Frequently Asked Questions

By Beadmakers - For Beadmakers - Worldwide

What Is Soda Lime Times?

Soda Lime Times is an on-line magazine, sometimes called an "ezine," that is published on the first day of every month. The magazine is primarily for lampwork beadmakers, and those who use lampwork beads to make jewelry and other interesting and unique things. It is intended to be informative, entertaining and inspiring to all beadmakers, but especially to those with skill levels of novice to intermediate. The magazine is published by lampwork beadmakers for lampwork beadmakers worldwide.

Why the 15th?

Good question. We thought it would be nice for our readers to have something to look forward to in the middle of the month. Just remember, the issues come out two weeks in advance, so the Jan. issue comes out on Dec. 15th, and the Feb. issue comes out on Jan. 15th, etc.

Is the magazine just an ezine or is it available in print?

The Soda Lime Times is an ezine, meaning that it is in PDF format. Print magazines are expensive to produce and would require us to sell each issue for a much higher price. Because it’s a PDF, you get to decide how much of the magazine you want to print. With print costs going up every year it’s nice to be able to offer our readers 60+ pages of quality material each month for just $4.95. We haven’t raised our prices since we launched in 2011, and we don’t intend to.

How do I subscribe?

Subscription is a two-part process. First, click on the "subscribe" button. You are asked to configure your membership account by providing a username, password, email address, and your real name. Then you get to decide whether you want a month-to-month subscription or a yearly subscription, and whether you want to pay using PayPal or a credit card. None of your credit card or PayPal information is stored on the Soda Lime Times website; it is all securely stored and maintained by PayPal or our credit card processor. Once payment is made, you are returned to the Soda Lime Times website where you may use your username and password to log in.

Going forward you will be re-billed by PayPal or Authorize.net each month on the date of your first payment. For instance, if you subscribed on the 12th of the month, you will be re-billed on the 12th of each subsequent month for as long as you wish to remain a subscriber to the magazine. You may cancel your subscription at any time. Either in PayPal or by emailing us at support@sodalimetimes.com. If you have a yearly subscription we do not automatically re-bill. We give you the option of continuing your subscription, or not.

Because of the way our billing cycle is set up, unless you subscribe on the first day of the month, you will always receive your issue before you are billed for that month. For example, if you subscribe on Jan. 15th you will get the Jan. issue which was published on Jan. 1st. Then you will get the Feb. issue on Feb. 1st, but won’t be billed for it until Feb. 15th.

How do subscribers download the magazine?  

From the Home Page, sign in and you will be taken to the subscriber’s page. Once there, look for the "Get Current Issue" button. Click on the blue button and the current issue should load. You may read the issue online, or download it to your computer. You may also print the issue for your own use. See below for information about our copyright and questions about sharing. Just make sure to save the issue to your own computer (not just the link). Since we replace the issue with a new one on the 1st, the link is always the same. You need to save the issue with a unique name to your own computer.

I tried to download the current issue, but the previous issue comes up instead. What do I do?

Each month we replace the previous issue with the current issue, but the link is the same. Your computer is remembering the previous issue, so all you need to do is refresh the screen or hit F5 and the new issue should load.

Do you have any advice about how and where to save my issues?

We sure do! We receive many emails from readers whose computers have crashed or been infected with a virus and they have lost their Soda Lime Times issues. We are happy to replace them when this happens, but if you save your SLT issues (and any other tutorials you purchase from other artists) onto an external thumb drive, iPad or other device, they will be safe in the event of a computer malfunction. Thumb drives are less than $20 and will hold years’ worth of Soda Lime Times issues.

Why is some of the web site only available to subscribers?

Access to some of the features of the web site and to the monthly magazine is available only in the subscriber’s area. This is a feature and benefit of being a subscriber to the magazine. We will still have lots of free stuff for those that want to visit our site. But, over time the web site is intended to become a more and more valuable resource for the subscribers.

Why does PayPal say they need my credit card, if I only want to use my PayPal account to subscribe?

