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1. What is openDemocracy?
openDemocracy.net is an online global magazine of politics and culture.
We publish clarifying debates which help people make up their own minds.
We seek the finest writing, the strongest arguments, the most compelling views and truthful voices on key issues, great and small, and encourage you to have your say in our discussion forums.
To find out more about openDemocracy, including information on funders, authors and the team, visit the About section of the website.
3. Why should I support openDemocracy?
openDemocracy offers material free for all with no subscription charge, in order to ensure that all current and potential readers - including those excluded by poverty - can benefit from and participate in our work.
openDemocracy relies on its readers?donations to remain independent and continue its work. We are a not-for-profit organisation and all funds we receive are put back into our work.
Many of our members are regular supporters and we hope you will join them.
4. What is a Future Pay agreement?
Your subscription is in the form of a Future Pay Agreement. This means that you are purchasing an ongoing subscription to openDemocracy.net. You will be billed monthly or annually, as per your selection at the time of payment, until such time as you request to cancel your subscription.
We will continue to provide you with access to www.opendemocracy.net and any attached subscriber benefits, and to deduct payments either monthly or annually from your nominated bank account, credit card or debit card until you inform us to the contrary.
It is your responsibility to inform us of any changes to the method of payment, account details or card expiry dates prior to the next scheduled payment after the change has been made. You can do this directly with our payment partner WorldPay using your specific WorldPay login and password (as emailed by WorldPay at the time of your first payment). You can also email opendemocracy@opendemocracy.net to inform of any changes.
Our payment partner WorldPay will email you if they are unable to deduct a scheduled payment for any reason. You are then responsible for rectifying the payment issue in order to continue accessing our services.
5. What is an openDemocracy member?
We know that there are many people who value our work and would love to subscribe but cannot - they live in countries where the cost of living makes $3/£2/€3 per month impossible, or where credit card transactions simply don't exist. That is why our published content is always available to read for free.
We make our content as widely accessible as possible but we ask that users sign up as members and join our community. By signing up, you will receive a weekly email update of the most recent content and you can post in our forums.
However, if $3/£2/€3 per month is really just small change to you, we ask that you support openDemocracy. As a not-for-profit organisation, the money we generate through donations is put straight back into funding editorial projects and keeping our site and running.
6. How do I become an openDemocracy member?
You can register as an openDemocracy member online. Just enter your email address and select a password. When you return to the site next time, make sure you sign in on the front page, or on one of the sign-in pages that appear when you click into an article.
If you experience problems registering or signing in, please email theo.edwards@opendemocracy.net.
7. What are PDFs?
PDF stands for 'portable document format' also known as an 'Acrobat' file, a filetype created by Adobe to readily publish and share high quality print documentation among different users. You can print or download PDF versions of openDemocracy's articles. To view these files you may need to download certain free software from www.adobe.com.
In addition, we compile a compendium of all available PDFs weekly and occasionally produce special compilations from our discussion forums. Click here to find out more.
8. How do I use discussion forums?
The forums are open and free to all members of the site. There is one forum for every debate on the site. In order to use the discussion forums on openDemocracy you need to be registered and signed in.
On the main discussion forums page you can see an overview of all member conversations across the site.
For more information on forums, click here.
9. What is the link between openDemocracy's comments feature and the forums?
openDemocracy has now launchedallows comments articles, so you can debate both in the forums and by adding comments directly after articles. If you want free-ranging discussion, with or without reference to openDemocracy content, the forums are still the place to go. But if an article provokes an opinion or idea, please comment!
10. What control do authors have on comments?
Individual authors will choose whether or not to accept comments, so those who are unlikely to read or respond can opt out rather than set up expectations. (Please remember that even those writers keen to see comments on their articles may not be able to devote time to replying, however much they'd like to.) Comment threads may also be locked once their moment has passed, so participants can move on to fresh discussions. We chose a selective rather than a blanket approach because we recognise that authors are as individual as readers, and need to work as such.
11. How do I add my comment?
To comment you need to register. Once registered, you can sign in to the site and the comment field will appear below articles available for comment, so you can enter your text. Once you have entered it, just click "post comment".
12. Is there anything I'm not allowed to say?
We welcome diverse opinions and responses to our material, and these should be framed within the requirements of our terms and conditions. If you have a point worth making, our terms and conditions will not prevent you making it.
13. Are comments moderated?
Comments that infringe our terms and conditions will be removed by a moderator. If you see an illegal or inappropriate comment, do please report it.
14. Why don't older articles have comments?
Comments tend to take place in "real time", when material is freshly published, topical and relevant, and while the author may be able to follow the discussion. You are still welcome to discuss older pieces in the forums - just add the relevant link to your post so readers can refer to it.
15. Why can't I comment on all articles?
Our authors can choose whether to accept comments after their articles - writers are as individual as readers and thus have different approaches to using the site. If you can't add a comment on an article, you can still debate it in the forums.
16. Why can't I add my comment to a recent thread?
Authors may "lock" comments once a particular discussion has had its moment, perhaps because they can no longer take part, or because the conversation has outlived its usefulness. All comments remain available to read, and you can make your new points in the forums, where members will be able to continue to read and respond - or you might prefer to join new discussions on other articles.
17. Will authors reply to comments?
Authors will follow comments and reply when they are able. However, some may not have time to reply, despite their interest in receiving them. We cannot make guarantees on our authors' behalf.
18. Why have comments as well as forums?
Comments are designed to permit direct discussion of articles, and to gather relevant responses in one place. You may also wish to have more wide-ranging discussions, or debates on different topics - and those belong in the forums.
19. How does the search engine work?
The search engine on openDemocracy checks all articles for your search words by title, text body, and author name.
Enter the name of the person, or a subject you are interested in the search field in the upper right hand corner of the site.
You can also perform an advanced search if you would like to search in specific themes, or within a certain date range.
There is a separate search engine for the discussion forums.
20. How do I unsubscribe from the openDemocracy emails?
You can unsubscribe from opendemocracy emails by logging into the site, and going to the My Account section, situated just below the search field in the top right hand corner of your browser. Here you can select not to receive weekly updates. Save any changes you make. By using this function, you should be removed from the list immediately. You will still be able to log in and browse the site.
In an effort to improve our services,it would be helpful if you let us know why you decide to unsubscribe from our emails.
If you have any problems being removed from the mailing list, please email theo.edwards@opendemocracy.net.
21. How do I change my email address or preferences?
You can change all and any of the details we hold for you by visiting the My Account section of the website. In your "My Account" area, you can:
- Choose which emails you'd like to receive;
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To access My Account, you must be signed in to the website. The link to My Account is located beneath the Search field in the top right hand corner of your browser.
22. Can I print/copy articles?
It is OK to print articles for your personal use. We create PDF versions of the majority of our articles which are only available to subscribers. If you are a member, you will need to subscibe to access these.
If you are a school, university, organisation, or institution wanting to use our content for teaching or distribution, you may need to buy a subscription. For further information about subscriptions, please contact Theo Edwards. It is illegal for you to photocopy articles for your students or colleagues without a subscription. You can inexpensively obtain group memberships, allowing staff and students full access to the site from a singularly administered account.
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