Frequently Asked Questions
GENERAL QUESTIONS
I just joined ... how do I start networking?
How do I use the Member Search tool effectively?
How do I add a member to my network?
How do I invite people to join Yunnoh! ?
How do I get involved in the community conversation?
How do I remove someone from my network?
How do I report inappropriate behavior by another member or prohibit someone from contacting me?
How do flag someone
How do I close my account?
PROFILE QUESTIONS
How do I edit my profile?
How do I change my email address?
How do I add a photo to my Profile?
How can I control control the emails I receive from Yunnoh! ?
Help! I can't remember my password!
Can I re-open an account that I've closed?
GROUPS QUESTIONS
Why create a group?
Can I create a group for my non-Yunnoh! organization?
Why should I use Yunnoh!, instead of some other tool like Facebook?
How do I send a message to everyone in my group?
How do I invite people to join my group?
Can I delete my group?
ARTICLE QUESTIONS
What are the editorial guidelines?
Why should I submit my articles for free to Yunnoh!?
How can I edit an Article I wrote?
EVENTS QUESTIONS
Yunnoh! Events - A General Discussion
Attending Yunnoh! Events
Requirements for the main Yunnoh! calendar
How do I create an event?
How to choose an event type
How to write a great event description
How do I email everyone who (is attending) (attended) an event?
How do I upload photos of my event?
How do I cancel my event?
GENERAL QUESTIONS
I just joined ... how do I start networking?
You can search known members through the "Members" link located on the top menu of every page, then connect with their contacts...
OR
Use the "Advanced Search" link:
1. Select your location, entrepreneur type, field/industry/category, products/services, interests, etc.
2. Now you can select the members in a wide variety of Categories
Yunnoh! is a platform for relationship building, so it's important to remember that on Yunnoh!, you have to earn the right to market to someone. That means you have to establish a relationship BEFORE you try to sell to anyone.
Yunnoh! is an awesome community of real people who joined Yunnoh! because they want to build their business, too - so they are likely to be open if you reach out to them, in the spirit of building a win-win relationship based on mutual respect and shared business goals.
Once you're familiar with the site, consider creating/attending an event, be lively in the forums, ask and answer questions, do business in the marketplace, create/join groups; because that's the most powerful part of Yunnoh! networking: members connecting and supporting each other.
How do I use the Member Search tool effectively?
Finding other Yunnoh! to network with online can be done via the "Advanced Search" item at the top of the page. There you will find the Member Directory, which includes all the Yunnoh! business categories, and a search field where you can type names, cities, interests, and just about any defining details a member may have in their profile.
How do I add a member to my network?
1. Visit the member directory at http://yunnoh.com/search_advanced.php.
2. Type the name of the member you'd like to add into the search.
3. Select the member, and choose Add to Network.
4. Select how you know the member from the dropdown, and optionally customize the invitation message. Hit send.
5. The member you have invited to your network will be sent an email, and given an opportunity to accept or decline your invitation. Once the member has accepted your invite, they will appear in your network, and you will also appear in their network.
Note: Due to the combined online and face-to-face nature of the Yunnoh! network, some members have chosen only to accept invitations from people they have met in person. This improves the value of the network and ensures that you will be able to pick each other out again when you run in to each other at other events! New members are encouraged to attend a happy hour event, meet some people, and grow your network that way.
How do I invite people to join Yunnoh! ?
1. Make sure you are logged into your account. Then, you'll see a link in the upper right corner of every page that says "invite." Click it.
2. On the invite page, you can enter email addresses into the designated fields, to send customizable invitations to your friends. Accept the default invite text below, or customize it as you prefer.
How do I get involved in the community conversation?
Yunnoh! Forums is probably the first place most Yunnoh! should go. The discussion "Introduce yourself" is where new members step up on the soapbox, tell people who they are, why they are here, and what they are looking for. It is a very welcoming area, and you can see the good energy of the Yunnoh! network clearly.
To participate, simply click the "Forums" tab at the top of any page:
- You will then see a list of all the forums for Yunnoh!. The one you should visit first is the second one on the list.
