BDlive: registration and user profiles

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    Q. What is BDlive?

    1. BDlive is the digital identity of Business Day, South Africa's daily business newspaper. It comprises this website, iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry apps, and a mobile site. Our content is updated throughout the day by a team of expert reporters and editors.

    2. Also read our About Us page for more on our history and achievements.

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    Q. How do I register at no charge on BDlive?

    1. Click on "Register" in the top right-hand corner of the BDlive website.

    2. Complete the registration form and submit your details.

    3. Log in with your username and password to gain access to more articles and a range of tools and services.

    4. Your username now appears in the top right-hand corner of the website.

    5. Click on your username to update your profile and view your article clippings, among other services.

    6. You can also log in with your social media account by clicking on the icon of the social media platform you use under the "Quick register" heading on the registration page and following the prompts on screen.

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    Q. What are cookies and why do I need them to use BDlive?

    1. Cookies are small, harmless files used by many websites to keep track of your personal preferences and settings. Many of the BDlive services we offer our readers rely on such cookies to function.

    2. If you do not have cookies enabled on the browser you are using, some of these services and settings on BDlive might fail or the website will not display correctly.

    3. To enable cookies in Google Chrome: click here.

    4. To enable cookies in Firefox: click here.

    5. To enable cookies in Internet Explorer: click here.

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    Q. How do I edit or personalise my profile on BDlive?

    1. By registering on BDlive you can edit or personalise your profile once you have logged in by clicking on your name in the top right-hand corner.

    2. My Details: Click on the "My Details" tab to customise your personal information and edit your username, email address and password.

    3. My News: Click on the "My News" tab to customise news by sector. Select the sectors you are interested in and submit your choice. To access these articles while using the website, simply click on the "My Console" bar at the bottom of the screen and select "My News".

    4. My Clippings: While reading BDlive, you can clip articles to save to your profile for later reading. Open an article and click on the "Read later" paperclip icon to the right of the headline. To access these articles after you have logged on to BDlive, simply click on the "My Console" bar at the bottom of the screen and select "My Clippings".

    5. My Watchlist: Customise your watchlist by clicking on the "My Watchlist" tab. Click on "Add Share" and follow the prompts to enter your watchlist. To access your watchlist after you have logged on to BDlive, simply click on the "My Console" bar at the bottom of the screen and select "My Watchlist".

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    Q. How do I sign up for BDlive newsletters or SMS alerts, or change my newsletter and SMS subscriptions?

    1. You have to register (at no charge) as a BDlive user. See "How do I register at no charge on BDlive?" above.

    2. As part of the registration form, you will be able to choose which newsletters and SMS alerts you would like to receive.

    3. Alternatively, once you have logged in, click on your username that is displayed in the top right-hand corner of the website. In your profile, click on the "My Newsletters" tab. Change your settings for newsletters and SMS alerts, and click "Save".

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    Q. I've signed up for a BDlive email newsletter but it has not arrived in my inbox. What do I do?

    1. Check your junk mail or rejected mail folder to ensure your mail server did not reject the newsletter. If that is what happened, try to adjust your mail settings to allow our newsletter to go straight to your inbox.

    2. If you haven't received it at all, call our contact centre at Tel: 0860 26 26 26 or email us at [email protected].

    3. The best time to phone our call centre is between 9am and 5pm, South African time (GMT +2) on weekdays excluding public holidays.

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    Q. How do I upload or change my BDlive profile picture?

    1. This option is at present being developed and will soon be available.

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    Q. How do I change my BDlive password?

    1. Click on "Login" in the top right-hand corner of the BDlive website.

    2. Sign in with your username and current password.

    3. Your username now appears in the top right-hand corner of the website.

    4. Click on your username to view your profile.

    5. Click on "Change Password" to change your password, and follow the instructions.

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    Q. What is "My Console" at the bottom of my screen when I visit BDlive?

    1. "My Console" is a quick and useful way for registered BDlive users to access our personalised services. You have to log in before you will be able to use it.

    2. Under "My News" you can choose sectors of industry for which to display the latest headlines.

    3. Under "My Watchlist" you can set up a watchlist of shares to monitor their performance. Soon you will be able to create a full share portfolio.

    4. Under "My Clippings" you can view articles you clipped to read later. On each article you will see a "Read later" icon, which you can click to save the article to your clippings area. It will remain there until you delete it again.

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    Q. Will other BDlive users be able to see my personal information?

    1. Your personal information is only visible to you. Read our privacy policy.

    2. When commenting on an article, your username will be displayed, although you are the only one who can access your profile on BDlive.

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    Q. I can't register or log in on BDlive, or I'm having trouble setting up my profile. Who do I contact?

    1. You can call our contact centre at Tel: 0860 26 26 26 or email your complaint to [email protected].

    2. The best time to phone our call centre is between 9am and 5pm, South African time (GMT +2) on weekdays excluding public holidays.

