Building Your Profile

Every member of Business Partnerships Canada has a personal profile page. This is the information that you want to give other users about yourself, your company and the products and services you offer. (See an example.)

You edit your profile page by clicking on the Your Page link in the main navigation area (the deep green bar below the logo, on every page of the site.) You must be logged in to have this link. Once you get to your page, you will notice small green buttons throughout the page indicating actions that you can take for each block.

The edit profile? button allows you to update your basic contact information, as well as your signature text.

The edit details? button allows you to update the rest of your profile information including your wants.

Why Should You Build Your Page? · Getting Started · Your Photo · Your Wants · Your Offerings · Example

It might help to first understand where people will be able to click through to your profile page, before deciding what content you would like to put on it.

These items link to your profile:

1. New Member Listings (on the Home and Search pages);
2. your posts in the Discussion Groups;
3. member lists for each Open Discussion Group or 'Creative Intelligence' Alliance; and
4. search reuslts.

When people choose to click on your name, they do so hoping to find out more about you - perhaps what informs your perspective and opinions, what your expertise is, and what it is your business does, so they are hoping that that information is readily available in your profile.

Do not concentrate too heavily on your business; you have only a fixed amount of room and there is a place for you to link to your company web site.

Why Should You Build Your Page? · Getting Started · Your Photo · Your Wants · Your Offerings · Example

Once again, to edit your profile, you must be logged in and on your profile page.

Start thinking about what it is you would like to acheive with your membership at Business Partnerships Canada. It might be that you are looking to develop new products and services, or to increase your circle of contacts and acquaintances, or maybe just to align yourself with others who have a similar mindset. Knowing this will help you decide what information to include in your profile - especially what to highlight about yourself and about your business.

Write a short piece about yourself - at least three or four paragraphs. Since there is a separate field for Past Business Lives, do not worry too much about listing old companies you have worked for, or lists of different career paths you may have taken.

A sample might be:

Hi, I am Jane and I am a Virtual Assistant (I have my CVA designation from the International Virtual Assistants Association - http://www.ivaa.org/).

My background is in Technical Writing - I oversaw the production of manuals for an engineering firm in Vancouver. I have a BA in English and Communication, but I have also taken many courses in Fine Arts out of personal interest.

After eight years working in the corporate world, I decided that I needed to branch out on my own to be able to set my own hours so that I can spend more time exploring my artistic side. I recently got married and the long days in the office (often staying until 9 or 10 at night) lost their appeal.

I am looking for new clients, and if you need administrative services done, contact me.

You will also want to include a photo of some sort in your profile - you will need to have it in a digital format (JPG only - more information below).

If you are a Silver or Gold member, you can also have a second, extended profile, so you might opt to focus a little more on your personal information in one area, and on the business in the other.

Why Should You Build Your Page? · Getting Started · Your Photo · Your Wants · Your Offerings · Example

Choose a photo that best represents you in the context of your business. Make sure that it does not make you seem unfriendly or unapproachable, since the point of being here is to make new contacts. If you are uncomfortable using your own photo, substitute a photo that best represent your products or services.

If you do not already have it in a digital format and you do not own a scanner, you may have to go to a local print shop and have them do it for you. If you do, you may as well have them save two files for you - one that is a higher resolution and one that is no more than 250 pixels wide by 400 pixels high.

Format: the system will only allow you to upload a jpeg. This strikes a balance between the better format for photographs, and file size.

Resizing: the system will automatically resize your photo if it is larger than 250 pixels wide, or 400 pixels high. Smaller images will be left as is.

If you need a free tool for changing the file formats or file size, see Irfanview (for PC) or Pixen (for Mac).

To add additional photos into your profile; you can use the HTML image tag to point to images hosted on your webserver. If you are unfamiliar with HTML, you can simply cut and paste the following code into a text browser and change the [YOURSERVER] block to the path to the image. (Your image has to be on a webserver; do not try to like to a file on your local computer.)

<img src="[YOURSERVER]" vspace="10" hspace="10" />

Why Should You Build Your Page? · Getting Started · Your Photo · Your Wants · Your Offerings · Example

'Creative Intelligence' Alliances: If you are looking to join a CI Alliance (a 'Master Mind' or success group) in your city or town check the box, and fill in the region. If at some point you no longer are interested in finding a CI Alliance, simply uncheck the box.

This first step helps anyone searching for others in that region see who is interested. If there isn't already a group, finding out that there are several interested people might spur a member into starting one.

Then indicate the type or focus the group you would be interested in joining should have; for instance, you might be interested in belonging to a group whose focus in the Insurance sector. Enter this in the CI Alliance wants: field.

Partnering Opportunities

If you are looking to find other businesses to partner with, select the Partnering check box, and fill in the region. If at some point you no longer are interested in finding partners, simply uncheck the box.

In the Partnering wants: box, describe the sort of companies you are interested in, and the types of projects.

Bartering Opportunities

If you are looking to find other businesses to barter with, select the check box, and fill in the region. If at some point you no longer are interested in finding bartering partners, simply uncheck the box.

In the Bartering wants: box, describe the sort of companies you are interested in, and the types of products or services you are seeking.

Why Should You Build Your Page? · Getting Started · Your Photo · Your Wants · Your Offerings · Example

These are the products, services, or skills (advice, help) that you are willing to share with other members in exchange for the items on your want list. Specify