RBC — Those of you who frequent the Internet edition of the Herald Times know we only post an abbreviated collection of stories and photos on the Web — the entire print edition has not been available for online viewers. One of the most frequent questions we hear is, “How can I see online all the stories and photos you have in the printed newspaper?” Very soon, you’re going to be able to do just that.
The Herald Times will soon have a way for our thousands of online readers (and, yes, there are thousands across the globe who keep up with Rangely, Meeker, Dinosaur and Rio Blanco County each week) to subscribe to an electronic edition. Subscribers to the online edition will get a unique name and password to access the “members only” area. There will continue to be “free” areas of the Web site which can be accessed through the navigation bar on the left of the screen.
Get Everything the Print Edition Has and More
This edition will be a page-by-page replica of the printed edition made available to you in PDF form at our Web site. You’ll see all the stories, all the photos and all of the local advertisements. In addition, the service we are using to bring you this new feature allows for Web site addresses to be “hot” — you can click on them in the PDF edition and go right to the referenced site. If that is a business that advertised its local Web site or a URL in a story, the handy feature will allow you to quickly click over to that site.
Fully Searchable
Another terrific perk of the electronic edition is that it is fully searchable. If you are looking for a GMC pickup, you can type those words into the search screen and references to “GMC pickup” will be noted in advertisements or news stories. If you want to quickly search for references to your grandchild, just type in the last name to see where he or she was noted in that edition.
Available the Day of Publication
In addition, for the hundreds of you who live outside of Rio Blanco County and get the print edition each week, this is an exciting option for you as well. Not only is the subscription to the online edition more than 30 percent cheaper than receiving the out-of-county print edition, it’s available to you much faster. You no longer have to wait 2-3 weeks on the U.S. Post Office to see the local news. We know many of you are frustrated with the delivery of your newspaper, so now you can get access to the paper on the Thursday it is published.
Access to 90 Days of Publications
With your subscription to the electronic edition, you also get access to 90 days worth of newspapers for no additional charge. We are in an ongoing process of getting the 120 years of Rio Blanco County newspapers in an electronic form. If you want access to editions older than 90 days, there are additional fees to access those online. If you want to search the archives manually, the Herald Times remains available at the local libraries.
Subscription Rates for the Electronic Edition
The rate for an electronic subscription for 12-months is $24. The rate for a print-only subscription for those living out-of-county but still in the U.S., is still $35. If you live in Rio Blanco County, the postal rates are cheaper, so the subscription rate for the print edition is still only $25. If you are interested in a six- or three-month online subscription, or if you are interested in information about the “combo” deal for print and electronic subscribers (something you “snowbirds” have asked about), visit us at www.theheraldtimes.com or give us a call at (970) 878-4017.
For those of you who are asking the logical question of “Why do I have to start paying for the online edition when I’ve been getting it for free?” the answer is simple. We know many of you have wanted the full edition with all the stories, photos and ads. We’ve heard your request. The investment to implement and maintain that technology isn’t cheap and the cost helps offset that. In addition, it’s only reasonable to have a fee for the online edition since those who buy the print edition have been paying for their version.
We’re excited about the new option for the readers of our online edition. It brings a host of new features to your fingertips. A variety of other newspapers in the region are implementing the same technology and they’ve had positive feedback. We hope you enjoy it, too.
