Frequently asked Questions.......and Answers!.
 
What is mylocalnews.ie all about?
MyLocalNews.ie is a free community bulletin board for voluntary and non profit groups. If is like facebook for communities but uniquely, it is geographically based. This means you can go straight to your area. It is a user generated content site, i.e. you register your group, set up a profile and directly publish your news/information. If your news is already typed up, a simple copy & paste procedure is required. The site also helps local businesses to promote to their local audience and it helps individuals in the community, those living away from home or visitors to find out what is happening in the area.

What kinds of organisations are participating on the site?
Clubs and societies, groups and organisations from all sectors of local society e.g.
Sports,
Education
Church
Community Notes
Public Representatives
Arts/Clubs/Organisations
Local Authority etc etc.

How do I register with the site?
Go to the homepage www.mylocalnews.ie 
Click on the Register button at the top of the page
If you are an individual who wants to keep up to date with local news, click on the
I am a community user button
If you are head of a community group, select the I am a Community Group button
If you are a business owner and would like to list your business click on the I am a Business button
Then follow the simple login procedure
 
What are basic services on the site for;

Community groups

• Profile of your group
• News updates
• Have Your Say
• What’s On
• Comment on an article

• Have Your Say
• What’s On
• Comment on an article

• Free listing service
• Have Your Say
• What’s On

Can Businesses advertise on MyLocalNews.ie?
Yes. Local businesses can profile their business, advertise products or services in a banner advertisement, Premium or Classified listing for a small fee. Businesses can also run a promotion campaign.

What type of advertising can my business place on the site?                                                                                                                                     Premium Listing; This will profile your business in your town and county through a full description, photos, web link, etc. To maximise visitors to your page, you can also avail of the "Promotions" facility and the "What's On" service. You can run as many Promotions as you wish, however only one at any one time. the promotion will automatically come off the site once it reaches the expiratory date you set.     Banner advertising. This carries all the benefits of the above facility with the added attraction of being one of a limited number of businesses to feature on your page.

What are the advert specifications?                                                                                                                                                                                           Acceptable file types for banner adverts are; jpeg, jif or png.  Max size 32KB.  Dimensions; Top of page (468x60)  Side (120x240),  Bottom (234x60).  Banners can link to either web address or document, eg Word, PDF, Powerpoint

What are the benefits of putting the the details of my organisation on the site?
Common benefits are as follows;

• To promote your organisation locally
• Communicate your core message to your target audience.
• Announce forthcoming events
• Use the website as a fundraising tool.
• Use the website as a recruitment tool.
• Use the website to drive traffic to your own website.

Any advise regarding a headline?
You need a catchy headline,   All our feedback indicates that this is extremely important
e.g., ‘St Mary’s win epic semi final’.
‘Shannonside Camera Clun announce outing’ etc

We don’t have our own website.
Then simply set up a profile on MyLocalNews.ie & use it as your web page to get your messages to your target audience...at no cost!

How is the site being promoted?
Through two important channels.                                                                                                                                                                                               A. Google. When you search for the name of the registered community group or local business, it will have a very high ranking on Google. This is really important and will briong a whole new audience to your message.                                                                                                                          B. Referral. Local community groups and businesses refer the site to their circle, thereby increasing the audience to the site. 

We have our own website. Why should we also use this?
That’s great. But remember, not everyone will be aware of this or know your web address. When you register with MyLocalNews.ie your news appears on your town and county page alongside all the other local news thereby cross promoting all local groups & businesses that register in that town.  
Most organisations today use other websites to drive traffic to their own.
Even the biggest organisations with very sophisticated websites use independent recruitment websites to attract the best and brightest to work with them. The same principle applies here where www.mylocalnews.ie  will compliment your own website, introducing a whole new audience to your organisation and to your website. A win win!
 
Should I put a link to our website instead of attaching the latest news update?
People will log on to the site to get local NEWS. The organisations who receive the best response are those who make the effort to place regular updates on their page as well as on their own website.    Visitors are less likely to return to your page if it only contains a web link         

How do I maximise awareness of our presence on MyLocalNews.ie?

• Link your profile/news update to your Facebook page
• Refer it to all of your contacts in Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, eircon.net, etc.
• Place a link to www.mylocalnews.ie  on your website
• Mention www.mylocalnews.ie  each time in your printed newsletter  

Is this website linked to any media outlet?                                                                                                                                                                             No. It is a completely independent entity, solely established to encourage individuals to better connect with and get involved in their local community.

 
Is there a charge for participating?
NO. It is free for all non-profit making organisations.
Businesses can also register FREE.  They can also opt to advertise for which they pay a small fee.
 
