Frequently Asked Questions
This is NOT a "normal" for-profit platform! It has been purpose built as a safe home for shared service and Ministry.
Your data remains your data. Your confidences are respected. Your trust is earned and appreciated.
Click here to Jump to policies and agreements
b1 is a "big idea" with a number of moving parts (currently and coming soon): Webpages, mobile apps, e-news letters, member management, calendars and event management, e-commerce and e-payments, digital signs, social media integration, etc.
But don't panic! You can do this... one step at a time!
You should watch the videos on the "Tutorial Video" page (see menu, above), and on the admin portal page (http://b14ucc.com/portal). You'll find numerous short "How-to" tutorials for each of these steps and for the individual tasks within each step.
Step 1: Build/Convert your website (we will import all the content (words, pictures, etc.) from you current website as individual "Articles"). You will use the drag-and-drop website administration tool to (re)create your website. There are numerous tutorial videos, and we are available for a hands-on orientation via ZOOM or Skype, and support via this site, email, or ZOOM/Skype.
Step 2: Build/Convert your calendar. We will assist you with this. Here are instructions as to how to "Export" your calendar from Google:
https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/37111?hl=en
or Outlook (use the iCal instructions):
https://www.akruto.com/export-outlook-calendar-to-excel-google-iphone-or-icloud/
NOTE: Click the Tutorial Videos menu item (above) - there are step-by-step walk-through instructions for the Calendar export process!
Or, follow the instructions with your chosen program. We want ".ICS" or ".ICAL" formats, if possible. These will be imported into your b1 calendar, which should feel "familiar" if you've used other calendar applications before.
Step 3: Tagging! One of b1's fundamental goals is to connect users to each other and to events, locations, and resources that are value- and passion-aligned. To accomplish this, we need to know: what each article and event is "about" (i.e. Justice and Witness causes, etc.); and, what part of "church" it represents (e.g. Worship, Service, Education, Fellowship, etc.); and, what the article "is" (e.g. Sermon, budget spreadsheet, blog, a book, etc.). We accomplish this by "Tagging" (describing) each item via easy-to-use click boxes and pull-down selections. This gives each article and each event a life of it's own.
Actually, you may (should?!?) want to do this during steps 1 and 2 while you're looking at the items anyway... your choice!
Step 4: Build/Convert your member list, and invite your members to go to the portal and register. This is a mostly-automated process, and we'll assist you.
Step 5: Start building connections: Name groups, committees, task forces, roles and associate your members with them. This will allow you to organize, communicate, schedule, find, and connect people with relative ease.
Step 6: Go social! Set up connections to Social Media accounts (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). Articles you create in b1 will "post out" automatically, and feeds from these services can be easily included on your website, mobile app, and e-newsletter.
Step 7: You tell us! We are adding functions and features to b1 daily based on feedback from our users. What tools do you want or need to do Ministry more effectively? Let us know!
b1 runs in a web browser (we recommend Google Chrome -that's where we've done the most testing), so virtually any device that can access the internet can access b1.
To avoid frustration, we would recommend using a device with a mouse and keyboard when creating and maintaining content on b1, but you can access b1 (and your website and calendar) equally well from a phone, tablet, smart TV, etc.
Your website and domain can stay where they are while you build your initial b1 site. Kombi will import all the words and pictures from your current site into b1 and you can "drag-and-drop" them into your new b1 site.
Once you get your b1 site the way you want it, we contact your host and transfer your domain to "point" at b1 instead of "pointing" at your current host (e.g. GoDaddy, Google, WIC, RoadRunner, Word Press, etc.). At that point CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION with your current host! Hosting is INCLUDED in you b1 fees. Your current URL (website name) will simply take people to your b1 site instead of your existing location.
Your b1 site is administered via a web-based portal, so you - or your chosen person or team - can manage it from anywhere via the internet.
Try these sites! Select images and download to your hard drive, then launch the b1 admin tool, edit a page, drag one of the image building blocks to it, click the default image, and browse to/select the new image. Finally, click the "old image" and poof!
Free HD Images:
https://www.pexels.com/search/church/
https://pixabay.com/images/search/church/
Free and For sale HD Images:
https://www.pexels.com/discover/
https://www.canstockphoto.com/stock-photo-images/churches.html
https://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/
Free Video Content:
Please respect copyrights! Assuming it's OK, heres a tool we use and recommend: https://videodownloader.ummy.net/
OK, so 2 questions....
