Huffington Post Community Code of Conduct
Welcome to the Huffington Post Community - We are dedicated to maintaining a respectful community that actively engages in lively discussions on news stories and blog posts. Part of what makes the Huffington Post Community awesome is that ours is an open platform, meaning everyone can see and engage with everyone else's comments. However, please keep this in mind when writing out your own comments.
Respect Others - Please be polite to all the members of our Community, including other commenters and authors and the subjects of articles. Also, keep in mind that there are real people reading your comments.
Safe Space - Above all, we believe strongly that The Huffington Post Community should be a safe and welcoming space for all individuals, groups and their ideas. As such, we reserve the right to remove any rudeness, insults, hate, hostility, or negativity.
Moderation - In order to help provide a safe space for our community, many comments are pre-moderated by our moderation system and you may see a message that says your comment is pending approval. This system, which includes a team of staff moderators, is in place 24/7. However, there are times when comments may take a little longer to get through the process. Please be patient, we will get to your comment as soon as possible.
Reporting- If you'd like to help us keep the Huffington Post Community an awesome place to participate, you can flag any bad comments you see or report any users who are consistently making negative, threatening comments or harassing others.
Still have questions? Find your answers in our Help Center.
Let's Get Started:
Q: Why do I need to create an account on the Huffington Post?
A: In order to comment on the site you must create an account.
Q: Why do I need to link my Facebook account to create a Huffington Post account?
A: In order to allow people to express their ideas in a civil and responsible manner, we require our users to verify their identities by linking to a verified Facebook account.
Q: Do I need to use my Facebook or real name to create an account?
A: During the sign up process, you will have the opportunity to create a unique username to accompany your comments on HuffPost. Once you have chosen a username and created the account, you will be unable to change it, so please choose wisely. Should you have concerns about displaying your real name, please submit this form
Q: Where can I create an account and login?
A: There is a login prompt at the top right corner of every page on the site, or visit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/login/
Q: I can't remember my username/password! What can I do?
A: Don't worry! You can retrieve your password by going to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/forgot
Q: Where can I change my HuffPost username?
A: Unfortunately, you cannot change your HuffPost username once you have registered; nor can we. Every username is associated with one email address. If you need help with an existing account, please reach out to us.
Q: Where can I change my password, personal information or biography?
A: Edit any and all information on the preferences page: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/preferences
A: Huffington Post Badges recognize Huffington Post readers and users. So far, we're focusing on these key areas of user activity on the site: connecting with others, engaging with our content, accurate flagging of abusive comments, and writing and submitting well thought-out and exceptional comments. We're highlighting these areas and recognizing the top users in them.
Q: I don't want any badges, thanks.
A: If you don't want to participate in the Badges program, you can opt-out by editing your social preferences here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/social-preferences/
Q: Huffington Post Badges are awesome! How do I attain them?
A: Badges are gained based on your activity on the site. You can attain certain levels by interacting with sites more and in a variety of ways. In the past, the Huffington Post has given badges to users for predicting the news, curating comments across the community, and insightful discussion. Stay tuned for more.
Networker:
A: If you're among the most-connected users in terms of friends and followers and have connected your Huffington Post account to your Facebook or Twitter account, you'll receive a Networker badge.
Superuser:
A: If you've been busy commenting on Huffington Post and sharing stories to Facebook and Twitter, and if you're among the busiest, most engaged users when it comes to commenting and sharing, you'll receive a Superuser badge.
Pundit:
A: Pundit badges are given to those who consistently contribute insightful, informative, and engaging commentary. Community Pundits are conversation starters and are continually recognized for driving discussions surrounding news coverage -- regardless of their political leanings. The Pundit Badge holders have the privilege of some extra features on the site, such as html formatting on their comments and an increased post length.
Q: I don't understand why linking a Facebook account or a Twitter account to my Huffington Post account has anything to do with Badges? Why is it a requirement?
A: Connecting your Facebook account or your Twitter account enables you to advance to new badges since users who have connected their Facebook or Twitter accounts allow for a more dynamic and interesting place by sharing and engaging with other users.
Q: Once I receive a Badge, can I lose it?
A: If you have been flagged for inappropriate content or act in a way that is harmful to the community, you may lose your badge. If you're unsure why you lost your Badge, check out our community guidelines above.
Q: Can I include a link in my comment?
A: If you include a URL in your comment, it will be converted to a link. Please note, we reserve the right to delete comments containing links to inappropriate sites.
Q: What is the "Follow" link on user accounts?
A: When you find a commenter you like, you can press the Follow link next to the commenter's name. Your selection will appear on your profile page and on the profile page of that commenter. This way you can keep track of the commenters you like and those who like you. We are working on a way to alert you when your favorite commenters post new comments on the site.
Q: What does it mean to "Favorite" a comment?