 
So how then does the service pay for itself?
Through advertising. Local businesses want to advertise to their local target market.  www.mylocalnews.ie will allow them to do this in a very cost effective and creative manner. The advertisements will also be entirely independent of the news updates on the websites, having no influence over it’s content.       
 
Will the advertisements be appropriate to the audience of my page?
Absolutely. All adverts will adhere to the principles laid out in the Advertising Standards Authority. 

How secure is the information that I put on the site?
It is totally secure. You alone will have a unique password to amend and update your page on the site. Nobody else can access this page.
 
What defines a “User” of the site?
This depicts a person who visits the site solely to access information on his/her locality. He/she can send information to any of the “Community Group or Business but they do not have access to post news updates or events in “What’s on”.  
As a User they can however place information in the “Have Your Say”.

Can I UPGRADE to a Community Group or a local Business?                                                                                    
Yes, just login to your account and click on "Upgrade My Account".
 
Does it take much time to input my information?
Two minutes. The website is constructed to allow you to quickly access your page by inputting your password. After that, it is a simple matter of posting your information on the page. In almost all cases, this will already have been typed up, so it means that there is no duplication of effort. You simply cut and paste it.

How often can I update the information on my page?
As often as you like. There is absolutely no restriction. The more updated the information on your organisation, the more attractive it will prove to the visitor. This will ensure that visitors return time and again to your page.
 
Is there a limit of words that I can input in a NEWS item?.
No. This is the beauty of this service, compared to the print medium where you face restrictions.                                       
You are limited however to 200 words in the description in the "What's On" section.

How Can I edit my News Postings, Events in "What's On",  "Have Your Say" or "Coments"?
Login using your e-mail and address.
Click on "My Account".
Scroll down to the appropriate section on your Dashboard.
Change
Publish


What is "My Profile"?                                                                                                                                                                                       

This is a permanent and general description on the site of your organisation or business. It is separarate to your news postings and it is there to help the public to get a better understanding of who you are and the exact range of your services.

How do I change "My Profile" on the site.                                                                                                                                                          

Login to your account.                                                                                                                                                                                             

Click "Update Your Profile"                                                                                                                                                                                                  Edit                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
SAVE

How do I change my password?
Simple. Just log in to your account and go to ‘Update Your Profile’. You can change it on this page. remember to press SAVE
 
Will my contact details be passed on to a third party?
NO. Your contact details will be retained by the administrator of the website solely for the purposes of proper records maintenance. They will not be passed on to a third party for profit or otherwise.
 

Will visitors to the site be able to send me information?
Yes. They will be able to e-mail you details. Your name and e-mail address will be present on the page. Visitors too can comment on your article or your contribution in ‘Have Your Say’.
 
Will my contact details be made public?
You are a key contact for your business or community group and it is appropriate that locals know who you are and are able to contact you by e-mail and phone number.
 

Can I respond to correspondence online.
Absolutely. You simply press the e-mail reply button and script your response.

My town is not listed amongst the pre selected towns on the website!
We have also made every effort to list all the towns of note in your county.
If your town is not listed, you have two choices;

• Contact us and request that your town is listed.
• Register your organisation in the nearest town.

Can I create my page in more than one town?
No. Community groups must register in the town of your address.
The only exception to this are public representatives who will have an individual profile on a number of towns in his/her constituency or businesses who may wish to advertise in a number of towns.
 
I would like to register more than one community group. What do I do?
This is ok and it often arises.
Examples of this will be where the the local school principle may also be the secretary of the local sports club, etc. Multiple accounts can be facilitated, BUT you must have a seperate e-mail address for each. You therefore need to set up a new email address (hotmail, gmail, etc) specifically for the additional account.  You may however have the same password for all.

Can I change the details of my organisation on the site, eg,  phone number, fax, contact name, etc?
Yes. As many times as you want.

Can I change a news update?
Yes. Log in. Go to ‘My Account’. Scroll down to 'News Postings’. Click EDIT and SAVE.

How do I maximise awareness of our presence on MyLocalNews.ie?

• Link your profile/news update to your Facebook page
• Refer it to all of your contacts in Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, etc.
• Place a link to www.mylocalnews.ie   on your website
• Mention www.mylocalnews.ie  each time in your printed newsletter  

Where do my news updates in “Have your Say” or “What’s On” appear?
On your town page and on your county page.
 
How many promotions can a business run?
As many as you wish, BUT only one at any one time.
You can edit as often as you wish and change the deadline.
 
How can I get my business listing or promotion to the top of the list?.
Simply login to your account, update and save.
It goes straight to the top.

My Question is not addressed here!.                                                                                                                               
That's fine.  Just e-mail your question to info@mylocalnews.ie and we will be glad to help.