PayPal provides an instant payment to Soda Lime Times when a subscription is created. PayPal’s policy is to secure the payment via one of three sources so that an orderly culmination of the transaction may occur. PayPal will first look to any available balance in the subscriber’s PayPal account; then, from the subscriber’s verified bank account; and third, from a credit card attached to the Subscriber’s PayPal account. If a credit card has not been listed on the account, PayPal asks that one be listed at the time of subscription to provide a backup in case the first two options fail. The credit card is only used if the first two sources of payment are not possible and do not fund. A debit card is also acceptable and is treated just like a credit card.

It is important to keep your credit card information up to date with PayPal even if it is just a back-up funding source. They will notify you when your card is getting ready to expire and then you can go to PayPal and update it. Doing so will ensure that your subscription will uninterrupted.

I got an email from PayPal about my Credit Card expiring, but I ignored it. Now my payment to the Soda Lime Times failed. What can I do?

First of all, don't worry. This happens all the time since many people think those emails from PayPal are spam. Fortunately updating your card with PayPal is very quick and easy.

• Sign onto PayPal and highlight the Profile tab in the upper middle part of the screen.
• Click the My Money link and then the Update link next to Debit and Credit Cards. From this screen you can edit an existing card (update the expiration date, for example).
  

Once your credit card information is updated your subscription should continue uninterrupted.

My subscription was cancelled. What happened?

First, we want to assure you that we NEVER cancel a subscription. Because PayPal (or Authorize.Net) are our payment processors, they cancelled the account automatically when they were unable to collect the payment. PayPal will try three times over an 11-day period.

In most cases this is due to the subscriber’s credit card expiring and not being updated, or a new card being registered with PayPal, but not linked to the Soda Lime Times. A subscription can also be cancelled if a subscriber’s credit card was stolen, lost or compromised in any way. Don’t worry. It’s easy to fix.

Fortunately, it is very quick and easy to re-subscribe, and you can even use your same username and password. First, you will need to go to Pay Pal and make sure your card is updated, if you want to use PayPal to subscribe. Then come to the Soda Lime Times and re-subscribe. Here’s what you should do if you are using PayPal:

• Log onto PayPal and highlight the Profile tab in the upper middle part of the screen.
• • Click the My Money link and then the Update link next to Debit and Credit Cards. From this screen you can edit an existing card (update the expiration date, for example), or add a new card. The My Money section of PayPal is where you can manage all of your financial information.
• When all of your new information is complete, you can now re-subscribe.
• Just log into our site at www.sodalimetimes.com and click Add or Renew a Subscription. Follow the instructions and you will be taken to PayPal where you can complete your subscription in just a couple of minutes.
• While you are in PayPal, you can set your available funding sources so that your new card or updated card is linked to your SLT subscription.
• To double check, go to the My Money section under Profile in PayPal and click on the link for My Preapproved Payments. Once there you will see the Soda Lime Times. Click on on the latest entry and you will see a link in the upper right corner of the box that says Set Available Funding Sources. Click that link and from that screen you can put a check by the accounts you want to link to the SLT.
• Make sure to click save, and your re-subscription is complete.
  

You should not have to do anything more until it is time to update your credit card information again in a few years.

If my credit card is lost or stolen, what do I do about my Soda Lime Times subscription?

From time to time a subscriber’s account will be cancelled by PayPal because the credit card they had registered as a back-up funding source was lost or stolen or the account was closed for some other reason. In cases like this you can go to PayPal to register the new card and re-subscribe using the directions above. It does take a few minutes to update with PayPal and re-subscribe, but once it’s done there is nothing more to do until the new card is set to expire several years down the road.

Can I contact PayPal and talk to a real, live person?

Yes, there really are living people working for PayPal and they are actually very nice and helpful. At the bottom of the PayPal home page is a Contact link. Click that and then select Call Us. You will be issued a one-time pass code that you will type in when you call. Listen to the choices, but just say "operator" and you will bypass the endless choices the machine gives you. Once an operator answers he or she should be able to help you with your account.

We are also here to help if you'd rather talk to us in person than communicate by email. Just call us at 423.366.6335 EST and we'll be happy to help.

May I subscribe using only my Credit Card?

Yes, when you are ready to subscribe you get to choose whether you want to use PayPal or your credit card.

Why is the magazine screen blank when I try to see it online?

The Soda Lime Times is delivered using the PDF format.  Some browsers (like Firefox) may need a "plug-in" to read a PDF format document.  The problem may be in your browser.