A: If you think a comment is particularly great, you can select it as a favorite. This is used to track the best commenters on the site.
Q: Can I follow a blogger?
A: Absolutely. Each blogger has their own profile page that includes their bios and a Follow link. You can find this page by clicking on a blogger's name and you will receive alerts when this author publishes new posts.
Q: Where can I sign up for news alerts and other notifications?
A: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/signup
A: Community and Commenting Guiding Principles: The Huffington Post has a thriving user community and encourages commenting on news stories and blog posts. We are dedicated to maintaining a respectful, engaging and informative conversation. Towards that end, we have basic ground rules for commenting to maintain a civil atmosphere. They are enforced 24/7 by a moderating system that features a team of staff, community moderators and moderation tools. If you wish to participate in the community, we ask that you follow these and the spirit of the community they seek to create.
(I) If your comments consistently or intentionally make this community a less civil and enjoyable place to be, we reserve the right to exclude you and your comments.
The Huffington Post promotes a receptive, transparent and civil atmosphere for comments and users. Critical, in-depth and intelligent discussions and debates are encouraged and the best of these are highlighted in various ways, such as through the Community Pundit program. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to voice their opinion regardless of identity, politics, ideology, religion or agreement with other community members, the author of the post or staff members as long as those opinions are respectful and constructively add to the conversation. However, this community does not tolerate direct or indirect attacks, name-calling or insults nor does it tolerate intentional attempts to derail, hijack, troll or bait others into an emotional response. These types of comments will be removed where warranted. Individuals who consistently or intentionally post these types of comments may temporarily or permanently lose their ability to comment.
(II) Many comments are pre-moderated.
To maintain a civil atmosphere, our moderation team may read comments before they are displayed to other users. If this is the case, you may see your comment pending approval. Approval times can vary depending on the site-wide comment load, so please be patient -- we will get to all comments as quickly as possible. Please, do not resubmit the same comment or complain to the moderators assuming it has been deleted as that just adds needless comments into the pending queue.
(III) The community monitors itself, in conjunction with the core moderation team - and so can you!
Every member of this community has the power to elevate the level of conversation and remove the trolls who would degrade it. On every comment, you can "Fan and Favorite" (F&F) users who are posting great content, or flag a comment for review by a moderator. Please remember that the flag comment button is not a "dislike" button, but is intended only for inappropriate comments. Taking these simple actions brings great content to the top and removes bad content quickly.
(IV) Be yourself, only yourself, and just one of yourself.
Every person's opinion is valuable and unique. Pretending to be someone else removes that unique value from you or from others. Don't misrepresent yourself or others, spread misinformation, create multiple accounts or "astroturf". If you do, you will make the community a less enjoyable and valuable place to be and will be removed when we see it.
(V) We strive to make this community a safe space.
We strongly believe that the Huffington Post should be a safe space for individuals, groups and their ideas. As such, insulting and hostile language or personal threats are not welcome here. If you directly or indirectly threaten the physical or mental well-being of a member of this community, or an individual or group, you will be removed immediately. If a credible threat is made against an individual or group, not only will it be removed but it is likely that it will be reported to law enforcement agencies and we will cooperate with them to any extent requested. Personally identifiable information should not be posted to the Huffington Post comments section for the privacy and protection of all community members. This includes, but is not limited to addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses. We reserve the right to delete any comments that contain this information.
Q: I posted a comment. Why can't I see it on the site?
A: If you do not see your comment immediately...
a. It may be pending approval. Comments on blogs and various articles are moderated BEFORE they appear on the site, and this takes time. Since the volume of comments on the site has grown rapidly, there is often a delay between a comment being posted and it being approved, especially during peak hours. We appreciate your patience and ask that you refrain from posting the same comment repeatedly.
b. Your comment violated the policy above. We pride ourselves in providing a medium for engaging and thought-provoking discussions and encourage our users to speak their minds freely, provided comments fall within our commenting policy. We must respect our writers and we try to protect them from vicious and inflammatory comments.
Q: Why am I blocked from commenting on Huffington Post?
A: If a user posts comments that have violated our commenting ground rules, their account may be terminated. This would include inappropriate comments that contain insults, attacks, abuse towards other users or groups; or engaging in trolling or hijacking the comment threads.
Q: There is a comment that I find insulting and in violation of your policy. What can I do?
A: You can flag the comment as abusive by pressing the "Flag As Abusive" link within the comment. This alerts our moderators and they will delete the comments that don't comply with our policy.
Q: Will my Facebook username or updated HuffPost username appear next to my old comments?
A: Yes, after you link your verified Facebook account with your HuffPost account, your updated HuffPost user name will appear next to all of your comments on the site, both previously published comments and comments you make going forward.
Even more questions? Find answers at http://help.huffingtonpost.com
