There are a lot of questions I get repeatedly about how to use Tangle, what our mission is, and what this whole thing is about. I've decided to answer a few of them all in one place.
Q: I'm not getting emails. What is the problem?
A: First, make sure you have emails turned on. Some people unsubscribe accidentally. Go to your account (click here) and make sure emails are toggled on. You want it to look like this:
Second, check your spam and junk folders. Search "staff@readtangle.com" in your inbox and make sure the emails aren't going to a separate folder. If they are, be sure to whitelist the "readtangle" domain in your inbox. You can also mark our emails as important or open and reply to an email, which will teach your inbox you like us.
If neither of these work, shoot us an email at staff@readtangle.com with the subject line "Subscription issue" and we'll figure it out.
Q: I want to change my settings — change my email address, manage which emails I'm getting, update my credit card, etc. Where do I go?
A: You can manage all your settings by going to your account here: https://www.readtangle.com/#/portal/account
Q: Why should I be reading Tangle? Why are you different?
A: We believe in exposing our readers to a wide range of views. Every day, we break down one big debate happening in politics. We do this by explaining the basics of the story in the most neutral language possible, and then sharing six opinions from across the political spectrum on that story. At the end, our founder shares his own personal view on the story and the arguments.
In sum, that means you get seven different opinions from across the political spectrum any time you read our news, offering the kind of balance missing in other news outlets. By offering this wide range of perspectives, we expose you to ideas and arguments you would otherwise miss, making you more informed.
Q: You say you are nonpartisan, but you use certain language or words that reveal your bias. Why?
A: We try try to make the most thoughtful, neutral decisions we can with our language choices. You can read about some of them here.
Q: It's obvious to me that people behind Tangle are conservative/liberal or Democrat or Republican or something else, why do you say you are non-partisan?
A: Tangle gets accused of being liberal, conservative, and everything in between every single day. Usually, it's from readers who just started reading, and for whatever reason they felt the first or second post they saw had an ideological tilt.
The reason Tangle is "non-partisan" is because of our format. We give equal airtime to views on the left, right, and in between. We also try to share opinions from news outlets that tend to be anti- and pro-establishment, as that is another kind of bias in the media.
Our founder, Isaac Saul, then shares his clearly identified personal opinion. We are not trying to tell you what to think, only to make sure you see a wide variety of perspectives.
Fortunately, you don't have to take our word for it. You can check our media bias rating on websites like AllSides and AdFontesMedia.
Q: How do you pick your advertisers?
A: Advertisers make up just a tiny fraction of our revenue. We have a transparent advertising policy that we follow.
Q: Which politician do you support in this race?
A: Unlike many other news outlets and newspapers, Tangle does not make endorsements. I am fine to share my own personal political views, which I do in "my take" every day. But as an editorial policy, we draw the line at candidate endorsements, which I think undermines trust with readers and steps outside what our mission is. Our goal is not to tell you what to think or who to vote for, it is to make sure you understand an issue and are exposed to a variety of perspectives in an honest way. You can make up your mind on the issue or candidate yourself.
Q: I'm having a problem with my subscription, emails, credit card, or something else related to my account. What can I do?
A: Email us at staff@readtangle.com with the subject line "Subscription issue" — and please be patient. On top of running the newsletter, podcast and YouTube channel, our editorial staff also does customer service, so it may take me a couple days to reply.
Q: I want to support Tangle, but I don't want to subscribe. Can I donate?
A: Yes, you can leave a tip in our tip jar by clicking here. Thank you!
Q: I'd like to gift someone a subscription to Tangle. Is there a way to do that?
A: Yes! Gifting subscriptions is very popular. You can do that by clicking here.
Q: Who owns Tangle?
A: You do. Tangle is investor-free, and 100% independent. We have no financiers. We run ads with partners we like in our free newsletter, but really only make money when readers become subscribers (you can subscribe here). More than 90% our revenue comes from subscribers. Our podcast also gets occasional sponsorships but we still lose money producing it. Our only other revenue streams are merchandise sales and donations.
Q: How can I comment on a post?
A: Comments are available for subscribers. In order to comment, you have to subscribe. Once you subscribe, you can scroll down to the bottom of any post on our website and sign in, then comment. If you are already signed in, you should see a way to comment easily.
Q: How do I change my profile picture or avatar on the comments section?
A: These are Gravatar images. This isn't something that can be set on our website specifically, but email clients like Gmail or others may allow you to set/change this image.
Generally speaking, Gravatar is a separate service though, and the photos tied to a member profile for commenting would retrieve the Gravatar image for that email address, if one such Gravatar image has been configured. Gravatar itself also allows you to set one for your email address, you can do so here. You can also read more here.
Q: I love your logo. Do you have stickers or mugs?
A: Yes! We have an entire merchandise store with shirts, hoodies, stickers, mugs and swag. You can find it by clicking here.
Q: I'm having trouble seeing the blue links on the black background. What is going on?
A: It sounds like you have dark mode on. If you go up to the top right and click the the thing that looks like a tiny moon or a tiny sun, you can toggle between dark and light modes.
Q: Can I listen to Tangle?
A: Yes! We launched a podcast specifically for readers who prefer to listen. It's me, Isaac Saul, Tangle's founder, reading the newsletter. You can find the podcast by clicking here.
Q: Why do I have to subscribe to Tangle?
A: Tangle is completely independent. Unlike other news outlets who have advertisers, sell your data, or sell their souls to make a buck. We survive solely and completely on reader support. We have no investors, no outside influence. The only time you ever might hear an ad is on our podcast. That means in order to make money, we have to ask readers to pay. In return, we give them premium content that they want — and we are entirely accountable to you.
Q: I want to subscribe to Tangle, but I can't afford it. What can I do?
A: We do not want cost to be a barrier for anyone who wants to subscribe to Tangle. If you email staff@readtangle.com and let me know, we'll gift you a subscription on the house.
Q: I'd like a refund. What do I do?
A: We'll gladly issue you a refund if you are not satisfied with the product or your subscription accidentally renewed. Just shoot us an email at staff@readtangle.com with the subject line "Refund"
Q: Do you take reader submissions?
A: Yup. Write us an email ari@readtangle.com and we can discuss it!
Q: How do you calculate your read time?
A: We use this tool, and I typically round down a minute or two with the knowledge that some readers skip certain sections of the newsletter.
Q: I use an intermediary service to manage my subscriptions. How do I confirm my email when you send me a login link?
A: Intermediaries often give you a unique address that act as forwarding filters for your personal email, so it's likely that our signup link is getting blocked after you try to subscribe. We recommend that you signup to Tangle using your personal email address, then click the registration link we send you to go to readtangle.com, click the blue user icon in the lower-right corner, and change the email address that the newsletter should go to. If possible, you should also whitelist the readtangle.com domain through your intermediary to allow any messages from us to reach you (we will never ever ever send you spam or share your email with other senders).