There is a new free site for those who help others learn, look, or feel better. It’s called Betterfly.com and is now launched in Beta. Betterists (those who offer services) can list their service on the site. Betterees (those who are looking for piano lessons, yoga instruction, Japanese tutoring, or the like) can go to the site and find appropriate listings in their area.

Be prepared to spend a couple of hours setting up your page. Initially, I became frustrated (after 90 minutes and being only halfway through the questions) by the process and complained to my husband that it was as bad as a job application. Then I realized, it was just that—a job application—and  I should stop whining, take my time, and respect my current and future students and families.

Those seeking services (Betterees aka future students) can search by price, skill level, location, availability, and narrow searches even further. This is why the process of filling out information can be so tedious. The fields are narrow to allow for searchability. You should definitely regard building your Betterist page as a process. You can include as much or as little information as you like, however more detail will help attract more attention.

Those listing their services have a built in booking feature at their fingertips. You can set the availability preferences to allow viewing, booking, and payment online by clients, by everyone, or by no one. Any deposits, which are due before booking an appointment, can also be listed. Coming soon is the ability to receive appointment reminders.

The Betterists page banner is easily customizable. You can use stock images (there are 125!) or upload your own.  The text can be changed and moved within the banner area. There are six fonts, plus the option of bold or italic, from which to choose. If you want your picture to appear, there are two formats available.

Customizable URLs for blogs also come with Betterist pages. Those who don’t have websites or blogs will find it handy to have everything in one place. You can easily share your blog posts via Facebook, Digg, Twitter, Stumbleupon, and many other social networking sites.

Images, videos, and files can be uploaded under resources.  Teachers can post images, videos and documents detailing events, demonstrations, performances, studio policies, announcements, and the like. Tagging each makes for more visibility on Betterfly.

Your clients can review your services and award you up to 5 stars. Reviews are not posted until you confirm that the reviewer is indeed a client.  Clients can post anonymously or by name and their information is stored securely and never sold. You can also book on behalf of a client.

As of now, there isn’t really a way to list a location if you teach students by Skype or the Internet or offer webinars. This means that location searches will only show your physical location and you won’t be able to reach prospective clients regionally, or nationally.  The zip code is a required field, which makes it pretty hard to get around the limits of the locations form. Even if you make a location note about your far reaching services, it may not reach everyone you would like. I am told this problem is currently being worked on.

Overall, the Betterfly Beta provides a free service that is truly needed and reasonably flexible. Badges and buttons are available now and soon a Music Locator widget will be released. I am excited to see the new features to come, and of course for the iPhone app. Check it out!

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