FAQs:
Q: Why do I have to pay to see the complete online edition?
A: As usual, a selection of articles, stories, features and photos remain free on www.thecountrytoday.com . For readers who want the COMPLETE* newspaper, but would like it delivered via computer rather than thru the mail, we have this option. The advantage is that the online version has a very powerful search capability along with access to the past 90 days of The Country Today, making it a terrific value for a nominal subscription price.
Q: How much does it cost?
A: Readers can choose from two subscription options; 6 months for $15 or one year for $25. All subscribers will have access to this week’s The Country Today as well as issues from the previous 90 days. Plus, subscribers will have access to the newspaper on Tuesday evening instead of waiting for the mail delivery!
Q: How do I sign up?
A: When you click on the link for the “Complete Online Edition” in the lower left hand side of www.thecountrytoday.com you will be taken to a page that has a spot to enter a user name and password. If you are not already a subscriber to the online edition, you need to click on the blue bar that says “subscribe here” to set up your service. That will take you to a screen where you enter your name and other information in a secure form. Just above the credit card area you will find a drop down menu to choose one year or 6 months service. (you will also see an options for a two day pass to our archives, from current edition back to March, 2004. This is another fee-based service.) You will receive a user name and password to be used during the term of service you’ve chosen.
Q: What is included with a subscription?
A: Lots. You will have access to view a .pdf image of each page of this week’s The Country Today along with the past three months of The Country Today…perfect for going back and checking on a story or advertisement. You also will be able to search those issues by word or phrase and can even get results if you don’t know the exact spelling of a word. Search results bring up the page with the word you searched for highlighted for easy recognition. Once there, you will also be able to view the rest of the pages from that issue. Free standing inserts/flyers are not included.
Q: Is there a tutorial?
A: When you arrive at the subscription page, you may click on the “DEMO” button and you will have access to a sample issue of The Country Today and can utilize the full search functions within that issue to get an idea of what waits for subscribers. Be sure to click on the “SHOW HELP” button (on the left) once you are in the DEMO issue and a help window will appear that explains whatever your mouse rolls over. For an advanced search experience, click on the “SHOW OPTIONS” button.
Q: If I’m a The Country Today printed newspaper subscriber, do I get a free or reduced subscription to the online pdf version?
A: At this time, no. This service is being provided by an outside company that has developed the technology to archive and rapidly search thousands of pdf pages and deliver the results in a very user friendly method. They “host” the pages on their website, meaning they are incurring the costs of bandwidth usage and access. To add all of The Country Today’s print subscribers to that process would increase expenses greatly and those costs would have to be met with price increases elsewhere.
Q: Can I view this edition with dial-up Internet service?
A: Yes and no. Yes, it is possible for dial-up service customers to view the files, but at a much, much longer time to load each image. To search and view this online edition to its full capabilities, users should be connected using a broadband, higher speed Internet access service.
Q: I looked at a few pages and then my computer screen locked up. What’s up?
A: This online edition is viewed using the free Adobe Reader program. If it is not already installed on your computer, there is a link on our sign up page or at www.adobe.com/products/reader/ . Once installed, there are a few settings that need to be made to maximize your The Country Today Online edition experience. Instructions for these settings are on our online edition sign up page under the button that says:
Click For Important Technical Notes.
Q: Will I have to log in each time I want to view or search?
A: The system uses “cookies”, which are small data files in your computer’s memory that allows the program to remember you. If your cookies are enabled, you will enter your username/password once the first time and from then on you’ll just have to click a button to enter. If you clear your cookies from time to time, you will have to enter the username/password when prompted.
Q: What if I have problems with the program?
A: On the sign up page, there is a button for emailed questions.
Q: When is each week’s The Country Today posted to the site?
A: Under normal circumstances, the complete online edition pages should be available for viewing Tuesday evenings. This is much sooner than the traditional, mailed copies.
Q: Are all of the advertising flyers included?
A: No, this edition only features the news and classified ad pages and the special sections that The Country Today staff creates. At this time, standalone inserts/flyers that are shipped to us for insertion are not included in this pdf subscription.
Q: If I subscribe to the Online Edition, do I have access to the older archives, too?
A: As an online daily subscriber, you will have access to this week’s edition AND the past 90 days of The Country Today. Archives going back (currently) to March of 2004 are available for an additional fee and need to be subscribed to on a per-time basis. If you can’t get back to the original sign up page, you need to clear your cookies so that our archives link can reset to the original page, where the archives options are shown in the Subscribe Here button.
Q: Will older archives be available?
A: At this time, our pdf archives go back to March of 2004. Efforts are underway to include older The Country Today archives, but there is no definite timetable on when that will be completed.
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