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    Q. Why do I have to pay for unlimited access to your articles?

    The modern age of journalism is challenging. Around the world, newspapers face declining print circulation figures and rising costs. In recent months we have seen rising demand for our digital content. We have also re-engineered our newsroom and our products to deliver quality content for the web and for our smartphone and tablet computer applications.

    The unfortunate truth is, however, that declining print advertising revenues and rising but low online ad revenues (an industry-wide challenge) are not nearly enough to cover the considerable costs of running a modern newsroom.

    In South Africa, we face a further challenge as new JSE rules mean listed companies are no longer forced to place large print ads to publish their financial results — a serious blow to business media.

    Business Day has come to the point where it simply no longer is economically viable for us to give away our copy at no charge online. We're not unique in that regard, of course: the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Times and hundreds of other newspapers around the world have had to make the same decision.

    Without such revenue, a newspaper such as Business Day would no longer be able to maintain the excellence of its newsroom and offer its readers exclusive, original and intelligently written content in print and online.

    The "freemium" model of payment we have implemented on BDlive allows you to read up to 15 articles a month without having to pay at all (you will simply be asked to register, at no charge). If you are a more frequent user, you will benefit from subscribing as we offer you an unlimited number of new or archived articles, together with exclusive reports, articles, analysis and multimedia delivered to you on this website, on our iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry apps and on our mobile site.

    • Business Day: newspaper, website and e-edition

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    Q. What is a digital subscription?

    1. A digital subscription entitles a user to uninterrupted access to BDlive and the Business Day e-paper, an exact digital replica of the printed newspaper.

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    Q. How do I subscribe?

    1. Once you have registered on BDlive, click on the "Subscribe" tab at the top right-hand side of the website, in the red bar.

    2. On our subscriptions page, you can select various subscription options, including a combined newspaper and digital subscription or a subscription to BDlive that includes access to the website, apps and the daily Business Day e-paper.

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    Q. I'm a subscriber and my newspaper is not being delivered. Where do I complain?

    1. You can call our contact centre at Tel: 0860 26 26 26 or email your complaint to [email protected].

    2. The best time to phone our call centre is between 9am and 5pm, South African time (GMT +2) on weekdays excluding public holidays.

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    Q. I have subscribed to the e-paper but cannot log in via my Kindle, or I have not received a username and password even after I paid for my subscription. What now?

    1. You can call our contact centre at Tel: 0860 26 26 26 or email your complaint to [email protected].

    2. The best time to phone our call centre is between 9am and 5pm, South African time (GMT +2) on weekdays excluding public holidays.

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    Q. Do you deliver the newspaper in small towns?

    1. We deliver by post to small towns, but the newspaper could be out of date by the time you receive it.

    2. You can also subscribe to our e-edition, an exact digital replica of every day's newspaper. Visit our Subscriptions page.

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    Q. I am going away and want to suspend newspaper deliveries to my house for a period. Who can help me?

    1. You can call our contact centre at Tel: 0860 26 26 26 or email your request to [email protected].

    2. The best time to phone our call centre is between 9am and 5pm, South African time (GMT +2) on weekdays excluding public holidays.

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    Q. What are the details of your subscription call centre?

    1. You can call our contact centre at Tel: 0860 26 26 26 or email us at [email protected].

    2. The best time to phone our call centre is between 9am and 5pm, South African time (GMT +2) on weekdays excluding public holidays.

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    Q. How do I convert my print subscription to an e-edition subscription?

    1. Unfortunately we cannot convert your subscription. It is best to wait until your print subscription expires before renewing by subscribing to the e-paper.

    2. We can, however, cancel your subscription.

    3. You can call our contact centre at Tel: 0860 26 26 26 or email your request to [email protected].

    4. The best time to phone our call centre is between 9am and 5pm, South African time (GMT +2) on weekdays excluding public holidays.

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    Q. Do you offer special rates for bulk sales of your e-paper or print newspaper subscriptions?

    1. These can be organised for events via Lebogang Mogola, at +27 11 280 3000 or [email protected].

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    Q. Where can I get a copy of a previously published newspaper in digital or print format?

    1. We offer single-copy sales via our librarian, Michelle Leon (+27 11 280 3000), or our contact centre at Tel: 0860 26 26 26 or [email protected].

    2. The best time to phone our call centre is between 9am and 5pm, South African time (GMT +2) on weekdays excluding public holidays.

    3. If the content you require is older than a month, there may be an additional fee to deliver it to you digitally.

    • Business Day and BDlive on the go

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    Q. How do I find the BDlive mobile site?

    1. On your mobile device, simply enter the address www.bdlive.co.za in your browser address bar and a version of the site specially optimised for mobile handsets will load.

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    Q. How do I install the BDlive iPad or iPhone app?

