Quadsville Online Help Section

What is Marketplace?
Quadsville Marketplace connects your business with local consumers where you can control your business information, post store news and events as well as upload photos and videos. Your business profile will help drive users to your existing website or can serve as your primary web presence, providing you with a lower cost alternative that is fast and easy to update.

Is Marketplace free?
Marketplace is free for registered members of the Quadsville community. For businesses, basic listings are complimentary. If you are a business and would like more information on the expanded business profiles please see the Marketplace for Businesses section or email quadsville@qctimes.com.

Why use Marketplace?
Marketplace provides a hub for local people like yourself, to share real-life experiences and opinions with friends and other community members on the places you know and visit. It also acts as THE LOCAL source for finding current and reliable reviews and information about a business or service in your area..

For Brides: Marketplace is a virtual bridal fair. It gives you the opportunity to research businesses and their products and services as well as share the information about your wedding with other members of the community and wedding guests. It'll save you time and money planning your wedding and related events.

For Businesses: Marketplace is an all-in-one marketing platform you can use to reach out and engage with your customer base. Your business profile will help drive users to your existing website or can serve as your primary web presence, providing you with a lower cost alternative that is fast and easy to update. Please contact quadsville@qctimes.com for more information on getting started today.

Who uses Marketplace?

Locals who are in the know about what's happening in their city and want to share this knowledge..
Anyone who has visited a business or used a service and want to share their experience with fellow community members.
Visitors from other places or who have just moved to a particular city who want to quickly get an insider's local perspective
Anyone who wants to find current and reliable reviews about something in a given neighborhood, city or area.
Business owners who want to promote their products and services also use Marketplace.

Who should I recommend or give a Thumbs Up to on Marketplace?
You should leave feedback on any business that you have worked with or purchased a product or service from.

Who can see my profile?
In your Account Settings, you can set your preferences to show your profile to everyone in the community, just your friends or no one.

Can business owners message me after I friend their business?
Yes, you can receive news and offers from any business that you are friends with. You will see a Bulletin on your main profile page when you log in.

Account Settings

How do I change my basic account information?
You can change this by clicking on My Stuff > Edit Profile. From here you can add or change any information on your profile page.

How do I change my email address?
You can change your email address by going to My Profile > Edit Profile. From the box on the left click on Login/Password. Update field titled 'User Name'.

How can I add photos or videos?
You can upload either by clicking My Photos or My Videos on your main profile page under My Stuff and following the directions on each page.

What are acceptable video formats?
Maximum file size supported is 100MB
Acceptable file formats: MPEG,1,2,4, AVI, .mov, .wmv and .flv

How can I add photos or videos?

What is a friend?
A friend is either a member of the community or business who you can attach yourself to. Your friends can send you messages, bulletins and give you a shout out on your profile page.

What is a profile comment?
A profile comment is a message from one of your friends that will be displayed on your profile page.

What is a Bulletin?
A bulletin is a group message from either a business or member of the community. You can disable bulletins from certain friends by going to the My Friends section and clicking 'Disable Bulletins' by their name.

Invite

How do I invite friends to join the community?
Once you have logged in, you will see Invite Others in the gray bar at the top. Click Invite Others to invite friends and family to join the community.

How do I invite a business or other community member to be my friend?
Once you are on a business or user profile page, you may click Be My Friend. Once they accept, you will show up on their list of friends.

Privacy

What does Marketplace do with my personal information?
Our No Spam Pledge: We won't share any information you provide with a third party without your permission. This means you won't receive emails from anyone other than the The Quad-City Times as a result of registering. You may receive messages and bulletins from members and businesses you are friends with in the Marketplace community -- but can control these settings in your Account Settings and in your Friends section.

Who can see my profile?
You have several display options when it comes to your personal information. You may choose to share your profile with all registered users, only your friends or no one. You can change this at anytime by going to the Account Setting section.

Can I make my profile private?
Absolutely. Simply go to your Account Setting and check the box underneath Private Profile that says Yes (This setting hides your public profile).

