SITE MANAGER « eDirectory User Manual

Selecting The Site Language

The Site Manager can set the default language that he/she wants to use for the entire directory application. He/she can select from the four available languages:

English
Spanish
Portuguese
French

In selecting the default language, take into consideration your place of operation, and your target market.

Two more languages are added in to the application – Dutch and Italian. Site visitors can have the option of changing the language to any of these two by simply clicking on the flag icon located at the top right corner of the site, along with the other existing and enabled languages.

Please contact us if you want to use a language other than what you currently see available in your directory. The directory can hold as many as 5 different languages at a time.

To change the site language, do the following:

In the upper-right portion of your account’s interface, you can see the four flag icons such as the ones shown below:

To see what language an icon represents, move your mouse pointer over the icon and the text showing the language will appear.
Select the language by clicking on the icon.

To remove the icon/s displayed on the upper-right most part of your account, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Language Center menu. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:

The Order column indicates the order of succession (or the arrangement) of the four flag icons displayed on the upper-right most part of your account, with English (0) being the first and Francais (4) being the last.
Click on the icon of the corresponding language that you want to remove. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
Uncheck the Enabled option.
Click on the Submit button.

Viewing The Search Statistic Reports

The Site Manager can refer to the Search Statistic Reports generated by the application when he/she wants to see the top searches in the directory front. By the help of these reports, search activities and trends can be analyzed.

The following are the information that you will be dealing with when using the search statistic reports:

Top 15 Searches by Keywords – the list and chart showing the top keywords supplied by the site visitors in the Keyword field of the search panel.
Top 15 Searches by Addresses – the list showing the top addresses supplied by the site visitors in the Where field of the search panel.
Top 15 Searches by Categories – the list showing the top categories selected by the site visitors in the Category dropdown list of the advanced search panel.
Top 15 Searches by Locations – the list showing the top locations selected by the site visitors in the Location dropdown lists of the advanced search panel.

To view the search statistic reports, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Search Reports menu. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:

In eDirectory version 7.0.15, the Site Manager can refresh the Statistic Reports at any time (image shown here). Viewing the Search Statistic Reports in this version is faster and more accurate because they are updated in real time. Just click on the Refresh Statistics Now link and the reports will be updated.

Select a period in the Month and Year dropdown lists.
Click on the Search button. After doing this, an area containing the reports will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the sub-menus to view the other search statistics reports. Each of these submenus represents the different sections of the directory front (e.g., Listing submenu for the directory front’s Listing section).

General Searches sub-menu is for the Home, Promotions, Advertise With Us, and Contact Us sections of the directory front.

Using Google Analytics

Google Analytics is another free service offered by Google. It generates detailed statistics about a website’s traffic, giving the site owner an insight on how popular their site and its pages are; and helping him/her decides what web marketing strategies to take.

eDirectory is Google Analytics-ready. For you to be able to integrate it in your site, you should sign up for a Google Analytics account. Once you have it, poor performing pages can be identified, and you will be able to track where site visitors came from, how long they stayed and their geographical position.

To know more about Google Analytics, click here.

To enable Google Analytics, do the following:

Begin by signing in Google Analytics’ official website. Use your Gmail login access to do so. After clicking on the Sign in button, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Sign Up button and fill out all the necessary forms.
After the whole signing-up procedure, you will be provided with a Tracking code as shown below:

You do not need to get the entire Tracking Code. The Account ID shown in the highlighted area (e.g., UA-104384-1) is the only information that we will be asking from you.
Sign in to your Site Manager account and go to Google Settings > Google Analytics on the left navigation panel. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
In the Google Analytics Account box, input the Account ID that you acquired in Step 4.
In the Google Analytics Options, select the location/s where you like to integrate the Google Analytics (e.g., Front, Members, and Sitemgr).
Click on the Submit button.
Once you have correctly enabled Google Analytics, you should wait up to 24 hours for data to appear in your Analytics account. If it has been more than this given span of time since you enabled it, then we advise you to sign in your account to start viewing your website’s Profiles and Analytics Reports (image shown below).

Using Google Maps API

By using the Google Maps API, it is possible to embed the full Google Maps into any website. Google Maps is an application that offers web mapping service. It has built-in street maps of numerous countries that can serve as a route planner for those wanting to travel by foot, by car or by public transport.

eDirectory uses the Google Maps API to provide the site visitors an easy means of visualizing the geographic location on where their desired products or services can be found.

You are a site visitor, and you are browsing the listings by the category “Auto”. You are currently in the page shown below:

USING_THE_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_img1

By referring to the Map found in this page, you are able to visualize where the product “Donna Auto Parts” is located. You clicked on the Listing Title to see the Detail View (image shown below) and you are provided with a more specific Map Location of the product.

USING_THE_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_img2

Maps, like the ones shown in the example above are only available in listings (including promotions), events, and classified under Showcase level.

To set the Google Maps API, do the following:

Go to Google Maps API’s official website and look for the area shown below:
If you agree with the terms and conditions, check the option.
Type your website URL in the box provided.
Click on the Generate API Key button. After doing this, you will be given a Google Maps API Key as shown below:
Sign in to your Site Manager account and go to Google Settings > Google Maps on the left navigation panel. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
In the Google Maps Key box, input the key that you acquired in Step 4.
Click on the Submit button.

In eDirectory version 7.0.15, the Site Manager can enable/disable the Google Maps feature without having to manually remove it on the code (image shown here). This provides the Site Manager a fast access should they choose to use Google maps or not.

Deleting A Location

A location (country, state, or city) can be deleted when it is not active or not in use anymore. After the Site Manager deletes a location, the effect can be seen in the dropdown lists shown below:

DELETING_A_LOCATION_img1

These dropdown lists appear in the forms that you fill up when you are adding or editing items in the directory such as listings, events and classifieds.

To delete a location, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Locations menu. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on any sub-menu on the top of this page (e.g., Countries, States, Cities).
Do any of the following:
1. If the location that you want to delete is a country, select the country name in the box.
2. If the location that you want to delete is a state, select first the country name in the Country dropdown list, and then select the state name in the box.
3. If the location that you want to delete is a city, select first the country and state names in the Country and State boxes, and then select the city name in the box.
Click on the Submit button. After this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Confirm button to approve the deletion.

Adding A Popular State

Popular states are the ones you see in the Popular Locations block of the directory front (image shown below). The states displayed are not randomly obtained from the database. They are personally selected by the Site Manager.

ADDING_A_POPULAR_STATE1

Popular Locations block appears in Listings, Events, Classifieds, and Articles homepages.

To add a popular state, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Locations menu. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Popular States sub-menu on the top of this page. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
Check all the States that you want to appear in the Popular Locations block of the directory front.
Click on any Save button found in the form.

Adding / Editing A City

The Site Manager can add a city anytime. The city that he/she adds will be visible in the form used in adding an item (image shown below).

ADDING_AND_EDITING_A_CITY1

Your Members can also add cities when they are adding a listing. Because of this, it is good to notice how they choose to spell their cities. Why? It’s nice to have consistency on how your city names are spelled. For example, you don’t want to have 4 unique cities: New York, New York, NEW YORK, and NYC. So when a Member submits a listing, see if you recognize the city. Is it a new location for you? Are they spelling it in all CAPS or lowercase? These are the things you need to consider.

To add a city, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Locations > Cities. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the Country and State dropdown lists, select the country and state where you want to add the city.
Click on the Add button.
In the Add Region area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Region box, type the name of the city that you want to add (e.g., San Juan).
2. In the Region-Abbreviation box, type the abbreviated name of the city (e.g., SJ for San Juan).
Click on the Insert button.
The easiest and fastest way to add U.S. cities is to ask us to install our U.S. location database table. We don’t install it by default because it serves no purpose to have locations in your directory if you don’t plan on offering your services in those areas. It’s not also good for site visitors to use the Advanced Search to search a city only find that there are no products/services in that city.

Editing can be performed by the Site Manager when he/she wants to change the names of the city supplied by Members.

To edit a city, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Locations > Cities.
In the Country and State dropdown lists, select the country and state where the city you want to edit is located.
Select the city, and then click on the Edit button.
In the Edit Region area, do Steps 4a and 4b of the procedure that you perform when adding a new city. (Refer to the previous How To)
Click on the Update button.

Adding / Editing A State

Adding a state is the same as adding a country. The Site Manager does it when a Member is requesting it. Members request a state when they can’t see their state of choice in the form like the one shown below:

ADDING_AND_EDITING_A_STATE1

Even without a Member’s request, the Site Manager can still add a state. It is up to him/her what states he/she wants to add to the application. Will the Members appreciate him/her having another state in the directory? Is the state he/she is thinking of adding adjacent to where the Members are located? These are the things that the Site Manager should take into consideration when adding a state.

Not all countries use the term states; some have regions or districts instead. If you want us to remove or rename the field State in the forms, please contact us.

To add a state, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Locations > States. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the Country dropdown list, select the country where you want to add the state.
Click on the Add button.
In the Add State area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the State box, type the name of the state that you want to add (e.g., Alabama).
2. In the State-Abbreviation box, type the abbreviated name of the state (e.g., AL for Alabama).
Click on the Insert button.

Editing can be performed by the Site Manager when he/she wants to change the location information that he/she supplied in the adding procedure.

To edit a state, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Locations > States.
In the Country dropdown list, select the country where the state that you want to edit is located.
Select the state that you want to edit, and then click on the Edit button.
In the Edit State area, do Steps 4a and 4b of the procedure that you perform when adding a new state. (Refer to the previous How To)
Click on the Update button.

Adding / Editing A Country

Adding a country is necessary when there’s a Member who is requesting it. Normally, Members do this when they can’t find their country of choice available in the form that they fill out in adding an item. The area of that form that asks for the Members’ location is shown below:

ADDING_AND_EDITING_A_COUNTRY1

Members need to request a location when it is not available because the Site Manager is the only person who can add locations to the application. You might ask why the Site Manager can’t just add a complete list of countries, states and cities. It is possible, but just imagine how much space it could consume in the database. Having so many locations there could make the query slow. You should understand that every single location that appears in Country, State and City dropdown lists are queried in the database.

Members usually use the Help section of their accounts to send their location requests. When a Member sends a request, the message goes directly to the General E-mail address set by the Site Manager in Settings > E-mail.

To add a country, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Locations menu. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Add sub-menu on the top of this page.
In the Add Country area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Country box, type the name of the country that you want to add (e.g., Canada).
2. In the Country-Abbreviation box, type the abbreviated name of the country (e.g., CA for Canada).
Click on the Insert button.

Editing can be performed by the Site Manager when he/she wants to change the location information that he/she supplied in the adding procedure.

To edit a country, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Locations menu.
Select the country that you want to edit, and then click on the Edit button.
In the Edit Country area, do Steps 3a and 3b of the procedure that you would perform when adding a new country. (Refer to the previous How To)
Click on the Update button.

Using A Promotional Code

A promotional code (also called discount code) is created by the Site Manager in times that he/she wants to give the Members a reduction from the full or standard price of the advertisement space that they avail (e.g., space for a listing). The code is a series of numbers, letters or a combination of both and is given to selected Members via newsletter or sales call.

When a Member receives a promotional code, he/she can use it on the next item that he/she will create. The only thing to do is to put it in the Promotional Code field of the form used when adding a new item in the directory. During a payment procedure, eDirectory application automatically reduces the price of those items with promotional code. The amount deducted from the original price depends on the reduction percentage or value specified in the promotional code.

A listing with a 100% Promotional Code expires when it reaches the Renewal Date set by the Manager during activation.

In eDirectory version 7.3.00, a listing with a 100% Promotional Code expires also when the code expires. This happens even if the listing has not reached its Renewal Date. For this listing to be activated and visible again in the directory front, its owner must pay for it by use of another Promotional Code or by the regular payment schemes.

To create a promotional code, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Payment > Promotional Code. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click Add on the top of this page. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the Code box, type the character combination that you want to use as promotional code. You may use a series of numbers, letters or a combination of both (e.g., 00638, abcde, rh134d).
In the Expiration date box, type the date when the promotional code will expire.
Select the Type of amount that you want the application to use to compute for the price reduction of the item that will use this promotional code.
If the type that you chose in Step 4 is percentage, input a value in the range of 1-100 in the Amount box. If you chose fixed value, input a value equivalent to any amount in your currency.
Select the item type/s where Members can use the promotional code (e.g., Listing).
Select whether a Member can use the promotional code more than once.

Using Sub-categories

Since categories have the potential to be quite large, you can also create a hierarchy of categories. This is done by the use of sub-categories. A sub-category is a subdivision that has common differentiating characteristics within a larger category. Creating sub-categories helps the Site Manager break down the main categories and make it easier for site visitors to search for items.

In the “Beauty and Fitness” category, you might want to have separate, subordinate categories for Beauty Salons, Gyms, Massage, and Spas.

Listing categories can have up to 5 hierarchy levels while event, classified and article categories are allowed to have up to 2 only.

In eDirectory version 7.3.00, all modules can have up to 5 levels. What’s even more amazing about this feature is that site visitors browsing by a main category can now see the hierarchy of categories through this Browse by Category block added in the results pages. This block, like that of the Google map, can be hidden or shown instantly.

To create a sub-category, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Categories menu. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on any sub-menu on the top of this page (e.g., Event Categories, Classified Categories).
Click on the icon of the category where you want to add the sub-category.
In the Category Information area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Title box, type the name of the sub-category that you want to add.
2. In the Keywords for the search textarea, type the keywords with which the sub-category will be indexed for a search. Add one keyword/keyword phrase per line.
Click on the Submit button.

Deleting A Category

A category can be deleted when it is not in use anymore. When the Site Manager deletes a category, the sub-categories it has are deleted along with it, and the items that the category contains become un-attached to it.

If you have been operating your directory for some time and your Members have paid you to have their items in your site under a specific category, they will not be happy if you remove the category without warning. You may want to state in the Terms of Use that you are in legal position to delete a category without prior notice to the Members. Terms of Use are the set of rules you set up in the Site Content area. A site visitor who wants to become a Member must agree with the Terms of Use before he/she can complete the signing up procedure.

To delete a category, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Categories menu. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on any sub-menu on the top of this page (e.g., Event Categories, Classified Categories).
Click the icon of the corresponding category that you want to delete. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Submit button to approve the deletion.

