Forced data input, sortability, and email functionality, would really make this feature worthwhile.
First, if we add a custom field, can we not have the option of having the site check when people sign on to see if their field is empty, and if so force them to input the info before continuing on? This is very important if you want to collect data, like your member's states, but they have alread registered. Also, a simple admin checkbox that lets us require input of certain fields at registration would be nice.
Well can we sort our members by the custom field criteria and then generate a mass email from the results? For example, say i add the custom field "zip codes".
Now say I want to look up everybody in "orange county" which includes zip codes: 32585, 32584, 32586, 32587?
Would be nice to enter these zip codes in a box seperated by commas, generate a user list, and then broadcast email or PM those members (much like the email function works now)?
How about emailing everybody that doesn't have a certain word in a custom field, such as everybody that is not from the "United States"?
And what's more...what if you could set permissions for membergroups to be able to access specified fields and mass PM/email to generate user lists that they could then use to mass email? then you could have a high-level membergroup for example, be able to email the entire country, while a lower level membergroup might only be able to email a single zip.
What would be great, would be if the allowed membergroups could create the memberlist and send an email by entering the text of the email in a box, but never actually see the generated email address list of recipients (prevent email address theft and abuse).