- Click the green text title of the group, and you will see a list of the most recent messages in this group.
- Here you can read posts from other members introducing themselves, get a feel for how people are interacting, and then you can click the "Start New Topic" button to introduce yourself!
How do I remove someone from my network?
You can delete the member from your network at any time. Just visit your profile, and select the "Network" link, where you'll see a full list of all the members in your network, and the link to delete them (to the right of their name). NOTE: Deleting a member from your network happens silently - they are not informed via email that you have dropped them from your network. You will automatically be deleted from their network at the same time that you delete them from yours.
How do I report inappropriate behavior by another member or prohibit someone from contacting me?
Every member has the power to "flag" another member for inappropriate behavior or content, or for a violation of Yunnoh!'s Terms of Service. Additionally, at any time and for any reason, you can block another member from contacting you directly through Yunnoh!.
The "flag" and "block" features can be found on each person's profile in the lower left corner of their main page.
How do flag someone
When you click on the "Flag this member" link, it produces a text box. You must choose the reason for flagging: Not using real name, Represents an MLM, Spamming members, Inappropriate photo, Inappropriate content, or Inappropriate behavior. Further explanation in the comments field is optional.
The act of flagging another member sends a message to the Yunnoh! Admin. The person you are flagging, is not sent a notification of the flag. We are looking for violations in the Terms of Service, and for patterns of inappropriate behavior. If someone is making you uncomfortable - flag them. No immediate action may be taken by the Admin, but if there is a pattern of making others uncomfortable, we want to know about it!
When you click on the "Block this member" link, a message is sent to the Yunnoh! Admin, alerting us of the block. The person who was blocked is not notified of the block. They simply will be unable to contact you directly through any of the Yunnoh! messaging tools.
Can I unblock a member after I've blocked? Yes! the "Block this member" link turns into an, "Unblock this member" link after it has been pressed. If you change your mind at a later date, and would like to be able to receive messages from someone you blocked, the reverse action may be taken.
How do I close my account?
While we would certainly hate to see you leave the Yunnoh! community, we have made it simple for you to close your account. Simply visit your profile page and select the 'Account' tab. On the Membership page, you will see a link to 'Preferences' subtab. The Preferences subtab includes a control to close your account.
PROFILE QUESTIONS
How do I edit my profile?
Editing your profile is as simple as clicking the "Edit Profile Information" link under the "Profile" link at the top of any page, deciding which aspect of your profile to edit, and clicking the "Save Changes" button.
How do I change my email address?
1. Log into your account.
2. Click the "Account Settings" under the "Settings" link to open your account settings.
3. Look for the "Email Address" field.
4. Type in your new email address.
5. Click the "Save Changes" button.
6. Important note: Your email address is your Log In name for Yunnoh!. So once you change this, the next time you log in to Yunnoh! you will have to use this new address as your log in name!
How do I add a photo to my Profile?
1. Log in to your account.
2. Click "Edit Profile Information" under the "Profile" link in the navigation bar.
3. Click on the "Photo" tab.
4. Click on the "Choose File" button, and browse to select your photo on your computer. Select it. Then, press the "Upload" button to upload the photo and save it to your profile on Yunnoh!.
How can I control control the emails I receive from Yunnoh! ?
1. Log into your account.
2. Click the "Account Settings" under the "Settings" link to open your account settings.
3. Scroll down to "Email Notifications".
4. Here you can choose the following things you want to receive email notifications for. Make any changes you want here, then click the "Save Changes" button, and your changes will take place immediately.
Help! I can't remember my password!
1. Go to www.yunnoh.com and click the "Log In" link in the top right corner of the screen, then click the "Forgot your password?" link.
2. Type your email address into this page, and your email address will be sent to you:
Can I re-open an account that I've closed?
You can't reopen your account yourself. To request to have your account re-opened, send an email to support@yunnoh.com.
GROUPS QUESTIONS
Why create a group?
Create a group to attract and connect with like-minded business people who share your interests, such as:
* a great business book * organizations you belong to * your profession or skill
Creating a group puts YOU in charge of which events, articles and discussions are published, and YOU decide whether your group is public (anyone can join instantly) or protected (you approve all members).
