FAQ's for USATODAY.com's New Look

1. Why did you change the look of your site?
2. The text looks different, why?
3. How has the navigation changed?
4. Has the content moved?
5. What if I have my favorite pages bookmarked?
6. What is the shortcuts area?
7. Where can I find Hot Sites?
8. What are the colored blocks in the upper right hand corner of the sections?
9. Where is the Privacy Policy?
10. Why is it taking so long for the pages to load?
11. Why don't the pages fit on my screen?

Click here for all other FAQ's.

1. Why did you change the look of your site?
We have undergone several enhancements to allow you to more quickly and easily find all the news and information you need. Improvements such as navigational changes, more content with an increased number of stories on the homepage and within various sections and a new look all in the USA TODAY style- bright and user-friendly.

2. The text looks different, why?
We are using a wider variety of font sizes as one tool to emphasize news stories, which change throughout the day.

3. How has the navigation changed?
The navigation has been reorganized so that you can find all the information you want as quickly and easily as possible. There are three main levels of navigation: the homepage, the main sections (News, Money, Life, Tech, Weather), and the sub-sections, that reside inside each of the five sections. We also have added a top navigation that includes areas to sign up for e-mail newsletters, subscribe to the newspaper, get information about USATODAY.com and the newspaper and submit feedback.

4. Has the content moved?
In some sections of the site, similar content areas have been reorganized into central locations. For example, People and Lifeline in the Life section have been combined and is linked under People. This allows you to easily find all your celebrity news in one location. Also, our Health and Science sections have moved from the Life section to the News section of the site. If you are still having trouble locating a section, please visit our site map.

5. What if I have my favorite pages bookmarked?
If you have bookmarked your favorite page, you should continue to be able to access those pages via your bookmark. If any content has changed location, your bookmark will be directed to the appropriate address. However, if for some reason you cannot access your bookmark and cannot find your favorite section, please go to USATODAY.com's site map, which will help you locate the section. If you are still having trouble, please e-mail us by visiting our feedback page.

6. What is the shortcuts section on the homepage?
Shortcuts, in the top left hand navigation of the homepage, lists several sub-sections that are very popular. We wanted to make it easy for you to get to these sections directly from the homepage.

7. Where can I find Hot Sites?
Our popular list of new and notable Web sites is now part of a more feature-packed page called Web Guide. Not only do we continue to post our daily Hot Sites there, but we also offer a variety of columns to help you better explore and exploit all the richness of the World Wide Web. In addition, we've added an exclusive Ask the Web Librarian feature that allows readers to pose Web-related questions to the USA TODAY Library's reference experts. We believe you'll find the new Web Guide page to be an indispensable online resource day after day.

8. What are the colored blocks in the upper right hand corner of the sections?
The colored blocks are links to our five major sections on the site. This is an additional quick and easy way to get to any of the five major sections.

9. Where is your privacy policy located?
The link to our privacy policy is now located at the bottom of all of our pages. It has moved from the left-hand navigation.

10. Why is it taking so long for the pages to load?
Some Netscape users may be experiencing slower load times and other problems when viewing the USATODAY.com site. USATODAY.com has implemented the use of cascading style sheets in order to maintain consistency and ultimately present a better user experience. Some versions of Netscape may load slowly as a result. We are working to resolve these issues and apologize for any inconvenience.

11. Why don't the pages fit on my screen?
If you are experiencing problems viewing the USATODAY.com website within your screen and you must scroll left and right, please follow these instructions (for PC users)

1) Go to Desktop
2) Right click on your mouse
3) Click on Properties
4) Click on the Settings tab
5) Go to "Desktop Area" and move the slide to 800 X 600 pixels (or higher/more)

USATODAY.com has now adopted the standard resolution size of 800 X 600 pixels. This is the standard that most news sites use. If you continue to experience problems, please let us know by sending an e-mail to newlook@usatoday.com

All Other FAQ's

1. How can I tell which stories are new and which are older?
2. How can I subscribe to USA TODAY, the newspaper?
3. How about subscribing to Baseball Weekly?
4. How does the interactive CROSSWORD puzzle work?
5. Is there a puzzle viewer for Macintosh users?
6. How can I find a past article or BACK ISSUE of the USA TODAY newspaper?
7. How can I RESPOND by e-mail to something I read in the USA TODAY newspaper?
8. How can I ask a question/give FEEDBACK to the editors of USATODAY.com?
9. How can I ADVERTISE on the USA TODAY.com?
10. Why do your PHOTOS and graphics look strange on my Web browser?
11. How do I play USATODAY.com's multimedia content?
12. Sometimes it appears that a link takes me to the "wrong page." Why is that?
13. Does USA TODAY control the content or performance of Internet sites that are hot-linked on such pages as Web Tech?