Adding / Editing A Category

Categories are created and used to classify and to organize all items added in the directory. For every item that the Site Manager and Members create, they should assign it to one or more category. The purpose of categories is to enable them to quickly display an item of a particular type of content and to make it easy for site visitors to find information.

If you want the Members and the site visitors to be able to quickly access all of the directory’s listings related to travel, you could create a listing category called “Travel”. When a Member (or another Site Manager) adds a listing to the directory, he/she can assign it to the “Travel” category. On the other side, the site visitors can browse through this category in the directory front to see all of the available listings that are under this classification.

Determining the categories is one of the most important responsibilities of the Site Manager. With the categories he/she selects, he/she is telling the Members and site visitors what kind of website he/she has and what type of business he/she is operating.

You may find it easiest to keep your category names simple. If you have too many categories, your site visitors may become overwhelmed. Site visitors that don’t know where to start and don’t know what to do when they visit a website often go elsewhere. This is true for both your Members and site visitors. If your site visitors can’t quickly and easily find the information they are seeking, your Members will recognize this and opt not to post on your directory. Name your categories thoughtfully as your business will be built upon them.

While eDirectory allows the Site Manager and Members to associate a listing, event or article with up to 5 categories, other item types have unique characteristics when using categories. For instance, a classified is only allowed to be associated with 1 category. A banner, on the other hand is not allowed to be associated with any category but every time you add one, the application asks you to specify which listing, event, article, and classified category or sub-category you wish your banner to appear within.

To add a new category, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Categories menu. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on any sub-menu on the top of this page (e.g., Event Categories, Classified Categories).
Click on the Add New Category link.
In the Category Information area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Title box, type the name of the category that you want to add (e.g., Technology).
2. In the Keywords for the search textarea, type the keywords with which the category will be indexed for a search. Add one keyword/keyword phrase per line.
  If you have a category named “Automobiles”, you may wish to add keywords to this category such as Autos, Auto, Cars, Car, Trucks, Truck, SUV, etc. These keywords will help your site visitors find listings under this classification.
Click on the Submit button.

Editing can be performed by the Site Manager when he/she wants to change the information that he/she supplied in the adding procedure.

To edit a category, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Categories menu.
Click on any sub-menu on the top of this page (e.g., Event Categories, Classified Categories).
Click the icon of the corresponding category that you want to edit.
Do Steps 4 and 5 of the procedure that you perform when adding a new category. (Refer to the previous How To)

Exporting Data

Exporting is the opposite of importing. It is the process of formatting data in such a way that it can be used by another application.

In eDirectory, the export feature is used by the Site Manager when he/she wants to have local copies of some data in his/her account for backup purposes. Unlike the import feature that is only limited to listings, export is available to the following:

Listings
Events
Banners
Classifieds
Articles
Categories
Locations
Accounts
Email Lists
Payment Records

Most files for export are in XLS format. But for files containing listings, e-mail lists, or payment records, the format can be CSV.

To export data, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Import/Export Data > Export Data. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
To export listings in CSV format:
1. Click on the Listing Export (CSV File) link. After doing this a page will appear like the one shown below:
2. Hit the Click to start the process link.
To export listings, events, banners, classifieds, articles or categories in XLS format: Click on the corresponding link (e.g., Save events to an xls file).
To export the e-mail lists:
1. Click on the Generate E-mail Lists link. After doing this a form will appear like the one shown below:
2. Select the option to filter which e-mails will be exported from the Listing module (e.g., All, By Category, By Location).
  
  E-mail list is the collection of e-mail addresses obtained from the Listing Module.
3. Click on the Submit button.

Among all the data that can be exported by the Site Manager, the payment record is considered to be the most important. It is because this record holds all information about the Site Manager’s past and present transactions with different Members.

To export a payment record, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Import/Export Data menu.
Click on the Payment Records sub-menu on the top of the page. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
To export only the transaction that you had/have with a particular Member:
1. Hit the Click here to select an account link.
2. In the Username box, type the login ID of the Member. Then, click on the Search button.
3. Choose the Member by clicking on the Select button.
In the Start Date and End Date boxes, provide the period that you want to be covered in the payment record.
Select the Record Type.
Select the Delimiter or the punctuation character that will be used in separating the data contained in the record.
Click on the Submit button.

Importing Data

Importing is the process of acquiring data produced by another application. The ability to import data is very essential in software applications because it means that one application can complement another.

In eDirectory, the import feature is used by the Site Manager when he/she wants to get some files in his/her local PC and bring them inside his/her account. Normally, these files contain a long series of listings and the main reason why they are imported is to save time. Using the import feature, it is easier to populate the directory with many listings without needing to add listings one by one. Just imagine how much time could be lost if the Site Manager adds listings which are already produced in another application (e.g., MS Excel).

For a file to be imported in to eDirectory, it needs to be in CSV format. CSV (short for Comma Separated Values) is a common and simple file format that is often used for moving tabular data between a database and a spreadsheet application.

Since some users have a hard time creating and importing CSV files (due to lack of experience), we will teach you some techniques on how to create and import one. Just follow the procedures we provided below.

To create a CSV file, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Import/Export Data menu. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Download sample CSV file in eDirecory Format button. Then, save the file to your local PC.
You need the sample file because that is where you will create your own. Editing the sample file is the method that we advise you to take for this will save your time and help you avoiding mistakes.
Open the file in a spreadsheet application (preferably MS Excel).
Do the necessary changes in the file. Please do not change anything in the header row. Also, use all columns even if fields are blank.
Once you are done editing the file, save it and prepare yourself for the next procedure.

Before you perform the import process, it is best if you will change (or at least check) the Import Settings first. Why? Through the settings, you can pre-set the properties (e.g., Status, Level and Owner) of the listings that you will import.

To change the Import Settings, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Import/Export Data menu.
Click on the Import Settings sub-menu on the top of this page. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
To auto-activate the listings that you will be importing: Check the Enable all imported listings as Active option.

We recommend using this option if you want the imported listings to be visible in the directory front right away after the import process.
To set a level for those listings that do not have it in the CSV file: Select the level (e.g., Free, Basic, etc.) in the dropdown list provided.
To set an owner for those listings that do not have it in the CSV file:
1. Check the Import listings to the same account option.
2. In the Username box, type the login ID of the Member. Then, click on the Search button.
3. Choose the Member by clicking on the Select button.
Click on the Submit button.

To import the CSV file, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Import/Export Data menu. After doing this, look for the area shown below:
Click on the Browse button to select the CSV file that you saved earlier on your local PC.
Click on the Import This File button.

To know if the file has been imported successfully, click on the Import Log sub-menu on the top of the page. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:

If the Status of the file that you imported is Pending, it means that the application is still processing the import. If it’s Finished, it means that the listings contained in the file have been added already in the Listing Module.

Common Problems When Importing

If you’ve been using the software for quite some time already, you will agree that the import tool is the feature of eDirectory that you find most useful when you’re dealing with data transfer. You use this feature to bring bulk data into your Site Manager account and to make them available in the frontend of your site in the quickest way possible. Speed and the ability to work with other data-producing applications are what make this feature very unique and helpful.

Like any other softwares, eDirectory’s import tool has also its limitations. Arca Solutions, the maker of eDirectory recognizes this fact and it is continuously finding and developing ways to innovate the said feature and to make it a more reliable and easy-to-use tool.

Click here to see the checklist that you can use to avoid experiencing some of the common reported problems when importing.

here is a video tutorial of how you can import a Listing in sitemgr.

Note: The video is best viewed in fullscreen mode

Using A Custom Invoice

A custom invoice is different from the invoice generated in the Member accounts because unlike the latter, it is created manually and the information it contains is minimal. Usually, the Site Manager creates a custom invoice when there’s a Member that has an outstanding or remaining balance to pay.

After a custom invoice is created, it is sent to the Member’s Account to inform him/her of the amount to be paid. The amount can then be settled using the enabled payment methods.

USING_A_CUSTOM_INVOICE__img1

When a custom invoice is sent to a Member account, a notification is also sent to the Member’s e-mail address informing him/her that the invoice is ready for payment.

To create a custom invoice, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Payment > Create an Invoice. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Add a new Invoice link.
In the Custom Invoice Information area (image shown below), do the following:
1. Hit the Click here to select an account link to search for the Member for whom the invoice is created.
2. In the Username box, type the login ID of the Member. Then, click on the Search button.
3. Choose the Member by clicking on the Select button.
4. In the Title box, provide a title for the invoice.
In the Custom Invoice Items area (image shown below), type the item names and their equivalent prices that you will be collecting from the recipient of this invoice.
Click on the Continue To Send By Email button. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:

At this point, the invoice is already added in the custom invoice records. You can choose to send it later, or you can continue doing the next steps to send it now.
Hit the Click Here To Send This Custom Invoice button. After doing this a form will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Send button.

When the Member (or the recipient of the invoice) pays the amount stated in the custom invoice, a transaction record will be added in the Site Manager account. At the same time, the custom invoice record’s status will change from Sent to Paid.

USING_A_CUSTOM_INVOICE__img7

Custom invoice records can be viewed by clicking on Payment > Create an Invoice in the left navigation panel.

Monitoring Your Transactions

A transaction (also called payment transaction) is a business agreement or a communication between the Site Manager and a Member for the exchange of an advertisement space for payment. The actual event occurs when a Member pays the bill carried out from the items created in his/her account. Items that require payment are the following:

Listings in Basic, Premium, and Showcase levels
Events in Premium, and Showcase levels
Classifieds in Basic, Premium, and Showcase levels
Articles
Banners in Top, Bottom, Featured, and Sponsored Links levels

The names and prices of the levels may vary, depending on what the Site Manager set in Settings > Manage Levels.

Payment can be done by using any of the methods below:

By Credit card – a Member who selects this method is asked to fill out the electronic payment forms
By PayPal – a Member who selects this method is redirected to the PayPal website where the electronic payment forms to be filled out are located
Print Invoice and Mail a Check – a Member who selects this method must print off the invoice and mail the payment check to the address specified on the invoice.

Basically, there are two kinds of transaction in eDirectory: online payment transactions, and invoice transactions. The difference between the two is explained below:

Online Payment Transaction – This occurs when a Member selects Credit Card or Payment Gateway as his/her preferred payment method. Upon completion of the electronic payment forms, an online transaction record will be added in the Site Manager and Member accounts. A transaction record usually contains information such as Transaction ID, Status, Payment Type, Amount, Date, Member Account, IP Address, Notes, and the breakdown of what items are purchased. No credit card or payment gateway account information is saved in the Site Manager and Member accounts because this kind of information goes directly to the payment processor.
Invoice Transaction – This occurs when a Member prefers to have the payment check mailed to the Site Manager. The Member knows the total amount to pay through the invoice generated in his/her account. Upon completion of this transaction, an invoice record will be added in the Site Manager and Member accounts. An invoice record usually contains information such as Invoice ID, Status, Amount, Issuing Date, Expiry Date, Payment Date, Member Account, IP Address, and the breakdown of what items are purchased.

Important notes to consider when monitoring transactions

When the Site Manager receives a payment check from an invoice transaction, one important thing that he/she should do is to change the Status of the invoice record indicating that the payment has been received. After changing the Status, he/she also needs to activate the item/s covered in the transaction. For Online Payment Transactions, changing the status of online transaction record is not required since the only records added to the Site Manager account are those that have been successfully processed by the bank or payment gateway.
When the Site Manager receives a payment from credit card or payment gateway, one thing that he/she should do is to activate the item/s covered in the transaction. The reason is because these items whose payment has been successfully processed by the bank or payment gateway do not get automatically activated.

To learn how to activate an item, click here.

To change the status of an invoice record, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Payment > Invoice History. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Search sub-menu on the top of this page. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the Invoice id box, type the invoice id found in the memo section of the Check that you have received.

You need not fill out every field in this form. The search function will work even if you provide only the Invoice id.

In eDirectory version 7.4.00, a Promotional (or Discount) Code field is added in the search form of both Invoice and Transaction History (image shown here). To use this feature, simply supply the Promotional Code of the transactions you are looking for in the box provided.

Click on the Search button. After doing this, the result will be displayed on the bottom area of the page.
Click on the Pending Status of the invoice record. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the Status dropdown list, select Received.
Click on the Submit button.

Logging In To An Account

The Site Manager can log in to a Member account whenever he/she has something to view or examine there. Mostly, this is a handy tool to see what information your Members are seeing in their accounts.

To login to a Member account, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Accounts > Members Accounts. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the icon of the corresponding account that you want to view. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Login link (highlighted in the image above).

Finding A Specific Account

When the Site Manager is looking for a specific Member or Site Manager account, he/she does not need to browse through all the account records. He/she can easily search for an account using the search

Normally, the Site Manager looks for a specific Member account when he/she wants to see the Member’s account details, to see what items a Member owns, and what transactions that Member has made.

To find a specific account, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Accounts menu. Then, click on Members Accounts or Site Manager Accounts submenu under it. After selecting any of these, a page will appear similar to the one shown below:
Click on the Search sub-menu on the top of this page. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below.
In the Username box, type the Login ID of the account owner.
Click on the Search button to see the results of your search.

After clicking the button, you may want to click on the Username to see all the information associated with the account.

Deleting An Account

The Site Manager can delete those accounts that are no longer active. When he/she deletes an account (a Member or another Site Manager account), the information associated to that account will also be lost. This information includes the following:

Account and contact information (e.g., Username, Password, First Name, Last Name, etc.)
Items created by the account owner

Transaction and invoice records involving the account owner are not removed in the application after the deletion procedure.

We suggest adding information to your Members’ Terms of Use to inform the Members on how long you will keep their Member accounts if they become inactive in the site. Terms of Use are a set of rules which are set up by the Site Owner in the Site Content area. A site visitor who wants to become a Member must agree with the Terms of Use before he/she can complete the signing up procedure.

To delete an account, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Accounts menu. Then, click on Members Accounts or Site Manager Accounts submenu under it. After selecting any of these, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the icon of the corresponding account that you want to delete. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Submit button.