Can I create a group for my non-Yunnoh! organization?
Yes! You can create a group for your local Chamber of Commerce, for example. Just about any organization can create a group, and use the group features of Yunnoh! to connect with each other, host events, have discussions and more.
Why should I use Yunnoh!, instead of some other tool like Facebook?
If you would like to attract small business owners to join your group, then hosting on Yunnoh! is a good choice, because Yunnoh! is a community focused on small business owners. Choose Yunnoh! to host your group when it is focused on a topic that relates in some way to business.
How do I send a message to everyone in my group?
Make sure you are logged in, then visit any page of your group. Look under the group icon, where you'll see an email icon, with "Message all members." Click that link, and you'll be able to compose a message which, when sent, will be received by all members of your group.
How do I invite people to join my group?
You must belong to a group before you can invite members to join it. Then, click the big green "Invite" button located at the top of the right column on any Group home page. Also, you can select the "Invite Others" link, located below the group icon.
This opens the invite page. There, you'll see a list of everyone in your network on the right. Click the checkbox next to the name of the person you'd like to invite.
They will be added to the invite list. Keep adding additional names until everyone you wish to invite has been added to the list. You can also log into your Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail account, and add names from your address book. When all the names you wish to invite appear in the main invite area, press the green "invite" button below, to send the invitations.
Can I delete my group?
Yes. Inactive groups can be deleted by sending a delete request to info at Yunnoh!.com, and we'll take care of deleting it for you.
ARTICLE QUESTIONS
What are the editorial guidelines?
Yunnoh! accepts articles for publication that meet the following editorial guidelines. Your article must be:
1. RELEVANT to business.
2. HELPFUL to people who are building businesses.
3. NOT overly self-promotional.
Relevant: It has to be an article on a topic that is related to BUSINESS. It should be DIRECTLY related, not just indirectly related. For example, "how to work with a massage therapist" is possibly indirectly related to business, because having a nice massage can make you more productive at work. But it's not directly related, so we would not publish an article with that title (although you're welcome to submit it, and it will be immediately displayed on your own profile, where potential clients will be able to see it). It's possible that an article about massage therapy as it relates to running your business better could be a fit, but it would have to pass the "directly relevant" test, and I think that would be difficult in the case of massage as it relates to business.
Helpful: The idea here is that all articles will be rated on a helpfulness scale. It will have to pass a basic test of helpfulness before editors approve it for publication. You should be able to read the article and think, "yeah, that would be helpful to me as an independent business owner."
Not overly self-promotional: There is a fine line here - you will write on topics you know, which will raise your profile, and make you more likely to be hired or consulted. That's fine and encouraged. But you can't use an article to sell your service directly - that's what member promotions are for. We generally don't allow direct links back to the author's website within the article, unless it is somehow directly relevant to the topic. Blatant self-promotion is frowned on; indirect self-promotion is encouraged!
Articles must be between 500-1,500 words in length. Longer articles can be broken into multiple parts, but that is strongly discouraged (rating such articles is difficult). We recommend re-writing longer articles to fit within the length limit, or creating two stand-alone articles from one longer piece.
You can get a pretty good feel for what we're looking for by reading through a few of the articles already published on the site.
All set? Get Published!
Why should I submit my articles for free to Yunnoh!?
Articles are a way for community members who have a lot to share - but probably aren't nationally recognized authors yet - to do so readily.
Writing an article is designed to be a triple win-win-win:
* A win for the community - they get to access helpful business knowledge
* A win for authors - they get to raise their profile and build their reputation (which can translate directly into more and better clients)
* and a win for Yunnoh! - we get to host quality content that attracts more traffic and new members to the community
How can I edit an Article I wrote?
Make sure you are logged in to your account, then visit your profile and click on the tab called Articles. Select your article. Then, on the article page, notice the light grey "edit" icons. Click them, and you will be able to edit the article.
EVENTS QUESTIONS
Yunnoh! Events - A General Discussion
Yunnoh! events are opportunities for members of the online community to meet face-to-face to share business, support, referrals, ideas, stories, contacts, leads, and more!