1. How can I tell which stories are new and which are older?
Readers will see a date and time stamp at the top of all new stories published by USA TODAY.com. That date/time is when the story appeared on the World Wide Web. The times are in the USA's Eastern Time Zone. Readers also will be reminded to refresh their screens often to be sure the version of a story is the latest one available.

2. How can I subscribe to USA TODAY, the newspaper?
We make it easy. Click here for a discount, online subscription form. Subscription forms for the Asia/Pacific edition and Europe edition of USA TODAY are also available.

3. How about subscribing to Baseball Weekly?
No problem. Click here for a Baseball Weekly, subscription form.

4. How does the interactive CROSSWORD puzzle work?
You can play our daily crossword puzzle on your computer by downloading the crossword puzzle viewer. The puzzle viewer works with your Web browser, and launches automatically when you click on a puzzle icon. You can play the crossword puzzle online or offline. Click here to download the crossword puzzle viewer. The puzzle viewer is a Windows program.If the puzzle seems out of date, try clearing your cache.

5. Is there a puzzle viewer for Macintosh users?
Yes! USA TODAY.com recently completed puzzle viewers for the MAC. Click here for instructions.

6. How can I find a past article or BACK ISSUE of the USA TODAY newspaper?
You can find many articles by clicking on the ARCHIVE button on USATODAY.com's front page. However, if you have difficulty searching or prefer to have our staff conduct the search for you, call or e-mail library@usatoday.com. In addition to articles from USA TODAY we can help you locate articles from past issues of Baseball Weekly, Gannett News Service or USA Weekend. We also provide general topic research at reasonable rates. To reach our staff, call 703-276-5864. Our hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. If you need a specific back issue of USA TODAY and you know the date, call the USA TODAY Customer Service Center at 800-872-0001. The cost is $2.00 for each back issue, plus shipping & handling. Each order must be prepaid either with an American Express, Visa or MasterCard. If you would prefer to mail a check or money order, please call for the total cost.

7. How can I RESPOND by e-mail to something I read in the USA TODAY newspaper?
The e-mail address for Letters to the Editor is editor@usatoday.com. For other sections, use our online Feedback form.
You also can write the newspaper at 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington VA 22229 or call the customer service center at 1-800-872-0001.

8. How can I ask a question/give FEEDBACK to the editors of the USATODAY.com?
Click here for our online Feedback form.

9. How can I ADVERTISE on the USATODAY.com?
Send e-mail to Traci Jackson, tjackson@usatoday.com or Courtney Brown, cebrown@usatoday.com.
For more details, click here to learn "How to advertise."

10. Why do your PHOTOS and graphics look strange on my Web browser?
If your browser does not support something called "inline jpegs," pictures either will not appear or they will appear in a separate Window rather than alongside all the other elements of a page. There's really no solution to this problem other than to switch to a browser that supports inline jpegs.

11. How do I play USATODAY.com's multimedia content?
USATODAY.com's audio and video content is presented using a customized RealPlayer by RealNetworks. You can download and install the free RealPlayer at http://www.real.com/player/index.html. This will install plugins for your browser to successfully view USATODAY.com embedded audio and video content. For quality assurance, upgrading your RealPlayer periodically will improve overall performance. You can do this by opening the RealPlayer application and select 'Check for Update' under the help menu. For additional support, visit RealNetworks Service and Support Center at http://service.real.com/index.html.

12. Sometimes it appears that a link takes me to the "wrong page."   Why is that?
USATODAY.com updates its news around the clock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  The home and money front pages of USATODAY.com have an automatic browser feature that refreshes these pages every half hour and three minutes respectively.  However, this automatic refresh feature does not apply to inside pages.  The inside pages of USATODAY.com must be refreshed manually.  Hence, if the content appears outdated, or a link takes you to the "wrong page" it is most likely due to your browser software caching.

Caching is a process which attempts to save you time on the internet by saving images and content-a kind of storage space on your  hard drive.  By loading a page from cache, your software responds more quickly than if it searches the web and servers for the page you have specified.  However, if your software has not refreshed its cache, you stand the chance of getting the "wrong page" due to the fact that it has been updated since your last visit.  If this occurs, click on the "Reload/Refresh" button at the top of your browser.   This will refresh your  cache for that particular page. Note: the only way to completely clear your cache is to go into your browser configuration.

13. Does USA TODAY control the content or performance of Internet sites that are hot-linked on such pages as Web Tech?
Those non-USA TODAY sites are entirely the responsibility of the people who develop and maintain them. We link only as a convenience, pointing our readers to sites that have some news interest.

We're also not responsible for the operation of any software that these sites may offer. Readers should be aware of the possibilities of contracting a computer virus by downloading files on the Internet. Readers also should be aware of the possibility of encountering offensive language or graphics at some sites.