Adding / Editing An Additional Site Manager Account

The Site Manager is a person who has full access to the directory application. He/she may be the site owner (the one who purchased the application) or another person to whom the site is entrusted. If the directory is a large one, the site owner can’t always monitor all activities in the directory front and Member accounts. That is why in many cases, the Site Manager creates an additional Site Manager account and confides it to someone who can keep a “second” eye to the site.

Creating a new account does not mean sharing all your privileges as a Site Manager. You can set restrictions or limitations on what areas the other Site Manager can access.

To add a Site Manager account, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Accounts > Site Manager Accounts. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Add sub-menu on the top of this page.
In the Site Manager Account Information area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Username box, type the Login ID that you want to assign to the other Site Manager.
2. In the Password box, type the password you want. Password strength tells you if the password you input is weak or strong.
3. Retype your new password.

In eDirectory version 7.4.00, a username real time validation is added in the Username field of this form (image shown here). The application validates username availability once the Site Manager types the username for the Site Manager account that he/she is creating. It also issues warnings regarding the character type and length validity of the provided username in real time.

In the Site Manager Account Contact Information area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Name, Phone, and E-mail boxes, type the contact information being asked.
2. If you want the account to be accessed only in specific IP addresses, type the IP in the IP Restriction textarea.
  Internet Protocol (IP) Address is a unique numeric address assigned to every device connected to the public Internet. There are many online tools to help you quickly and easily determine your computer’s current IP address. One popular site to determine an IP address is http://whatismyipaddress.com
In the Site Manager Permission area (image shown below), check the modules and sections that you want to be available in the account.
Click on the Submit button.

Editing can be performed by the Site Manager when he/she wants to change the information that he/she supplied in the adding procedure.

To edit a Site Manager account, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Accounts > Site Manager Accounts.
Click on the icon of the corresponding account that you want to edit.
Do Steps 3 to 6 of the procedure that you perform when adding a new account. (Refer to the previous How To)

Adding / Editing A Member Account

Signing up is the most used method of creating a Member account. It allows Members to personally set their account and contact information, giving them the privilege to choose their desired username and to enter other required information in a more precise manner.

Aside from signing up which is performed by Members, there is another way of creating a Member account and this time it is performed by the Site Manager. Through the Site Manager account, adding, editing, deleting and viewing of Member accounts are made possible.

To add a Member account, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Accounts menu. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Add sub-menu on the top of this page.
In the Account Information area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Username box, type the Login ID that you want to assign to the Member. You need not provide the Password because the application generates one automatically.
2. Check the Password is going to be sent to Member E-mail Address option.

In eDirectory version 7.4.00, a username real time validation is added in the Username field of this form (image shown here). The application validates username availability once the Site Manager types the username for the Member account that he/she is creating. It also issues warnings regarding the character type and length validity of the provided username in real time.

In the Contact Information area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Language dropdown list, specify the language that the Member prefers. He/she can then receive e-mail notifications from the directory in the language specified.
  A Member receives an e-mail notification when he/she performs an important action in his/her account or in the directory front. (To know more about e-mail notifications, click here)
2. In the First Name, Last Name, Company, Address Line1, Address Line2, City, State, Postal Code, Country, Phone, Fax, E-mail, and URL boxes, provide the information being asked.
  We advise you to double check the E-mail that you provide because that is where the Member’s assigned sign-in access will be sent.. When the member has his/her personal website, you can also put the website address in the URL box for reference purposes.
Click on the Submit button.
All information you provided in the form (except the Username) can be edited by the Member (or the account owner) in his/her own account later on. Also, the information will not appear anywhere in the directory front and will only be visible to you and the Member.

Editing can be performed by the Site Manager when he/she wants to change the information that he/she supplied in the adding procedure.

To edit a Member account, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the Accounts menu.
Click on the icon of the corresponding account that you want to edit.
Do Steps 3 to 5 of the procedure that you perform when adding a new account. (Refer to the previous How To)

Signing Up

Optimizing Your Site Using Meta Tags

Adding Meta tags is proven to be an effective way of optimizing a site. We do not want to mislead you that these Meta tags would bring your directory to the number one spot in the search engine results. They are just a tool that will help improve your standings in search engines. Use them with other search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to garner more page views.

A Meta tag is a hidden tag that lives in the <head> of an HTML document. It is used to supply additional information about the HTML document. To view a sample Meta tag code, right-click on any page of the directory front, and select View Source or View Page Source option. After doing this, the source code (image shown below) will be automatically opened in an editor.

OPTIMIZING_YOUR_HOMEPAGE_img1

Meta tags that are specifically designed to improve a site’s standing in search engines are the following:

<meta name=”description” content=”Dev Custom work Area”>

Use this tag to describe what your page is about. Engines that use it will supply the content of this tag when displaying a list of links.

<meta name=”keywords” content=”Dev Custom work Area”>

Use this tag to help search engines to categorize your site, and to allow people to find your pages more quickly.

What’s good about the eDirectory application is that it provides the interface where you can just input the content values (e.g., Dev Custom work Area). Once these values are submitted, the Meta tag code like what you see on the example above automatically changes.

The web pages that could be optimized directly in the directory application include the main pages (e.g., Listing Home, Event Home, etc), the category, the location and the item pages. The optimization procedures can be performed on the Site Manager account’s SEO Center, a white-hat method designed to make the SEO efforts easier without having to go into the actual software code.

Category page is the one you see when you are browsing by category in the directory front, while location page appears when you are browsing by location.

Another important thing to remember in optimizing is that most search engines look at the page title. Be sure to always have a relevant <title> on your pages (shown also in the image above). This will improve your ranking more than just Meta tags alone. Title appears on the top of the browser and window as shown below:

OPTIMIZING_YOUR_HOMEPAGE_img2

To optimize a main page, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the SEO Center menu. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the link that appears in the Homepage Optimization area. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on any sub-menus on the top of this page (e.g., General, Listing, etc.)
Select the page that you want to optimize by clicking on the Page Name or the icon. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the Title box, type the text that you want to appear on top of the browser or window where the page is opened.
In the Description and Keyword boxes, provide the content values for the Meta tags that will be embedded in the page. Description can be in a sentence or paragraph form, while Keywords are commonly a set of words separated by comma.
We advise you to have the Title, Description, and Keyword available in all enabled languages in your directory so if you change your default site language, they will also change in accordance with the language.
Click on the Save button.

To optimize a category page, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the SEO Center menu.
Click on the link that appears in the Category Optimization area. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on any sub-menus on the top of this page (e.g., Listing Categories, Event Categories, etc.)
Select the category that you want to optimize by clicking on the Category Title or the icon.
In the SEO Center area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Friendly Title box, type the text that you want to appear in the browser as the category’s friendly URL. Friendly URL is the feature available in eDirectory which allows Site Manager and Members to create search engine URLs.
  The Category “Computer” with Friendly Title “computers_for_sale” will be available through the URL: http://demodirectory.com/listing/guide/computers_for_sale; and its Sub-category “Software Development” will be available through the URL: http://demodirectory.com /listing/guide/computers_for_sale /software-development.
2. In the Meta Description and Meta Keyword boxes, provide the content values for the Meta tags that will be embedded in the category page. Meta Description can be in a sentence or paragraph form, while Meta Keywords are commonly a set of words separated by comma.
We advise you to have the Friendly Title, Description, and Keyword available in all enabled languages in your directory so if you change your default site language, the title and the content values for the Meta tags will also change in accordance with the language. To do this, go to the Language area (image shown below) and do the following:
1. Select the language by checking the option (e.g. Portuguese, Espanol, and Francais).
2. Provide the information being asked in the Friendly Title, Description, and Keywords boxes as what you did previously in Step 5. (For now, ignore the Title and Keywords for the search boxes found also in the page.)
  Selecting a language in this area does not mean changing the default site language. It just means you are making the SEO information available in the selected language.
Click on the Submit button.

To optimize a location page, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the SEO Center menu.
Click on the link that appears in the Location Optimization area. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on any sub-menus on the top of this page (e.g., Countries, States, etc.)
Select the location that you want to optimize.
Click on the Edit button.
In the SEO Center area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Friendly Title box, type the text that you want to appear in the browser as the location’s friendly URL. Friendly URL is the feature available in eDirectory which allows Site Manager and Members to create search engine URLs.
  The Location “United States” with Friendly Title “united-states” will be available through the URL: http://demodirectory.com/listing/location/united-states; and its State “California” will be available through the URL: http://demodirectory.com/listing/location/united-states/california.
2. In the Meta Description and Meta Keyword boxes, provide the content values for the Meta tags that will be embedded in the location page. Meta Description can be in a sentence or paragraph form, while Meta Keywords are commonly a set of words separated by comma.
3. Click on the Update button.

To optimize an item page, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the SEO Center menu.
Click on any link under Item Optimization area. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:

The page varies depending on the link you select.
Select the item that you want to optimize by clicking on the icon. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the Page Name box (under Friendly URL), type the text that you want to appear in the browser as the item’ friendly URL. Friendly URL is the feature available in eDirectory which allows Site Manager and Members to create search engine URLs.
The Item “John Auto Repair” with Friendly URL “john-auto-repair” will be available through the URL: http://demodirectory.com/listing/john-auto-repair.html.
In the SEO Description and SEO Keywords areas, provide the content values for the Meta tags that will be embedded in the item’s page. Meta Description can be in a sentence or paragraph form, while Meta Keywords are commonly a set of words separated by comma.
We advise you to have the SEO Description and SEO Keywords available in all enabled languages in your directory so if you change your default site language, they will also change in accordance with the language.
Click on the Submit button.

Why You Need To Optimize Your Site, Submitting Your Site To Search Engines

Submitting Your Site To Search Engines

Basically, the search engines read web sites or pages that have been submitted to it via a submission form, or those that have been linked from other submitted sites. They do it by the help of automated agents called robots or spiders. These agents follow links to travel from URL to URL. When they visit a web site, they collect data from every page and store them in the search engine’s database. Later, when a user enters a search query in a search engine, the search engine scans the database for pages that provide the best match.

Search engines differ in the algorithm or set of rules that they use in determining the relevancy of search queries. That is why the same search on different search engines often produces different results. The algorithms are considered to be top secret. No one really knows all of the algorithms. However, all major search engines follow some common set of rules.

Search engines are supposed to be able to find all the sites on the Internet. However, since new sites are being added daily, it’s risky to assume that the robots they use will find you. Speed up the process by submitting your site to the search engines.

To submit your site, you must sign in to different webmaster tools used by search engines. Assuming that you’re done submitting your site in a webmaster tool, the tool will provide a Meta tag content code that you need to embed in the homepage of your site. You do not need to open any files because the eDirectory application provides an interface in the Site Manager account where you can just put the Meta tag content code. After entering the code, you will be asked to authenticate the site using again the webmaster tool. This whole process is called search engine verification. The eDirectory application supports search engine verification for Google, Yahoo, and Live.

To acquire the Meta tag content code, do the following:

For Google

Begin by signing in to Google’s Webmaster Tools. If you do not have a Gmail account yet, click on the Create an account now link in that same page. After signing in, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Add a site button, and type your site URL on the box provided. Then, click on the Continue button.
A page will appear like the one shown below:

Get the Meta tag generated in this page. We advise you to copy it in any editor (e.g. Notepad) for later use.

Please do not sign out nor close the window where you are currently located. You will be asked to go back here later.

For Yahoo

Sign in to Yahoo’s Site Explorer. If you do not have a Yahoo mail account yet, click on the Sign up link in that same page. After signing in, a page will appear like the one shown below:
In the My Sites box, type your site URL. Then, click on the Add My Site button.
In the Status column, click on the icon of the corresponding site that you have added.
A page will appear like the one shown below:In this page, do the following:
1. Click on the By adding a META tag to my homepage option.
2. Get the Meta tag generated in this same page. We advise you to copy it into any editor (e.g. Notepad) for later use.
  
  Please do not sign out nor close the window where you are currently at. You will be asked to go back here later.

For Live

Sign in to Bing’s Webmaster Center. If you do not have a Live or Hotmail account yet, click on the Sign up button in that same page. After signing in, a page will appear like the one shown below:
In the Web Address box, type your site URL.
Click on the Submit button.
A page will appear like the one shown below:

Get the Meta tag generated in this page. We advise you to copy it in any editor (e.g. Notepad) for later use.

Please do not sign out nor close the window where you are currently located. You will be asked to go back here later.

To embed the Meta tag content code in the homepage of your directory site, do the following:

Sign in to your Site Manager account and click on the SEO Center menu on the left navigation panel. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the link that appears in the Search Engine Verification area. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
In the Google, Yahoo, and Live metatag boxes, put the meta tag codes that you acquired earlier.
Click on the Submit button.

To authenticate the site you added, do the following:

For Google

Go back to the browser or window where Google’s Webmaster Tools is located. If you have closed it already, just sign in again and look for the page shown below:
Click on the Verify button.

For Yahoo

Go back to the browser or window where the Yahoo’s Site Explorer is located. If you have closed it already, just sign in again and look for the page shown below:
Click on the Ready to Authenticate button.

For Live

Go back to the browser or window where the Bing’s Webmaster Center is located. If you have closed it already, just sign in again and look for the page shown below:
Click on the Return To Site List button. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Web Address that you want to authenticate.
The period of listing and authentication of search engines varies. Most sites get authenticated and listed within 4 – 6 weeks. The reality is that most search engines are backlogged and slow to get listings added to their databases. Do not be surprised if you experience waiting much longer than this.

Why You Need To Optimize Your Site, Optimizing Your Site Using Meta Tags

Why You Need To Optimize Your Site

Search Engine Optimization (SEO in short) is a process of optimizing web pages or even a whole site for the purpose of making them search-engine friendly. A search engine is a program that searches for sites based on the words that you supply as search terms. Examples are Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask Jeeves, etc. It is very important to consider how these search engines sort through the millions of pages they know to give the information seekers the sites that match their subject. Why? Because your site is affected! You should understand that these search results are not arranged randomly. They are ranked in order of what is the most relevant to the search. If you do not optimize your site now, you might be surprised later on to see how your site appears in the search results when a subject related to your site is searched. Even the easiest to use and most attractive websites will get few hits if they are not optimized for search engines.