All members, regardless of their membership level, may create an event. Hosting an event is a great way to gain visibility, recognition, status, and credibility. Attending an event is a great way to connect the names & photos of people you've been meeting online, with real people who share many similarities with you.
Attending Yunnoh! Events
Use the social network to enhance your face-to-face interactions. Have you ever had the feeling at large networking events, that there might be someone in the room you should be talking to, but you have no idea who's actually there? Before a Yunnoh! event, you can see who else is attending, if someone sparks your interest, you can learn more about them via their profile, including articles they've written, conversations they've participated in, and others they are connected to in their network. The result is the feeling that you already know a few people in the room before you arrive, even if this is your first event.
After an event… everyone you met can be found on Yunnoh!. How many times have you come home from a networking event with a pocket full of business cards. A week later you try to sort through them, and can’t remember who’s who? Maybe you spoke with someone and forgot to get their card. Or six months later, you'd like to follow up with someone but you have no idea where their card went. The archive of all events remain on the site forever. Go to your profile to find a list of past events you've attended, scroll down until you find the event where you met the person, peruse the list of attendees, and message them instantly. Chances are greater that if they're maintaining their Yunnoh! profile, the contact information you find on Yunnoh! is more current than a dog-eared business card they might have handed you six months previously.
All events entered through the online form appear on your profile under your Events tab. Placement on the main Yunnoh! Events page is for face-to-face events that are helpful to growing a business, and provide members with the opportunity to meet one another.
Events may also be published to specific Yunnoh! Groups. Yunnoh! Groups are created and administrated by members, so each group will have it’s own rules about what kinds of events may be published there.
Requirements for the main Yunnoh! calendar
If you intend to promote a face-to-face event to the entire Yunnoh! community via the main calendar, you must have to the following requirements. The information below explains exactly what we are looking for.
1. Business Relevance. Events are helpful and provide a tangible contribution to anyone looking to grow their business.
2. Time for Networking. Yunnoh! takes the stuff that happens online and brings it to the real world. Events are where members connect the names and faces of other members with real people. Event hosts make those connections possible. Hosts are expected to make time to let attendees introduce themselves to the room, or at the very least, invite them to break into small groups and share who they are and what they do.
How do I create an event?
Creating an event is pretty simple, if you have put a bit of thought into what you want to create, where to host it, and when is the best time for it.
Click the "Events" tab at the top of any page. Then, on the right side of the page, click the button in this box: Create an Event Button
The "Create an event" form should be pretty self-explanatory, but let's go through it step by step.
1. Event Details:
* The Title: Be short. Be simple. Be clear. Is this a happy hour, educational, or group discussion? Include that info in the title.
* Hosts: Are you hosting, or are you sharing the duties with someone else? (Click the "ADD HOST" link to include another host.)
* Venue: Start typing the name of the venue, and it will probably pop up in the list. If it doesn't, click the "Add New" button.
* Date: This is pretty obvious, but here's a tip: Before selecting a date, see what other events are scheduled for the same day. Is there a better day to host your event where it won't conflict with something similar?
* Type of Event: This helps set the proper expectations for your attendees.
Create an Event Form
Now that you have the structure set up, you need to tell people what to expect. Do that with the Event Summary and Event Description.
2. Event Summary:
The only place the Event Summary appears is on the Events List. Generally, it is a good idea to use the first paragraph from your Event Description.
3. Event Description:
Don't get too wordy here, but this is the place to tell people what to expect from your event. How should they prepare for the event? Do they need to bring anything? A good tip is to look at Past Events that are similar to yours (happy hour, open discussion, etc) and see how they presented their events.
5: Check to receive an email when someone posts a comment.
It is good etiquette to respond to people when they make a comment about your event. So check this box, and you will be notified when new comments are posted about your event.
6. Finally, click the "Create Event" button.
You will be sent an email confirming your Event was received.
What makes a great title for my event?
A great title clearly identifies what people can expect to experience at your event. Some guidelines:
* Be concise. Use just enough words to clearly describe your event, and save the rest for the summary.
