MEMBERS HELP PAGE
HOW TO JOIN
Before you begin - check you don't already exist on our directory. Go to “Members” (top right) and SEARCH (use either your first or last name, not both). Group members can also go to “Groups”, and check there. Member listings with no image do not show on the main directory page, so don’t simply "look" for yourself there. If you already exist, then see Membership Renewals and/or Edit Profile below.
- TO JOIN: Go to http://www.asb-scotland.org/join-us (“JOIN US” on the top menu)
- Click Join The ASB Now and complete registration (name, business name, accept terms).
- On the next page you will be asked for your e-mail address.
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On the final page select the appropriate member type (if you have a voucher, input that here).
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You will now receive an activation e-mail (first timers will also get a welcome e-mail). Be sure to activate your account with the e-mail. Miss this step and your account will immediately be set to expired.
- On activating, you will be taken back to the website to set your password. And then prompted to either pay (Direct Members) or use a voucher code (remember to select the correct group if you are a group member). Affiliated group members receive free membership. You can obtain your voucher code from your group. NB: the code is unique to each group and is changed regularly - so please ensure you have the correct code before use.
- If you have completed all steps - you are now registered! Welcome..
- Your profile now exists with the bare minimum of details. Log in - opens your page - go to "Edit Profile". Having trouble logging back in? See our Troubleshooting/FAQs at the end of this page.
Direct ASB membership lasts for one year, renewable annually.
Group membership lasts for as long as you remain a member of your group. NB. Your affiliate group will supply you with your current voucher code. This is unique to the group and changes each year.
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
The ASB website knows when your membership has expired. You will automatically receive a reminder when your membership is due for renewal, and once it has expired. These are issued by e-mail on the 1st of each month. It is important you renew with your existing account. Please do not create a new profile/login.
To renew
- Login using your registered e-mail address (clue: the address to which your renewal reminder was sent) and follow the prompts to renew
- If you need to change your login e-mail address - go to edit profile and change the e-mail adress field. This automatically changes your login e-mail. Your password remains the same.
- If you are registered with an e-mail you no longer have access to, use the Contact Us box on the login page to retrieve/reset your e-mail address.
If you attempt to log in after expiry (direct members) you will be invited to renew as either an ASB direct member. You can even rejoin as a Group member at this stage.
EDIT PROFILE
Log in and select “Edit Profile” and complete the fields you wish to be visible online. Not sure what to write? Add some basic contact details and description until you have time to write more. If you are a group member - why not copy/paste the content from your Affiliate group member profile if you have one?
Uploading images
Please take note of the recommended size and format for each image. Images which are substantially different from the sizes shown may distort or crop. The max file size is 2MB.
Profile: This is the space where your own image should appear.
- Click the portrait format box - takes you to your file manager.
- Select your image. This returns you to your profile page with the image inserted. Not the right size? Resize (in another programme) to size guidelines shown and upload again*.
- SAVE.
- Image not there? Refresh your browser/clear cache.
Members without a PROFILE image are omitted from main member gallery. If you really do not want your own image, then choose something which reflects you or your business.
Profile Image sizes – while you can simply drop an existing image in, it is better to resize as recommended, in another programme. “Headshots” should ideally have a good margin and be portrait – so when shared in social media they are not cropped or distorted.
Logo:
- Click the landscape format box - takes you to your file manager.
- Select your image. This returns you to your profile page with the image inserted.
- SAVE.
- Image not there? Refresh your browser/clear cache.
Banner: Your space to place an image which grabs your readers attention.
- Click the banner location. Takes you to File Manage.
- Select to add an image which represents you or your business. Not the right size? Resize (in another programme) to size guidelines shown and upload again*.
NB: Any text placed in the "Heading" box will be superimposed onto your banner once your profile is saved.
*Image sizes – while you can simply drop an image in, it is better to resize as recommended, in another programme to prevent cropping, poor position or distortion.