You might be wondering why you as Site Manager (or Member) need to deal with these search engines. The answer is simple. Customers look for services, products or information on the internet. Assuming that they do not know a specific URL, they do the search through the help of different search engines. Normally, they click on a link on the first page of search results. If your business is showing up on the second, third or fifth page of search results, potential customers will never find you on the internet. Think of it this way: There are thousands of websites with the same product or services as yours. You cannot wait for your site to be buried deep in the search results where visibility is minimal.

SEO is considered to be one of the most effective web marketing strategies. Just imagine your site or webpage link being on top of the search results, and how this could benefit your business – more customers buying the Members’ items, more Members signing up in the site and more revenue generated. Do not waste this chance of promoting your products, services and the whole directory site. Do the procedures that we lay out for you, and see how your search ranking improves.

Changing The Level Of An Item

There are two types of change that can be applied to an item level: namely, upgrade and downgrade. The difference between the two is explained below:

Upgrade – raising the item to a higher level (e.g., From Basic to Showcase level). It is only applicable to items that have already expired or have not been paid and activated yet. The process of upgrading can be done either by the Site Manager or Member.
Downgrade – lowering the level of an item (e.g., From Showcase to Basic level). The Site Manager and Members cannot downgrade those that have been paid and activated already.

Items that can be upgraded or downgraded are those that have Expired or Pending Status.

To change the level of an item, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the item type (Listings, Events, etc.) under Modules where you think the item falls under. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
In the Level column, click on the icon (e.g., ) of the corresponding item. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Select the Level that you want.
Click on the Submit button.

Activating An Item

When the Site Manager logs in to his/her account, the home page is the first thing that appears on the screen. As discussed in the previous topics, the home page contains the To Do Items. Part of this section is the list of items that are subject to the Site Manager’s review and activation like the one shown below:

ACTIVATING_AN_ITEM_img1

Before an item appears in the directory front, it should undergo the activation process first. Clicking on any of the links shown above takes the Site Manager to the corresponding section from where he/she can perform the process.

Clicking 22 listings to review and activate takes you to the Listings module page shown below:

ACTIVATING_AN_ITEM_img2

Observe that all listing items displayed in the page above have Pending status. Status indicates the current state of an item. It can be any of the following:

Pending – the item is recently added, and is waiting for an activation or confirmation
Active – the item is activated, and is already displayed in the directory front
Suspended – the item’s visibility is put on hold due to some reasons
Expired – the item’s term of subscription has ended, but could still be renewed (For an expired item to be renewed, the member should pay again)

If you go directly to the Listing Module (on the left navigation panel), you will see the complete list of listing items in the directory including those with Active, Suspended, and Expired status.

Items with Pending, Suspended and Expired status are not displayed in the directory front. They should match first the requirements below before they can be set to Active:

The item should be paid (items in free levels are exempted)

One way to check if an item is paid or not is by looking at the icon before the item name. Unpaid items have icon, while those that have been successfully paid and are ready for review and activation have icon

The item should not have any invalid and foul contents

Previewing an item is the suggested way to proofread the content.

To activate an item, do the following:

In the page displayed above, click on the status (Pending, Suspended or Expired) of the item that you want to activate. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the Renewal Date box, provide the date of expiration of the item. Do this by clicking on the icon or the auto fill renewal date link.
In the Status dropdown list, select Active.
If you want to send an e-mail notification to the Member who owns the item informing him/her that the item is already activated, check the Send activation notification e-mail option.
Click on the Submit button.

Adjusting An Item’s Map Location

Site Manager and Members are always asked of their location when they are adding a new item. The locations that they provide (composed of the street address, the city, state and country) are displayed in the directory front to serve as guide to the customers on where they can find the item that they are planning to buy. Usually, the location information is in the form of text like this listing example shown below:

MAP_TUNING_A_POSTING_LOCATION_img1

For the items in Showcase level, there is another way of displaying the location information. This is by the use of a map. A map (like the one shown below) appears on the Detail View of an item.

MAP_TUNING_A_POSTING_LOCATION_img2

Map locations are automatically set when the Site Manager or Members supply their location information. What’s amazing about this mapping system is that they determine almost any location with accuracy and speed. The eDirectory application also allows the Site Manager and Members to adjust the map locations and make them more accurate. This process of adjusting the map locations is called Map Tuning.

The map feature of the application is made possible by the Google Maps API.

To adjust a map of a posting, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on any item type (Listings, Events, or Classifieds) under Modules. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the icon of the corresponding item. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
To adjust the map zoom: Use the controls and .
To navigate on the map: Use the controls , , and .
To adjust the location: Drag-and-Drop the marker .
Click on the Save Map Tuning button.

Viewing The Traffic Reports

Traffic is the amount of data sent and received by visitors to a website. Normally, website owners measure the traffic that they receive to see which parts or pages of their site are popular and if there are any apparent trends, such as one specific page being viewed mostly by visitors. In eDirectory, there are two types of traffic being monitored. These are the following:

Overall traffic (for Site Manager)

This is the traffic that the directory front receives as a whole. One suggested method to measure and analyze this traffic is by using the Google Analytics. (To know more about Google Analytics, click here)

The following are the information that you will be dealing with when monitoring overall traffic (Source: en.wikipedia.org):

The number of visitors
The average number of page views per visitor – a high number would indicate that the average visitors go deep inside the directory site, possibly because they like it or find it useful.
Average visit duration – the total length of a user’s visit. The more time they spend the more they’re interested in your site.
Average page duration – how long a page is viewed for. The more pages viewed, the better it is for your company.
Domain classes – all levels of the IP Addressing information required to deliver web pages and content.
Busy times – the most popular viewing time of the site would show when would be the best time to do promotional campaigns and when would be the most ideal to perform maintenance
Most requested pages – the most popular pages
Most requested entry pages – the entry page is the first page viewed by a visitor and shows which pages are most attracting to visitors
Most requested exit pages – the most requested exit pages could help find bad pages, broken links or the exit pages may have a popular external link
Top paths – a path is the sequence of pages viewed by visitors from entry to exit. With the top paths, you can identify the way most visitors go through the site
Referrers - the host can track the (apparent) source of the links and determine which sites are generating the most traffic for a particular page.

Specific Traffic (for Members)

This is the traffic that an item in the directory front receives. eDirectory application automatically measures this traffic to give the Members an idea on how their items are performing in the site. It presents the gathered data in a form of a report. This report can be viewed both in Site Manager and Member accounts.

The following are the information that you will be dealing with when monitoring specific traffic:

Summary hits –the number of times that the Summary View of a listing, event, classified, or article is viewed. A high number would indicate that the item is searched and browsed frequently.
Detail hits – the number of times that the Detail View of a listing, event, classified, or article is viewed. The more details hits, the more you become prone to contact.
ClickThru (for listing traffic) – the number of times that the Display URL link (e.g., w: http://www.realestatesample.com) in the Detail View of a listing is clicked.
ClickThru (for banner traffic) – the number of times that a banner is clicked.
Views (for banner traffic) – the number of times that a banner is displayed in the directory front.
E-mail hits – the number of times you are contacted by the use of the e-mail form in the Detail View a listing.
Phone hits – the number of times that the Phone link (e.g., t: view phone) in the Detail View of a listing is clicked.
Fax hits – the number of times that the Fax link (e.g., f: view fax) in the Detail View of a listing is clicked.

A hit is the retrieval of any page or data from a Web server. For example, when a visitor calls up a Phone data, that’s one hit.

To view the specific traffic reports, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on any item type (Listings, Events, Classifieds, Banners, or Articles) under Modules. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the icon of the corresponding item. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:

Read the discussion above to understand what the graph in this page manifests.

Previewing An Item

Previewing is the best way to see and review how a particular item appears in the directory front. The Site Manager and Members do not need to go to the actual directory front because there is an easy means of previewing an item directly in their accounts. For the Members, the items that they can only preview are those they have created.

To preview an item, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the item type under Modules where you think the item falls under (e.g., Listings, Events, Articles, etc.). After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the icon of the corresponding item. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
In the Listing Preview area, select the Click here to preview this listing link. After doing this, a new window will appear containing the Summary View and Detail View (if there is one) of the item.

Finding A Specific Item

Finding a specific item in the Site Manager account is not a difficult thing to do. Even if you say that your directory contains thousands or millions of items, you can still manage to find the one that you are looking for in a matter of seconds. That is no exaggeration! With the help of the search feature in each module, you can directly type the name of the item that you want to find. You can also search to display only those items created by a particular Member, or those that belong to a particular level (e.g., Showcase), category (e.g., Health), etc. It’s like you are filtering or refining the long list of item records.

To find a specific posting, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the item type under Modules where you think the item falls under (e.g., Listings, Events, Articles, etc.). After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Search sub-menu on the top of this page. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:

The forms that you use to search for a listing, event, article, banner, classified, gallery, and promotion are unlike. Each uses its own set of fields (e.g., Listing Template, Listing Level, Category, etc.). For the sake of this discussion, we used the form in searching a listing. Please take note that the steps in this procedure may vary but even so, the idea remains the same.
In the Listing Title box, type the name of the listing that you want to find. You need not fill out every field in the form. The search function will work even if you provide only the Listing Title. But if your purpose of doing the search is to filter the listing records, then you can supply the Account, Listing Level, Listing Template, Category, Country, State, City, Postal Code, Status, Expiration, and Promotional Code depending on what you want to see in the list.
When confirming or activating listing/s, the Site Manager selects Pending in the Status dropdown list. Doing this enables him/her to see those listings that have not been activated yet.
Click on the Search button.

Deleting An Item

The Site Manager can delete any items in the application including those that are currently displayed in the directory front. Deleting means removing the item and the information it contains from the database. This action is not necessary unless the reason of doing so is valid.

When an item is deleted, the transaction record associated to it is not affected.

To delete an item, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the item type (Listings, Events, etc) under Modules where you think the item falls under. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the icon of the corresponding item that you want to delete. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Submit button.

Using The Listing Template Feature

The eDirectory application utilizes design frameworks known as listing templates for the Detail View of Showcase listings. They hold style definitions for font, border, and background color as well as the layout for the content placeholders. The templates also hold the input field definitions for the content of the listings.

eDirectory includes premade templates or the Site Manager may create his/her own. Existing templates may also be customized so that the Site Manager may make a universal change to the listings that use them.

If the existing template background is color blue, it may be changed to green. Once the template is changed, the application automatically pushes that change out to all listings with this template.

The premade templates span a range of format with a variety of business concepts. There are templates for Auto Part Supplier, Dentist, Doctor, Golf Course, Hotel, Lawyer, Real Estate, and Restaurant. They vary on the input fields they use. Additional templates may be created when the Site Manager wants to provide more relevant fields to what the Members normally post in their listings.

You may want to create a special template for Members who sell computers in the directory site. By this, you will be able to provide fields such as Manufacturer, Processor, Hard Drive, and Memory to Members who create listings of this type.

To create a listing template, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Listings (under Modules). After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Templates sub-menu on the top of this page. After doing this, a new page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Add sub-menu on the top of this page.
In the Listing Template – Information area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Title box, type the name of the template that you are adding. Most often, it is a business field name (e.g., Real Estate). After doing this, the Page Name box will be automatically filled out.
  Page Name is text that appears in the browser as the template’s friendly URL. Friendly URL is the feature available in eDirectory which allows Site Manager and Members to create search engine URLs.
  
  The Template “Real Estate” with Page Name “real-estate” will be available through the URL: http://demodirectory.com/listing/type/real-estate
2. Select the Enabled status to make the template available to Members.
3. If you don’t want to make the template free of charge, type the price in the Additional Price box. Otherwise, leave the box blank.
In the Listing Template – Detail Layout area (image shown below), select the layout that you want to apply to the listings that will use the template.
In the Listing Template – Colors area (image shown below), type the color code (also known as hex) that you want to use for the Background, Border, Label, Text, Title Background, Title Border, and Title Text of the listings that will use the template.

You can use image editors like Adobe Photoshop to get the color codes or hex that you need.

In eDirectory version 7.0.15, a color picker is added in this exact area (image shown here). This new feature helps the Site Manager pick a color easily without having the need to copy and paste the color value. Just click on the color picker icon beside the text box and it will automatically place the color value.

Select the categories that will be available for this template in the area provided (image shown below).

Listings that will use this template can only select from the categories you pick here. If you do not select any categories, all categories will be available to them.
In the Common Fields area (image shown below), the text that you want to use as substitute for the field names displayed in the Field column. You can also provide some tool tips to help the Members know what data they should input in those boxes.

Tool tip usually appears on the left of a textbox.
In the Extra Checkbox Fields, Extra Dropdown Fields, Extra Text Fields, Extra Short Description Fields, and Extra Long Description Fields areas, type the input fields that you want to add in the existing form. Examples of the input fields that can be added are shown below:

The input fields in the image above are part of the form that Members fill out when adding a listing with Auto Part Supplier template.
Click on the Submit button.

Editing is necessary when there is something in the listing template that you want to change. Any change you make will be automatically applied to all listings that use the template.

To edit a listing template, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Listings (under Modules).
Click on the Templates sub-menu on the top of the page.
Click on the icon of the corresponding template that you want to edit.
Do Steps 4 to 10 of the procedure that you perform when creating a template. (Refer to the previous How To)

Using The Claimed Listing Feature

As discussed earlier, listings with no owner are also displayed in the directory front. They occur when the Site Manager creates or imports listings with no owner. If you can recall, there’s an option that says “Disable claim feature for this listing” when you are adding a listing. If you do not choose this option and you do not assign the listing to an Owner, a claimable listing will be produced. Another instance when a claimable listing might come in existence is when you import listings with no owner and the Import Setting is set to “Enable all imported listings as Active”.

When listings with no owner are activated and displayed in the directory front, the Members can adopt them. The process that a Member performs when adopting a listing is called claim. Every time a new claim is made, the application prompts the Site Manager by displaying a message (example shown below) in the To Do Items of the Home page.

USING_THE_CLAIM_FEATURE_img1

Clicking on this message takes the Site Manager to the Claims page (shown below) from where he/she can perform the decision whether to approve or deny the claim.