How can I block a user or business from seeing my information?
You must set your profile preferences under Account Settings one of two ways: make your profile private to the entire community by selecting Yes or Only to be viewed by friends, making sure that business or user has been deleted from your friend list. The business will be able to see that you are a member of your community, but not access your profile, send messages or bulletins

How can I report abuse or fraudulent activity?
We take abuse or fraudulent activity on the site seriously. Please email or click "Report abuse" next to any post, photo, video that violates our Terms of Use.

I forgot my password.
Please go here: http://.quadsville.com/, fill in your email address and then and click on "Email my Password". You will receive an authorization email at the email address you entered to accept the changed password.

I want to change my password, email address, or member name.
Please go to My Profile > Edit Profile. From the box on the left click on Login/Password where you can change your member name, password, email address and other information.

How do I cancel my account?
You may cancel your account by emailing Quadsville with Cancel Account and your username in the subject. We will have your account deleted within 2 business days.

Writing Recommendations

What makes a great recommendation?
A great recommendation is useful, detailed and honest. We want to hear about your experience and what made it so great. Was it a great atmosphere or place? Did you have excellent customer service or find an exceptional deal? Let us know why you liked the products and services that you used.

Why should I make a recommendation?
Pay it forward! Your recommendations and the recommendations of others in the community make Quadsville Marketplace a great and useful place because people like you take the time to share thoughtful insights on local businesses and services.

Who should I recommend?
You should leave feedback on any business that you have purchased products or services from.

Can I recommend a business I'm associated with?
If you are connected to a business either personally or professionally, you may recommend that business -- as long as you are clear in the recommendation about the details of your affiliation.

What if the business I'm recommending gave me something for free or at a discount?
It is important to disclose any "extras" you received for writing the recommendation for the business.

What if I had a bad experience? Can I say something negative?
Marketplace's mission is to accurately portray both positive and negative aspects of all of our members' experiences. We are an open forum; however, we strongly recommend you try and work out any problems with the business directly before writing a negative review.

Can a business remove my recommendation?
Yes, a business may remove your recommendation if they feel it is unfounded or untrue. They may remove your review if it is hearsay, a personal attack or outright slander. We encourage our business members to let the free flow of information occur knowing that not all reviews will be the most positive. We also encourage them to contact the negative reviewer directly to work out any problems or issues that might have caused this bad experience.

Does Marketplace ever remove recommendations?
No, Marketplace will never remove a recommendation from a business profile page, unless it violates our Privacy Policy or Terms of Use

On Weddings

How can I add or change my wedding information?
Once you are on your main profile page, you can click "Create a New Wedding" and fill out the appropriate information. To update your wedding info, click Edit next to your wedding on the main profile page.

What happens to my account after my wedding?
Your account will stay up until for some reason to decide to cancel your account. You can do this by emailing Quadsville. After your wedding your account will stay active so you can also participate in other fun communities and marketplaces.

Marketplace for Businesses

How can I take control of my own listing?
Search for your business listing in the directory and click Sign Me Up! Fill out the form and you will be contacted in less than 2 business days with more information. You may also email or phone 563.383.2227 to get started right away. If you want to read more about this, please click here to be directed to our Business Owners Guide.

How can I make an employee an Admin of my listing?
You an assign an administrator to help you manage and update your business profile listing. Go to My Stuff > Administration, locate your business and click on (Manage). Click on Manage Customers in the gray box on left (employee needs to be a registered user of Quadsville.com and have clicked on "be our fan" from your business profile page. Within this section you can click to add them as an Administrator.

How is this different than my ad in the yellow pages?
Marketplace is an interactive, two-way conversation between you and your customers. Although the yellow pages are important, the habits of how people find and consume information are changing rapidly. In most cases, the data that's available consists of your business name, address and phone, mined from another database that you have no control over or may not even know exists. Marketplace has no deadlines and never closes - you can change or add to your listing whenever you need to get information to your customers.

How will Marketplace help my business show up in search results such as Yahoo! or Google?
Marketplace's pages, including your business profile page, are "optimized" to direct users to your profile when a search is performed about you in major search engines. What does that mean exactly? Our directory was built to make your listing display in search results. Your Marketplace listing gives your potential and existing customers an even easier way to find your information online.

