01:00:15).
• The discussion also touches on the idea of automatically adding a verified checkmark to members based on certain criteria, which could potentially be achieved using Zapier or the API to update a member’s information (01:00:50).

Automatically add verified checkmark to members based on criteria they complete? (01:01:23)

• To automatically add a verified checkmark to members based on criteria they complete, it would be necessary to use a tool like Zapier or be familiar with the API, which involves more developer-related work, and utilize the update member or update user action available in Zapier (01:01:25).
• The process involves setting the member’s verify status to true, which can be achieved through Zapier or API, and this method is considered a viable solution to automate the verification process (01:01:31).
• The discussion also touches on the upcoming newsletter, which is expected to be a big hit, and the team is working on various lab updates and new releases, with the replay of the webinar being made available in the Facebook group (01:01:58).
• The team expresses gratitude to the attendees and invites those who are not members to join them at brilliantdirectories.com, with the next webinar scheduled to take place in two weeks, close to Valentine’s Day (01:02:17).
• The entire Brilliant Directories family, appreciates the support and looks forward to the next webinar, wishing everyone a great day and a brilliant week (01:02:29).