If you have Firefox as your browser click on the link below . . .

http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Using%20the%20Adobe%20Reader%20plugin%20with%20Firefox

. . . then on the web site click on the Adobe Reader button, click download, and follow instructions.

For Microsoft Internet Explorer click on the following web address . . .

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?platform=windows&product=10

. . . then click on the latest version under "Full Download" and follow instructions.

If you still have a problem reading PDF files, please contact Adobe for help at http://www.adobe.com/support/

How will I know when a new issue is available?

Every month we upload the new issue to our website on the last day of the month so that it is available to you by the first of the month. At any time after we upload the issue subscribers can log onto our site and get the new issue.

We also email our subscribers each month as the new issue is published. The new issue is available to you for a full month before we replace it with a new issue. Please note that at the time a new issue becomes available, the previous issue will no longer be available. So, be sure to get your current issue during the month of publication. The new issue replaces the old issue on the first day of each month.

I'm not getting emails from the Soda Lime Times. What is happening?

Do I need the email to get the issue?

No, we send the emails to our subscribers as a courtesy, but you can access the current issue at any time, from any computer, by simply logging in either on the home page or on the subscriber’s page. There is a link on the right side of the subscriber’s page to the current issue.

What happens if I forget to download and save an issue? Can I get a replacement?

Can I purchase back issues?

Yes, we have all of our back issues for sale on our website. If you are a subscriber and want to buy back issues that were published before you subscribed, you can purchase them in the subscriber’s area for just $4.95 per issue. (Remember, we’ll replace any issues you’ve already purchased for free if they are lost or if you have a computer malfunction). If you aren’t a subscriber, there is a link to our back issues on our home page. Each issue is just $6.95. Diane also has back issue bundles in her Etsy store at www.dianewoodall.etsy.com

Do you have a free sample issue I can see before I subscribe?

We sure do! We have a link on our homepage that will allow you to request a copy of our free sample issue.

May I give the free Greatest Hits issue to friends and family?

Yes, please do. Better yet, if they come to our site and sign up for it they will be on our mailing list and will receive our emails that we send out from time to time with special offers, free tutorials, etc. We never send out an email unless we have something of value to share, so you don’t have to worry about us inundating you with emails.

Can I send issues of the magazine to friends and family?

Please don't. If you contact us we will be happy to help you purchase a back issue, or issues, for someone as a gift.

But if you are a monthly subscriber or have purchased back issues, we ask that you not distribute them to anyone else. The Soda Lime Times is copyrighted material intended for your use only. It’s OK to show it to your friends so they can see what it’s all about, but we ask that you not email it to anyone. We understand that from time to time you may want to print a tutorial and take it with you to a Beads of Courage beadmaking day or to a lampwork retreat, and that’s fine. Just please don’t distribute links to the magazine or the PDFs without our prior permission.

What if I want to un-subscribe?

Take a deep breath and say Oooouummmmmmm, three times. Then if you still want to unsubscribe click on the "Manage Your Account" link on the lower left side of the Member Central page. Once on the "account dashboard" page, click on "Your Payment History" tab and you will be taken to your payment history page. Notice on the left side below "Product" you will see a "Cancel" link. Push the "Cancel" link and that’s it. We will take it from there and be sorry to see you go. Alternatively, you can contact us and we can assist you.

May I write an article or do a tutorial for Soda Lime Times?

We welcome articles, article ideas, tutorials and tips from our readers and friends. The Times is a "Themed" publication, meaning that each issue has an overriding theme. Unsolicited articles, tutorials and other things provided by our members are appreciated, but may not be used for some period of time, if ever, if the themes on which we are working do not match your contribution. So it is best to contact us by email with your idea and if it fits you may see your name in print and become famous. Click to access our Contact Us page: https://www.sodalimetimes.com/contactus.html

What is "BOC" and "LE?"

Good questions. We use those acronyms all the time. They stand for: Beads of Courage (BOC), and Lampwork Etc. (LE). The first is our favorite bead related Not-For-Profit organization and the second is a forum aimed at the bead making (and related) world. For Beads of Courage go to http://www.beadsofcourage.org; Lampwork Etc. is http://www.lampworketc.com