How can I post special offers or coupons?
You can post store news and events by clicking on My Blogs under My Stuff and locate your business blog. Click on Add New Entry next to your Business Blog. Fill out with Title and Description, or upload a graphical coupon by using the tools available to you in the editor. To edit, click on 'Past Entries' and select the offer or event you want to edit from the list provided..

How can I upload photos and videos?
You can upload either by clicking My Photos or My Videos on your main profile page and following the directions on each page.

What are acceptable video formats?
Maximum file size supported is 100MB
Acceptable file formats: MPEG,1,2,4, AVI, .mov, .wmv and .flv

How can I message all of my customers?
You now have the tools to reach all your customers in one message. Simply go to My Stuff > Administration, locate your business and click on (Manage). Click on 'Post a Bulletin' in the gray box on the left. This will send an email message to ALL users who have friended (become a fan) of your business. You can reward your loyal customers by sending them previews to events or special offers and coupons.

How can I view recommendations?
From My Stuff > Administration locate your business. If a new recommendation has been written, you will be notified here with the number of pending recommendations.

How can I recommend other businesses?
You are able to recommend your other favorite businesses. Locate this businesses by searching for them by category or name here: http://my.quadsville.com/community/bridal.htm. Click on the business to pull up their business profile page and click on "Be our Fan" button on the right side of the page. You will be prompted to "friend" them as your personal account (your personal avator) or as the business owner (your logo). Choose one or both. If you chose to friend them as the owner of your business, your logo will be displayed on their page under "Businesses Recommending Us".

How can I find out more information about Quadsville Marketplace Bridal program?
With Quadsville Marketplace, you now have the tools to reach your existing customers and the ability to engage with new ones. The future of person-to-person marketing is here! To find out more about this program please call us at 563.383.2227 or email us at quadsville@qctimes.com.

SUPPORT/HELP

Are you looking for more information on advanced settings?
Want to become an expert user? Please check out our extensive HOW TO Tutorial.

Who can I contact about feedback or suggestions?
We value your feedback and suggestions. Please email us with your feedback, comments or suggestions.

Got Questions? We're here to help!

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:12:06 GMT

Comment on this post if you have any questions that need answering. Here are a few things to get you started if you're new here (and almost everybody is):

How to post a YouTube (or other video site) clip into your blog posts

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:16:14 GMT

If you find a clip out there to share with the Quadsville community, you'll need to do a little HTML work to be able to embed the player in a blog post. Fortunately, that's just copying and pasting, and it's pretty straightforward. Here's how:

Go to the page that contains the video you want to grab - usually a video profile page on YouTube or other services.
Look for something that says "embed" or "embed this". There should be a text field neat it with a bunch of code starting with "<embed". Highlight all the text in that field and copy it to your clipboard (CTRL-C on PC, CMD-C on Mac).
Go to your Quadsville blog and create a new entry.
Click on the "Advanced" Tab beneath the blog name, and above the posting form. You will see the blog editor options change a bit.
Type in your post title and any text you want to appear above the video.
Click the 'Edit HTML' button at the bottom of the form and paste the embed code below the text you see in the editing box. Paste is CTRL-V on a PC and CMD-V on a Mac.
That's it! Just click 'Publish Now' and you're done.

