October 2016 tutor update.

Hi [simplenews-subscriber:user:profile-fullname],

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

I hope your September has gotten off to a great start! I've picked up 3 grade 12 students in math and calculus. It's been a few years since I've had grade 12 students, so I have some reviewing to do.

Without further adieu, here's what's in this update:

1. Update your listing.
2. Scammer warnings.
3. More on listing points.
4. Let's get social!

1. Update your listing.

It's important to keep the information up to date in your listing. A big “updated” tag is added to your listing so that people searching the list can see that you've updated the information recently. So even if the information hasn't changed, let potential clients know your information is current.

To update your listing, login to findAtutor.ca by clicking on “my account” in the menu. If you are on a cel phone, you may have to shrink the screen to get to “my account” at the bottom of the list.

Once you've logged in, click on the tab labelled “my listings”. Scroll down to the “listing information” box below your listing, and click on the “confirm listing as accurate” button. If you need to make changes, edit your listing by clicking on the “edit listing” link also located in the listing information box.

I've added a page with more instructions on maintaining a listing on findAtutor.ca. A link to it is in the description at the top of your “my listings” page. See instructions for updating/editing your listing, seeing who e-mailed, adding or removing “not accepting” from your listing, and how to change your e-mail contact info. Let me know if there is other information you'd like to see added there for quick reference in the future.

2. Scammer warnings.

Unfortunately we've had visits by a few scammers recently. We quickly added a blocking mechanism to stop them from e-mailing tutors. We didn't include forums in the new version of findAtutor.ca, so we don't have a convenient way of posting warnings to tutors about scammers when they appear. We will be adding something soon, whether it's a return to forums, or some other warning mechanism.

PLEASE! If you get a suspicious e-mail, or even a message you want me to check out before you reply, forward it to me RIGHT AWAY! I can see activity of users on the site, but I can't see the content of the message they sent. With both pieces of information, I can usually assess quickly whether it's a scammer or likely a legitimate request for tutoring.

As soon as I determine it's a scammer (or some other violation of the terms and conditions) I can block them from e-mailing other tutors instantly. Frequently activity alone is not enough to determine whether to block a user or not.

Here is a list of e-mail addresses used by scammers last month:

zvera100@gmail.com
aprilmcguire002@yahoo.com
patrick.q182@gmail.com

If you received an e-mail from any of the above and replied to them, stop all communication with them immediately!

If you haven't recently, review the information on our scams page:

https://findatutor.ca/scams

And remember, if in doubt, forward the message to me and ask!

3. More on listing points.

I've gotten lots of great feedback on listing points, and addressed the most major concerns raised.

The main concern I received is from long time customers and how it affects their listings. I assure you that there are plenty of benefits for being a loyal customer and keeping your listing regularly renewed for a long period of time!

I've written a page that clarifies and better explains how listing points work, including the benefits for long time customers:

https://findatutor.ca/node/11472

You'll find this on the tutor's page, and I've also included a link to this information with “my listings”. Additionally we've added a new tab in your account when you login to findAtutor.ca labelled “listing assistant”. This shows a table summary of your listing(s) and how it ranks in search results, to help with using listing points. I've included information at the top of this page to explain how it works, but if you have questions and/or suggestions for what should be added, please let me know.

I've gotten a couple of e-mails from tutors that say their listing doesn't change position when they enter listing points. In both cases, when I've done a test search their listing appeared where it should. If you don't see your listing instantly move to it's new location, I recommend refreshing the page. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to e-mail me and ask!

4. Let's get social!

I love interacting with people on Twitter and Facebook! Follow along with us, and join in the conversation! I'd love to hear from you:

Twitter: @findatutor
Facebook: @FindAtutor.ca

As always, thanks for listing on findAtutor.ca!
Johanna

PS You're still reading this? If so, you've probably also noticed the premium listing hints on the website. We're doing the final testing and will be announcing this new feature soon. We won't have to stop anyone from logging in, and anyone will still be able to search and contact tutors while we bring the features on-line. Look for an official announcement coming out soon!-Jo