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Table of Contents
HuffPost User Accounts
HuffPost Comment Moderation
HuffPost Badges
Q: Why do I need to create an account on the Huffington Post?
A: In order to post a comment you need to create a username and password and log into the site.
Q: Where is the login page?
A: You can login here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/login
Q: Where can I create an account?
A: At the very top of every page there is a Your Account link next to the date. You can also go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/login/
Q: I can't remember my username/password! What can I do?
A: You can retrieve your password by going to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/forgot
Q: Where can I add/edit my biography?
A: On the preferences page: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/preferences
Q: Where can I change my screen name?
A: You cannot change your screen name once you have registered. Every email address has to be associated with one screen name. You are welcome to register a new screen name with another email account.
Q: Where can I change my password?
A: On the preferences page: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/preferences
Q: Where can I sign up for the Daily Brief?
A: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/signup
Q: What is the Huffington Post's Comment Policy?
A: Huffington Post pre-moderates comments on our blog posts and post-moderates comments on news stories. We never censor comments based on political or ideological point of view. We only delete those comments that include the following transgressions:
• are abusive, off-topic, use excessive foul language
• include ad hominem attacks including comments that celebrate the death or illness of any person, public figure or otherwise
• contain racist, sexist, homophobic and other slurs
• are solicitations and/or advertising for personal blogs and websites
• thread spamming (you've posted this same comment elsewhere on the site)
• are posted with the explicit intention of provoking other commenters or the staff at Huffington Post
• contains content that may infringe the copyright or intellectual property rights of others or other applicable laws or regulations
Q: I posted a comment. Why can't I see it on the site?
A: There are two scenarios under which your comment may not appear:
1. It may be pending approval. Comments on the blog 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.
2. Your comment violated the policy above. We pride ourselves in providing a medium for engaging and thought-provoking stories and encourage our users to speak their minds freely, provided comments fall within our commenting policy. We must respect our writers and protect them from vicious and inflammatory comments. They too are entitled to free speech- the right to share their opinions without being subject to scathing and mean-spirited remarks.
Q: Why am I blocked from commenting on Huff Post?
A: There are a few scenarios under a comment might be blocked:
1. A comment is extremely abusive, off-topic, uses excessive foul language, or includes an ad hominem attack.
2. If a commenter has previously posted comments that are abusive, off-topic, used excessive foul language, or include ad hominem attacks, a Huff Post moderator may decide to ban the commenter's IP address. This means the abusive commenter is banned from commenting on the site in the future, even if the later comments are not abusive.
Q: Can I include HTML in my comments?
A: We remove all html from comments to preserve formatting consistency.
Q: If you don't allow any HTML, how 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, comments containing links to personal blogs and other inappropriate sites will be deleted. Only links to relevant news stories or sites are acceptable.
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 below the comment. This alerts our moderators and delete the comments that don't comply with our policy.
Q: What is the "Fan" link?
A: When you find a commenter you like, you can press the I'm A Fan Of link next to the commenter's name. Your vote 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 the "Favorite" link mean?
A: If you think a comment is particularly great, you can select it as a favorite. This will help us track the best commenters on the site.
Q: Can I become a fan of a blogger?
A: Absolutely. Each blogger has their own profile page that includes their bios and a I'm A Fan Of link. You can find this page by clicking on a blogger's name.
Q: Can I print comments?
A: Unfortunately, there is no way to print comments right now. We are building a feature that will let you print comments but for the time being, you can copy and paste them into another program and print them from there.
Q: What are HuffPost Badges?
A: The BETA version of HuffPost Badges is our newest way to recognize and empower HuffPost readers and users. So far, we're focusing on three key areas of user activity on the site: connecting with others, engaging with our content, and moderating our comments. We're highlighting these three areas and recognizing the top users in them.
Q: What does "BETA" mean?
A. The term "BETA" comes from software development. It means we're still working on this system and plan to keep improving it. Have ideas, suggestions, or concerns? Email us at badges@huffingtonpost.com.
Q: I love HuffPost Badges! How do I attain more? And how do I earn a higher Level on my Badges?
A: Users attain higher Badges based on their activity on the site. If you want to attain a certain Level, your activity on the site should meet our descriptions below.
Q: I hate HuffPost Badges! How do I get rid of these things?
