mywindsornow.com FAQ

The site you are currently viewing, mywindsornow.com, is not a single purpose site. In order to help you understand the wide array of features, functions and destination locations on mywindsornow.com, please find your question in the list of those frequently posed by our readers.

FAQ Topics:

Site registration
Sending news and information
Finding stuff
Event calendar
Blogging and commenting
Photos and videos
Technical issues
Advertising

Site Registration

Do I have to register to read mywindsornow.com?
No. mywindsornow.com is open to all unregistered users. By registering on the site, you are able to use our many features of our online community.

Do I have to use my real name when registering?
No, but we think you'll be a more respected member of the online community if you do. Our readers tend to put more value into the opinion of a "real person" rather than someone using an anonymous screen name to mask their identity.

Why do I have to give my e-mail address?
Our registration system automatically verifies each account via your e-mail account. If you do not receive this verification e-mail, your account will not become active. Also, our site moderators may need to contact you regarding your activity on the site. Accounts that do not respond to moderators e-mail messages may be disabled.

Does the account for commenting and blogging work for classifieds?
No. Our commenting system does not require us to collect payment information from you, but our classifieds system does. Because of this, we ask you to maintain two separate logins to each portion of the site. You are welcome to use the same account name and password for these systems, if you choose.

Sending us news and information

How do I submit my news?
We offer several forms that will help you submit many items, from letters to the editor to wedding, anniversary and engagement announcements. You can access these forms by clicking on the "contribute" link at the top of any mywindsornow.com page.

How do I submit a classified ad?
If you'd like to place a classified ad for both mywindsornow.com and The Union (print edition) you can simply click on the "Classifieds" tab, located in the upper right corner of the page. From here, you will see several options for placing your classified ad through our online classified system

How do I submit photos?
There are a few different ways to submit photos. Our online galleries are open to all users for photo submissions, available on the "Photos + Videos" tab in our menu bar, then click on the "your phots" link. Select the most appropriate gallery we offer and follow the few simple steps for uploading your photos. If you are using one of our forms for a press release or announcement, many of these forms will also accept a photo when appropriate.

Why won't the system take my photos?
Please check out the "Photos and Videos" F.A.Q. section below.

Finding stuff

How do I search mywindsornow.com?
mywindsornow.com does offer a "site search" on every page. Look for it in the right side of the photo at the top of the site. This search function will scour news stories, classified postings, readers' comments, blog posts and our event calendar. If you'd like to simply search our published news stories, click on the "Archives" link at the very top of any page. This link will narrow down the search to just published news and allows searching by specific day.

Are there any tips for better searches?
Yes! Be sure to give the search system some specific information, like the subject's name in an article. Avoid commonly used terms, like city names or school names unless you're looking for very recent results. Try placing both first and last name for a subject in quotes, like "John Doe" so the system will only look for instances where those two words appear together.

Can I use another search engine?
Yes! Many search engines offer an "advanced search" feature that will restrict results to only one Web site. Google allows you to do it directly from the search bar by placing "site:mywindsornow.com" directly in your search words.

Event calendar

How do I submit an event to mywindsornow.com?
On most pages there is a "Submit an Event" link in close proximity to our Event Calendar. Simply clicking on this link will launch a form that will guide you through the event submission process. Please give us an accurate street address for your event, as readers use the online calendar's map to get directions to events.

I submitted an event but need it canceled or altered. Can I do that?
Yes! When you submitted your event, an e-mail was sent confirming that we received that event. On the e-mail, there is a "withdraw this event" link that allows you to remove the item from the calendar. If there are errors or changes to the event, the easiest and fastest way to make corrections is to simply withdraw the event and resubmit it the online calendar.

Do events submitted to the online calendar get into print?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Our print calendars in My Windsor Now do not have unlimited space like the online calendars. Because of this, only a select number of events make it into print. To increase the chances of your event being printed in My Windsor Now, submit a press release through our online forms in addition to submitting the event to the online calendar. The forms are accessible through the "Contribute" link at the top of any mywindsornow.com page.

Blogging and commenting

Do I have to register to blog or comment?
Yes. Please click on the "Become a Member" link near the upper right hand side of any page if you'd like to leave a comment on an article or start your own blog.

