BNI Tech Talk - Profiles (Feb 13, 2026)

Quick recap

Jeremy Walsh hosted a Tech Talk webinar focused on BNI Connect and profile visibility, covering how members can control their public-facing information and manage privacy settings across various BNI platforms. He demonstrated how profiles sync between BNI Connect, regional websites, BNI Plus, and the mobile app, explaining features like QR codes, connection requests, and profile customization options. The session included detailed instructions for updating profiles, managing privacy settings, and sharing business information, with Jeremy addressing numerous participant questions about features, limitations, and upcoming platform changes.

Summary

BNI Tech Talks Webinar Overview

Jeremy welcomed participants to the Tech Talks webinar, introducing himself as the Director of Support and highlighting his long-standing involvement with BNI. He introduced the support team and shared key statistics about their global reach. Jeremy outlined the structure of the webinar series, emphasizing that topics would vary weekly and participants could opt out of being recorded. He concluded by discussing the visibility of member profiles on BNI websites and confirmed that members could opt out if needed, and clarified that members could easily share their profiles via VCARD or QR code.

BNI Visibility and Credibility Strategies

Jeremy discussed the importance of VCP (Visibility, Credibility, Profitability) in networking and BNI, emphasizing that visibility and credibility are crucial for building profitable relationships within and outside the chapter. He explained how BNI Connect and other platforms can help members increase their visibility and credibility globally, enabling them to expand their profitable relationships. Jeremy then demonstrated how members' profiles appear in various places, including BNI Connect, to showcase their visibility and credibility to other members.

BNI Profile Management Demonstration

Jeremy demonstrated how BNI members can create and manage their public profiles, which display contact information, roles, testimonials, and training history. He explained that these profiles appear on BNI Connect, regional websites, the national BNI website, and the mobile app, with members having the option to customize which details are visible.

BNI Profile Management Demonstration

Jeremy demonstrated how to update and manage profiles in BNI Connect and BNI Plus, including synchronizing information between the two platforms. He explained how to control profile visibility and privacy settings, such as hiding addresses by marking them as "by appointment only" or adjusting visibility on public websites. Jeremy also showed how BNI Plus can be used to replace PowerPoint presentations with synchronized profile information.

BNI Connect Profile Management Demo

Jeremy demonstrated how to manage profile visibility and contact settings in BNI Connect, explaining that members can control who can find them and what contact information is shared. He clarified that while BNI Connect initially restricted certain social media platforms, members can now add links to any website or social media platform, including Instagram, by removing the 's' from the URL and using HTTP instead. Jeremy also noted that the profile completion percentage may not reach 100% if minimum requirements for certain fields are not met, and announced that he would cover BNI Academy in next week's session.

BNI Connect Updates and Features

Jeremy discussed upcoming changes to BNI Connect, including the addition of a third field called "specialty" in member profiles, which will be introduced in the March 7th release and further explained on March 9th. He clarified that approximately 90% of BNI chapters have websites, which can be accessed through BNI Connect's regional website button. Jeremy also explained the differences between BNI Connect (the data system) and BNI Plus (the meeting software), noting that BNI Plus cannot be used with Microsoft Office 365 at this time.

BNI Academy Access and Updates

Jeremy explained that BNI Academy recordings would be available starting next week, and he advised checking with executive directors about BNI Plus access. He clarified that weekly presentations in member profiles allow members to share their introductions with a broader audience beyond their chapter meetings. Jeremy also demonstrated how to submit renewal applications and suggested contacting regional managers to help friends find appropriate BNI chapters.

BNI Platform Features and Updates

Jeremy led a discussion on various BNI platform features and functionality, addressing questions about member connections, privacy settings, and profile visibility. He clarified that while members can belong to multiple professions within BNI's 300 listed categories, cross-chapter connections and one-to-ones are encouraged as long as they are meaningful. Jeremy also explained that BNI Connect's default settings for connection requests only alert to the internal alert center, and members must manually enable email notifications. The discussion covered several platform updates, including the retirement of BNI Business Builder in favor of BNI Academy, and confirmed that while cross-chapter thank you notes show in the generating chapter's statistics, they do not appear in the receiving chapter's statistics as they represent revenue generated for another member.