HOW TO Tutorial

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:05:58 GMT

Quadsville Support Center

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:46:04 GMT

Quadsville Support Center

Support Center Home
Quadsville Support Center - Get Answers Fast
At a Glance What is Quadsville? Quick Start-Community Member Business Owner's Center Quick Start-Set up Your Wedding FAQ Extensive How to Tutorial	What is Quadsville? Quadsville is a civic social network for people, groups and businesses located in the Quad-Cities area of Iowa and Illinois. OK, but what does that mean? We’re aiming to foster a local community dedicated to discussion and expression. At our sister site, qctimes.com, we cover events that our reporters and editors dig up. This site is dedicated to the stories and thoughts that happen around or adjacent to those events. At Quadsville, every person has a personal blog, photo gallery, video gallery, and a profile. You can be as public or private as you want to in what you share. You can add other people to your friends list, as you would on sites like myspace or facebook. Click here for the full FAQ on how to manage your profile and online posts. In addition to your individual space on Quadsville, you also have the option to join different groups within the community. Groups can be anything from a parenting discussion to a forum for disc golf players, a neighborhood watch association, or a way for local musicians to keep in touch with each other. If you’re interested in hosting an existing group with us, just let us know – it’s free and we’re happy to help. Just drop us a line or get started by clicking here. Can I promote my Business on Quadsville? Yes! Businesses can participate in this local community with a profile of their own. All basic business listings are free, and they’re managed by the Quadsville staff. To really take advantage of the Quadsville network, businesses can purchase an enhanced profile for a small monthly fee. This allows businesses to stay in touch with their most loyal customers, offer coupons, showcase products and announce special events. And since we’re connected to the well-established QCT network, these profiles just might help in your search engine optimization efforts as well. Contact our sales staff if you’re interested by email at quadsville@qctimes.com or (563)555-5555. We’re currently live with businesses connected to the wedding industry, with more to follow shortly. Is there anything I can’t do? You can post anything you’d like here, within reason. Check out terms of service for the full rundown of do’s and don’ts , but it basically boils down to common sense and common courtesy. If you wouldn’t say it in public, don’t post it in public.
	"Quick Start - Quadsville Community Member Click here for your quick start guide on how to register, set up your profile and start connecting with other Quadsville members. back to top
	Business Owners Center Click here for a tutorial on how to set up your enhanced business profile page including best practices and insight into how Quadsville Marketplace can help you grow you business. back to top
	Quick Start - Create your Wedding Click here for a quick start guide on how to set up your online wedding for free. You can post information such as: your wedding & reception location, who is in your bridal party, where you are registered and how you met each other. You can also have your wedding announcement placed in the QCTimes under Celebrate. back to top
	FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions Click here if you have a question. We have compiled an extensive list of most commonly asked questions. Read through this section and find the answers you are looking for! back to top
	Extensive HOW TO Tutorial For a more in-depth tutorial on such topics as: video, photo & blog management, what is a bulletin vs a message, and how to manage friends. Click here and find all the answers you are looking for. back to top

Quick Start - Quadsville Community Member

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:03:15 GMT

Getting Started

Support Center Home > Quick Start -Set up your Profile

Quick Start - Quadsville Community Member

At a Glance

Create your profile

Connect with Quadsville Members

Support/Help

STEP 1: REGISTER – it's Quick, Easy and Free

Go to http://www.quadsville.com
Create your Username and Password
Check your email to activate account

STEP 2: CREATE YOUR PROFILE

Set up/Edit your Profile - Your profile is what your friends and family will see about you.

Click on Edit Profile. This area is where you can describe yourself, hobbies and interest

You can upload pictures, videos or write blogs. Simply click My Photos, My Videos or My Blogs and step through the easy to use wizards.

STEP 3: CONNECT WITH OTHER QUADSVILLE MEMBERS, FIND NEW FRIENDS

Click on People from the main Community Page

Use the various search features to get connected to other members of the community. Invite them as your friends by clicking Request as a Friend on their profile page.

Can't find your friend? Click on Invite a Friend to invite everyone in your circle to Quadsville.

STEP 4: SHOP, RESEARCH & SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE

Click on Marketplace - Search for your favorite business by category or name.

Now you can find a local business and …

Shop
Research local businesses’ products and services
Get advice from the local experts
Write a review and friend your favorite Business to gain exclusive member benefits.

back to top

SUPPORT/HELP

Do you have a question? Read through our Frequently Asked Questions and click on them to find the answers you are looking for!

Are you looking for more information on advanced settings? Want to become an expert user? Please check out our extensive HOW TO Tutorial.