TOP TIP: If your banner appears to not be loading then it is probably a caching issue. Clear your cache via your preferred browser (e.g. in Chrome it is via More Tools/Clear Browsing Data then tick the Cached Files and Images). Exit your browser and go back in. If it is still missing then send an e-mail to the ASB website administrator who can take a look.
ADDRESS and LOCATION
We respect members may prefer not to show their full address. The only fields which are mandatory are those which enable us to understand our geographical demographic (i.e. town). The rest can remain blank.
If you would like to embed a google map into your listing (in "Your connections" area) then you will first need your business showing on Google maps.
- Open your profile "edit profile"
- Switch tabs on your browser and select your business on Googlemaps. Find the “share or embed map” option on the menu. This opens a pop up offering the option to either share a link or embed a map.
- Select embed a map.
- Then select a "small" map and copy the HTML code shown.
- Switch back to your profile (in edit mode).
- Paste into the box on your profile as shown. Save settings.
- Exit edit mode and return to the full member directory. Click your listing to confirm your map is now showing at the borrom of your details.
DUPLICATE ACCOUNTS
It is important you renew your membership using your registered e-mail address to avoid account duplication. This will ensure you retain your history, content and any blogs you may have created. Our website offers full flexibility to update your account e-mail at any time, so there really is no reason to create a second account.
To check if you already exist on our directory. Go to “Members” (top right) and SEARCH (use either your first or last name, not both). TOP TIP: Member listings with no image do not show on the main directory page, so don’t simply "look" for yourself there. If you already exist, then see Membership Renewals and/or Edit Profile.
If you do discover you have two accounts then please contact us to arrange for them to be merged, the best way to minimise loss of content. Please remember to include links to both accounts, with details of which account you wish to keep (i.e. content) and which e-mail address you wish that to be registered against. We will do the rest!
DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT/LISTING
Login and select Edit Profile. Scroll to the very bottom of your content and click the "Delete Member Account" link. If you are sure - this will remove you entirely from the website.
SHARE YOUR NEWS
Members have two ways to share your news.
BLOG
Login to the ASB website. Scroll the very bottom of the page, select “Manage My Blogs”. Create content in the space provided.
Date = use if your announcement is date related. E.G. an event.
Type = Public Blog (displays on yours AND main blog pages) or Member Blog (shows on your group page)
Live = leave in DRAFT until you are ready to publish then change to READY.
Header = a strapline for your blog which appears superimposed over the header image
Save = Saved drafts will appear as “Unpublished” in a list at the top of your “Manage My Blogs” page. It also remains in edit form on your screen – remember to save often!
IMAGES: After your first SAVE you have the option to add a header image and also a main image which will be displayed with your blog on the various pages. Note the preferred image sizes.
LINKS: Links are only accepted in their full form (no formatting available to embed a link in a word or phrase). Please make sure you use the www. format only. Do not include any http or https//.
So instead of http://sitename.com use www.sitename.com
TO PUBLISH: When you are finally ready, change the LIVE field to "READY". Note this has now put your blog into “Under Review” on your list and sends it to the ASB Committee to review and publish. Once published you will receive a notification to say it has gone live. You can still edit even after it is live – but you cannot change the title.
CHECK: Your blog will become visible on your own ASB profile page, regardless of status. To check it has actually published click the link on your page. If it is still in the queue it will say Blog Is Not Published! If you are still seeing this status after one week then please contact our membership secretary or tech support in case of a server/website error. While we will try to get your blog live within a few days, our committee may also be dealing with other time-consuming activity too, so your patience is appreciated.
NEWS & EVENTS
Hold the Front page! If you have a big news story you would like considered for the Front Page then e-mail us at membership@asb-scotland.org. Remember, our committee are also volunteers with their own employed commitments and businesses to run. So, if your story is “reader ready” then that will help us publish your news faster. Please ensure you enclose at least one high resolution image.
The top priority news items appear on our Home Page ASB headlines.
