The Members application is designed to help you create a community on your site and engage your visitors by enabling them to be more active participants. You can allow your members to moderate, post, or view special content on your website. Enabling Member-driven works with other applications, like the Forums and Blog.
Click through the following topics to learn more about installing the Members App and managing your members.
- Turn On Social
-
There are a few tasks you must complete in order to add member features to your website, and the first is making sure Social Mode is activated.
With Social Mode activated, visitors can join your site as members and participate in forums and other social tools. If Social Mode is not activated, you will not be able to install the Members App.
To activate, go to click Dashboard at the top of your account and the Settings tab on the left.
Confirm that Social Mode is turned on,. If not, just check the On option. Click Save Site Settings at the bottom of your Site Settings page.
- Add the Members Application
-
Click Pages at the top of your account to reach your Pages list. Click the Apps tab at the bottom of your pages list to reach the App Store.
Scroll through the Apps list until you find "Members." You will find the application more quickly by clicking the Webs Apps tab.
Once you locate the application, click Learn More.
This will launch the application information window, where you can learn more about the app and view screenshots. Click Install App to add it to your website.
- Member Settings
-
Once the application is installed, you will be taken to the main members page where you can access settings, invite members and manage members.
In the Members Settings section you can set up how people become members, what their default permissions are, who can invite new members, and if the members should be notified of new content on the site.
Click Settings to be taken to your Member Settings page.
Title and Description
Add or change your members application's title and description. In the description you can edit the formatting of text, add links, or videos. The description appears at the top of your published application.
Member Permissions
Set up what happens when a new member joins, the default permissions for new members, how the members should be sorted, who can invite new members, what the default view should be on the members page, and whether or not you want to notify members of new content.
Tip: Invitations can be sent through the Members App and automatically when someone signs your guestbook.
When a New Member Joins
- Automatically accept them: Anyone who signs up with your site becomes a member
- Accept if invited: If you invited them to join, they become a member automatically. You will need to manually approve anyone else who signs up
- Manually accept them: Everyone who signs up with your site must be manually approved by you
Default permissions for new members
- Member: They can view password-protected content and leave comment.
- Moderator: They can view password-protected content, leave comments, and edit existing comments and forum posts.
Sort members by:
- Display name, Last login, Creation date, Member permissions, Random
Who can invite new members
- All Members, Moderators, Just Me
Default view of members
- Grid, List
- Invite New Members
-
You can get to the "Invite New Members" page from the Sent Emails tab, or the Manage Members tab.
Here you can invite your friends to join your site. All you need is their email address. You can either automatically import your contacts' email addresses from your Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo email account. You can also manually enter email addresses by typing them in the box towards the bottom of the page. Separate each email address with a comma.
Once approved, members can create and manage profiles that include descriptions, pictures, and information about the other groups they are members of.
NOTE: You can also send a custom message with your invitation with a Premium subscription. Click here to upgrade your site.
- Managing Members and Permissions
-
Approve Membership Requests and Set Member Permissions through the Manage Members option in the Members App.
Managing Site Access for your Members
- Limited Member - They can view password-protected content but cannot leave comments.
- Member - They can view password-protected content and leave comment.
- Moderator - They can view password-protected content, leave comments, and edit existing comments and forum posts.
Tip: If a Member does not appear in your Members App either they have not accepted your invitation or they joined your site through the Subscribe to My Site widget or the Welcome Sidebar. If they have only joined your mailing list they will not show up in your members app. This is because they have not yet created a profile.
There are two ways you can have your mailing list members create profiles. First, if they try to access password protected content, they will be prompted to create a profile. Or, you can go to the Manage Members section of the Member App Editor (or through Stats & Promotion > Mailing List) and Invite them to Complete their Profile. They will receive an email with a link to complete their profile.
Other practical uses for the Membership Tools
Who can post photos: Most of our apps have an option in the Settings page of the app that lets you choose what level of membership is required to contribute to the app. For example, if you wanted Members to be able to post photos, you could choose that in the Photos Settings. If you wanted only moderators to post to your blog, you would choose that option in your Blog settings. And suppose you didn't want anyone posting to your calendar, you could choose "Only Me" under the "Who can post" option in your Calendar Settings.
Who can view blog entries: Some apps, like the Blog, also let you restrict the viewing of specific content. To restrict access to a single blog entry, edit the entry and click the "More Options" link. From there, you will see an option to choose what membership level is required to see that specific entry.
Tip: If you do not want to add the members app to your website you can still manage your members through the My Members section of your account. You can have a fully member driven site without having the members application as a page on your website.
- Add a Sign-In Form
-
Once the Members App has been successfully installed, you will be able to add a sign-in to any page of your site that was created with the Sitebuilder. Click Builder at the top of your account to reach the Sitebuilder, then click the Other tab. There, you will see a module called Members Area.
The Members Area module is an App Feed that allows your visitors to register and your existing members to log in.
NOTE: The module will not appear unless the Members App is installed.
Drag the module onto any page where you want to create a login panel. The module will appear as an option to sign in or register on your published site.
When a visitor clicks Sign In form they will be directed to a page where they can enter the email address and password associated with their account.
When a visitor clicks Register, they will be directed to a registration form where they will sign up as a member of your website for the first time.
Once your new member has registered they will appear in your Manage Members queue where you can approve their membership and/or set permissions.
Your new member will be sent an email to confirm the email address they signed up with.
Once they confirm the email address by clicking the link in the membership confirmation email, they will be directed to a page where they can upload a profile image, create a bio and answer any unique profile questions (see next section).
Once your new member completes the form and clicks Submit, they will be directed to the main members page.
- Profile Questions
-
Sometimes, you may want to ask for additional information when a member signs up. For example, their jersey number, their favorite ice cream or their phone number. In addition, you can choose whether questions are required or optional, and even make them private (great for things like phone numbers). Answers to private questions will only be visible by you.
TIP: To download your members as a CSV file, login to Webs.com and edit your Members App. On the Main Members app page, click the little green icon() on the upper right of the app (next to the two views icons).
- Frequently Asked Questions
-
Unable to use member features?
If you don't see the Member's Area module that can mean one of the following:
You do not have the member's application installed. App Feed modules only display when the associated application is active on the website.
You do not have Social Mode turned on. Social Mode enables visitors to interact with your site using any member-driven apps or modules. To activate "Social mode" go to Dashboard > Settings and turn it on.How do I edit my member profile?
- Open your Members Apps from your Pages menu. (If it's not listed as a page, check under the "Apps" tab and look under "Installed Apps.)
- Click on your site profile thumbnail.
- On your profile, click the Settings button near the "General Info" header. This will bring you to your "Manage Account" page where you can edit location, time zone and more.
Click here for more information on editing member profiles.
How can members send each other private messages?
Members can message each other by clicking the “send a message” link in the left profile column. Members can open messages by clicking the “inbox” link located in their left profile column, or under the “Members Area” Sidebar module.
How do I set individual permissions for members?
- Open your Members Apps from your Pages menu. (If it's not listed as a page, check under the "Apps" tab and look under "Installed Apps.)
- Once you reach your Members App, click Settings.
- Click the Manage Members tab to view your list of members and perform members management tasks.
- Once the member has completed their profile, there will be a dropdown next to their name in the Manage Members page where you can set permissions.
Explore the Member's App with these additional articles:
0 Comments