    1. On your iPad or iPhone, launch the App Store.

    2. Search for "Business Day Live".

    3. Install the app.

    4. Once the app installation is complete, a BDlive icon will appear on your iPad or iPhone desktop or screen. Touch the icon to launch the app.

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    Q. How do I install the BDlive Android app?

    1. On an Android device, launch the Play store.

    2. Search for "Business Day" or "BDlive".

    3. Install the app.

    4. Once the app installation is complete, a BDlive icon will appear on your phone or tablet screen. Touch the icon to launch the app.

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    Q. How do I install the BDlive BlackBerry app?

    1. On a BlackBerry device, launch Appworld.

    2. Search for "Business Day" or "BDlive".

    3. Install the app.

    4. Once the app installation is complete, a BDlive icon will appear on your phone or tablet screen. Touch the icon to launch the app.

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    Q. I'm an advertiser and my ads on the BDlive website don't appear on the iPhone, iPad, Android or BlackBerry apps.

    1. The website and the apps are different services that employ different business models. It is possible to see your advertising on all these platforms if it is purchased across our range of products.

    2. This model may change in future based on the requirements of our customers and clients.

    3. For details, contact Eben Gewers at at +27 11 280 3000 or [email protected].

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    Q. How do the apps on iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android compare with the e-edition of Business Day?

    1. The e-edition is an exact replica of the newspaper, updated daily, while the apps works in conjunction with the BDlive website to present quality news produced in our newsroom throughout the day as soon as it is published on the internet.

    2. The e-edition includes popular supplements such as Wanted magazine, Sports Monthly and Investors Monthly.

    3. The apps are designed to work on specific devices. The e-edition can be read on mobile phones, tablets and your desktop computer or laptop by using the NewspaperDirect reader service.

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    Q. How can I read the e-edition on an iPad or another kind of tablet?

    1. The e-edition can be read on e-readers such as the Kindle and even on desktop computers or laptops by using the NewspaperDirect reader service.

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    Q. How do I download the e-edition on to my Kindle?

    1. Open your Kindle and point it towards NewspaperDirect.

    2. Search for Business Day (South Africa) and then provide your username and password obtained from NewspaperDirect.

    3. You are now logged in to read the e-edition.

    • Getting in touch

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    Q. Who is the editor of Business Day and BDlive?

    1. Peter Bruce is publisher and editor-in-chief of both Business Day and BDlive.

    2. Riaan Wolmarans is executive editor: digital of BDlive.

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    Q. How do I submit a letter?

    1. While pseudonyms are sometimes acceptable, you should sign your letter and give your name, street address and daytime contact number.

    2. Submitting your letter is no guarantee that it will be published.

    3. The editor reserves the right to edit letters.

    4. Please note that we do not accept attachments. Insert or write your letter into the body of an email, which you can send to [email protected].

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    Q. How do I submit an opinion piece?

    1. We do not publish opinion pieces that have also been submitted to other newspapers.

    2. Submitting an uncommissioned opinion piece is no guarantee that it will be published in the newspaper or on the website. It is up to the editor to decide.

    3. The editor reserves the right to edit all opinion pieces.

    4. Email your opinion piece to [email protected] with a clear and concise subject line such as "Opinion piece for submission to Business Day".

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    Q. How do I report an error in the newspaper or on the website?

    1. As much as we strive to correct all factual errors (or simple typos, of course) before articles are published, mistakes will sometimes slip through.

    2. Please let us know if you spot any such errors, big or small, so that we can take steps to correct them.

    3. Email [email protected] with the article's date and page number, if it was in the newspaper, or the web address of the article, if it was published online, and explain the problem clearly and concisely.

    4. Use an email subject line such as "Correction to article in Business Day".

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    Q. How do I submit a press release?

    1. We do not publish press releases. They are given to the journalist covering a specific beat and will then be considered for use in future news reports or features.

    2. Before you submit a press release, try to determine which editor or journalist would benefit most from receiving it. View our Contact Us page for the main points of contact or see our staff profiles to view contact details of our writers.

    3. You can also email your press release to [email protected] with a clear and concise subject line.

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    Q. How do I send a news tip?

    1. Before you submit a tip, try to determine which editor or journalist would benefit most from receiving it. View our Contact Us page for the main points of contact or see our staff profiles to view contact details of our writers.

    2. You can also email your tip to [email protected] with a clear and concise subject line.

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    Q. Where do I find email addresses for your staff, for example to speak to someone about a sector-specific story?

    1. View our Contact Us page for the main points of contact or see our staff profiles to view contact details of our writers.

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    Q. What are the details of your subscription call centre?

    1. You can call our contact centre at Tel: 0860 26 26 26 or email your request to [email protected].

    2. The best time to phone our call centre is between 9am and 5pm, South African time (GMT +2) on weekdays excluding public holidays.

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    Q. How do I advertise in the newspaper or on the website, or how do I obtain the rates for advertising?

    1. View our Advertise With Us page, which has all the contact information you need. Our advertising staff will get back to you.