USING_THE_CLAIM_FEATURE_img2

Observe that the claim displayed in the page above has a Complete status. Status indicates the current state of a claim. It can be any of the following:

Progress/Incomplete – the claim is unsuccessfully completed because the Member did not pay for the listing that he/she is claiming
Complete – the claim is successfully completed and is waiting for an approval
Approved – the claim is accepted by the Site Manager
Denied – the claim is rejected by the Site Manger

Claims with Complete status are the only ones than can be approved by the Site Manager. Those with Progress or Incomplete status should be immediately denied to make the claimed listing visible in the directory front again. When a listing is claimed by a Member, the listing’s visibility is automatically put on hold. This avoids the Members to claim the same listing at the same time.

To see the complete list of claims in the directory including those with Progress, Approved, and Denied status, click on the Listings menu in the left navigation panel, then go to the Claimed Listings sub-menu.

To approve/deny a claim, do the following:

On the page displayed above, click on the Listing name. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
Review the Claim Details shown on this page. If the claim is okay to you, click on the Approve This Claim button. Otherwise, click on Deny This Claim.
After approving a claim, the next thing to do is to activate the claimed listing in the Listing module for it to become visible in the directory front. To learn how to activate a listing, click here.

Changing The Claim Setting

Using The Review Feature

A review is an evaluation of an item in the directory site. It is written by the customer who has sufficient experience to comment on reliability and whether or not the product, service, or information delivers on its promises. Usually, a review is composed of the following:

a star rating
a comment not longer than 5 sentences
a Site Manager’s or Member’s reply to the review

This is how a review appears in the directory front:

USING_THE_REVIEW_FEATURE_img1

eDirectory uses the Review feature to allow the site visitors see both the negative and positive feedback of customers to some listings and articles in the site. This feature should be enabled and configured first in the Site Manager account before it can be used. Once this feature is enabled, the Site Manager can manage all the reviews created in the directory front. By the word “manage”, we are referring to the privilege given to him/her to preview, edit, delete and approve reviews, and to approve the Members’ replies to the review authors.

Unlike Site Manager, the Members can only preview reviews and reply to their authors. They are not given full control over reviews to avoid having bias.

eDirectory application has the ability to trace the IP Address of a review author (the customer who created the review). Because of this, a review author with a static IP can only create one review for one particular listing or article.

Every time a new review is created, the application prompts the Site Manager by displaying a message (example shown below) in the To Do Items of the Home page.

USING_THE_REVIEW_FEATURE_img2

Clicking on this message takes the Site Manager to the Reviews page shown below:

USING_THE_REVIEW_FEATURE_img3

Observe that the review records displayed in the page above use different Status icons. These icons and their uses are discussed below:

– This icon shows up in the reviews that have not been approved yet by the Site Manager. When a review is not approved, it will not appear in the directory front and the Member (or the owner of the listing or article to which the review is added) cannot use the Reply-to-Review-Author feature of the application.

– This icon shows up in the reviews that are approved already. These reviews are the ones currently displayed in the directory front.

– These two icons come together as one. They indicate that a reply to the review author is made by a Member. This reply will only be sent to the review author’s email address if it is approved by the Site Manager.

– These two icons come together as one. They indicate that a reply to the review author is already approved.

To preview a review, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the item type under Modules where you think the review falls under (Listings or Articles). After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Reviews sub-menu on the top of this page. After doing this, a new page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the icon of the corresponding review. After doing this, a page containing the review content will appear like the one shown below:

To approve a review, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the item type under Modules where you think the review falls under (Listings or Articles).
Click on the Reviews sub-menu on the top of this page.
Click on the icon of the corresponding review.

To approve a Member’s reply to the review author, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the item type under Modules where you think the review falls under (Listings or Articles).
Click Reviews on the top of this page.
Click on the icon of the corresponding review. After doing this, an area will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Send button.

Enabling/Disabling The Review Feature

Using The Promotion Feature

A promotion (also called promo) is a marketing strategy used by Members to inform and convince the site visitors to purchase a listing. It might be a short-term price reduction, contest or sweepstakes, package giveaway, or free sample offer. Like Members, the Site Manager can also create or edit a promotion, and associate it with a listing.

The Promotion feature is only available for Showcase listings.

A promotion appears in the directory front as follows:

USING_THE_PROMOTION_FEATURE_img1

It shows up in the directory front in two manners:

Within the Promotion section, the area where site visitors can find all on-going promotions
Within the Listings section. Under a Showcase listing’s Detail and Summary View (example shown below), you will see a clickable “promotion” text. This lets the site visitors know that your listing is currently offering a promotion.

USING_THE_PROMOTION_FEATURE_img2

To create a promotion, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Promotions (under Modules). After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Add sub-menu on the top of this page.
In the Account area (image shown below), look for the Member who will own the promotion. You can do this by hitting the Click here to select an account link.

In this same area, do the following:
1. In the Username box, type the login ID of the Member. Then, click on Search button.
2. Choose the Member by clicking on the Select button.
In the Information area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Headline box, type the name of the promotion that you are adding. The headline is the text that will appear on the top most part of your promotion. Be sure to make it descriptive and catchy.
2. In the Offer (English) box, type the general description of the promotion. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.
  We advise you to have it available in all enabled languages so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the offer will also change in accordance with it the selected language.
In the Description area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea, provide the scope and limitation of the promotion. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

We advise you to have it available in all enabled languages so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the description will also change in accordance with it the selected language.
In the Condition area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea, provide the parameters that the customers should observe for a promotion to take effect. Do this also for all the enabled languages in the directory. The default text that you see there is the Promotional Condition Text that you set in the top navigation panel’s Settings > Promotions.

We advise you to have it available in all enabled languages so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the condition will also change in accordance with it the selected language.
In the Keywords for the search area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea, type the keywords with which the promotion will be indexed for a search. Add one keyword/keyword phrase per line. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

We advise you to have the keywords available in all enabled languages. This will allow the site visitors to search using keywords in foreign languages.
In the Promotion Date area (image shown below), do the following:

In the Start Date and End Date boxes, input the exact date when the promotion will be valid. Do this by clicking on the icon.
In the Promotion Layout area (image shown below), do any of the following:
1. If you want to incorporate all the details you provided above into a ready-made layout, select the Our HTML template based promotion option. Then, click on the Browse button to select the image that you want to use for the promotion.
2. If you want to use a customized image with your own promotion details embedded on it, select A promotion provided by you instead option. Then, click on the Browse button to select the image that you want to use as your promotion layout.
  If you select the A promotion provided by you instead option, the details you provided above such as the Offer (Step 4b), Description (Step 5), and Condition (Step 6) will be disregarded.
Click on the Submit button.

After creating the promotion, the next thing to do is to associate it with the showcase listing that will use it. If you do not proceed to this process, the promotion that you have created will be useless.

A showcase listing can only have one promotion at a time. When the Site Manager deletes a listing with promotion, the promotion can be re-associated with the other listings created by the same Member or those with No Owner.

To associate a promotion with a showcase listing, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Listings (under Modules). After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the icon of the corresponding item. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
In the Promotion dropdown list, select the promotion that you have created earlier.
Click on the Submit button.

A promotion automatically appears in the directory front once associated with an activated and paid showcase listing.

Setting Up Your Promotional Condition Text

Using The Photo Gallery Feature

A photo gallery is a collection of photos that can be associated to an item. When customers browse the directory site, they usually look for items with photos. This is one of the contributing factors as to why a customer ends up liking and reading an item. A photo gallery appears in the directory front as follows:

USING_THE_PHOT_GALLERY_FEATURE_img1

The photo gallery feature is not available in all item types and levels. There is also no fixed number of photos that a gallery can hold. To give you a better idea of this, refer to the following table:

photogallery

To create a photo gallery, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Galleries (under Modules). After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Add sub-menu on the top of this page. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the Account area, look for the Member who will own the gallery. You can do this by hitting the Click here to select an account link.
In this same area, do the following:
1. In the Username box, type the login ID of the Member. Then, click on the Search button.
2. Choose the Member by clicking on the Select button.
In the Gallery Title box, type the name that you want to give to the gallery.
Click on the Next button. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:

At this point, the gallery has been created successfully but you still need to add the images that you want to display.
Click on the Add image link.
In the new form shown below, do the following:
1. Click on the Browse button to select the image file on your local PC.
2. In the Thumb Caption (English) box, type the text that you want to appear when the mouse pointer is moved over the thumbnail image in the directory front. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.
3. In the Image Caption (English) box, type the text that you want to appear when the thumbnail image is clicked and viewed in a separate window. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.
  We advise you to have the Thumb and Image Captions available in all enabled languages so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the captions will also change in accordance with the selected language.
4. Click on the Submit button.
A page will appear like the one shown below:
If you want to add more images, click on the Add Image link and repeat Step 7. Otherwise, click on the Galleries Home sub-menu on the top of this page.

To add more images to an existing gallery, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Galleries (under Modules).
Click on the icon of the corresponding gallery.
Do Steps 6 to 8 of the procedure that you perform when creating a gallery. (Refer to the previous How To)

After creating the gallery, the next thing to do is to associate it with the item (listing, event, classified, or article) that will use it. If you do not proceed to this process, the gallery that you have created will be useless.

An item can only have one gallery at a time. When the Site Manager deletes an item with gallery, the gallery can be re-associated with the other items created by the same Member or those with No Owner.

To associate a gallery with an item, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on the item type (Listings, Events, etc.) under Modules where you think the item falls under.
Click on the icon of the corresponding item. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Select the gallery that you have created earlier (e.g., Dental Health).
Click on the Submit button.

A photo gallery automatically appears in the directory front once associated with an activated and paid item.

Adding / Editing An Article

Among all the items, articles are the simplest in terms of appearance and content.

To add a new article, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Articles (under Modules). After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Add sub-menu on the top of this page.
In the Account area (image shown below), look for the Member who will own the article. You can do this by hitting the Click here to select an account link.

In this same area, do the following:
1. In the Username box, type the login ID of the Member. Then, click on the Search button.
2. Choose the Member by clicking on the Select button.
In the Information area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Article Title box, type the name of the article that you are adding. The title is the text that will appear on the top most part of your article. Be sure to make it descriptive and catchy.
2. In the Article Author box, type the name of the person who created or constructed the article contents. The author may be you or another person.
3. In the Article Author URL box, type the website address that you want to associate with the author. This is ideal if the author has his/her own website and you want to display a link in the article. The URL should contain both the protocol (e.g., http, https), and the domain name (e.g., demodirectory.com).
4. In the Publication Date box, provide the information that you want to appear in the directory front as the date on when the article is posted. Do this by clicking on the icon. By default, the current date is the one displayed in the box.
In the Image area (image shown below), do the following:
1. Click on the Browse button of the Image Source box to select the image file on your local PC that you want to use for the article.
2. In the Image Attribute box, type the text that you want to appear on the bottom of the article’s primary image in the directory front.
3. In the Image Caption box, type the text that you want to appear when the mouse pointer is moved over the thumbnail image in the directory front and when the thumbnail image is clicked and viewed in a separate window.
In the Abstract area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea, provide the text that will summarize the important points of the article. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

We advise you to have it available in all enabled languages so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the abstract of the article will also change in accordance with the selected language.
In the Content area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea, provide the full-length content of the article. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

We advise you to have it available in all enabled languages so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the abstract of the article will also change in accordance with the selected language.

In eDirectory version 7.3.00, an HTML editor is added in this exact area to replace the Content textareas (image shown here). With this editor, you can use a wide variety of features for inputting the Content field, editing the text with in it, adding smilies, spell checking, uploading videos, and many other features.

In the Keywords for the search area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea, type the keywords with which the article will be indexed for a search. Add one keyword/keyword phrase per line. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

We advise you to have the keywords available in all enabled languages. This will allow the site visitors to search using keywords in foreign languages.
In the Categories and sub-categories area (image shown below), select the category and the sub-category (if there is one) under which you want the article to appear. As you click on a category, the list of all sub-categories under it is displayed.

You need to click on the Add link to associate the category or sub-category with the article. After clicking the link, the category or sub-category is automatically displayed in the Article Categories box.

You need to associate the article with one or multiple categories and sub-categories so as to display the article under the specific categories and sub-categories to the site visitors. To delete a category, highlight the category or sub-category name in the Article Category box, and click on the Remove Selected Category button.
In the Promotional Code area (image shown below), type the promo code that you want to use for the article. (To know more about Promo Code, click here)
Click on the Submit button.

After submitting the form, the Site Manager still needs to confirm or activate this recently added article before it becomes visible in the directory front.

Editing is necessary when there is something in the article information that you want to update.

The Site Manager and the Members can edit an article whether it has been activated or not.

When a Member edits an article which is already paid and activated, its status goes back to Pending. This means that the Site Manager should re-activate it before it appears in the directory front again. Paid articles get pending after a change because the Site Manager still needs to verify the edited content to avoid bad words. Members don’t need to pay again; they just have to wait for a new confirmation.

To edit an article, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Articles (under Modules).
Click on the icon of the corresponding article that you want to edit.
Do Steps 3 to 11 of the procedure that you perform when adding a new article. (Refer to the previous How To)

Adding / Editing A Classified

The procedures in adding a classified and a listing are almost the same. The only difference is that classifieds always ask for an image regardless of the level used.

To add a new classified, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Classified (under Modules). After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Add sub-menu on the top of this page. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
Select a Classified Level (e.g., Basic, Premium, Showcase), then click on the Submit button. After doing this, a new form will appear.
The form you fill out in adding a classified varies depending on the Classified Level (e.g., Premium, Showcase) that you choose. In the following procedure, we used that of Showcase level. This means that some fields and areas may not be present if you choose other levels.
In the Account area (image shown below), look for the Member who will own the classified. You can do this by hitting the Click here to select an account link.

In this same area, do the following:
1. In the Username box, type the login ID of the Member. Then, click on the Search button.
2. Choose the Member by clicking on the Select button.
In the Information area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Classified Title box, type the name of the classified that you are adding. The title is the text that will appear on the top most part of your posting. Be sure to make it descriptive.
2. In the Contact Name, Contact Phone, Contact Fax, and Contact E-mail boxes, type the contact information being asked.
3. In the URL box, type the website address that you want to associate with the classified. This is ideal if you have your own website and you want to display a link in your classified. The URL should contain both the protocol (e.g., http, https), and the domain name (e.g., demodirectory.com).

In eDirectory version 7.3.00, a Price field is added added in this form (image shown here), allowing Site Manager to indicate the price of the classified that he/she is adding into the directory site.

