Our Christmas gift to subscribers this year is our new Web site. We are very excited about it and believe you will find it informative and useful. Come visit us at: www.americamagazine.org. On our Web pages, you will find practically everything that is currently printed in the paper edition of America. But because this is the Web, we have attempted to make the browsing experience interactive.
After you read an editorial or article, for example, you can immediately write a letter to the editor that can be posted on the site. You will also be able to read letters that have already been posted in response to a particular item in the magazine. We will be able to publish many more letters on our Web site than we can possibly print in our magazine.
If you want to purchase a book reviewed in our pages, you can click on a link at the end of the review that will take you directly to a listing of that book at Amazon.com. We encourage you to reach Amazon.com in this fashion, because if you do, Amazon.com will pay us a small commission on your purchase.
One of the attractive features of the Web version of the magazine is the archive, where you can search through past issues of America. Our site has the most recent issues, and we provide a link to another site with a database that goes back to 1992.
In addition, there are features on the America Web site that are not in the printed edition. For example, five days a week you will be able to get News Briefs, a daily summary of news from Catholic News Service.
You will also be able to purchase books from the Catholic Book Club online. The Catholic Book Club, as you know, is a book-of-the-month club offered by America. These books are real bargains. Not only are they sold below the publisher’s price, but if you buy online using a credit card, there is no shipping charge. You can also sign up for a digital newsletter that will be sent to you by e-mail each month to inform you of the book club’s newest selection.
Finally, if you are not yet a subscriber, you can order a subscription online using a credit card. And if you are already a subscriber, you can change your postal address or start a (Christmas) gift subscription for someone else online.
That is the good news. The bad news is that the full content of these pages is available only to subscribers to our print edition. We wish we could make everything available to everyone at no cost, but if we did that, we would lose subscribers and not be able to pay our bills. In order to view the full text of items in the magazine you must log on as a subscriber.
We have tried to make this as simple as possible. First, make sure that you have handy a recent issue of America with your mailing label on it. Then go to our home page, www.americamagazine.org. On the home page you will see the cover of the most recent issue along with the table of contents and the first few lines of text of each item. Click on the item in the table of contents that you want to view. You will then be taken to a page with the message, To see the full text, you must be a subscriber. If you are a subscriber, click here to log in.
After you click, you will be taken to the log-on page, where you will be asked for your user name and password. The first time you do this, you are not yet a registered user, so click the box below OR and type in your account number, which you will find on your mailing label. Click Submit and give yourself a username and password. The next time you visit America’s site, enter these when required for access to the full text. (If you forget them, you can repeat the registration process, using your account number, and give yourself new ones.) After you have created a user name and password, you will be returned to America’s home page, from which you can then access the full text of items in the magazine.
Merry Christmas, and happy browsing.
As an America subscriber, I appreciate the ability to counter the sometimes spotty postal service delivery of my issue by being able to read it online and get past articles.
As a Web developer, I like the clean and intuitive design and the special, well-considered touches, such as being able to respond to an article or read others' responses.
As a Catholic, I look forward to being able to share America articles with others by directing them to the site.
And as a parish webmaster, I have a suggestion: could you make available banners/buttons that I and others like me could use on our sites to link to your site and help you spread the news and get additional subscribers?
Again, kudos on a job well done!
Editor's response: Good idea. We will work on developing banners/buttons.
I subscribe to The Economist, and its site encourages subscribers to forward articles via e-mail to others.
I think America would generate new subscribers if we current subscribers could e-mail articles to this potential new readership. Once non-subscribers experience articles that their subscriber friends select for their interest, it seems likely this selective exposure will tend to peak their interest in enjoying the magazine with their own subscription, rather than wait for our largesse.
Think about it.
Thank you for your work.
Also, having the daily news briefs and the ability to order books through the site should be very helpful.
I subscribe to The Economist, and its site encourages subscribers to forward articles via e-mail to others.
I think America would generate new subscribers if we current subscribers could e-mail articles to this potential new readership. Once non-subscribers experience articles that their subscriber friends select for their interest, it seems likely this selective exposure will tend to peak their interest in enjoying the magazine with their own subscription, rather than wait for our largesse.
Think about it.
Thank you for your work.
Also, having the daily news briefs and the ability to order books through the site should be very helpful.
As an America subscriber, I appreciate the ability to counter the sometimes spotty postal service delivery of my issue by being able to read it online and get past articles.
As a Web developer, I like the clean and intuitive design and the special, well-considered touches, such as being able to respond to an article or read others' responses.
As a Catholic, I look forward to being able to share America articles with others by directing them to the site.
And as a parish webmaster, I have a suggestion: could you make available banners/buttons that I and others like me could use on our sites to link to your site and help you spread the news and get additional subscribers?
Again, kudos on a job well done!
Editor's response: Good idea. We will work on developing banners/buttons.