(0:57) Last week we released 19 categories under the new Services feature and the response has been terrific. Boaters are entering reviews for businesses they have used. Both boaters and businesses have been adding new entries. It's a huge win for the entire community.(0:49) As I promised last week, I'm going to be writing about this new capability over the summer. I wanted to start with some basic how-to's. This information applies whether you offer the services yourself or whether you have third party businesses nearby that can provide the services. For many of you, these first instructions may be too basic, but my goal is to get everyone to the same place.
(0:41) If there are businesses nearby that offer these services, please pass this information along. It is a win for both of you.
(0:37) Businesses entered into the Services database must directly offer the service. You can enter the business record yourself or you can encourage the business to create their own listing. It's best if the business becomes involved since they should Claim their listing for added capabilities.
(0:31) The first step in the business listing process is to make sure you are signed up for ActiveCaptain and eBoatCards accounts. If you do not have an ActiveCaptain account, go to the website (www.activecaptain.com) and click Register in the upper right.
(0:25) Fill in your email address, password, and other items. Your captain name should be the name of your business. You will receive a confirmation email in your inbox. It should appear almost immediately. If you do not see it, check spam folders and add us to your safe senders or contacts. Click on the confirmation link and then select Login in the upper right of the website. Make sure to select Remember me on the login page and you will not need to do this step in the future.
(0:16) Now go to the eBoatCards website (www.eboatcards.com) and enter your ActiveCaptain account information in the upper right to log in. The first time you log into eBoatCards, it'll walk you through creating an electronic boat card. Make sure to set yourself up as a Business, Marina, or Boatyard account based on your business and use the name of your business as the name. If you are an ActiveCaptain Sponsor, email me with your account name so I can enable your electronic boat card as a Sponsor.
(0:08) You can now explore the services feature by selecting Services at the top of the page. If you are anxious to do more, there is some very basic help at the link below. I'll write about creating and editing business listings in next week's Minute:
http://www.eboatcards.com/basic-help
(0:02) And that's the marina minute.