Still have questions or need support? Please email us at quadsville@qctimes.com

Quick Start - Create Your Wedding

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:02:44 GMT

Set up Your Wedding

Support Center Home > Set up your Wedding

Getting Started - Set up Your Wedding

At a Glance

Create your profile

Add your wedding

Connect with other brides

Share your experience

Support/Help

STEP 1: REGISTER - it's Quick, Easy and Free

Go to http://www.quadsville.com
Create your Username and Password
Check your email to activate account

STEP 2: CREATE YOUR PROFILE

Set up/Edit your Profile - Your profile is what your friends and family will see about you.

Click on Edit Profile. This area is where you can describe yourself, hobbies and interest

You can upload pictures, videos or write blogs. Simply click My Photos, My Videos or My Blogs and step through the easy to use wizards.

STEP 3: ADD YOUR WEDDING
Share your wedding with other area brides and your guests.

Click on Control Panel, scroll down until you see Create a new wedding
Fill out all the questions regarding your upcoming wedding. This will create your very own wedding site.
You can upload pictures, videos or write blogs. Simply click My Photos, My Videos or My Blogs and step through the easy to use wizards.

STEP 4: CONNECT WITH OTHER BRIDES, FIND NEW FRIENDS

Click on Find Others in the top navigation

Use the various search features to get connected to other members of the community. Invite them as your friends by clicking Invite Others

STEP 5: SHOP, RESEARCH & SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE

Click on Marketplace - Search for your favorite business by category or name.

Now you can find a local business and …

Shop

Research local businesses’ products and services

Get advice from the local experts

Write a review and friend your favorite Business to gain exclusive member benefits.

back to top

SUPPORT/HELP

Do you have a question? Read through our Frequently Asked Questions and click on them to find the answers you are looking for!

Are you looking for more information on advanced settings? Want to become an expert user? Please check out our extensive HOW TO Tutorial.

Still have questions or need support? Please email us at quadsville@qctimes.com.