In the Location area (image shown below), do the following:
1. Provide the information being asked in the following dropdown lists. If you do not find your Country, State, or City, we advise you to go to the Location menu in the left navigation panel, and add the new location that you want to see in the lists.
2. Type your Postal Code in the last box.

In eDirectory version 7.3.00, the option ‘Click here if you do not see your city’ is made available in this form. (image shown here). Clicking on the Add a New City link will enable you to instantly add a city to the application.

In the Image area (image shown below), click on the Browse button to select the image file on your local PC. This will appear in the directory front as the image of your classified. If you leave this area blank, the “No Image” will occupy the space allotted for your item image. (To know more about “No Image”, click here)
In the Summary Description area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea: type a brief description of the classified that you are adding. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

Summary Description appears in the Summary View of a classified. We advise you to have it available in all enabled languages so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the summary description of the classified will also change in accordance with the selected language.
In the Detail Description area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea, type the detailed description of the classified that you are adding. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

Detail Description appears on the Detail View of a classified. We advise you to have it available in all enabled languages so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the detail description of the classified will also change in accordance with the selected language.
In the Keywords for the search area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea, type the keywords with which the classified will be indexed for a search. Add one keyword/keyword phrase per line. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

We advise you to have the keywords available in all enabled languages. This will allow the site visitors to search using keywords in foreign languages.
In the Category area (image shown below), select the category under which you want the classified to appear.
In the Promotional Code area (image shown below), type the promo code that you want to use for the classified. (To know more about Promo Code, click here)
Click on the Submit button.

After submitting the form, the Site Manager still needs to confirm or activate this recently added classified before it becomes visible in the directory front.

Editing is necessary when there is something in the classified information that you want to update.

The Site Manager and the Members can edit a classified whether it has been activated or not.

When a Member edits a classified which is already paid and activated, its status goes back to Pending. This means that the Site Manager should re-activate it before it appears in the directory front again. Paid classifieds get pending after a change because the Site Manager still needs to verify the edited content to avoid bad words. Members don’t need to pay again; they just have to wait for a new confirmation.

To edit a classified, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Classified (under Modules).
Click on the icon of the corresponding classified that you want to edit.
Do Steps 4 to 13 of the procedure that you perform when adding a new classified. (Refer to the previous How To)

Adding / Editing A Banner

Among all the items, banners are the most unique in terms of appearance and behavior in the directory front. What’s even more impressing about it is the fact that it is also the easiest to add in the directory.

To add a new banner, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Banners (under Modules). After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Add sub-menu on the top of this page.
In the Account area (image shown below), look for the Member who will own the banner. You can do this by hitting the Click here to select an account link.

In this same area, do the following:
1. In the Username box, type the login ID of the Member. Then, click on the Search button.
2. Choose the Member by clicking on the Select button.
Select a Banner Type in the dropdown list. To see how a banner type appears in the directory front, click on the Banner Options link.
In the Order Banner area (image shown below), do the following:

Select the type of order for the banner. You can choose between the fixed annual price (1st option) or the price based on the impression block. The difference of the two is explained below:

- If you choose the first option, the price will be fixed but you can adjust the exact date on when the banner will expire.
- If you choose the second option, the price will depend on the number of impressions that you will provide. (e.g., Setting 2000 impressions makes the top banner price doubled to 100.00)
In the Banner Details area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Caption (English) box, type the text that you want to appear when the mouse pointer is moved over the banner in the directory front. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.
  We advise you to have it available in all enabled languages so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the caption of the banner will also change in accordance with the selected language.
2. Select the Section (or pages) where you want the banner to be displayed. If you choose Listing, Event, Classified, or Article, you will have the option of limiting the banner’s appearance to a Category page (e.g., Displaying the banner only in “Auto” category page of Listing)
3. In the Open in a new window options, select Yes if you want a new window to be opened when the banner is clicked, or No if you want to use the same window.
4. In the Destination Url boxes, type the website address that you want to associate with the banner. When a site visitor clicks on this link, he/she will be redirected to the website address.
5. To use a script banner instead of a file: Check the Show by Script Code option, and then put the code in the Script box. Script code is used to display a banner from an affiliate program or external banner system. If Show by Script Code is checked, the next step will not be necessary.
6. To select the file that you want to use as banner: Click on the Browse button of the File (English) box. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.
  Banners always come with text. This is the reason why the application asks for four files, so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the banner displaying the text will also change in accordance with the selected language.

In eDirectory version 7.3.00, the Site Manager (not Members) is also allowed to add global banners that will show up on all pages (image shown here). Just click on the option Global Banner to make a banner of this type.

In the Promotional Code area (image shown below), type the promo code that you want to use for the listing. (To know more about Promo Code, click here)
Click on the Submit button.

After submitting the form, the Site Manager still needs to confirm or activate this recently added banner before it becomes visible in the directory front.

Editing is necessary when there is something in the banner information that you want to update.

The Site Manager and the Members can edit a banner whether it has been activated or not.

When a Member edits a banner which is already paid and activated, its status goes back to Pending. This means that the Site Manager should re-activate it before it appears in the directory front again. Paid banners get pending after a change because the Site Manager still needs to verify the edited content to avoid bad image and captions. Members don’t need to pay again; they just have to wait for a new confirmation.

To edit a banner, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Banners (under Modules).
Click on the icon of the corresponding banner that you want to edit.
Do Steps 3 to 8 of the procedure that you perform when adding a new banner. (Refer to the previous How To)

Adding / Editing An Event

An event can be added either by the Site Manager and Members: for the former, adding means selecting the level, supplying the information, and activating the item; for the latter, it means selecting the level, supplying the information, and paying for the item. See the difference?

To add a new event, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Events (under Modules). After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Add sub-menu on the top of this page. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
Select an Event Level (e.g., Premium, Showcase), then click on the Submit button. After doing this, a new form will appear.
The form you fill out in adding an event varies depending on the Event Level (e.g., Premium, Showcase) that you choose. In the following procedure, we used that of Showcase level. This means that some fields and areas may not be present if you choose other levels.
In the Account area (image shown below), look for the Member who will own the event. You can do this by hitting the Click here to select an account link.

In this same area, do the following:
1. In the Username box, type the login ID of the Member. Then, click on the Search button.
2. Choose the Member by clicking on the Select button.
In the Information area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Event Title box, type the name of the event that you are adding. The title is the text that will appear on the top most part of your event. Be sure to make it descriptive.
2. In the E-mail box, type the e-mail address where the event owner wants to receive e-mails from potential customers.
3. In the URL box, type the website address that you want to associate with the event. This is ideal if you have your own website and you want to display a link in your event. The URL should contain both the protocol (e.g., http, https), and the domain name (e.g., demodirectory.com).
4. In the Phone and Contact Name boxes, type the contact information being asked.
In the Location area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Location Name box, type the name of the venue where the event will happen.
2. In the Street Address box, type the address of the venue that you supplied above.
3. Provide the information being asked in the following dropdown lists. If you do not find your Country, State, or City, we advise you to go to the Location menu in the left navigation panel, and add the new location that you want to see in the lists.
4. Type your Postal Code in the last box.

In the Event Date area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Start Date and End Date boxes, input the exact date when the event will happen. Do this by clicking on the icon.
2. In the Start Time and End Time dropdown lists, select the exact time when the event will start and end. Do not forget to indicate if it’s going to happen at AM or PM.

In eDirectory version 7.3.00, the application introduces the new 24 hours time format for site languages like Italian, Spanish, French, and Dutch where a high number of users preferring the said format are predominant (image shown here).

In the Image area (image shown below), click on the Browse button to select the image file on your local PC. This will appear in the directory front as the image of your event. If you leave this area blank, the “No Image” will occupy the space allotted for your item image. (To know more about “No Image”, click here)
In the Summary Description area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea: type a brief description of the event that you are adding. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

Summary Description appears in the Summary View of an event. We advise you to have it available in all enabled languages so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the summary description of the event will also change in accordance with the selected language.
In the Description area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea: type the detailed description of the event that you are adding. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

Description appears on the Detail View of an event. We advise you to have it available in all enabled languages so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the description of the event will also change in accordance with the selected language.
In the Keywords for the search area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea, type the keywords with which the event will be indexed for a search. Add one keyword/keyword phrase per line. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

We advise you to have the keywords available in all enabled languages. This will allow the site visitors to search using keywords in foreign languages.
In the Categories and sub-categories area (image shown below), select the category and the sub-category (if there is one) under which you want the event to appear. As you click on a category, the list of all sub-categories under it is displayed.

You need to click on the Add link to associate the category or sub-category with the event. After clicking on the link, the category or sub-category is automatically displayed in the Event Categories box.

You need to associate the event with one or multiple categories and sub-categories so as to display the event under the specific categories and sub-categories to the site visitors. To delete a category, highlight the category or sub-category name in the Event Category box, and click on the Remove Selected Category button.
In the Promotional Code area (image shown below), type the promo code that you want to use for the event. (To know more about Promo Code, click here)
Click on the Submit button.

After submitting the form, the Site Manager still needs to confirm or activate this recently added event before it becomes visible in the directory front.

Editing is necessary when there is something in the event information that you want to update.

The Site Manager and the Members can edit an event whether it has been activated or not.

When a Member edits an event which is already paid and activated, its status goes back to Pending. This means that the Site Manager should re-activate it before it appears in the directory front again. Paid events get pending after a change because the Site Manager still needs to verify the edited content to avoid bad words. Members don’t need to pay again; they just have to wait for a new confirmation.

To edit an event, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Events (under Modules).
Click on the icon of the corresponding event that you want to edit.
Do Steps 4 to 14 of the procedure that you perform when adding a new event. (Refer to the previous How To)

Adding / Editing A Listing

Adding a listing can be done either by the Site Manager or Members. The procedures on how they add listings are almost similar except that Members undergo another procedure which includes Payment. If a Member does not perform this, the Site Manager will not confirm his/her listing. As a result, the listing will not be visible in the directory front.

Payment method is not applicable to listings in Free level.

To add a new listing, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Listings (under Modules). After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Add sub-menu on the top of this page. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the Listing Template dropdown list, select the template that you want to use for the listing. If you are unsure of what template to use, just select Default.
Remember that in selecting a template, you should consider the type of business you have.

The listing that you want to add is for the house and lot that you are selling. Since this is something related to land development, the template that we advise you to choose is Real Estate. By choosing this template, you will be given extra fields to fill in the directory site such as Number of Bedrooms, Price, Square Feet, and Agent Name, etc.

Listing Templates are free of charge unless the Site Manager has specified a price. To know more about Listing Templates, click here.
Select a Listing Level (e.g., Free, Basic, Premium, Showcase), then click on the Submit button. After doing this, a new form will appear.
The form you fill out in adding a listing varies depending on the Listing Level (e.g., Premium, Showcase) that you choose. In the following procedure, we used that of Showcase level. This means that some fields (e.g., E-mail) and areas (e.g., Image, Video Snippet Code, Listing Designation) may not be present if you choose other levels.
In the Account area (image shown below), look for the Member who will own the listing. You can do this by hitting the Click here to select an account link.

In this same area, do the following:
1. In the Username box, type the login ID of the Member. Then, click on the Search button.
2. Choose the Member by clicking on the Select button.
To enable the Claim feature: Uncheck the Disable claim feature for this listing option. You do not need to select an account in Step 5 if you will be using this feature. (To know more about the Claim feature, click here)
In the Information area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Listing Title box, type the name of the listing that you are adding. The title is the text that will appear on the top most part of your listing. Be sure to make it descriptive. Most often, it is the business name.
2. In the E-mail box, type the e-mail address where the listing owner wants to receive e-mails from potential customers.
3. In the URL box, type the website address that you want to associate with the listing. This is ideal if you have your own website and you want to use it to promote your listing more. The URL should contain both the protocol (e.g., http, https), and the domain name (e.g., demodirectory.com).
4. In the Display URL box, type the text that you want to display on the listing as link. When a site visitor clicks on this link, he/she will be redirected to the website address that you supplied above. With the Display URL, your listing could show “Click me for more info” and the visitors clicking on the link will be redirected to your personal site.
5. In the Phone box, type the contact information being asked. Do the same for the Fax box.
In the Location area (image shown below), do the following:
1. In the Address Line1 box, type your complete office address. If you want to use another, type it in the Address Line2 box.
2. Provide the information being asked in the following dropdown lists. If you do not find your Country, State, or City, we advise you to go to the Location menu in the left navigation panel, and add the new location that you want to see in the lists. You can also add a city by hitting the Click here if you do not see your city link.
3. Type your Zipcode in the last box.
In the Image area (image shown below), click on the Browse button to select the image file on your local PC. This will appear in the directory front as the image of your listing. If you leave this area blank, the “No Image” will occupy the space allotted for your item image. (To know more about “No Image”, click here)
In the Video Snippet Code area (image shown below), input the embed code of the video that you want to display in the Detail View of the listing. Some websites (e.g., www.youtube.com) offer free video hosting. They generate embed codes and make them available to users wanting to post videos on other sites.
In the Attach Additional File area (image shown below), do the following:
1. Click on the Browse button to select the file that you want to attach to the listing (e.g., a pdf file containing more information about your item).
2. In the Caption box, type the name that you want the attached file to have.
In the Summary Description area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea: type a brief description of the listing that you are adding. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

Summary Description appears in the Summary View of a listing. We advise you to have it available in all enabled languages so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the summary description of the listing will also change in accordance with the selected language.
In the Description area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea: type the detailed description of the listing that you are adding. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

Description appears on the Detail View of a listing. We advise you to have it available in all enabled languages so when a visitor browsing the directory changes the site language, the description of the listing will also change in accordance with the selected language.
In the Keywords for the search area (image shown below), do the following:

In the English textarea, type the keywords with which the listing will be indexed for a search. Add one keyword/keyword phrase per line. Do this also for all the languages you have enabled on your directory.

We advise you to have the keywords available in all enabled languages. This will allow the site visitors to search using keywords in foreign languages.
In the Hours of work area (image shown below), type the schedule when the listing owner can accommodate the customers’ orders. Add one schedule per line as in the example.
In the Location area (image shown below), type the exact place/s where the listing owner can accommodate the customers’ orders.
In the Categories and sub-categories area (image shown below), select the category and the sub-category (if there is one) under which you want the listing to appear. As you click on a category, the list of all sub-categories under it is displayed.

