Archaeonews User Guide

What is Archaeonews?

Archaeonews is a global archaeology news aggregator that collects and ranks archaeological stories from around the world. We help you discover the latest archaeological discoveries, research findings, and cultural heritage news.

Key Features:

• Story Aggregation: News from multiple sources ranked by relevance
• Global Coverage: Stories from all continents
• Reviews & Blog: Our own editorial writing alongside the aggregated news
• Recommended Reading & Books: A weekly long read and a rotating shelf of new books on the homepage
• Smart Filtering: Filter by region, country, date, and score
• Bookmarking: Save stories for later reading
• Email Alerts: Get notified about new stories
• Dark Mode: Comfortable reading in any lighting

Do I need an account?

No account is required to browse stories. However, creating an account gives you access to:

• Bookmark/save stories
• Email alerts and notifications
• Personalized settings
• Search history

How to create an account:

1. Click Login in the navigation menu, then Register under the login form
2. Fill in the registration form:
   • Username (3-20 characters, letters/numbers/underscore only)
   • Email address (for account recovery and notifications)
   • Password (minimum 8 characters, must include uppercase, lowercase, and number)
3. Complete the CAPTCHA verification
4. Click "Create Account"
5. You'll be automatically logged in and redirected to the homepage

Story Views:

Understanding Story Scores:

Each story has a score (0-100+) based on:

• Source Quality: Tier 1 sources (institutions, universities) rank higher
• Coverage: More sources reporting = higher score
• Freshness: Newer stories get bonus points
• Region: Stories from underrepresented regions get a boost

Story Coverage:

Click "Show coverage" to see all sources reporting the same story. Sources are grouped by reliability tier:

• Tier 1: Primary sources (institutions, museums)
• Tier 2: Science & specialist media
• Tier 3: General news media

Besides the aggregated news, Archaeonews publishes its own writing and recommendations.

Reviews

Reviews are original editorial pieces from our desk: what a discovery is, and why it matters. The newest review leads the page; older ones follow below.

Blog

The Blog carries longer articles and commentary. Logged-in readers can comment on posts.

Recommended Reading

Every Saturday we pick one long read from elsewhere on the web and feature it on the homepage. Earlier picks are collected in the Recommended Reading archive.

Recommended Book

• Shown on the homepage beside the Top Story: a new or notable archaeology book, with a short description and a link to the publisher.
• Several books take turns — the card moves to the next one every 20 seconds.
• Use the ‹ and › buttons in the card's header to page through the books yourself; the card then stops turning on its own.
• The card also holds still while your pointer is over it, so it does not change while you read.

Basic Search:

Use the search box on the Stories page to search by keywords:

Advanced Search:

Click Advanced Search in the navigation for more options:

• Autocomplete: Start typing to see keyword suggestions
• Regions: Select one or more regions (Europe, Asia, Africa, etc.)
• Date Range: Filter by publication date
• Min Score: Only show high-quality stories
• Search History: Your recent searches are saved (logged-in users)

Keywords View (Filter by Topic):

The homepage includes a "Filter by Topic" widget that shows popular keywords from stories:

• Keyword Cloud: Keywords are displayed as tags with size and color based on frequency
• Click to Filter: Click any keyword to see all stories containing that exact phrase
• Time Period: Use the dropdown (Today/This Week/Latest/All) to filter keywords by time period
• Accurate Counts: Numbers next to keywords show how many stories match within the selected time period

Keywords Tab on Stories Page:

The Stories page has a Keywords tab that shows all available topics:

1. Go to Stories page
2. Click the "Keywords" tab
3. Browse available keywords organized by frequency
4. Click any keyword to filter stories
5. Change the time period using the dropdown - keywords will update automatically

Filter Tips:

Saving Stories:

1. Log in to your account
2. Click the bookmark icon on any story
3. The story is saved to your bookmarks

Viewing Bookmarks:

Open your user menu (your username in the top-right corner) and choose Bookmarks.

Your bookmarks page shows:

• All saved stories
• When you saved them
• Option to add notes to each bookmark
• Remove button to unsave stories

Using Notes:

Add notes to remember why you saved a story or what to look for when reading it.

Setting Up Alerts:

1. Go to User Settings
2. Click the "Email Alerts" tab
3. Enter your email address
4. Choose alert frequency:
   • Instant: Get notified immediately (use sparingly!)
   • Daily: One email per day with matching stories
   • Weekly: Weekly digest of top stories
5. Set filters (optional):
   • Regions: Only get alerts for specific regions
   • Keywords: Only stories containing these words
   • Min Score: Only high-quality stories
6. Click "Save Preferences"
7. Check your email for verification link

Managing Alerts:

You can:

• Update your alert frequency anytime
• Change your filter preferences
• Unsubscribe at any time from Settings or email links

Creating an Account:

To create a new account:

1. Click Login in the top-right corner, then Register under the login form
2. Enter your username, email, and password
3. Complete the CAPTCHA challenge
4. Click "Create Account"

Your account is activated instantly - no email verification required!

Password Requirements:

• Minimum 8 characters
• Must include at least one uppercase letter (A-Z)
• Must include at least one lowercase letter (a-z)
• Must include at least one number (0-9)

Example: MyPass123

Changing Your Password:

1. Open your user menu (your username in the top-right corner) and choose Change Password — or go to User Settings and open the "Account Settings" tab
2. Fill in the "Change Password" form:
   • Enter your current password
   • Enter your new password (must meet requirements)
   • Confirm your new password
3. Click "Update Password"

Deactivating Your Account:

If you wish to deactivate your account:

1. Go to User Settings
2. Click the "Account Settings" tab
3. Scroll down to the Danger Zone section
4. Click "Deactivate Account" button
5. In the confirmation modal:
   • Enter your password
   • Type DELETE to confirm
   • Click "Deactivate Account"

What happens when you deactivate?

The following data will be permanently deleted:

• All your bookmarks
• Email alert subscriptions
• User preferences and settings

You will not be able to log in after deactivation.

Display Preferences:

• Theme: Choose Light, Dark, or Auto (follows system)
• Default View: Set which story view loads first
• Stories per Page: Choose 12, 24, or 48 stories per page

Dark Mode:

Toggle dark mode using the icon in the top-right corner, or set it permanently in Settings.

Keyboard Shortcuts:

Press ? on any page to see the available keyboard shortcuts.

Account Settings:

View your username and account type. Change your password in the Account tab.