I can't log in/I can't sign up. Why not?
Here are some possible reasons:
- Your browser is incompatible. Regrettably, the new 11Alive.com's login system is not compatible with the Opera browser. Solution: If you are looking for an alternate browser, try Firefox.
- Your browser is too old. The login system requires IE7+, Firefox 2.0+, or Safari 3.0+. Solution: Update your browser. Note: Do not upgrade to IE8, as it is still in beta and all the bugs haven't been worked out of it yet.
- You have Javascript turned off. The system requires Javascript. Solution: Turn Javascript on. Information on this can be found by clicking here.
- You haven't clicked the link in your confirmation e-mail. Confirmation e-mails from our system are sometimes considered spam by e-mail clients. Solution: Check your spam folder.
How does the new navigation work?
Pretty easily, actually. Just point your mouse over the blue bar in the category you're interested in, and a bunch of links drop down for you. You can either click the blue bar for the main category page or the drop-down for something a little more specific. And remember, if you can't find it, we've made searching even easier for you by putting the search bar at the top of every page on 11Alive.com.
How do I find stories I'm interested in? What about something I saw on TV and want to see again?
Type your search term into the search bar at the top of every page and you'll get plenty of results.
Here's some tips:
- If you're looking for something that has multiple words in it, you might try putting it in quotes. For example, if you want to find a story on gas prices, you would likely have better luck typing "gas prices" in quotation marks.
- If you're not finding something, try making your search term a little more general. For example, if you're looking for a story on lower gas prices and "lower gas prices" doesn't return the results you want, try typing "gas prices", or even gas prices without the quotes.
- Don't use boolean terms -- "and", "+", "the", or anything like that.
- To search 11Alive news stories only, make sure to click "Articles."
Where's the video? All I see is the ad. Help!
11Alive.com only guarantees video to be on our site for three months after a story airs. However, we do try to make sure our franchises (Good People, Class Act, etc.) stay online indefinitely. If you're trying to watch video and all you're seeing is the ad, go to our contact form and send us an e-mail. Make sure you include the URL of the story from where you clicked the video player. We will e-mail you back if we are able to restore the video on our server. If for some reason the video remains unavailable, or if you're trying to get a copy of it to keep, click here. Please Note: you may experience errors while playing video on our site if you do not have the most current version of your browser. If you cannot view video, please attempt to upgrade your browser before contacting us for assistance. Video is unfortunately not compatible with the Opera browser.
I was watching a news story on 11Alive and Ted Hall told me to log onto 11Alive.com for more information. How can I find that information quickly?
The first place to check is "Seen on 11Alive", up in the blue part of the navigation bar. If the link isn't there, you might try typing the subject of the story into the search bar. Not every story that airs on 11Alive makes it on 11Alive.com, but most do. If you still can't find it, though, post a message on our forums, and we'll help you out.
I want to e-mail someone at 11Alive. How do I do that?
Once again, we've got some choices for you, depending upon who exactly you want to e-mail. If you're looking to drop a note to our anchors or reporters, or someone from the sports or weather teams, you can get their e-mail addresses from their bio pages. But if it's not someone who's on TV, you'll probably have better luck using our contact form.
Why does the site look so strange on my computer?
We designed this website to be compliant with the two most popular browsers, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. It was tested in IE7 and Firefox 2.0, and is designed to be backward-compatible with older versions of those browsers. It should work just fine in Opera and Safari as well.
That said, if you're still seeing something strange, here are some tips:
- The site is designed to run at 1024x768 or higher resolution. To check your resolution:
- Minimize all your windows.
- Right-click on your desktop.
- Select "Properties".
- Select the "Settings" tab.
- Note what screen resolution your computer is set to. Adjust it if necessary.
- It's also possible that you've changed the type sizes on your computer. Try adjusting the zoom and see if it looks better to you. Click here for instructions on how to change browser zoom levels.
- You may be using a browser that's due for an upgrade. Microsoft Windows usually automatically updates browsers, but you may have shut that feature off. That's okay; there's some folks on the web team here at 11Alive who do exactly the same thing. To check your browser version, open the "Help" menu and select "About".
- IE: Please upgrade to 7.0 or higher.
- Firefox: Please upgrade to 2.0 or higher.
- Safari: Please upgrade to 2.0 or higher.
- Opera: Opera is not compatible with 11Alive.com video.
Now, if you're still having difficulty viewing 11Alive.com, you might want to drop us a quick note via our
contact form, just so we're aware. It's possible that we need to tweak something to make your browsing experience better. But please keep in mind that you should use this
only if you think something is wrong with the site.
Do you use cookies? How do you use them?
11Alive.com uses cookies to keep track of basic statistics for our site. Also, they're used to let us know you've been here before so that we don't interrupt your browsing experience by asking you for your age, sex, and zip code more than once. Please check our privacy policy if you have any questions about cookies.
I want to check 11Alive first thing when I get on my computer. How do I make 11Alive.com my homepage?
