Reader and Contributor FAQs

• What is MSNews?
• Who is responsible for MSNews?
• What is the Accelerated Cure Project?
• How can I help?
• Where do these stories come from?
• How do I submit a story?
• How do I make a comment?
• Who are the editors?
• How do I report a problem or make a suggestion?
• Can I get these stories in email?
• How do I change my account information (email, password, etc.)
• Do I have to register? Why would I?
• Why does msnews.acceleratedcure.org become www.acceleratedcure.org:8080?
• What software/hardware are you using?
• How do I get in touch with you?
• What do the topics mean?
• How do I find an old article?
• Credits

What is MSNews? index

MSNews is an free on-line resource for periodic news and research updates relating to Multiple Sclerosis. It is available as a web site at http://msnews.acceleratedcure.org/ and via email to registered users (registration is also free). Registration allows you to receive headlines or full stories whenever a new story is posted.

All the stories and comments are archived in a searchable database so that you can find references to stories and comments that were made in the past.

MSNews is a service of the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis. The Accelerated Cure Project is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to accelerate the cure of multiple sclerosis by facilitating research that determines the causes and mechanisms of MS.

Who is responsible for MSNews? index

MSNews is a production of the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis, which provides the computing resources that make MSNews possible, as well as editorial direction.

MSNews is moderated by Accelerated Cure Project staff who post stories with original content or links to articles and stories elsewhere on the Internet. The editors are happy to receive story submissions from readers.

What is the Accelerated Cure Project? index

MSNews is a free service of the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis. The Accelerated Cure Project is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to accelerate the cure of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) by facilitating research that determines the causes and mechanisms of MS. Our primary strategic initiative is the establishment of the MS Repository, a large-scale collection of highly-characterized biosamples available to scientists at any organization conducting research that contributes to our mission. All data generated through analysis of MS Repository samples is contributed back to Accelerated Cure Project, resulting in an increasingly valuable and comprehensive information resource that can be analyzed to reveal new insights about MS. For more information about the Accelerated Cure Project or to make a corporate or individual donation, call 781/487-0008, visit acceleratedcure.org, or send an email to info@acceleratedcure.org.

How can I help? index

There are a number of ways you can help:

• Read MSNews regularly and stay in touch with what is happening. Your education with respect to what is happening with MS will help ensure that people do the right things.
• Send our editors stories you find on the web and elsewhere. If you read something interesting about MS, pass it on and share it with others.
• Sign-up for the Accelerated Cure Project mailing lists so you can stay updated on what we are doing.
• Contribute money, goods, or time. Accelerated Cure Project is a nonprofit supported entirely by contributions from individuals and corporations.

Where do these stories come from? index

All of the stories are found somewhere else on the web or written by our staff, volunteers, or the readers themselves. Anyone can suggest a story for review. In addition, ACP staff post notes from major MS-related conferences such as the AAN annual meeting and the ECTRIMS conference.

How do I submit a story? index

MSNews originally provided a mechanism for readers to submit their own stories. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons we had to disable this mechanism. However, we encourage you to submit news ideas to our editors.

How do I make a comment on a story? index

MSNews originally provided a mechanism for readers to comment on stories. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons we had to disable this mechanism. However, at the top of each news story you will see a link (labeled with the user name of the editor who posted it) that you can click to email that editor with a comment. The editor has the ability to add your comment or update the story with any additional useful information you are able to provide.

Who are the editors? index

The editors for MSNews are Accelerated Cure Project staff members and volunteers. They are people who have an interest in seeing that the latest updates on MS news and research are available to others.

How do I report a problem or make a suggestion? index

If you have problems using the site, find an error, have a suggestion for making it better, we'd love to hear from you. You can reach us at msnews@acceleratedcure.org or use any of the methods listed at the Accelerated Cure Project web site. We can't promise we'll take every suggestion, but we do promise to read it.

Can I get these stories in email? index

Yes, it is possible to have the new stories emailed to you each day. You can also have just the headlines mailed to you. To set up these options you must be registered so that we have your email address. Registration is free.

To receive all stories or comments by email, log in and click "Get headlines/stories by email" in the Welcome to MSNews box on the right.

• To turn on email notification, set Notify status to Enabled. Setting this to Disabled turns off all notification email while letting you keep your other settings lower down on the page.
• To be notified of news Articles and Polls, set Notify new content to Enabled. Then, in the Content area, choose if you want just titles, titles and teasers, or titles and full bodies sent to you.

Finally, click the "Save Settings" button.

How do I change my account information (email, password, etc.) index

To change your options you must be registered so that we have your email address. Registration is free. Then, on the main page, click the "Change Password" link or the "Update email/user info" link in the upper right box. Make the changes you wish, and click the "Submit" button.

Do I have to register? Why would I? index

Registration is not only free, it is completely optional. You are welcome to read MSNews and submit stories anonymously. The benefit of registering is that you can receive headlines and stories via email as they are posted.

To register, you click on the "Create a new account" link in the "Login" box on the right side of the main page. If you don't see a "Login" box, you are already logged in as some user. You can logout using the "Logout" link in the top box on the right. Additionally, you will be prompted to register if you attempt any operation (such as changing your preferences) that is restricted to registered users.

Why does msnews.acceleratedcure.org become www.acceleratedcure.org:8080? index

This is a technical artifact of how we currently host the site. MSNews runs on a separate machine behind a firewall. Since we have only one external IP address on our network, we redirect msnews.acceleratedcure.org to an internal machine on a different port. This will change when we need to move to a different hosting solution due to traffic limitations. Aren't you glad you asked?

What software/hardware are you using? index

MSNews currently runs on a Dell 433MHz PIII with 128MB of memory running RedHat Linux, Apache Web server, MySQL database, and the Drupal content management system.

How do I get in touch with you? index

You can send email to msnews@acceleratedcure.org or use any of the methods listed at the Accelerated Cure Project web site.

What do the topics mean? index

The topics provided are a loose guideline for categorizing the news.

• Pharma - news concerning Pharmaceutical companies treating MS
• Alternative Medicine - non-traditional approaches to treatment of MS
• BioTechnology - Biotech companies with MS related technology
• Ask MSNews - pose a question to the MS community to start a discussion
• Books - review or announcement of books relating to MS
• Events - MS related events
• Interviews - interviews with MS related individuals
• Misc - if it doesn't fit elsewhere
• People - news about people with MS
• Politics - political issues surrounding MS and people affected by MS
• Research - MS research updates
• Support - MS support issues

How do I find an old article? index

There is a search box on the main page of MSNews. You can use this to find articles based on words that appear in them. If you enter nothing in the search box and press Search you will be given the Advanced search options.

Credits index

Many thanks to the following people and groups:

• Jaspan Consulting: for setting up our site to use the Drupal content-management system. You can learn more about them at www.jaspan.com.
• Gold Wire Technology: for lending us hardware to run our website on. You can learn more about them at www.goldwiretech.com.
• Chad Tempest: for the graphic design, his time came courtesy of Clockwork Design Group, Inc.
• The Folks at Slash: for making an amazing news portal system freely available. Learn more about it at slashcode.com.
• Brian Del Vecchio: for setting up our previous site using Slash.