Welcome to the iBrattleboro Help Page. Please bear with us as we fine tune and improve this section. If you have other questions or feedback, email us at info@ibrattleboro.com.
What is this iBrattleboro thing?
iBrattleboro.com is an online community news website written by and for the people of Brattleboro and surrounding towns. The site began in February of 2003. It is a place to share the “talk of the town,” a virtual meeting place to write about local stories, comments, announcements, events, news, and creative work. Help document what happens where you live and share what you know.
The best term we have heard for this is “citizen journalism” – and you are the citizen journalist.
Why?
People need to have a voice in their community and are capable of sharing useful information without it being filtered by an editor.
Cover local news and write history by sharing what you know, see, do, and hear about.
Can anyone participate?
If you have a local story to tell, this is the place. Registered users can submit a story, events, photos, or links. We ask that it be of interest to Brattleboro and southern Vermont, of course, and we hope everyone is polite. Over 30,000 people use the site each month on average. Join in!
Parents! Do not let your children use this site without your permission. Teach them not to reveal personal information about themselves. You must determine as to whether this site is appropriate for your child.
Please review the site Policies for more information
How do I register?
You can sign up by clicking HERE. We suggest using a variation on your real name. (JohnSmith, JSmith, or JohnS)
How do I contribute to iBrattleboro?
Login, then click on the following links to add a story, to add an event, to add a photo, or to add a link. All of these options are available on every page in green text in the upper green bar of the site.
Click here to submit a classified ad. This link is also found in the Classifieds section of the site.
What can I contribute?
That depends on you. We’d like to see stories about subjects that interest you. Share your expertise. You can write a story or a poem. You can review movies, concerts, and plays. Share how you made something, or interview a neighbor. Tell everyone about a recipe you made or meeting you attended. Spread the word about an upcoming event. Contribute your wit or opinions. Make it local.
Write a story by describing it the way you would in a letter or diary entry, so someone far away, or years from now, can read it and fully understand what you meant to say.
You can also add your comments to what has already been written.
It may sound corny, but you put the “i” in iBrattleboro.
Please review the site Policies for more information.
Please, no classified ads, job postings, or things that resemble ads as story submissions. They are not stories. We have places for them.
Will you add or cover my event for me?
Probably not. The site is made for YOU to add Brattleboro news, information, events, opinions, and stories. There is so much going on that we couldn’t keep up with all the requests.
Can I cut and paste an entire article from somewhere else?
No. Not without permission of the author. That’s not fair use. You can include an excerpt and link to the full story, though, if it seems relevant. We like when credit and attention is given to those that do the work.
An aside, we really want you to be writing the news. We know there are other sites that have interesting things on them. If you really want to link to something, write about why you are suggesting people visit the site. Provide a summary of what they will find when they get there. Tie it in to something local. You should be writing more than you are quoting.
You may consider not linking to major news publications at all, as they feel it is stealing from them.
Please review the site Policies for more information.
I submitted something, but I didn’t show up right away. Where is it?
We take a quick look at all story, event, ad, link, and other submissions before they go up. Most items will be viewable within 24 hours.
If it is unsigned, not local, unoriginal, seems like an ad, or otherwise violates the spirit of this site we may not publish it. Please contact us if your story submission isn’t up within 24 hours.
Frequently, unsigned pieces have opinions and we hold them until we hear from the author. We have no way to contact an author if you didn’t login. We don’t have ESP. Sign your work, or contact us and tell us why the story should be considered as whistleblowing.
Are there editors?
You are your own editor. Brattleboro web developers, MuseArts, Inc., own the site and acts as moderators, as well as contributors. Authors should assume there are no editors, so check your spelling and facts, or someone may comment and correct you! We do not edit comments.
Do you edit things we send in?
We look stories over, and sometimes correct spelling and spacing so it displays nicely. We do reserve the right to NOT publish something, or to delete things that have already been posted. We may add an editors note. We may rearrange things slightly. In general, what you submit is what goes up. We don’t edit for content or point of view. e may edit titles to be more descriptive.
Please review the site Policies for more information.
Can I edit my own submissions?
Yes, if you have been logged in. You will get an edit icon next to your submissions, so feel free to make additions and corrections as needed.
I want to submit a video…
We like local videos. You can use YouTube, Vimeo, and similar web video services to embed videos to any story or comment.
Look for instructions at the video hosting site for “embedding” and be sure to post your submission as Advanced HTML.
How do I add an event to the main calendar?
Log in and click on Contribute > Event.
Can I add recurring events?
Yes. Add the event as if it were happening a single day, then use the Repeat menus to tell the calendar how this event repeats. You have a lot of control.
Who is responsible for what I read?
Ultimately, you are responsible for what you read. The submissions and comments are the property and responsibility of the person who wrote it.
I’m having trouble with iBrattleboro…
We don’t want that to happen, so please let us know what we can do to make it better. Send an e-mail to info@ibrattleboro.com We can help you with lost passwords and other problems you may be having.
Can I be interviewed?
Sure, if you live around Brattleboro. Send us an e-mail and tell us three or four things you’d like us to ask you about. You can send it to: info@ibrattleboro.com
Are you a big out of town company collecting local e-mail addresses?
Hardly. MuseArts is two people who live in Brattleboro, and we promise we aren’t collecting or selling e-mail addresses or other personal data. We make web sites. You probably know us. If you don’t, we’d be happy to meet you someday.
Why are there old, out of date things on the site?
Older articles and stories are left on the site as an archive. If you wrote something and would like it deleted, let us know, and we’ll consider your request. In general, we leave things up.
Archive-It.org has a complete archive of the original iBrattleboro site available. So do other sites. Deleting something here does not get rid of it from the internet.
Someone is saying something bad about me.
This happens from time to time in life. Tempers flare and discussions get heated. If you feel that something on this site is damaging to you personally, let us know. Please report your concerns in a timely manner. Waiting months or years makes it difficult to rectify.
Please review the site Policies for more information.
Can I change the way the comments are displayed?
Yes. You can change views in any story you are reading – look under the purple box under the original story for the pull down menu, then click “save settings.”
Your choices are:
- flat – collapsed (comments are displayed justified left, as titles only)
- flat – expanded (comments are justified left and show as titles and comments)
- threaded – collapsed (comments are indented as grouped, shown as titles only)
- threaded – expanded (comments are indented as grouped, and show as titles and comments)
You can also change the order (oldest or newest first) and how many are shown per page (from 10 – 300).
Can I help support the site?
Yes. You can buy an ad or make a donation to help cover the ongoing monthly expenses. One option is for a contribution amount of your choosing, the other is for an ongoing $5 monthly subscription.
Thanks in advance! We rely on your support.
Do you sell ads?
Yes. Click HERE to learn about advertising options and prices. Over 30,000 people visit the site each month.
Do you have classified ads?
Yes. Basic ads are free, too. Click to visit our Classifieds section
We run a news organization and we are fascinated by what is happening in Brattleboro on this site. Can we hire you as consultants? Please?
Yes. We do media consultation for select clients. Send an email to info@ibrattleboro.com and let us know what you would like to discuss. We like to talk about media and technology and can help give you a fresh, outside perspective to what you are doing.
Will you run a site like this for our town?
We’d be happy to help you set up a site, but local sites need local owners and management to succeed.
