How to Read Online Magazines for Free
To read online magazines for free, you might be required to create a membership account. High-circulation magazines that feature content online might depend on advertising to fund their Web site. They might need to demonstrate to their advertisers that their site generates a certain number of hits and impressions each month or per day. These magazines rely on a database of subscribers to whom they send email alerts of new articles to encourage readers to click through to their sites.
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Instructions
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Creating the account
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1
Access the magazine article you want to read online by typing the magazine's Web site address in your browser or relevant key words on Google or Yahoo. The latter step will show a list of links, click on the one that goes to the article you want to read. If you are on the site's homepage, click on the "Read article" link of the story you want to read. You should land on a "Create Account" screen. If you go directly to an article page, there should be a "Login" form. Refer to Step 2 if neither of the two scenarios occurs.
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2
If the site does not direct to you to a "Create Account" screen, look for a button on the top right or elsewhere that says "Login," "Register" or "Join." Click on the link.
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3
Complete the "Create Account" form. You might need to enter your first and last names, a username, a password and your email address. On a separate sheet of paper, write down the username and password for future reference.
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4
Click on "Send" or "Submit."
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Confirm your subscription. If a screen appears saying you will receive an email to confirm your subscription, go to your email account and open the note from the magazine. Click on the "Confirm Subscription" link in the email to complete the confirmation.
Reading the Article
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Log in to the site. If you no longer see the article you originally wanted to read, search for it again on the Internet using the search engine you previously used and by typing in the same key words. You can also visit the homepage and look for the "Login" button.
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Access the article by clicking on it from the search-engine page or clicking on "Read article" from the summary on the homepage.
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Type in your username and password when the site directs you to a login page. The entire article should appear.
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Tips & Warnings
Because magazines depend on advertising for revenue, you might need to watch a video commercial before reading the article. You might be able to click on a "Skip this Advertisement" link to close the ad and go directly to your article.
If the magazine asks for credit card information when you create an account, read the fine print before entering your data. You might be signing up for a free trial period, after which the magazine will bill your account automatically. You can forgo joining the magazine if they require you to enter your credit card number or expect payment later on.