Who can blog on the site?
Anyone! Well, anyone who agrees to abide by our site's Terms of Use. Once registered for the site, you are welcome to leave comments on any article or start your own mywindsornow.com blog.

My comments were deleted! Why?
The most likely case is that your comment was reported by another user on the site and, when compared to our site's terms of use, it was in violation and therefore removed. If your comment has a message stating it is "blocked," then the comment is not permanently deleted, but rather in a queue for consideration. Once comments are deleted, the decision is final. Consider deleted comments as a soft warning. Users who repeatedly have comments removed may be placed in a probation system where all comments must be approved before becoming public or you may be banned from the site altogether.

How do I report abusive comments?
We ask our readers to keep an eye out for inappropriate content submitted by their peers. If you see a comment that is abusive, click the "Report Abuse" link directly below the comment in question. A simple form will pop-up. Please fill out this form explaining why you think the comment is abusive. This will alert our moderators to consider the comment for removal.

Is there a limit to the size of my comment?
Yes, there is. We limit comments to 950 characters long. There is a counter directly above the commenting box to help you keep track. If you'd like more room to post, you are welcome to post unlimited length and even add photos on a blog.

Can I edit or delete my own comments?
No, you cannot. We consider the comments attached to any item on mywindsornow.com to be "public conversation" and therefore cannot be retracted. Also, responding to comments that may change or disappear would be an unsatisfying experience to other readers. Only comments that are reported as abusive and/or violate our site's Terms of Use will be blocked or removed, and no comments can be edited by the moderators or readers. If you wish to have publishing control for your words, our blogging platform offers you complete control to edit and delete what you've written. Otherwise, we recommend that all readers consider their statements before pressing the "submit" button.

Photos and videos

Can I post photos to mywindsornow.com?
Yes, we love for readers to send in their photos. To find the directory of photo galleries for reader photos, click on the "your photos" link under the "Photos + Videos" tab, just below the logo on any page of mywindsornow.com.

The system won't take my photo. What's up?
There are many reasons why your photo may not upload, but the two most common are as follows. Some readers on dial-up internet service don't have the speed necessary to send a large file our way. If the file upload takes too long, the connection is broken and the upload fails. Also, our system sets a 2 megabyte cap on photo file sizes. In both situations, reducing file size will help. While there are many ways to do this, a free program called Picasa from Google can help in doing this. Macintosh users should be albe to reduce file size using iPhoto. For a tutorial on how to easily reduce your file size, see this eHow article.

Will my photo be used in My Windsor Now?
It's possible. To increase your chances, please write a thoughtful caption and include the name and hometown of the photographer in the caption.

Are photos screened before they appear on the site?
Absolutely. All photos and videos pass a moderator's desk before becoming visible on the site.

Can I submit videos?
We do have a video gallery on mywindsornow.com for reader videos. Whether it is a home video of something funny, a video of a school sporting event or play, or just something you thought was interesting, click on the "your videos" link under the "Photos + Videos" tab to get started.

Technical issues

Is my computer too old or too slow?
Probably not. Almost any computer that is connected to the internet should be able to view news and photos on mywindsornow.com. For optimal viewing of this Web site, we recommend that your browser have the latest version of Adobe's Flash Player, that your browser has javascript enabled and your browser will accept cookies. Also, some features of the site may not work in Internet Explorer if the browser's security settings are above "medium" settings.

What internet browsers work best?
mywindsornow.com is designed to work with Internet Explorer 6 and later stable versions as well as Mozilla Firefox 2 and later stable versions. Other browsers generally display the site well enough to use, but many features like commenting, blogging, and uploading photos or videos may not work as desired or may not work at all.

Advertising

Can I place an ad on mywindsornow.com? Yes, absolutely. We offer two main advertising opportunities on mywindsornow.com. Our classified ads can be booked and managed online. Click on the "Classifieds" tab in the upper right corner to get started. Our banner ads are for sale too. Contact your advertising sales representative for more information.

Will you do a link exchange?
No, we won't. We will oftentimes place links to Web sites within our news coverage, but we do not exchange links by request.