Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dordogne Today?How often is the news updated?
Can you tell me when there are new articles or adverts on the site?
How does the news feed work and what is RSS?
I've got a news story or a press release, will you publish it?
How do I write a letter to the editor?
How do I comment on a news article?
How do you decide which comments are displayed?
How do I remove a comment?
How do I report inappropriate, offensive or illegal content?
Is the advertising service really free?
How do I submit an advert?
How long can my advert be?
Am I allowed to advertise the same thing more than once?
What am I allowed to advertise?
How long will my advert be displayed for?
How can I get my advert on the front page?
I sold my car / house / other thing I advertised. How do I remove the advert?
How do you protect my privacy?
How do I know you won't send me spam?
Can I use your content for my website / magazine / other publication?
Will you put my link on your pages in return for a reciprocal link?
What is Dordogne Today?
Dordogne Today is an online newspaper designed for English speaking residents of and visitors to the Dordogne in South-Western France. There is a range of excellent English language publications available, but they tend to focus on the 'lifestyle' aspects of French living and practical assistance with the administration. We believe that residents and visitors are perfectly aware of the lifestyle benefits and will soon become familiar with administrative procedures. However, many people have little or no access to the French news media and therefore have little access to 'hard' news. We intend to change that by providing all the news relevant to English speaking people in the Dordogne, whether 'good' or 'bad'.
How often is the news updated?
Unlike a conventional newspaper, an online publication has no fixed deadlines so news can be added at any time. We strive to add news as soon as possible after it breaks, which could mean some pages being updated more frequently than others.
Can you tell me when there are new articles or adverts on the site?
We certainly can if you subscribe to the News and Advertising feeds. These are RSS feeds, a type of news feed. Your web browser will then inform you when new articles or adverts appear on the site. Alternatively you can follow us on Twitter for regular updates and breaking news. These services are free of charge.
How does the news feed work and what is RSS?
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary" and is a means of disseminating frequently updated content such as news. When you are viewing the Dordogne Today site you will see a 'feed icon' appear in your toolbar or address bar. It looks like this:
Click on the icon, select the feed you want to subscribe to and follow the instructions. If you are using Google Chrome you will have to install a (free) extension in order to be able to view feeds. Go to the Extensions Site to select a suitable extension.I've got a news story or a press release, will you publish it?
We are always looking out for interesting news for our readers. We are happy to accept press releases, news ideas or complete articles. Please see our contact page for details of how to submit them.
How do I write a letter to the editor?
If you need to contact the editor you may do so on the contact page. However, if you are writing to comment on an article in Dordogne Today, then you should do so using the comments system. This allows you to comment on a news item and for that comment to appear immediately beneath the relevant article.
How do I comment on a news article?
In order to comment on a news story, scroll to the bottom of the article. There you will find any comments which have already been posted and beneath that a form to post your own comment. Complete the form and press the 'Submit' button and your comment will be uploaded immediately.
How do you decide which comments are displayed?
All comments are displayed in chronological order, with the most recent first. The first two comments on an article are displayed underneath the article and the remainder can be accessed by clicking the 'All comments' link. No editorial control is normally excercised over the comments except to remove those which we deem to be inappropriate or offensive. Please see our terms and conditions for more information.
How do I remove a comment?
You cannot normally remove your own comments or those of other readers once they have been posted. However, if you think a comment should be removed because it contravenes our terms and conditions, then please contact us to let us know. Will we take all such requests seriously.
How do I report inappropriate, offensive or illegal content?
Please go to our contact page and follow the instructions. We will attempt to remove all such content as soon as it is drawn to our attention, however we take no responsibility for the views expressed by readers of and advertisers on the site.
Is the advertising service really free?
Yes, advertisements can be placed free of charge on the free ads page. The advertisements at the side of the pages are provided by Google and their partners and are not included in the free ads service.
How do I submit an advert?
To submit an advert, complete the form on the free ads page. You may upload one photograph to accompany your advert. If your advert is accepted by the submission system then it will be displayed immediately.
How long can my advert be?
The maximum length for an advert on the free ads pages is 300 characters, including spaces and punctuation marks. This is to give all advertisers a fair amount of space for their advert.
Am I allowed to advertise the same thing more than once?
In general this would be considered 'spamming' and isn't allowed. However, if your advert is no longer visible and is still current, you should certainly submit it again.
What am I allowed to advertise?
In general, anything which will be of interest to our readers, whether it is located in the Dordogne or simply of interest to people in the Dordogne. Business and personal adverts for items and sevices for sale and wanted will all be accepted. Certain types of adverts are not allowed; please see our terms and conditions for details.
How long will my advert be displayed for?
There is no time limit on the display of an advert as it is dependent on the number of adverts being submitted. The adverts are displayed in chronological order with the most recent first. As new adverts are submitted the older adverts are displaced until they no longer display. We suggest you check the site regularly to ensure that your advert is still visible.
How can I get my advert on the front page?
If you mean the first page of the free ads then you don't need to do anything. All adverts appear at the top of the first page, before they are displaced by more recent ads. We don't accept payment to favour any one ad over any other. If however you mean the front page of Dordogne Today then that is out of our control. The ads on the front page and other pages are provided in partnership with the Google Adsense programme. Visit the Adwords pages to find out how to advertise with Google.
I sold my car / house / other thing I advertised. How do I remove the advert?
When you first post an advertisement you will be given a confirmation code. Write this down or print the page and keep it in a safe place. When you want to delete the advert all you have to do is enter the code in the form at the bottom of the free ads page and press the 'Delete' button. Be careful - this deletes your advert permanently. Of course, you are free to post another one.
How do you protect my privacy?
We take the privacy of our readers seriously. Please see our terms and conditions for details of our privacy policy.
How do I know you won't send me spam?
We promise we will never send you any spam mail or contact you for commercial purposes. In exceptional circumstances we may need to contact you about content that you have posted, in particular if we are required to do so by the authorities. It is possible that you may be sent unsolicited commercial mail by a third party who has discovered your email address on the free ads page. We try to prevent this by 'obfuscating' all email addresses - this means that they are displayed in a way which makes it more difficult for automated equipment to read them. If you want to submit an advert and are worried about your email address being visible, we suggest you either create a new email address or alias for the advert or sign up to a free email service such as Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail.
Can I use your content for my website / magazine / other publication?
All content on the Dordogne Today website is copyright. Except for short quotes, that means that you can't use it without permission. But that doesn't mean you can't use it. Try asking us if you want to use some of our copy.
Will you put my link on your pages in return for a reciprocal link?
In short, no. We do not practice reciproal linking for search engine optimisation. However if you advertise an item or business on the site your advert may display a link, and if we upload an article about you or your business then you can ask us to include a link. If you find Dordogne Today interesting we would be very happy for you to link to us, but we do not sell or swap links.