* Don't be too cute. Web readers skim, rather than read, and if your title doesn't grab immediately, you may not get a second chance.
* Be precise. "10 Marketing Mistakes That Small Businesses Make" is superior to "Common Small Business Mistakes"
* Avoid putting quotation marks in your title.
How to choose an event type
Event hosts may choose from four different event types - "Business Mixer," "Educational Workshop," "Breakfast/Lunch Meet," or "Discussion." If your event doesn't seem to fit into any of first four categories, we created an "Other" just for you. The reason for choosing a type, is to assist members searching for an event interesting to them.
Yunnoh! is a place for people who think outside the box, so when it comes to event types, there are more grey areas than hard rules. Simply choose the type that seems to fit best. In general, Business Mixers and Breakfast/Lunch Meets are more social and about networking; while Educational Workshops and Discussions provide some kind of informational take-away. Here's some examples:
Business Mixer
Casual networking over cocktails, or a group of dog-owners talking business while Daisy and Rex get their exercise. Business Mixers tend to be a more casual, where the assumption may be that attendees can arrive any time during the event hours. If you plan to set aside time for everyone to introduce themselves, include that out in the description, such as: "The event starts at 6, but be here by 6:30 if you want to participate in the introductions."
Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Meet
By nature of the time of day, attendees to a Breakfast or Lunch Meet are expected to arrive when the event starts, and the host is expected to wrap things up on time. People have work to get back to after all. Think through how the meal orders will be placed. Is your group required to use one tab? Does the venue have a counter from which each person could purchase their own food? Communicate expectations in your event description, such as: "Please arrive a little earlier to place your meal order if you plan to eat." You don't need to organize a group conversation. It might be nice to invite each person to introduce themselves to the table before you let them off to converse with the people sitting next to them.
Educational Workshop
Sharing helpful information with other members not only earns good karma, it's an opportunity for you to show off your expertise to a targeted group of potential customers. Education events published in the main Yunnoh! calendar must A) be relevant to growing a small business and B) limit the self promotion to 5%, but don't let that intimidate you. If you want to teach a class on nutrition, how to organize your home office, or gem stone therapy, you can list the Educational Workshop on your own profile.
Discussion
Not sure if you're ready to teach an Educational Workshop? Don't have a B2B (business-to-business) service that you can offer to others? Leading a Discussion is a great way to get the exposure of an event host, without needing the content of an expert. A Discussion event can be small. Call together a group of people to talk about a new book on marketing or social media. Limit the RSVPs to 6 or 8, and meet in around a large table in a coffee shop or pub. Check out the venue ahead of time during the day/time you want to host your event to make sure the sound quality is good. It's difficult to lead a discussion in places where it's too loud to hear the person sitting across from you.
How to write a great event description
A great description contains everything attendees will need to know to make a quick decision whether to attend your event. The classic things to include are:
* WHO is the event for?
* WHAT is the event about?
* WHEN is the event happening?
* WHERE is the event located?
* WHY is the event significant or worth of attending?
Use clear, simple language to describe the event.
TIP: Take a look at past events that were well attended, and note how the host described their event.
How do I email everyone who (is attending) (attended) an event?
First, make sure you are logged into your account. Then, head to your event's page. Look in the menu underneath your photo in the left sidebar of the page.
Add a subject and body for your message. Pressing "send message" will send the message to everyone who has rsvp'd for your event (or who attended your event, if sent after the event).
How do I upload photos of my event?
1. Go to your Profile, and click on the Events tab.
2. Below your photo will be the "Upload a photo" link. Click that, find the photo on your computer, and repeat for each photo you would like to add.
How do I cancel my event?
If you need to cancel your event for any reason, the first thing to do is notify everyone who has RSVP'd for your event that it has been canceled. You can do this by going to your Event's page, and clicking the "Message all RSVPs" button in the list of options below your photo.
Once you have sent a message to everyone announcing the cancellation of your event, you can then delete the event by using the next option below the Message option, called "Delete this event". This will remove the event from everywhere on Yunnoh!.