Frequently Asked Questions

Sessions go idle after 20 minutes of inactivity. To stay logged in on your device, click the "Remember Me" option when you log in. Getting logged out can also happen if your browser cleared its cookies or if you logged in from a different browser or device. If it happens repeatedly or unexpectedly outside of these, please contact us so we can look into it.

Go to My Account from the menu bar → Change Password. You'll need to enter your current password first, then your new one twice. Your new password needs to be at least 10 characters and include a number, an uppercase letter, and a symbol.

From the login page, click "Forgot your password?" and enter your email. We'll send a reset link are valid for 1 hour. This flow never reveals or asks for your username -- if you've forgotten that too, use the separate "Forgot your username?" link instead.

From the login page, click "Forgot your username?" and enter your email. We'll email you your username directly. This is a separate flow from password reset on purpose, so looking up your username never requires touching your password.

These come from noreply@b1rolodex.com -- check your spam/junk folder first, since automated mail sometimes lands there. Verification links are valid for 24 hours; password reset links for 1 hour. If a link has expired, just request a new one -- verification via signup, or a reset via the "Forgot your password?" / "Forgot your username?" links on the login page. These are no-reply addresses -- replying directly to them won't reach anyone; use the Contact page instead if you need a person.

Usernames can only be changed once per account, ever. This is intentional -- it keeps people from repeatedly changing their identity on the site. If you've already used your one change, you can't change it again. Choose carefully next time you create an account if this matters to you.

Your phone number can be updated any time from My Account. Email is not currently self-service editable -- contact us if you need it changed.

From My Account, scroll to the bottom and click "Delete My Account." Your data isn't permanently erased unless you separately request that. Your username can never be reused afterward, even by you -- but your email and phone number are free to use for a new account later (a phone number can occasionally be individually banned by staff, which would make it unusable too).

For this, you must reach out to us via email. Click here to find our email. In the email, be descriptive as far as your user name, email, and phone # associated with the account. Also, do not make this a habit- that will be interpreted as trolling/spamming.

A Trusted User is a regular account that's been given extra standing by an admin -- their reviews are approved automatically instead of going into the queue, and they can submit more businesses and reviews per day, etc.

This isn't self-service -- it's granted on a case-by-case basis by an admin. There's no request form for it; it's based on an admin's own judgment of an account over time. Hint: Being connected to the FBA Grassroots and submitting good, reliable entries may help your odds. You'll get a notification when your status changes either way -- see the Notifications section below.

You must have an account to submit a business. Click "Submit a Business" in the menu. The first time you do this, you'll be asked to fill out a short one-time form about yourself (this only happens once, ever). After that, you'll go straight to the actual business submission form every time.

No. But with that being said, if there is a non-profit or governmental agency that provides genuine help to FBAs or a general resource that is useful but is non-Black-owned, it can be listed in the "Other Resources" tab.

Yes, but with stipulations. Non-Foundational Black Americans can be listed, but must go through a vetting process. They must be connected to the REAL Black Grassroots (not astroturf) and be on-code (B1). This is verified by on-code FBAs reaching out to me. Those FBAs are essentially putting their reputations on the line by getting your business added. If any tethering (undermining, malicious intent, hidden anti-FBA sentiment, disrespect) is detected at a later date, the business will be promptly removed, and the FBAs who recommended your business will no longer have any say in future B1 Rolodex entries, unless the reports of tethering came from them. Keep in mind, it is much easier to be removed than it is to be added.

An FBA is a Foundational Black American. The term is self-explanatory, but if you need more information, read this full article: What (or Who) Is an FBA?

For years, Foundational Black Americans (FBAs) have been the only ones foolishly believing that all people with a dash of melanin in their skin were "all Black." Almost all “Black” people from different backgrounds distinguish themselves not only from FBAs but also from other Black-looking groups around the world. Being born or raised around FBAs does not make you FBA. FBA is a lineage (not a group). Foundational Black Americans were late to the delineation party, but we're here now, and we're not going back. Acknowledging that FBAs have a distinct lineage is not, and should never be, compared to hate toward any other ethnic group.

No. This is a trust-based platform. If people can just pay to be listed, the integrity of the data becomes compromised. Businesses can only be added via the normal verification process. On a side note, it also brings up why a person would want to pay to be listed when his or her business can be listed for free using the normal verification process.

This limitation is set to prevent trolls and spammers from flooding the submission queue. Trusted User accounts can submit up to 10 per day.