A: If you don't want to participate in HuffPost Badges, just email us at badges@huffingtonpost.com to opt out. Please make sure you send your email from the email address that you used to register your HuffPost account and include your username.
Q: What's a "Networker"? How can I become one?
A: If you're well above average when it comes to being connected with friends and followers, we'll award you with a Level 1 Networker Badge. If you're among the most-connected users in terms of friends and followers, and if you've connected your HuffPost account to your Facebook or Twitter account, we make you a Level 2 Networker, upgrade your Badge, and feature your comments in red. If you're like many users, you'll want to collect more fans and friends, so you can level up! And don't forget to connect your Facebook or Twitter account to your HuffPost account.
Q: What's a "Superuser"? How can I become one?
A: If you've been busy commenting on HuffPost and sharing stories to Facebook and Twitter, we'll award you with a Level 1 Superuser Badge. If you're among the busiest, most engaged users when it comes to commenting and sharing, and if you've connected your HuffPost account to your Facebook or Twitter account, then we make you a Level 2 Superuser, upgrade your Badge, and feature your comments in purple. If you're like many users, you'll want to comment and share even more, so you can level up! And don't forget to connect your Facebook or Twitter account to your HuffPost account.
Q: What's a "Moderator"? How can I become one?
A: If you've flagged at least 20 comments that we ended up deleting and have a high ratio of good flags to mistaken flags, we'll award you with a Level 1 Moderator Badge and enhance your flags so that they have five times more influence. If you've flagged at least 100 comments that we deleted and have a very high ratio of good flags to mistaken flags, we make you a Level 2 Moderator, upgrade your Badge, and trust you to delete inappropriate comments on the site. We will continue to trust you to delete inappropriate comments from the site as long as you handle the task responsibly. If you're like many users, you'll want to step up your flagging game and become one of our most trusted users.
Q: Why is this opt-out? Isn't letting users opt-in better for privacy?
A: We take user privacy very seriously at the Huffington Post. The activities of collecting friends and followers, commenting, and sharing are inherently public activities at the Huffington Post, so the shift in privacy is very minimal. We believe that an opt-out model is best for flagging comments as well, because we've seen that users take pride in protecting the conversations that happen on HuffPost. Interviews with more than 100 users have indicated that and raised no privacy concerns. Still, if you have ideas, suggestions, or concerns, please email us at badges@huffingtonpost.com.
Q: I don't understand why linking a Facebook account or a Twitter account to my HuffPost account has anything to do with Badges? Why is it a requirement?
A: Connecting your Facebook account or your Twitter account is required to advance to a Level 2 Networker and Level 2 Superuser. It is not required for any other Levels. So far, the users who have connected their Facebook or Twitter accounts have helped make HuffPost a more dynamic and interesting place. We expect this trend to continue, and want to reward users who link other social networking profiles to their HuffPost profile.
Q: Once I earn a Badge, can I lose it?
A: Yes, you can lose a Badge. If you lose too many friends or followers, you may lose your Networker Badge or be demoted a Badge Level. If you disconnect your Facebook or Twitter account from your HuffPost account, your Networker or Superuser Badge might be demoted a Badge Level. If your number of published comments falls because too many were deleted for being inappropriate, you may lose your Superuser Badge. If you don't maintain a sufficiently high ratio of successful flags to mistaken flags, you may lose your Moderator Badge. We also reserve the right to revoke your Moderator Badge because you fail to use the enhanced authority responsibly. In general, we reserve the right to demote the Badge Level or revoke any Badge entirely from any user who abuses HuffPost Levels or any of the activities that compose it.
Q: Oh no! I lost a Badge and I don't know why! What happened?
A: If you're unsure why you lost your Badge, check out the FAQ above. If you're still unsure, send us an email at badges@huffingtonpost.com.
Q: Wait! I just shared an article to my Facebook or Twitter account, but I don't think it counted toward my total Superuser tally. What happened?
A: You must be logged into your HuffPost account in order for us to count your Facebook or Twitter share.
Q: Where did you come up with the design for your Badges?
A: We designed them in house. Do you like them?
Do you have another question that was not answered here? Email us at: community-support@huffingtonpost.com. Please remember there is a real person reading and answering your emails. We want to hear from you, but if your email is rude, mean and/or inflammatory, it wont be answered.
