We’re moving! How to keep reading Murray Bridge News

Note: This is a copy of a post which was created on our old website, so you can probably ignore most of it by now.

In the coming week or so, you may notice some minor changes to Murray Bridge News’ website and email edition as we move to a new web platform. We’ll be making every effort to minimise any disruption during this period.

Scroll down to find out what’s changing and what you may need to do. (It’s not much, thankfully.)

If you experience any problems, email peri@murraybridge.news – I’ll be happy to help if I can.

How can I keep reading Murray Bridge News?

Our web address will still be the same: www.murraybridge.news. From next Monday, August 19, the same address will take you to our new website.

We’ll still send our email edition every Thursday, as normal. However, from August 22 it will come from a different email address. To avoid any disruption, we suggest adding the address murraybridgenews@ghost.io to your contacts list/address book. (Click for a guide to doing that on iPhone, Android, Mac, in Gmail or in Outlook.) This helps ensure that our emails don’t get caught in your spam filter. If you can’t find our emails, check your spam or promotions folders and select “mark as not spam” and/or “move to inbox”.

What if I’m a paying subscriber?

Paying subscribers will need to log into the new website. Here’s how to do it:

1. Click here to visit the new website
2. Click “sign in” in the top right corner
3. Enter your email address
4. Check your email inbox – you should get a new message with the subject line “🔑 Secure sign-in link for Murray Bridge News”
5. Open the email and click “sign in to Murray Bridge News”

Your device should remember your login details for about six months. However, from time to time, you may have to repeat the steps listed above. This helps to guard against unauthorised access to your account.

Free subscribers can gain full access to all our premium content, and support a 100 per cent locally owned news service, by subscribing for just a few bucks per month at www.murraybridge.news.

Is the cost of a subscription changing?

In the coming weeks we will increase the cost of a subscription by $80c per month for monthly subscribers, or $8 per year for annual subscribers. Just like everyone else, our costs keep rising, including legislated wage increases which came into effect on July 1. Updated prices will help us keep pace with that, but a Murray Bridge News subscription will still be 33 per cent cheaper than an online subscription to the local newspaper. Jane, Liana and I, and our families, are grateful for your ongoing support.

Other frequently asked questions:

• What’s different about the new website?Every story dating back to Murray Bridge News’ launch on April 23, 2020 has been copied over to the new website, and will remain accessible. The only feature lacking on the new site is the ability to purchase gift subscriptions or group subscriptions. However, there are some pretty exciting features we plan on adding to the new site over time…!
• Why the change?
  Moving to Ghost, our new web platform, will help make Murray Bridge News more sustainable at both ends of the balance sheet. We’ll save on web hosting fees, and will hopefully secure a little extra revenue through display advertising.
• Will the new website have ads on it?
  Yes – in the coming weeks, we will add a limited number of advertising spaces to our new website, giving local businesses more opportunities to reach local customers. However, we’re not going to go crazy. Ensuring a positive experience for readers is still our top priority.
• Why Murray Bridge News leaving Substack?
  Substack is a fantastic platform, one without which Murray Bridge News couldn’t have launched so quickly in 2020. We’ll be eternally grateful for the company’s support through its Substack Local program in 2021. However, as a platform, Substack has moved in a different direction over the past four years, and many of the features it has introduced do not suit our needs. We’ll keep our old site online for as long as we’re able.
• Where can I find out more about Ghost?
  Visit ghost.org.
• Where can I get help?Contact managing editor Peri Strathearn at peri@murraybridge.news, on 0419 827 124 or during business hours at 30 Seventh Street, Murray Bridge.

While you’re here: adding a Murray Bridge News shortcut to your home screen or desktop is another good way to access the news without social media algorithms getting in the way! You can do this in just a couple of simple steps in your web browser. (Click here for a how-to guide.)

Thanks for your patience, understanding and ongoing support! Without readers like you, we couldn’t do what we do.

Peri Strathearn
Managing editor