Frequently asked questions

What is Inthefray.com?

Inthefray.com is an online magazine devoted to issues of identity and community. For more information about our mission and what we cover, please see our Mission Statement.

 

How often do you publish?

We publish according to monthly cycles, which begin on the first Monday of every month. A cycle is the rough equivalent of one issue of a print magazine. However, the publication of Inthefray's articles is staggered, so that new articles appear about every other week.

At the moment, we are on a reduced publishing schedule, to prepare for a major restucturing and redesign of our magazine to be completed in the summer of 2003. Until then, we are publishing once every other month.

 

Who publishes Inthefray.com?

Inthefray.com is run by In the Fray, Inc., a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. Our staff is entirely volunteer, and we pay for expenses through our own pockets and through the contributions of generous people like yourself. If you are interested in donating, please visit our Donations page. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by U.S. federal law.

To get in touch with us, visit our Contact Us page. We very much appreciate your feedback and we're always looking for new contributors and editors. You can learn about the staff by reading the Advisory Board and Editorial Board pages.

 

How do I keep current on Inthefray's articles?

Sign up for our free e-mail newsletter, distributed once a month, which lets you know when new articles are posted to our site.

 

What do your channels represent?

The four channels are Identify, Image, Imagine, and Interact. They offer articles in four genres:

Identify: News reporting and analysis

Image: Graphic art, photography, and Web-specific art

Imagine: Poetry, fiction, and cultural criticism

Interact: Commentary and personal essay

 

Why are some articles called Notes from the Margin, and Pulse?

These articles are the magazine's running features.

Notes from the Margin (Interact): A personal essay that deals with "marginality," however interpreted.

Pulse (Identify): A collection of news tidbits taken from the mainstream or alternative press. We focus our spotlight on interesting (or just inane) comments from public figures on matters of diversity, and track important (or just bizarre) developments concerning issues of identity.

 

What do I do if I want Inthefray to cover a certain issue?

Feel free to contact the editors directly, at editors@inthefray.com. If you have an idea for a specific section of the magazine, you can direct it to the appropriate editor. Visit our our Contact Us page or our Editorial Board page for more information.

 

How do I read articles in past cycles of Inthefray?

Go to the Archives page under "Index" in the navigation bar. This page lists all the past cycles and their articles.

 

Why does a new browser window appear when I put my mouse pointer over a certain link?

This is because you are activating one of our special features: Mouse-Overs. When the reader puts his or her mouse pointer over these special links, they open up a new browser window with additional text.

The Mouse-Overs serve as annotations, which readers can skip if they're in a rush, or read if they want further details. Some Mouse-Overs also link to sites outside of Inthefray.com (this is noted in the Mouse-Over text).

For the best performance, you should view Mouse-Overs with a recent version of Internet Explorer or Netscape.

If you have any problems viewing the Mouse-Overs, please contact our technical staff at webmaster@inthefray.com.

 

Why do some links in the text of your articles open up entirely new pages?

This is because you've come across an Internal Link.

As opposed to External Links, which link to sites outside of Inthefray, Internal Links allow for movement within a particular article--allowing the reader to branch out to entirely new parts of the story not otherwise accessible. (Consider a tree from branches extending from the trunk; rather than following the movement straight to the top, as the regular story pages do, these internal links stretch out to the side of the main narrative.)

These Internal Links appear in the text of the story, just like External Links; your browser should tell you, however, whether the links goes to an external site or stays within Inthefray.

Readers who want to skim a piece don't have to read the internal links, obviously. But readers with the time will be rewarded with further detail and depth.

 

What is the Story Index?

The last page of every article is the Story Index, which lists all the links that appeared in the article, as well as any additional ones the writers or editors wished to include.

The entries are listed according to topic. The Story Index also lists the writers, artists, and photographers who worked on the article, as well as related books or other items available for online purchase.

 

What is the Forum?

The Forum, our online discussion board, is the place for you to respond to articles in the magazine and discuss whatever topics you wish. Feel free to start your own conversation, or respond to the postings of others.

 

Why can't I load this article in the Image channel?

Some of our articles, especially the features in the Image channel, are created using Flash animation. To view these articles, you must download the Flash plug-in.

If you are still having problems opening up the article after downloading the plug-in, let our technical staff know at webmaster@inthefray.com.

 

I came across a bug on the site. Who should I notify?

Please contact our technical staff at webmaster@inthefray.com. We appreciate your letting us know about any bugs you find on the site--whether dead links, typos, or whatever--and we will try our best to fix them quickly.

The site is optimized for Internet Explorer. If you use Netscape, you might notice that the images on the opening page of the site are jumbled together. We hope to address this problem in our redesign of the site. If you use Netscape, reload the home page once and that should fix the problem.

 

I'm having problems accessing a part of the site. What do I do?

Please contact our technical staff at webmaster@inthefray.com, and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible to try to resolve your problem.

 

I like your magazine. How do I help out?

We are always looking for new artists, photographers, writers, and editors. Please get in touch with us through editors@inthefray.com, or visit our Contact Us page for more information. Click here for a list of positions now open on the staff of Inthefray.com.

We depend on the support of readers like you to publish, and so we would also very much appreciate a financial contribution, if you can spare it--every small amount helps. Visit our Donations page for more information.

Most importantly, we hope you will continue to read the magazine, and tell us what you like and don't like. Feel free to write us a Letter to the Editor. Participate in our Forum. Help our online community to thrive.

 

How do I tell others about your site?

Feel free to distribute the URL, http://inthefray.com, to whomever you wish. We allow people to distribute copies of articles informally among their friends or on listservs, so long as our URL is listed somewhere in the posting, and the article is not altered in any substantial way.

You can also ask your friends to sign up for our e-mail newsletter, which will let them know whenever we post new articles.

 

Last updated: April 1, 2003

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