Business Owner's Center

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:57:20 GMT

Quadsville Marketplace - Business Owner's Center

Support Center Home > Business Owner's Center
Quadsville Marketplace - Business Owner's Center
At a Glance What is Quadsville? How will Quadsville Marketplace help grow my business? How can I claim my business listing? How do I get started updating my business profile page? Marketplace Best Practices including: Marketing Tools at your Fingertips Link Building Tool Attract and Retain Site Visitors Use your Blog Simple HTML Tips Support/Help	What is Quadsville Marketplace? Quadsville Marketplace connects your business with local consumers where you can control your business information, post store news and events as well as upload photos and videos. Your business profile will help drive users to your existing website or can serve as your primary web presence, providing you with a lower cost alternative that is fast and easy to update How will Quadsville Marketplace help grow my business? Quadsville Marketplace is a marketing tool that will enable you to easily reach out and engage with your customer base. It allows you to add value to your business by igniting word-of-mouth buzz, reinforcing your brand, building loyalty and ultimately generating leads and sales.
	CLAIM YOUR BUSINESS LISTING Receive access to an all-in-one marketing platform in 3 easy steps STEP 1: REGISTER – it’s Quick, Easy and Free Go to http:/quadsville.com Create your Username and Password Check your email to activate account STEP 2: Search for your Business then click on Sign up Now! Unable to find your business? Fill out this form to have your business added. STEP 3 . Start your FREE 60 day trial . You will recieve an enhanced business listing for 60 days to try for free. You can now update your business profile and start engaging with local consumers. An enhanced listing will give your business: Higher visibility • You’ll be listed in the top of search results and in your business category. Engage with your customers • Post store news, events, photos and videos to attract new and existing customers to your website and store. Build Loyalty • Add products, coupons and specials with targeted promotions to attract users to your store back to top
	SET UP YOUR BUSINESS PROFILE Tell users about your business, upload photos or videos and add special offers to attract and reward loyal customers To start editing your Business profile 1. First Click on My Stuff > Administration 2. Locate your Business listing located under your personal listing - Click on the (Manage) button next to your Business name 3. Now you can… Add or Update your Logo 1. Click on Update group photo located under image logo 2. Choose upload option and step through wizard Edit your Business Profile 1. Click on Edit Businesses Profile 2. Update Description, Hours of Operation, Address, contact Information, and payments accepted 3. Click on SAVE when completed Add a Special Offer or Event 1. Click on My Blogs under My Stuff 2. Click on Add New Entry under your Business Blog 3. Fill out with Title and Description, or upload a graphical coupon by using the tools available to you in the editor. 4. Coupons & Special Events tab will now be displayed on your Business profile page Add Photos or Videos 1. Click on My Photos or My Videos under My Stuff 2. Browse to your desktop and upload photo or videos – upload as many as you want To view the changes you have made at any time to your Business profile, click on View Businesses link next to your logo or click directly to your URL which can be located under the edit view of your business profile page: My Stuff > Administration > Manage Your URL will appear like this: http://my.quadsville.com/Bridal_Businesses/Your_Business_Here back to top
	Marketplace Best Practices: Using Quadsville Marketplace to Help Drive Traffic and Increase Sales Quadsville Marketplace empowers your business by using what is called Social Media Optimization. SMO helps build website traffic by utilizing the power of Social Media – Quadsville.com. Please read below for best practices on how to help increase traffic into your business. Also find how to use the tools Quadsville Marketplace offers to help you reach out and engage with your customer base, ultimately allowing you to generate leads and convert them into sales. Quadsville Marketplace – Marketing Tools at your Fingertips You now have the tools to invest a little of your time and gain rich rewards. By enhancing your business profile page and updating with relevant offers, news and events you are able reach out and engage with the consumers in your community. The more work you put in the more reward you will reap. Quadsville Marketplace - A Link Building Tool Social optimization also has a happy side effect - it helps to build your link profile so you will usually gain search engine traffic in the long term. Becoming a part of an online community is essential to your social optimization and this, in turn, will naturally provide links to your website. Example: When a user recommends your business, your logo is displayed within their profile page. Other community members visiting that users page will see your business logo as a recommended business and can click directly into your business profile page. Quadsville Marketplace – Attract and Retain Site Visitors Update your business profile with photos of your products, storefront and friendly employees . Upload videos that highlight your expertise and show the visitors more about what you offer. Use special offers or coupons to attract and reward loyal customers. Change these on a timely basis to keep them fresh. Put a face to your business by adding a business description to tell your visitors what you offer and who you are. Use this area as you would a TV Spot. Remember, this is digital word-of-mouth, so keep the experience appealing to your visitors, to attract the positive word-of-mouth that you want back to top Quadsville Marketplace – Use your Blog One of the purposes of blogging is to exhibit your expertise on a subject related to your business. If you spend 8 hours a day working on your passion or skill set you have knowledge and perspective that the average person doesn’t have - and doesn’t have the time to develop. They want someone - you! - to give them the benefit of the time and energy you’ve put into gaining that knowledge. The key to establishing your expertise and using it to develop loyalty with your customers is: Tell them what you know Admit what you don’t know Your customers don’t expect you to know everything. And they would be skeptical if you claimed that you did. If you’re honest, you will build trust. When people trust you, they will do business with you. Blog posts tend to attract links from other blog posts and those in turn will spread the word of your business page. The more popular your blog becomes, the more value it is perceived to offer and the more visitors you will continue to get. back to top
	Simple HTML Tips Here are some simple HTML examples that you can use. These can be placed in your business description area as well as within your Special Offers and Events page. Use these to create a more stylized look to your text or to embed links to other web pages. Simple HTML Tags: <b>To make copy Bold</b> <i>To make copy Italic</i> <br> Used at end of a paragraph to insert a line break Add a link to another page: <a href="http://www.yourLink.com" target="blank">Add a Link</a> *Example:* <a href="http://www.google.com" target="blank">click to go to Google</a> Add an Email (Mailto) <a href="mailto:yourEmail@whatever.com">Send an Email</a> *Example:* <a href="mailto:quadsville@qctimes.com">Email Quadsville Marketplace</a> back to top
	SUPPORT/HELP Do you have a question? Read through our Frequently Asked Questions and click on them to find the answers you are looking for! Are you looking for more information on advanced settings? Want to become an expert user? Please check out our extensive HOW TO Tutorial. Still have questions or need support? Please email us at quadsville@qctimes.com back to top