It goes into a review queue -- it does not appear on the site immediately. An admin reviews the details, reaches out to you if there are questions, and then either approves it (at which point it becomes a real, visible listing) or doesn't. Submitting the form is not a guarantee the business will be added.

Unlike other sites that attempt to list 10s of thousands of entries with little to no verification, Business Submissions are heavily vetted over here to improve the end user (customer/client) experience. All businesses are personally reviewed, not automatically approved. A business might not be added if the information couldn't be verified, if it falls into a restricted category, if it is a non-FBA business with no one in the Black Grassroots to vouch for it being B1, if an admin reaches out to you (using your contact info provided) for clarification and receives no answer, or for other reasons at the admin's discretion. If you believe there was a mistake, feel free to reach out via the info listed on the contact page.

If you're a regular user, your review needs to be approved by an admin before it shows up publicly -- check My Reviews to see its current status (Pending, Approved, or Rejected), or check My Account → Notifications, which alerts you as soon as it's approved or rejected. Trusted Users have their reviews approved automatically.

A review might be rejected if it contains inappropriate language, if it doesn't meet the minimum length (25 characters), if it appears to be trollish, or at the admin's discretion. Check My Reviews -- you can revise and resubmit a rejected review.

Yes. Go to My Reviews to edit your review (submitting an edit sends it back for approval again, unless you're a Trusted User/staff), or to delete it permanently if you've changed your mind.

It's the average of every approved review for that business. If a business has locations in multiple places, each location can also have its own separate average based on reviews specific to that location.

Reviews are ranked by how many people marked them as helpful, most helpful first (ties are broken by newest first). If you're logged in, you'll see a heart button on each review -- click it to mark that review as helpful, and click it again to remove your vote. This only affects the order reviews are shown in; it has no effect on a business's overall star rating.

These are reviews added directly by an admin from a trusted internal or external source (rather than a regular user submitting their own review). They're used sparingly and are always shown as coming from a Trusted Source, not a specific username.

Yes. This is a trust-based platform with people who depend on each entry being reliable and providing the products/services as described. Depending on the severity, one or more reports of bad business or consistently low reviews/ratings will eventually lead to a complete removal of a business. Keep in mind, we already vet ratings/reviews for rating/review stuffing and trolls.

At this time, there is no system for disputing ratings. If this is a legitimate issue, you can reach out to us via the Contact us page, and we can see what we can do- but no promises. If any and all reviews/ratings could be easily removed, it would not promote fair customer/client to business owner relations, and it would degrade the integrity of this platform.

This limitation is set to prevent trolls and spammers from flooding the submission queue. Trusted User accounts can submit up to 10 per day.

Click the heart icon on any business (from search results or the business's own page) to save it. View everything you've saved under My Favorites, where you can also export the whole list as a CSV file.

Yes, if you're logged in. Scroll to the bottom of any blog post to find the comment section. You get one comment per post -- posting again edits your existing one rather than adding a second. Comments must be at least 10 characters and can't contain links or HTML.

Like reviews, a comment from a regular account needs to be approved by an admin before it shows up publicly -- you'll get a notification either way (see the Notifications section below). Trusted Users have their comments approved automatically. A comment might be rejected for the same reasons a review would be: inappropriate language, appearing trollish, or at the admin's discretion. You can revise and resubmit it from the same comment box on the post.

Yes. Submitting the comment box again on a post you've already commented on edits your existing comment (and sends it back for approval again, unless you're a Trusted User). A "Delete this comment" button appears below the box once you have a comment on that post, if you'd rather remove it entirely.

Comments are ranked by how many people marked them as helpful, most helpful first (ties are broken by newest first) -- the same system reviews use. Click the heart on any comment that isn't your own to mark it helpful, and click again to remove your vote.

Go to the menu bar and click "My Account" → Notifications. A number badge appears there (and on My Account itself) whenever you have something new -- it clears once you visit the Notifications page, whether or not you've read every individual item. Notifications only ever appear within the website; we don't email, text, or otherwise contact you through them.

You'll get one when a business submission, review, or comment you submitted is approved or rejected. Also, when someone marks your review or comment as helpful, when your account's Trusted User status changes, if you make a change to your account, if a new blog post is published, and an occasional site-wide announcement (for example, about a Privacy Policy or Terms and Conditions update).

Yes -- the Notifications page shows your most recent ones first, with pagination to look further back. Nothing is ever deleted from your notification history automatically.

