FAQ
Currently listed advertising prices:
Black & White Size –                                   1mos       6mos      12mos
Classified Ad (30 words or less)…..$Â Â 7.00
Business Card…………………………..$ 12.00….$ 65.00….$125.00
Quarter Page……………………………$ 30.00
Half Page…………………………………$ 60.00
Color Size –
Business Card………………………….$ 15.00….$ 85.00….$165.00
Quarter Page…………………………..$ 40.00
Half Page………………………………..$ 70.00
Special pricing:
Including a pre-printed flyer (1st page)…….$ 55.00
Including a pre-printed flyer (add’l pages)..$ 35.00
Full page (color)…………………..$130.00 (deducted $10 from ½ page)
Full page (BW)……………………..$110.00 (deducted $10 from ½ page)
How do I become a registered user?
There is a panel in the right column titled LOGIN. Below the password field you will see the word Register. Simply click on that. You will be asked for an email address and a user name. A profile will be created and a password will be mailed to you.
How do I add comments?
When reading a complete article, and not just the synopsis on the front page, you will see a box at the end titled “Leave a Reply.” Enter your comment in the box and press the button labeled “Submit Comment.” If you don’t see the box, you are probably not logged in.
You have to be a registered user, and logged in to add comments.
How do I log in?
If you have already registered, you can log in by providing your user name and password in the LOGIN panel located in the right panel of the front page. If you check the box titled “Remember Me” in the LOGIN panel, the site will remember you and log-in automatically when you next visit Mason.VillageGrapevine.com
How do I know if I’m logged in?
At the top of each page, on the left, you will see : Logged in as: followed by you user name.
I logged in, but I don’t see the front page. Where is it?
When you log in, you are taken to the Profile Page, where you can add more information, change your password and manage your subscriptions. To return to the online Grapevine press the button labeled “Visit Site” at the top of the page just left of the Mason Grapevine Banner.
How do I change my password?
When you log in, you are taken directly to the profile page. Near the bottom of that page is a section titled New Password. Enter your new password in the adjacent box, and again in the box below where it says “Type your new password again”.  When ready, press the button labeled “Update Profile”
If you are already logged in, you will see, at the top of each page, on the right, are the administration functions available. Click on Profile and follow the instructions above.
How do I get notified when there are new articles?
We ‘ve integrated the site with Google’s Feedburner service to keep track of new submissions. Simply enter your email address under in the Subscriptions pane on the right side of the page. You’ll be taken to a verification window and receive a confirmation email. If there is something new posted on the web site, you’ll get a email summarizing the new posts.
What does the email notification system send and when?
If something is posted to the site, an email will be sent out that summarizes all of the new articles and letters.  It might contain a summary and a pointer to a single post, or summaries for over a dozen on the day a new issue is published. If there are no posts on a given day, no email will be sent.
When does the email notification come out? How do I set up my spam filter to it doesn’t trash it.
We run a summary between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM in the evening, anything posted after that will appear in the next days email. The mail will come from and the mail’s subject will contain ‘Mason Grapevine’ and the title of the most recent post. If you in your address book or white list, you should have no trouble getting the emails. If you don’t get an email, don’t worry, it may simply be that there were no posts on that day.
How do I upload an image, or avatar for my comments?
Managing an online presence is becoming a full time job. Rather than requiring you to keep track of another online image, we’ve added automatic support for Gravatars, which are globally recognized Avatars. You simply create an account at Gravatar.com, upload an image and associate it with the email address you registered with here and we’ll handle the rest automatically.
I’ve got a dial-up connection. Is there anyway to make the Grapevine load faster?
Maybe. We’ve used a combination of custom components and open source technology from an assortment of projects including Drupal, Google, Joomla and WordPress to make the site as bandwidth friendly as possible.
One of those technologies is Google’s Gears, which allows the site to keep static data such as images, libraries, fixed pages and CSS files locally on your computer so that you will not have to download then each time you access the site. Installing Gears will not only make Mason.VillageGrapevine.com faster, but other sites that have implemented Gears as well.
On the Profile page, select the Tools menu and Press “Install Now” to enable Gears. You can also get to this page from the Profile Page, by pressing the “Turbo” choice in the mini-admin menu located at the top of the page on the right.
Note:Â You probably don’t want to install Gears on a public or shared computer.
If I add a comment or enter my email address will I become a SPAM target?
We have also put safeguards in place to insure that users who enter Email addresses, either as part of articles or in comments, will not be harvested by Spambots by insuring that addresses do not appear in clear text in the page source. You can take look to see for yourself.  So fear not; adding a comment will not bring you to the attention of Nigerian royalty looking for help banking a spare $10million.
What is the likelihood that a Grapevine article will be found by a Web search.
Actually quite likely. We have taken the time to optimize the site so that Search Engines like Google can find, index and classify content quickly and easily. Over the past few months we have been improving our “standing” so that references in Mason.VillageGrapevine.com appear at or near the top of most Google searches.  So having your name in a Grapevine article might do wonders to improve your own personal Google ranking.
We have a town newsletter like the Grapevine and would like to create a web site like yours. Is there something available that can get us started?
The intent of VillageGrapevine.com is to foster local community involvement via the internet. We make it possible for a small collaborative group to publish a local interactive community site with minimal training, management overheard or special resources. If you are a local community newspaper, a small town newsletter, or a non-profit school or community organization we can help. Please send email to to learn more.
Is there a way I can advertise on Mason.VillageGrapevine.com?
We are currently working on the logistics.
Is there a way submit small notices or classified ads?
We are looking at a free community posting board similar to Craig’s List, open to registered users, so that Mason’s readers can add posts to sell or swap small items, offer or find services, ask questions and help find lost pets.
Can our community group add a column to the online Grapevine?
We are always looking for ways to enhance the Mason Grapevine as well as the larger VillageGrapevine community. Community groups, local interest groups (gardeners, knitters, cooks?) and bloggers with topic of local interest should contact us.  If you have a topic with broader community interest, you can also email a query to
