What is 2FA?

Standard passwords can sometimes be guessed or stolen. 2FA adds a second layer of protection by requiring not just something you know (your password), but also something you have (your phone or email access).

How to Log In with 2FA

Once 2FA is active on your account, the login process will look like this:

1. Enter Credentials: Log in with your username and password as usual.
2. Verify Identity: You will be prompted to enter a 6-digit verification code.
3. Submit: Enter the code from your email or app to gain access to the dashboard.

Your 2FA Options

You can choose the method that best fits your workflow from your user profile:

How to Set Up or Switch Your Method

You can update your security settings at any time:

1. Log into your WordPress dashboard and go to Users > Your Profile.
2. Scroll down to the OHT 2FA Settings section.
3. Select your Preferred 2FA Method from the dropdown menu.
4. If you choose SMS: * Enter your mobile number in the Phone Number field.
   • Note: US numbers do not require +1; our system adds it automatically.
   • By selecting this, you consent to receive security codes via text; message and data rates may apply.
5. If you choose Authenticator App: * A QR code and manual setup code will appear. Scan this with your app. More details are provided in the next section.
6. Click Update Profile at the bottom of the page to save your changes.

Setting Up an Authenticator App

If you choose the Authenticator App option for maximum security, follow these steps to link your device:

• Step 1: On your profile page, select “Authenticator App.” A QR Code and a Text Setup Code will appear on your screen.
• Step 2: Open your preferred app (Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.) on your smartphone.
• Step 3: Tap the “+” icon in the app and select “Scan a QR Code.”
• Step 4: Point your camera at your computer screen to scan the code.
  • Note: If your camera isn’t working, you can manually type in the provided Setup Code instead.
• Step 5: Once the account “[Your Website]: username” appears in your app, enter the current 6-digit code into the confirmation box on your WordPress profile to verify the link.

Pro-Tips

• The 30-Second Rule: Authenticator codes refresh every 30 seconds. If the code is about to expire (usually indicated by a blinking red timer in your app), wait for the next code to ensure it doesn’t “time out” while you’re typing.
• Switching Back: If you ever lose your phone or find the app inconvenient, you can always log back in (using a backup method or admin help) and switch your setting back to Email.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I don’t receive my SMS or Email code?

• Email: Check your “Spam” folder and whitelist @our-hometown.com.
• SMS: Ensure you entered your number correctly without the “+1” prefix. Codes usually arrive within seconds, but network delays can occur.

Which Authenticator apps do you recommend? We recommend Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Authy. All are free and available on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

Will I have to do this every single time I log in? You can check the “Remember this device” box during login. This will keep you authenticated on that specific browser for 30 days, so you won’t need a code every morning.

I’m locked out! What do I do? If you lose access to your phone or email, don’t worry. Please contact the Our-Hometown Support Team at ops@our-hometown.com for further assistance.

NOTE: Never share your 2FA code with anyone. Our-Hometown staff will never ask you for your 6-digit code over the phone or via email.

The post Enhancing Security: A Guide to Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) first appeared on Our-Hometown.

Whether it’s a distinctive locale such as “Mackinac” (pronounced Mackinaw), or a local councilmember’s surname, this new capability allows you to make sure the audio output reflects your publication’s authentic voice.

What’s New

A new Pronunciations section is now available in the WordPress Dashboard. From this screen, editors can create custom entries for any word or phrase that might otherwise be mispronounced. Each entry lets you specify how the word should sound, either through a simple text alias or using phonetic notation. You can preview the pronunciation before saving, and options are available for handling case sensitivity and word boundaries.

Once saved, these rules are automatically applied whenever an Audio Article is generated on your site, ensuring consistency and accuracy across all future recordings.

Why It Matters

Local newspapers often include names that automated systems can’t easily recognize or pronounce correctly. This update allows you to preserve the character and credibility of your reporting by making sure these names are spoken the way your readers expect to hear them. The result is a smoother listening experience that better reflects the identity of your community.

How to Get Started

To begin using this feature, log in to your site’s WordPress Dashboard and open Audio Articles → Pronunciations. Click Add New Pronunciation, enter the word and its desired pronunciation, and preview the result. Once published, your pronunciation settings will take effect automatically the next time an Audio Article is created.

Example

In this example, the editor has entered:
Word: Mackinac
Alias text: Mackinaw

The audio system will now pronounce “Mackinac” correctly as “Mackinaw” in all future audio articles. To regenerate the audio version of an existing article, you will need to edit and update that article to trigger processing of the audio anew.

Using Phoneme Mode (IPA)

For advanced control, editors can switch to Phoneme (IPA) mode and specify pronunciations using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). This is especially useful when the standard alias text still doesn’t produce a natural result.

For example, instead of entering “Mackinaw” as a text alias, you could enter its phonetic equivalent:
/ˈmækɪnɔː/

Here are a few commonly used IPA symbols that may help with local or regional names:

This standardized approach can be a powerful option for sites serving multilingual audiences or regions with distinctive dialects. Here’s a downloadable chart from the IPA for reference.

Available Now

The custom pronunciation feature is available immediately for all customers using Audio Articles. We encourage you to try it out and refine your publication’s audio output for your local audience.

If you have any questions or would like assistance setting it up, please contact our support team at support@our-hometown.com.

Would you like me to create a shorter version (2–3 paragraphs) of this same announcement for inclusion in your customer newsletter or Mailchimp campaign?

The post Custom Pronunciation Settings for Audio Articles first appeared on Our-Hometown.

Readers can always control what notifications are being sent, plus a history of all notifications for reference.

Notifications do require the user to allow for browser notifications, and will be prompted when enabling the feature to accept the permissions update for the website. This will need to be done for each browser a reader may use, but once done the settings will persist until disable notifications or revoke the site permissions.

The appearance of the notifications is determined by the operating system and the browser being used, with some also offering an audible alert as well as the text alert.

News Notifications Dashboard

The Notifications Dashboard page in the Admin section of the website provides analytics on how many notifications have been sent as well as the click-through rate so you can assess the engagement of your readers.

Notification Settings

The Notification Settings page provides options for enabling notifications per category, each with it’s own schedule, plus the settings for Breaking News alerts.

Let’s take a look at these settings in detail.

Category Display

The first setting is whether you would like all category alerts to be grouped on the Notifications panel. If grouped the reader can subscribe to a “News Alerts” channel which will sign them up for all the category notifications (with individual schedules) that you have set up. Other wise with this setting toggled OFF, the reader can then subscribe to each category channel individually.

Select Categories

Tick the box next to any categories you would like to include in the Notifications Panel and you will be presented with scheduling options for each:

• Send instantly (on publication of new content)
• Send at Specific Times: Add as many time slots as you would like for notifications from this particular category. Click the Add Time button to specify additional notification times.

Breaking News

This feature provides the same scheduling options as categories, but for any article set to Breaking News when published, regardless of category.

Reach out to us at ops@our-hometown.com today, so we can assist you in getting this feature set up and increase reader engagement for your website!

The post News Notifications Now Available For Your Readers first appeared on Our-Hometown.

We will be performing routine server maintenance this weekend in the early-morning hours of Saturday, March 22nd. Due to the nature of this maintenance, all Our-Hometown websites and services will be offline for a brief period of up to 30 minutes. To limit disruptions to your readers, we will begin maintenance at approximately 3AM Eastern Time on Saturday, March 22nd and expect it to be completed within thirty minutes.

During the maintenance period, our engineers will be optimizing server and database settings to ensure a smooth experience for readers following our major updates last week.

We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding!

The post Our-Hometown maintenance this weekend; brief downtime expected first appeared on Our-Hometown.