We're glad you want to make 11Alive.com your homepage. If you are using IE or Firefox, look just above the masthead on the right for instructions. If you are using Opera, press CTRL-F12, go to the General tab, and click "Use Current" next to the area that says "Home Page". If you are using Safari, press CTRL-, (control and the comma key), go to the General tab, and click "Set to Current Page" (it is in the center of the popup).
All this information's old! What gives?
Well, that shouldn't be happening! If you're seeing old information, it's probably because:
- You're viewing a cached page (hang on, we'll explain that in a sec).
- Your ISP or system administrators are using a proxy or caching server.
Confused? Okay, here's some definitions:
- cached page: Your computer will often "cache" (or store) elements of a website so the page downloads faster next time you visit it. The thing is, sometimes the computer accidentally loads an old page instead of checking first to see if the page has changed at all.
- ISP: Internet Service Provider -- where you get your internet from.
- system administrator: The person at your job or school who makes sure things keep running. Also known as the I.T. Guy in many circles.
- proxy or caching server: Your personal computer isn't the only one that caches stuff; sometimes, companies will cache local copies of frequently-used websites and graphics to free up bandwidth.
Now, here's how to take steps toward resolving the cache issue.
- Reload the page by pressing F5 on your keyboard.
- Try a "hard refresh" by pressing CTRL-F5. This should force your browser to re-download the entire page at which you're looking. (If you're using Safari, try Option-Refresh or Apple-Refresh.)
- Clear the cache in your browser. (Don't worry... it's not as scary as it sounds.) Click here for instructions on how to do so.
If all of that doesn't work, contact your system administrator or ISP technical support, and they should be able to help you.
If you are seeing old weather video, you should try these steps.
Some of your ads say "Click here to activate and use this control". What does that mean?
Recently, Microsoft upgraded their security in Internet Explorer. A lot of it is tech-speak that won't make much of a difference to you one way or the other, but what it basically means is that some folks decided to use a loophole in IE to attack other people's computers. Microsoft closed that loophole by changing IE so you have to click on a Flash ad or module before you can use it. If you don't click on it to activate it, all you can do is look at it, but it can't tell your browser to go anywhere else or do what a hacker wants it to do. Now, of course, you're clicking on our ads because you're genuinely interested in what our advertisers have to offer, but IE doesn't know that.
Don't worry. "Click here to activate and use this control" won't harm your browser or your computer if you see it on 11Alive.com.
How do I get a videotape or DVD of something I saw on 11Alive?
The only way to get a videotape or DVD of something you saw on 11Alive without taping it on your VCR, DVD recorder, or DVR unit is to contact Video Atlanta. They can be reached by phone at 404-292-5562, or online at www.videoatlanta.com. (Please note that Video Atlanta will charge a fee for their services.)
What's up with your comment policy?
The 11Alive.com comment policy is very simple:
- Be polite -- don't use offensive or racially-charged language, even if you feel very strongly about something.
- Be civil -- don't make personal attacks or demonize others, even if you feel they deserve it.
- Be respectful -- everyone has an opinion and a right to express it, even if you disagree with it.
11Alive does not moderate comments as such -- that is, we don't go through the entire list of posted comments and remove them. Our comments are moderated by the community. That means we are only alerted to offensive, impolite, or disrespectful comments by you, the visitors to our site. If you find a comment on our site that you feel is a violation of community standards, please click
Report Abuse (located just under the comment) to put it in our abuse queue. We will see it and determine whether or not it violates the terms of service. Also, here are a couple of things you should know about reporting abuse:
- If a comment is reported as abuse by three different people, it is automatically hidden. This is called exceeding the abuse threshold. If your comment is not actually abusive, the community production team will see this and un-hide it.
- If you exceed the abuse threshold too many times, your ability to post comments may be temporarily suspended. It is extremely likely that the community production team had nothing to do with this -- as noted previously, the community polices the comments. However, if you feel you have been wrongfully suspended, you may contact us by clicking here and selecting "Webmaster".
- If you notice a visitor consistently making comments that you feel are against the terms of service, the best option is to report the comments. If the community agrees with you, the comments will be removed automatically.
Finally, please be aware that, under the 11Alive.com
Terms of Service:
We [...] reserve the right to deny access to the Site or any features of the Site to anyone who violates these Terms of Service or who, in our sole judgment, interferes with the ability of others to enjoy our website or infringes the rights of others. [...] We may cancel or terminate your right to use the Site or any part of the Site at any time without notice. In the event of cancellation or termination, you are no longer authorized to access the part of the Site affected by such cancellation or termination. This policy is set by Gannett, 11Alive's parent company. It basically means that 11Alive's community production team, as well as Gannett, is permitted to remove any comment from the site if we deem it violates the Terms of Service. We prefer to let the community police itself, but in the event that it does not, we are occasionally forced to take action to improve the experience for the 11Alive.com community.