You need to click on the Add link to associate the category or sub-category with the listing. After clicking on the link, the category or sub-category is automatically displayed in the Listing Categories box.

You need to associate the listing with one or multiple categories and sub-categories so as to display the listing under the specific categories and sub-categories to the site visitors. To delete a category, highlight the category or sub-category name in the Listing Category box, and click on the Remove Selected Category button.
In the Listing Designation area (image shown below), check the designation that you want the listing to have. (To know more about Designations, click here)
In the Promotional Code area (image shown below), type the promo code that you want to use for the listing. (To know more about Promo Code, click here)
Click on the Submit button.

After submitting the form, the Site Manager still needs to confirm or activate this recently added listing before it becomes visible in the directory front.

Editing is necessary when there is something in the listing information that you want to update.

The Site Manager and the Members can edit a listing whether it has been activated or not.

When a Member edits a listing which is already paid and activated, its status goes back to Pending. This means that the Site Manager should re-activate it before it appears in the directory front again. Paid listings get pending after a change because the Site Manager still needs to verify the edited content to avoid bad words. Members don’t need to pay again; they just have to wait for a new confirmation.

To edit a listing, do the following:

In the left navigation panel, click on Listings (under Modules).
Click on the icon of the corresponding listing that you want to edit.
Do Steps 5 to 20 of the procedure that you perform when adding a new listing. (Refer to the previous How To)

Adding Custom Web Pages To Your Directory

The eDirectory application allows the Site Manager to create custom web pages when he/she has some additional information to display in the directory front or in the Member accounts. However, the pages that can only be created are those in static form. On a static web page, the site visitor or Member may interact with the document through clicking available links, but the document has no capacity to return information that is not pre-formatted (or those contained in a database).

The Site Manager may want to create a page containing the Intellectual Property Policy and post the page link on the footer area of the Member accounts. This page after creating it will then display the same content for all Members.

To create a custom page, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on the Site Content menu. After doing, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Custom sub-menu on the top of this page.
Click on the Add a Custom Web Page link.
In the New Custom Web Page area (image shown below), do the following:

In the Page Name box, type the name that you want to give to this page that you are creating.
In the SEO Center area (image shown below), do the following:
1. Check the Sitemap option if you want this page to be included in your sitemap file.
2. Click on the get url link. After doing this, the URL box will automatically have the URL of your custom page.
3. In the Title, Description, and Keywords boxes, type the content values for the Meta tags. To know more about Meta tags, click here.
In the Content area (image shown below), do the following:

In the HTML editor, type the content for this page. You can make use of the options on the top of the HTML editor to format the text, and to insert an image, link or table.

In eDirectory version 7.3.00, a new and improved HTML editor is added in this exact area to replace the Content editor (image shown here). With new this editor, you can use a wide variety of features for inputting the text field, editing the text with in it, adding smilies, spell checking, uploading videos, and many other features.

Click on the Save button.

A custom web page does not automatically appear in the eDirectory site after it is created. You need to put a link to the body area of any existing web page of the site for the visitors to start accessing the newly created page.

To put a link in the body area of an existing web page, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, go to Site Content menu.
Click on any submenu found on the top portion of the new page depending on where you want to put the link. You can choose from General, Advertisement, Listing, Event, Classified, Article and Member. After clicking on a sub-menu, a new page will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Section Name (e.g., Home page). After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
In the HTML editor, type any text (or image) that will serve as the link (e.g., Click here to know more about our company, Read More, etc.).
Highlight the text that you entered in step 4, then click on the icon found on the HTML editor toolbar. After doing this, a new window will appear like the one shown below:
In the Address box, type the URL of the page that you have created. The URL is provided by the system after you create a custom web page (e.g., http://www.demodirectory.com/content/about-us.html)
Click on the OK button. After doing this, the pop-up window will close.
Click on the Save button below the HTML editor to apply all the changes.

Changing The Level Advertisement Text

Level advertisement text appears in the Advertise With Us section of the directory front as labels for the item level images.

CHANGING_THE_LEVEL_ADVERTISEMENT_TEXT_img1

Highlighted areas in the image above show some of the level advertisement text that the Site Manager can edit.

To change the level advertisement text, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on the Site Content menu.
Click on any sub-menus on the top of this page (e.g., Listing, Events, etc.). Then, look for the area shown below:
Click on the Level Name or the icon. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the HTML editor, do the necessary changes. You can make use of the options on the top of the HTML editor to format the text.
Click on the Save button.

Changing The "No Image"

The term “No Image” is used to refer to the image that is assigned automatically to items with no images. If a Member or Site Manager forgets to upload an image to an item, the “No Image” will occupy the space allotted for the real item image. An item with “No Image” appears in the directory front as follows:

CHANGING_THE_NO_IMAGE_img1

“No Image” can only be applied to item levels with Image feature (e.g., Showcase).

To change the “No image”, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on the Site Content menu. Then, look for the area shown below:
Click on the “No Image” text or the icon found within the same row. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
Click on the Browse button to select the image file on your local PC.
Click on the Submit button.

Changing The Footer

The copyright text is the only part of the footer that can be changed. By default, it appears in the directory front as follows:

CHANGING_THE_FOOTER_img1

The text “Powered by eDirectory” above the copyright is called Brand. If you purchased the Unbranded Version offer of eDirectory, this text will be removed from the footer area of directory front. Click here to see pricing for this offer.

To change the copyright text, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on the Site Content menu. Then, look for the area shown below:
Click on the Footer text or the icon found within the same row. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the Language dropdown list, select your current site language.

We advise you to provide the footer information for each language you have enabled on your directory.
In the Copyright Text box, type the new text.
Click on the Submit button.

Changing The Logo

A logo is a symbol or trademark of an entity. In eDirectory application, there are 3 kinds of logo used. They are the following:

Website Logo – the one that appears in the directory front’s header area
RSS Logo – the one that appears in the RSS reader software when the RSS feeds of the application are viewed and read

RSS feeds allow your site visitors to have timely updates from the site so that they can know all of the changes that are going on. To learn more about RSS, click here.

Mobile Logo – the one that appears when the application is accessed via a mobile device

eDirectory’s mobile feature empowers surfers to connect to the application from their mobile device.

To change the logos used in eDirectory, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on the Site Content menu. Then, look for the area shown below:
Click on the Header text or the icon found within the same row.
In the Header Logo area (image shown below), click on the Browse button to select the image file on your local computer.
In the RSS Logo area (image shown below), click on the Browse button to select the image file on your local computer.
In the Mobile Logo area (image shown below), click on the Browse button to select the image file on your local computer.
Click on the Submit button.

Modifying Your E-mail Notifications

Every time an important action happens in the directory front or in the Member accounts, eDirectory always notifies the involved person about the action recently done. In this event, the Site Manager does not have to send an e-mail because the application does it for him/her in an automated way.

Let’s say you’re a Member and you created a listing almost a year ago. We all know that listings expire one year after the date of creation (or the date of payment). Tomorrow marks the listing’s one year validity and you are unaware of it. What eDirectory will do is that it will send you an e-mail informing you that your listing will expire tomorrow and you as a Member can take advantage of the renewal. How does this happen? The eDirectory application uses cron jobs capable of automating certain commands or scripts on your site.

Below is the complete list of e-mail notifications used by the application. By default, they are all activated but you as a Site Manager can disable them anytime. The default message for every e-mail notifications is also editable.

30 day renewal reminder – Automatic e-mail sent 30 days before account expiration date to remind listing owners to renew their account.
15 day renewal reminder – Automatic e-mail sent 15 days before account expiration date to remind listing owners to renew their account.
7 day renewal reminder – Automatic e-mail sent 7 days before account expiration date to remind listing owners to renew their account.
1 day renewal reminder – Automatic e-mail sent 1 day before account expiration date to remind listing owners to renew their account.
Member Account Create (Site Manager area) – E-mail sent to the listing owner when the Site Manager creates an account for him/her.
Member Account Update (Site Manager area) – E-mail sent to the listing owner when the Site Manager modifies the owner’s account in the system.
Forgotten Password – E-mail sent to the listing owner informing his/her new password when requested.
New Listing – E-mail sent to the listing owner when he/she creates a new listing in the directory.
New Event – E-mail sent to the listing owner when he/she creates a new event in the directory.
New Banner – E-mail sent to the banner owner when he/she creates a new banner in the directory.
New Classified – E-mail sent to the classified owner when he/she creates a new classified in the directory.
New Article – E-mail sent to the banner owner when he/she creates a new banner in the directory.
Custom Invoice – Custom Invoice e-mail.
Active Listing – E-mail sent to the listing owner when the Site Manager activates the listing.
Active Event – E-mail sent to the event owner when the Site Manager activates the event.
Active Banner – E-mail sent to the banner owner when the Site Manager activates the banner.
Active Classified – E-mail sent to the classified owner when the Site Manager activates the classified.
Active Article – E-mail sent to the article owner when the Site Manager activates the article.
E-mail to Friend – E-mail sent from a user to your friend.
Listing Sign-up – E-mail sent to the listing owner when he/she makes the sign-up process.
Event Sign-up – E-mail sent to the event owner when he/she makes the sign-up process.
Banner Sign-up – E-mail sent to the banner owner when he/she makes the sign-up process.
Classified Sign-up – E-mail sent to the classified owner when he/she makes the sign-up process.
Article Sign-up – E-mail sent to the article owner when he/she makes the sign-up process.
Claimer Sign-up – E-mail sent to the claimer when he/she makes the sign-up process.
Claim Automatically Approved – E-mail sent to the claimer when his/her claim is approved automatically.
Claim Approved – E-mail sent to the claimer when his/her claim is approved.
Claim Denied – E-mail sent to the claimer when his/her claim is denied.
Approve Reply – E-mail sent to the item owner when Site Manager approves the reply.
Approve Review – E-mail sent to the item owner when the Site Manager approves the review.
New Review – E-mail sent to the item owner when his/her item receives a new review.

To edit / disable an e-mail notification, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on the E-mail Notifications menu. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
Select the e-mail notification that you want to edit by clicking on the Name or the icon. After doing this, a page will appear like the one shown below:
To disable the selected e-mail: Check the Disable e-mail option.
To send a copy of the e-mail to a specific address when it is sent to users: In the BCC box, type the e-mail address.
To change the e-mail message format: Choose one from HTML and Text options.
To edit the message content: In the Body textarea, do the necessary changes.
Beware of deleting the field names (e.g., EDIRECTORY_TITLE, LISTING_TITLE, DAYS_INTERVAL) because these are used by the application in database queries. These field names in capital letters are not part of the actual message. The information that they represent are the ones that will be sent to the Members.
Click on the Next button, and then Save.

Setting Up The Directory E-mail Address

Changing Your Claim Setting

A claim is an act committed by Members to adopt a listing in the directory with no owner. When you say owner, this is the Member to whom a particular listing belongs. A listing with no owner occurs when the Site Manager uses the Claim feature for the listing that he/she creates, or when he/she imports listings with no owners in his/her account. It appears in the directory front as follows:

CHANGING_THE_CLAIMS_SETTING_img1

Claim feature is not available in other item types like event, classified, promotion, article, and banner.

To change the claim setting, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on Settings > Claims. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
Check the necessary options that you want to apply to the claim feature (e.g., Sitemgr must approve the listing’s claim).
In the Claim Text Link box, type the text that you want to appear in the directory front as link to claim the listing (e.g., Is this your listing?).
Click on the Submit button.

Using The Claimed Listing Feature

Customizing Your Invoice's Standard Appearance

An invoice is a commercial document issued by the Site Manager to a Member, indicating the items, the item type and level they fall under, the extra categories purchased, the promotional code (if there is any) and the agreed prices for the selected items. If a member selects to pay by invoice instead of credit card or PayPal, the application will automatically generate an invoice and sent it instantly to the account of the member involved in the transaction. From this invoice, the Member can see the total amount to be paid, the invoice expiration date, and the address to where he/she should send the payment. Invoice payment should always be in the form of check.

Let’s say you’re a Member and you want to create a new listing. You logged in to your own account and filled out the form to add your new listing. After this, you are asked which payment method you prefer, as shown below:

CHANGING_THE_INVOICE_img1

If you select the option Printing Invoice and Mail a Check and you click on the Next button, an invoice like the one below will be generated.

CHANGING_THE_INVOICE_img2

Invoices are printable. Because of this, the application allows the Site Manager to customize its standard appearance. The Site Manager can set the headers and labels that are displayed in invoices.

To set the invoice headers and labels, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on Settings > Invoice. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
To set the company header: In the Company Name, Address, City, Select a State, Country, Zipcode, Phone, Fax, E-mail boxes, type the company information being asked.
To put some notes on your invoice: In the Notes box, type the text (e.g., Please do not forget to write the invoice number on the memo section of your check). Notes appear on the footer area of the invoice.
To put a company logo: In the Invoice Logo, click on the Browse button and select the image file on your local PC.
Click on the Submit button.

Using A Custom Invoice

Choosing Your Payment Gateways

A payment gateway is an e-commerce application service provider that authorizes payments for e-businesses. It is used in eDirectory to send the Members’ credit card and PayPal transaction information to the acquiring bank and PayPal. A member undergoes the payment procedure after he/she adds a new listing, event, banner, classified, or article that is not in Free level.

When a transaction happens, the application generates a Payment Gateway Transaction ID. This ID is unique for every transaction and is recorded in the Member and Site Manager accounts. The application does not hold credit card data by default. If the Site Manager wants to have it stored in his/her account, he/she should purchase and install an SSL Certificate that will encrypt and protect sensitive information such as credit card numbers.

Every time a transaction happens, credit card or payment gateway account information goes immediately to the payment processor.

The eDirectory application supports ten payment gateways, namely:

PayPal
PayPal API
Payflow
TwoCheckout
PsiGate
WorldPay
iTransact
LinkPoint
Authorize

In eDirectory version 7.0.15, the application has included a new option for Members to pay for the eDirectory services they avail – the Amazon Simple Payment Gateway which can have a recurring option of per month or per year (image shown here). With this feature, Members can utilize their existing Amazon accounts.