Accuracy is key here in the B1 Rolodex. People rely on the data being reliable and verified frequently. To submit a report, simply navigate to the specific business here on this website and scroll down until you see "report an issue." Submit a report, and if everything checks out, we'll make the necessary adjustments. Also, be sure the email you list for us to contact you at is valid and that you respond if prompted. No response from you will be interpreted as spam/trolling.

Examples of things to report:

1. An incorrect business's website or address

2. A new address or an address change.

3. A business closure

A business being sold to another ethnic group.

4. A business discovered to be non-FBA but appears in the FBA search

Examples of reports not to send/report:

1. "This place sucked" If it did, simply leave a bad review. If you keep sending in bad reports, it will be interpreted as trolling/spamming

2. "There was a non-Black person working there." What matters is the owner. Yes, it would be good if the staff was 100% FBA, but sometimes, due to legal reasons and otherwise, that's not always possible.

3. "I *think* XYZ." NO, we have to know before we change the data. We need evidence. Be prepared to provide proof if you are asked.

The B1 Rolodex relies heavily on user reporting, but those user reports must be accurate. Most issues can be resolved by simply typing them into the search bar here on the FAQ page. If they cannot be resolved using the FAQ form, reach out via the email listed on our Contact page, and we'll see what we can do.

Examples of things to report:

1. Glitching

2. Page not found text.

3. Bugs such as the website not properly saving your favorites, keeping you logged in after you hit log out, etc.

Examples of reports not to send/report:

1. "Can you make me a trusted user?" This is at the discretion of the admin. Unless requested, do not send us emails regarding this.

2. "I'd like to suggest adding XYZ feature." There is a lot that goes into making updates and changes to the website. It is a lot of effort to simply properly maintain it as is.

That being said, we do prioritize suggestions from Patreon members and frequent contributors to the platform. If you are already a contributor, feel free to reach out via the email listed on our Contact page and we'll see what we can do. If you would like to contribute and then ask for a new feature, you can do so, but please be aware that, due to cybersecurity threats and other concerns, a suggested feature may not be added. Here is the link where you can contribute and see fellow contributors. Thanks in advance for any donations.

No, not you yourself. For security reasons, Business pages are locked. Only Admins can edit them. However, you can reach out to support here: Contact us, and we can get those changes reflected for you on your business page.

Yes, reach out to support via Contact us, and we'll get it removed for you. However, if this is not for an official reason like "going out of business" or "sold the business"; if it is purely because you disagree with the ideology of this platform, etc., we do not entertain flip floppers here. Don't come back months later asking to be re-added. It is a privilege to be listed on the B1 Rolodex.

To ensure this data is never lost, the full business directory is downloadable as a CSV file. This file is updated as the website is updated and can be opened in any spreadsheet program. Feel free to download a backup of this data for your records frequently. Business locations are also downloadable as a KML file, ready to import as a layer into Google My Maps or any other mapping tool that reads KML files. Click Here to go to the downloads page.

First, make sure that you are signed in to your Google account. Open the map above using the full view button (this typically looks like four corners or a bracket icon). You can also use the MyMaps share link directly. Next, look for a star or "Add to My Maps" option to save it. Once saved, it should appear under Saved → Maps in the Google Maps app on your phone, so you can pull it up any time, even without coming back to this website. (Google's exact menu wording changes from time to time, so if it looks a little different, look for anything mentioning "Your Maps" or "Saved Maps.")

This is a known issue on Google's end (not specific to this website's KML file) that has affected many users importing KML, CSV, and Excel files into Google My Maps. The most reliable fix: upload the KML file to your Google Drive first, then in My Maps use Import and select the file from Drive instead of uploading it directly from your computer. If that still doesn't work, try signing out of your Google account and back in, clearing that site's cookies, or using a different Chromium-based browser (Chrome or Edge).

There is a lot that goes into making updates and changes to the website. It is a lot of effort to simply properly maintain it as is.

That being said, we do prioritize suggestions from Patreon members and frequent contributors to the platform. If you are already a contributor, feel free to reach out via the email listed on our Contact page, and we'll see what we can do. If you would like to contribute and then ask for a new feature, you can do so, but please be aware that, due to cybersecurity threats and other concerns, a suggested feature may not be added. Here is the link where you can contribute and see fellow contributors. Thanks in advance for any donations.

The B1 Rolodex is brought to you by Black Truth United and the loyal supportes of this platform. For a full list of this month's contributors click here: Contributors

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