How can I register to be a member of the Bleeding Heartland community?

To register as a member, click the “join” link near the right side of the front page. You will need to enter the username you prefer, which could be your real name or some other handle not currently in use on the site. You will also need to provide an email address (which will not be visible to the public), choose a password, and agree to the website’s privacy policy. After you create a user account, Laura Belin will activate it, and then you can log in to the website. Once you are logged in you can change your password if you like, but you will not be able to change the username you registered.

What are the benefits of registering?

Anyone can access and read Bleeding Heartland posts.

Registered members can:

  • Write comments or guest pieces
  • Have a customized view when logged in
  • See notifications of unread comments since last visit

When I login, I see a strange interface that looks like an admin area, what is this?

After logging in, Bleeding Heartland users will see a WordPress dashboard that shows posts, comments, or their own profile. Clicking on “posts” or “comments” will bring up a list of recent material published on the website. Users can click on an individual post or comment to read, but they do not have admin privileges, so will be unable to edit published material. Users can only edit information on their own profiles.

How can I support Bleeding Heartland?

As an independent news site, Bleeding Heartland does not have a marketing division, investors, or shareholders. Readers can help spread the word by sharing original reporting and commentaries published here with friends or on their social media feeds.

Laura is always looking for story ideas and welcomes confidential tips on subjects of local, state, or national political importance.

Readers can also support the site financially using a credit card, PayPal, Patreon, Venmo, Substack, or personal check (contact Laura Belin for the mailing address). Donations help cover reporting costs, such as public records requests, as well as technical support.

However, Bleeding Heartland discourages donations from Iowa elected officials, candidates, or paid campaign staffers and consultants.

Who is working on the website and where is the data hosted?

Ponticlaro built this version of the website in 2015 as a transition from the Soapblox platform. Ponticlaro continues to provide technical support. For instance, Ponticlaro developed the interactive maps Bleeding Heartland has used to show county-level results from Iowa elections. All data is hosted on Google Cloud in the us-central1-a region (Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA).

Why can’t I read the whole post?

If you are experiencing formatting problems (such as only being able to see part of a column, or seeing text but not images) when trying to read material at Bleeding Heartland, please contact Laura Belin. Let her know what kind of mobile device or browser you are using, whether this is a new problem for you, and whether the issue affects your ability to read all posts or only certain ones.