By default, PayPal and Authorize are the enabled gateways. There is no way to enable or disable gateway/s directly in the Site Manager account. You need to edit the software code and turn on or off the specific gateway there. You can only have an access to the code if you purchased eDirectory Owned License software. If you purchased a different software package and you want to change your payment gateways, please contact us.

To turn on/off a payment gateway, do the following:

Access your server either by using FTP or SSH.
Once you already have the access, go to www (the doc root) > conf > payment.inc.php.
Download the file to your local PC.
Open the file in any editor and look for this block of codes:
___________________________________________________

define (PAYPALPAYMENT_FEATURE, “on”);
define (PAYPALAPIPAYMENT_FEATURE, “off”);
define (PAYFLOWPAYMENT_FEATURE, “off”);
define (TWOCHECKOUTPAYMENT_FEATURE, “off”);
define (PSIGATEPAYMENT_FEATURE, “off”);
define (WORLDPAYPAYMENT_FEATURE, “off”);
define (ITRANSACTPAYMENT_FEATURE, “off”);
define (LINKPOINTPAYMENT_FEATURE, “off”);
define (AUTHORIZEPAYMENT_FEATURE, “on”);
_________________________________________________
Go to the line containing the gateway name and change the text “off” to “on” if you want to turn it on. Do the opposite if you want that gateway to be turned off.
Save the file and upload it to the server.

For the application to use the payment gateway/s that you enabled, you must also provide the payment gateway account information. You can acquire this information when you register on a payment gateway website (e.g., https://www.paypal.com).

To set the account information for the enabled payment gateway, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on Settings > Payment Gateway. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
Provide the account information for every gateway that you see in this page (e.g., Account for PayPal, Login and Transaction Key for Authorize), and click on the Submit button. Do this one at a time.

Monitoring Your Transactions

Managing Your Item Levels

The Site Manager is the one who decides on what item levels to offer to the Members. These levels are the options from which a Member chooses when he/she is adding a new directory item.

You are a Member and you are currently in the process of adding a new listing. Before you provide information about your listing, you are asked to select the level that you want. For this listing, you chose Showcase from the other available options like Free, Basic, and Premium.

The different item levels do not only vary in price and features. The order that items appear in a search result has a lot to do with levels.

When a site visitor searches for a specific listing, the related listings in Showcase level always appear at the top of the search results, followed by those in Premium and then those in Basic, and last are those in Free level.

To manage the levels for different item levels, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on Settings > Manage Levels. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
Go to the area of the item level that you want to manage (e.g., Listing-Level Names).
To make the level/s available: In the Active column, check those levels that you want.
For the application to work properly, at least one level must remain active. We do not recommend turning off the Showcase listing because by default, promotions can only work with Showcase listings. Showcase listings are the most important listing level to sell and promotions are a great feature that Members can offer to their customers.
To change the default level names: In the New name column, place the new names.
Click on the Submit button.

In eDirectory version 7.0.15, the Site Manager can choose the listing levels that will have promotions (image shown here). This way, you can manipulate which listing level would you want a promotion to appear, and not only on the Showcase (default) level. To do this, check those levels that can have promotions in the Promotion column.

Customizing The Designations

A designation is a tag (an icon/image to be precise) that you attach to a listing. Every time this listing is viewed in the directory front, the visitor would also see the designation. Putting a designation to a listing is a marketing strategy. Site Managers and Members use this feature when they want a listing to be regarded as a good product/service.

You are a site visitor and you’re looking for a good dental product in the directory. While you are browsing the site, you come across this brand that has an “Editor’s Choice” tag on it. What would you think? For sure, you would think that this brand is the one to buy. Right?

A designation appears in the directory front as follows:

CHANGING_THE_DESIGNATIONS_SETTING_img1

The Site Manager and Members can only attach a designation to Premium or Showcase listings. They can select from the three designations available:

Best Service
Editor’s Choice
Best Value

Also, the Site Manager can customize the image/icon and name of a designation. Follow the procedure below to do this.

To customize the designation title and/or image, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on Settings > Designations. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
Go to the area of the designation that you want to customize.
To set a new designation title: In the Name box, overwrite what is written there by default with the new title you want.
To set a new designation image: Click on the Browse button to select the image file on your local PC.
To enable Members to use the designation feature for their listings: Check the “Listing accounts can select this designation” option. Uncheck this option if you want to have a full control on the designation assignment. Be careful not to click the delete link for this will remove the designation from your directory.
Click on the Submit button.

Enabling / Disabling The Review Feature

The Site Manager can enable or disable the Review feature for listings and articles. If this feature is enabled, customers or site visitors can add reviews to any article or listing in the directory.

To enable / disable the review feature, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on Settings > Reviews.
In the Reviews area (image shown below), do the following:
1. If you want to enable reviews for listings, check the first option.
2. If you want o enable reviews for articles, check the second option.
In the Options area (image shown below), do the following:
1. If you want the reviews to obtain your approval first before they appear in the directory front, check the first option.
2. If you want to require the review authors to supply their name and e-mail address, check the second option.
Click on the Submit button.

Using The Review Feature

Setting Up The Directory E-mail Address

The Site Manager can set the different E-mail addresses that are required for the system to work properly. There are two types of e-mail for eDirectory, namely:

General E-mail – The address that will be used by the application in sending e-mail notifications to Members. This will also be the receiving address for the inquiries sent by site visitors.
Specific E-mail – A notification will be sent to this address every time a specific action is made by a Member. For example, when a Member adds a new listing, the address you set for Listing add/update function will receive an e-mail notification informing you of the event that has taken place .

To change the General and/or Specific E-mail, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on Settings > E-mail.
If you want to set only one e-mail address for all important actions, go to General E-mail area (image shown below) and type the address that you want to use.

Uncheck the Send E-mail notification on this E-mail account option if you will also set the Specific E-mail Addresses. If you keep this checked and at the same time you set the Specific E-mails, it will result to multiple emails being sent to the provided email addresses.
If you want to set different e-mail addresses for different actions triggered by the Members, go to Specific E-mail area (image shown below) and type the addresses that you want to use.
Click on the Submit button.

Modifying Your E-mail Notifications

Setting Up Your Promotional Condition Text

The Site Manager can set the Promotion Condition Text that appears on the bottom area of the promotions displayed in the directory front. Usually, this text contains the parameters that the customers should observe for a promotion to take effect. It appears as follows:

SETTING_UP_YOUR_PROMOTIONAL_CONDITION_TEXT_img1

To change the condition text for promotion, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on Settings > Promotion. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the Conditions box, overwrite what is written there by default with the new text you want.
Click on the Submit button.

Using The Promotion Feature

Changing Your Sign In Access

Sign-in access, composed of a username and a password serves as the Site Manager’s identification to get inside his/her account. The application makes it possible for the Site Manager to set his/her new username or password.

To change your current sign-in access, do the following:

After you have signed in, click on the My Account menu in the top navigation panel. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
In the Username box, overwrite your old Login ID with a new one. (Skip this step if you want to change your password only)
In the Current Password box, type your old password.
In the New Password box, type the new password you want. Password strength tells you if the new password you input is weak or strong.
Retype your new password.
Click on the Submit button.

Changing Your Directory Site Template

The overall look and feel of a website depends hugely on its content and template. On eDirectory, a site template is a visual design or style for the directory front. It is very important that the Site Manager selects the one which will suit best to the site’s main function because this will help him/her communicate to the Members and site visitors more effectively.

Arca Solutions, the maker of eDirectory is continuously developing a variety of templates which the site owners can select from. It also offers template customization service to help the site owners achieve their desired website look. (If you want to avail the service, contact us here)

eDirectory application is supporting six templates, namely:

In eDirectory version 7.3.00, a new site template (or theme) named “Financial” is added to the list of site templates which the Site Manager can select from. This template is particularly designed to Clients whose business revolves around investments, banking, credit, and money management (image shown here).

In eDirectory version 7.4.00, eight more site templates (or theme) are added to the list. These are Magazine, Beauty, Hotel, City Guide, Buyer’s Guide, Dentist, Environment, and Lawyer templates.

The templates vary mainly in the positioning of blocks on the body area.

The block containing the login panel on the eDirectory Default template appears on the right corner of the site, while in the Real Estate template, it appears on the left.

To change the current template of your directory site, do the following:

In the top navigation panel, click on Settings > Themes. After doing this, a form will appear like the one shown below:
Select a template from the choices available in the dropdown list.
Click on the Submit button.

Navigating Your Site Manager Account

The administrative control panel in your Site Manager account uses a different interface. This interface as shown below is divided mainly into three parts – the top navigation panel, the left navigation panel, and the body. Menus can be found on either top or left navigation. Clicking on any of these menus will cause the body area to change.

NAVIGATING_YOUR_SITE_MANAGER_ACCOUNT_img1

TOP NAVIGATION PANEL

This contains the links that enable the Site Managers to set the options for the entire application. It includes:

Home – Select this menu if you want the To Do Items list to be displayed again.
My Account – Clicking on this menu will enable you to change your sign-in access.
Settings – This is where you can control the behavior of the directory site. Changing the site theme, setting the prices, and disabling the claim feature are the most popular settings you can find here.
Email Notifications – This is where you can see the list of e-mails (e.g., 30 day renewal reminder, forgotten password) that are sent automatically to users every time they perform an important action.
Site Content – Make some text appear on the directory front by going to this section.
About eDirectory – When you click on this menu, a pop-up window will appear containing some links and information about your eDirectory application such as your License Number, your Activation Code, and the complete list of features included in your authorized purchase.
FAQ – This contains the answers to the Frequently Asked Questions (e.g., Who can “Claim this ad”?).
Logout – The menu to select if you want to go exit your account in a safe manner.

LEFT NAVIGATION PANEL

The left panel provides a link to different options that Site Managers can use to manage all data entries and data flows in the application. This includes:

Modules – Select this menu if you want to manage all items such as listings, events, classifieds, articles, and banners; and features such as galleries, and promotions.
SEO Center – This helps your directory build traffic by optimizing the site for search engines such as Google.
Accounts – Clicking on this menu will enable you to manage all Members and Site Manager accounts.
Payment – Transaction and invoice history can be viewed in this section. This is also where you can create a custom invoice and a promotional code.
Import/Export Data – Go to this section if you want to upload a file from your local PC, or download records from your account for backup purposes.
Categories – This section enables you to divide and classify all items in your directory.
Locations – Adding, editing or deleting countries, states or cities information can be performed in this section.
Google Settings – This section allows you to enable or disable the use of Google Programs such as Ads, Maps, and Analytics in your directory site.
Search Reports – This is where you can see the statistics of the keywords that have been searched by your site visitors.
Language Center – Under this section, you can select the languages that will be used in your entire directory site.

BODY

The content of this area is dependent on the current menu selected by the Site Manager on the top or left navigation panel. By default, this area shows the To Do Items and the Central Data List.

To Do Items

The information within the To Do Items allows the Site Manager to easily manage the administrative functions. All the pending tasks of the Site Manager are explicitly defined in this page. It shows the number of listings, events, classifieds, articles, banners, reviews, claimed listings and custom invoices that are waiting for the Site Manager’s approval. Clicking on any of the links takes the Site Manager to the corresponding section from where he/she can perform the necessary action or see the latest transactions.

Central Data List

Through the central data list, the Site Manager can access and manage the most essential data in the directory site. The data includes the payments received, pending payments, total invoices, outstanding invoices, expired listings, activated accounts, expired accounts, etc.

Signing In

The sign-in or login procedure allows the Site Manager to access the administrative area of the eDirectory application. The login areas for Members and Site Manager are different. There is no way to see the login panel for the Site Manager Account in the directory front. You need to add “/sitemgr” after the domain name (e.g., edirectory.com) of the URL found in the address box to do so.

You are currently browsing the directory front at http://www.demodirectory.com/index.php. You are the Site Manager and you want to access your account from this page. What you need to do is to remove the text “index.php” in the URL box of the browser you’re using and replace it with “sitemgr”. For this example, the login panel is at http://www.demodirectory.com/sitemgr.

The login panel for the Site Manager appears as follows:

SIGNING_IN_img1

To sign-in to your account, do the following:

In the Username box, type your Login ID.
In the Password box, type your password. Passwords are case sensitive
If you want the application to remember your username and password, check the Log Me in Automatically option.
Click on the Login button.

In case that you forgot your password, do the following:

Click on the Forgot your password link found on the bottom of the login panel.
In the Username box, type your Login ID.
Click on the Continue button. After doing this, an e-mail will be sent to you with instructions on how to obtain a new password.

eDirectory

eDirectory Manual

Selecting The Site Language

Viewing The Search Statistic Reports

Using Google Analytics

Using Google Maps API

Deleting A Location

Adding A Popular State

Adding / Editing A City

Adding / Editing A State

Adding / Editing A Country

Using A Promotional Code

Using Sub-categories

Deleting A Category

Adding / Editing A Category

Exporting Data

Importing Data

Note: The video is best viewed in fullscreen mode

Using A Custom Invoice

Monitoring Your Transactions

Logging In To An Account

Finding A Specific Account

Deleting An Account

Adding / Editing An Additional Site Manager Account

Adding / Editing A Member Account

Optimizing Your Site Using Meta Tags

Submitting Your Site To Search Engines

Why You Need To Optimize Your Site

Changing The Level Of An Item

Activating An Item

Adjusting An Item’s Map Location

Viewing The Traffic Reports

Previewing An Item

Finding A Specific Item

Deleting An Item

Using The Listing Template Feature

Using The Claimed Listing Feature

Using The Review Feature

Using The Promotion Feature

Using The Photo Gallery Feature

Adding / Editing An Article

Adding / Editing A Classified

Adding / Editing A Banner

Adding / Editing An Event

Adding / Editing A Listing

Adding Custom Web Pages To Your Directory

Changing The Level Advertisement Text

Changing The "No Image"

Changing The Footer

Changing The Logo

Modifying Your E-mail Notifications

Changing Your Claim Setting

Customizing Your Invoice's Standard Appearance

Choosing Your Payment Gateways

Managing Your Item Levels

Customizing The Designations

Enabling / Disabling The Review Feature

Setting Up The Directory E-mail Address

Setting Up Your Promotional Condition Text

Changing Your Sign In Access

Changing Your Directory Site Template

Navigating Your Site Manager Account

Signing In

Introduction

Knowing Your eDirectory