As to the first: We want b1 to assist you in doing ministry together. For that to work, we need to trust each other with "sacred information", which simply can't be anonymous. b1 also has tools to assist your church organize and communicate with and between committees, task forces, clubs, groups, and all the other ways we "clump" together in the UCC, which doesn't work if we don't know who they are! We also want you to allow your members to participate fully in adding content to your website, newsletters, mobile app, etc. And, we want members to be able to access information from each other yours and other churches, from the conference and national UCC archives, etc. We also present every "known" user with a personal dashboard of favorite AND suggested connections. FInally, we will not allow anonymous comments or submissions to b1 as part of a goal to have a "safe place" for users. In order to accomplish all this, we need to know who each user is.
For the second: Actually, I HOPE you thought to ask the "why should we trust you" question! Most for-profit platforms are just plain predatory regarding your "PII" (Personally Identifiable Information). b1 is NOT. PLEASE read our Terms of service at: b14ucc.com... Click the wrench in the upper-right corner, scroll to the bottom. YES you can trust us to protect and not exploit your member's information. Our CEO, John Eisenhauer, is a life-long UCC member, and this is one of the key reasons we buit b1. You need a safe place to do ministry. And we want that, too!
b1 has been purpose-built for shared UCC ministry. your old site's tools were not. We want your website and newsletter content to find the people who want to see it. Think of tagging the way you might think of your search for you minister: You and the candidate BOTH fill out a profile, which helps narrow your search for the "right" fit. Same here: "Tagging" is a fancy way to say describing or categorizing. You identify exactly what the article or event "is", and that is matched by b1 with people who are looking for something like your content.
You can use tagging to either limit or expand your viewing audience (e.g. tag it for "members only", or "our conference only" to limit; tag it with "Justice and Witness" to find service-minded people anywhere). You also use tagging to target WHERE you want the article to appear and WHEN (date range). So, with b1 each article is not just on you website, newsletter, and/or app, it also has a life of it's own and will reach out to people who may be interested in your church and be drawn in by this particular message... which they will (respectfully) never see if it's buried on page 7 of your printed newsletter.
First, know that your b1 calendar should feel "familiar" if you've used other calendar and web-based applications before. We've used an industry-standard look-and-feel, and are confident you'll feel at home.
So... why change? Tagging! One of b1's fundamental goals is to connect users to each other and to events, locations, and resources that are value- and passion-aligned. To accomplish this, we need to know what Google and Outlook don't (and, frankly, shouldn't!): what each article and event is "about" (i.e. Justice and Witness causes, etc.); and, what part of "church" it represents (e.g. Worship, Service, Education, Fellowship, etc.); and, what the article "is" (e.g. Sermon, budget spreadsheet, blog, a book, etc.). We accomplish this by "Tagging" (describing) each item via easy-to-use click boxes and pull-down selections. This gives each article and each event a life of it's own. Your events will magically appear on the personal dashboards of value- and passion-aligned users you choose: by name, within your church or conference, or all across the UCC!
Actually, you may (should?!?) want to do this during steps 1 and 2 while you're looking at the items anyway... your choice!
The answer is probably: "Yes".
Look in the menus and documentation for your software for instructions for "exporting" or "publishing" you calendar. When given a choice regarding the resulting output, please select "ICS" or iCAL". This should either create a file (similar to Google), or a hyper link (similar to Oulook). The corresponding tutorial videos elsewhere on this site may be helpful.
Or, you can just start using your b1 calendar and not worry about converting at all.
As a policy, we make your "Year 1" expire fourteen (14) months after you sign up. If you need longer, we can talk, but that generally gives time for your site to be "up" for at least a full year.
By using the b1 platform, you are agreeing to our policies, terms and conditions, which are contained in three (3) documents:
1) Terms of Service (TOS)
2) End-User License Agreement (EULA)
3) Privacy Policy
All (3) documents are available at the bottom of this page as downloadable PDF files.
Or, Go to the admin portal (http://b14ucc.com/portal); click the support icon (gear and wrench) in the upper right corner; scroll to the bottom.
PLEASE take the time to read these governing policies - we're proud of them! b1 is not like traditional for-profit platforms you have used. We will not exploit your data or your users.
Although this Website may be linked to other websites, we are not, directly or indirectly, implying any approval, association, sponsorship, endorsement, or affiliation with any linked website, unless specifically stated herein.
You should carefully review the legal statements and other conditions of use of any website which you access through a link from this Website. Your linking to any other off-site pages or other websites is at your own risk.
If something doesn't work the way you expect it to, try watching the tutorials...
The issue might be you, BUT this is a new platform, and we're human! There are (and will be) "bugs"! You may have tried to do something reasonable that hadn't occurred to us, or we may have missed something in our testing. REGARDLESS: PLEASE LET US KNOW RIGHT AWAY! We will b1 is still being developed and improved every day... and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
You should carefully review the legal statements and other conditions of use of any website which you access through a link from this Website. Your linking to any other off-site pages or other websites is at your own risk.
If you find a bug, want to ask a question about a feature, or request something new... PLEASE CONTACT US!
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