Troubleshooting/FAQs
What is my LOGIN?
Your login uses your registered e-mail address. If you have forgotten which account you use, first try other historical e-mail addresses. If you are still unable to access your account, use the “contact us” box (on the actual login page) to reqyest a reminder of your e-mail address. We will need to verify your identity to ensure security of your account.
Why can't I log in?
You have tried to log in with your e-mail address but it is saying e-mail not found. This could be due to a number of reasons:
- Are you sure you still have a live account on the ASB website? Expired members are now purged regulalrly in order to ensure GDPR compliance. Search the "members" area using either your first or last name (keep it loose and try derivatives especially if you sometimes shorten your name)
- Are you sure you are using the correct e-mail address to log in? This could be a personal one, or one you no longer use. Try those first, then if you still cannot get in, request a reminder via the log in page.
- Clear your browser cache. If you have tried a number of times, the web page may be caching the data you have used previously
- Try an alternative browser (Chrome, IE etc) as, occasionally just to check it isn't your browser which is causing a conflict.
Can I change my own login e-mail?
Yes you can.
Login with your old e-mail address. Go to edit profile and change the e-mail adress field. This automatically changes your login e-mail. Your password remains the same.
If you are simply accessing to update your profile then you won't need access to your old e-mail account to complete this.
If you are renewing your membership, and are registered with an e-mail you no longer have access to, please use the “Contact us” link as above.
Once you have changed your e-mail address - contact Tech Support at affiliates@asb-scotland.org to get your Mailchimp subscription updated too.
What is my FREE ASB voucher code?
Codes are unique to each group and are changed regularly. Contact your affiliate group for their current code.
How do I edit my profile?
First make sure you are logged in. Then click the “Edit Profile” button directly below your header image. Then follow the instructions in our Edit Profile section
How do I know if I am logged in?
When you are logged in, your first name appears at the top right hand corner (on a laptop/pc)
Why is my profile image fuzzy?
Your image resolution is too small, or your image was imported in from the old ASB website (which optimised images). Upload again or update with a new higher resolution image.
Why are my images not loading?
The max file size is 2MB. Please reduce your file size before attempting to load.
Sometimes your browser may be caching - which means it has loaded but your browser is reverting to a previous copy of the page. Refresh and clear cache (e.g. in Chrome it is via More Tools/Clear Browsing Data then tick the Cached Files and Images). Exit your browser and go back in. If it is still missing then send an e-mail to the ASB website administrator who can take a look).
My image/log has cropped and zoomed right in?
This is because your image is wider than the recommended size. Your headshot should be portrait and in the size ratio shown to show correctly. Your logo should be landscape and the width match the measurement shown. Top tip: A very wide logo can be dropped into a canvas of the correct size and then saved - this is easy done in something like Canva which is free.
I have added an image but it's not showing on the gallery?
There are two possible reasons for this
- Go to your full profile (in edit profle) and check you have placed your headshot in the correct place. A good way to remember is "Profile" is portrait. "Logo" is Landscape. The website only knows to look for an image (any image) in PORTRAIT in order to show that member on the gallery.
- If your image is in the correct space, your browser may be caching (viewing an old version of the page). Refresh your screen and clear your cache in your browser.
Why has my blog not been published?
Check that you have changed the LIVE field from "Draft" to "Ready". This sends your blog for review by the ASB committee before publication. Once published you will be notified. This can take a few days.
If you have had your notification but still cannot see it in the public blog section, then check you have set your Type to Public and not Member.
Can I delete my account/profile?
Yes, you can delete your details at any time. This will also remove your ASB membership account. Go to the Delete Your Account section.
Why do I have two listings?
At some stage you will have renewed/rejoined with a new e-mail address. The website cannot know you are one and the same person so will have created a new account. See Duplicate Accounts for details
NEED MORE HELP?
If you are unable to find the answer to your question here then please do not hesitate to conatct us at membership@asb-scotland.org
Page last updated 27/03/2019
