Dear readers,
This is a follow-up the March 15 announcement that the Lincoln Squirrel will be rolling out improvements and also charging $3.99 per month as of April 1. Thank you to everyone who sent thoughtful queries and comments. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions. As always, email me at lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com if you need more information about something.
Q: Why is the Squirrel going to become a paid-subscriber site?
A: One reason is that there are costs associated with running the Squirrel, such as paying for a higher grade of web hosting to avert future crashes (we took this step just today!), a web developer to do periodic “under-the-hood” repairs and upgrades, the MailChimp service that compiles each day’s posts and sends them out to subscribers, etc. The other reason is that I’m hoping that the extra income will allow me to devote more time to working on the Squirrel and eventually making it my primary focus.
Q. What’s going to change and when?
A: When you go to the Lincoln Squirrel website on April 1, you’ll see an updated design with the same news and links as before, but also a new “Subscription” link. For the first few days, the site will still be completely free, but you should click the subscription link to become a paid subscriber so you’ll keep getting the Squirrel links in your email once the site goes behind the paywall. I’ll let you know a day or two in advance, but I expect that will happen on or about April 6.
Q: I’m already a free email subscriber to the Squirrel. Will I keep getting the daily emails with links to Squirrel stories after April 1?
A: Everyone who is now an email subscriber will keep getting the daily emails. However, if you have not signed up as a paid subscriber after about April 6 and you click on one of the story links in your email, you’ll see just the first sentence or two of the story and two buttons saying “Login” and “Subscribe.” Those who access the Squirrel website directly from their browsers will see the same thing.
Q: If I don’t become a paid subscriber right away, can I read anything for free?
A: Similar to the New York Times and other news websites, you’ll be able to read few articles for free (in this case, five articles per month) before you have to subscribe. Everyone also has unlimited access to the calendar on the Squirrel website.
Q: How exactly do I subscribe?
A: On April 1 or any time after that, click on the “Subscribe” link at the bottom of any story (or at the top of the web page, click on “Subscriptions”) to create a Squirrel account with a password and authorize your automatic monthly payment of $3.99 (more on that below). The first time you read a Squirrel article, you’ll click on the a then log on with your password once. If you check the “Remember me” box, you won’t have to log on every time you want to read the Squirrel on that device unless there are changes—for example, if you get a new computer/smartphone/iPad, change web browsers, clear your computer’s cookies, etc.
Q: What if I don’t have a PayPal account?
A: When you click on the “Subscribe” link, you will be asked to either log in to an existing PayPal account or create one if you don’t have one already. This is as simple as entering your name, email address, and credit card or checking account information (if you’d rather have your monthly fee drawn directly from your bank account), and it has to be done only once.
Q: Is PayPal secure for storing my credit card information?
A: PayPal is well known for keeping data secure and encrypted. This Investopedia.com article advises that when given a choice, you should use PayPal rather than using just your credit card, and likewise not to link it to your bank account. This article talks about how PayPal encrypts data and points out that having your information on PayPal isn’t any less secure than using a personal check (which has your name, account number and routing number on it) or making a one-time purchase with a credit card online.
Also, it’s actually safer to link your PayPal account to your credit card rather than to your checking account, because if someone gets fraudulent access to your PayPal account and your bank information is there, they can drain your account and you only have PayPal’s fraud protections (which are very good anyway). If you use a credit card, you get fraud protections from both PayPal and your credit card company.
As with any website, the best way to protect yourself is to pick a password that’s hard to guess, and not to use the same password for multiple websites.
Q: Can I pay by check?
A: If you are strongly opposed to having automatic charges from your credit card or checking account via PayPal, you can pay by paper check for a full year’s subscription, which will cost $48.00. Please email lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com for details.
Q: Can other people in my household read the Squirrel?
A: The monthly fee technically applies to one subscriber email address, but as a practical matter, the subscriber could share his or her email address and Squirrel password with others in the same household so everyone in the family could read the Squirrel. I’m trusting people not to abuse it and share passwords with their neighbors and others.
Q: Can I still send occasional articles to friends and family who aren’t subscribers?
A: As mentioned above, everyone may read up to five articles per month for free, so you can send up to five links per month to non-subscribers and they will be able to read the articles.
Q: What happens if I lose my password?
A: The Lincoln Squirrel has no access to passwords, so you’ll have to log in and click “Forgot password” to have a temporary new password emailed to you (afterwards, you can change it to whatever you like).
Q: Can I read legal notices about upcoming public hearings, etc., in the Lincoln Squirrel?
A: Yes. The Squirrel has started publishing notices of upcoming land-use hearings (see examples here and here) and will continue to do so regularly.
Alice I hope everyone in Lincoln subscribes and you can become a full-time Squirrel hunter/reporter.