Frequently Asked Questions

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 about news stories and blog posts. Please keep the following in mind when writing your comments.

Respect Others - Please be polite to all the members of our Community, including other commenters, 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, any rudeness, insults, hate, hostility, or negativity may be removed and you may lose your ability to comment.

Moderation - In order to provide a safe space for our community, comments may be pre-moderated by our team before posting to the site, but they will appear on your and your friend's Facebook walls immediately.

Still have questions? Find your answers in our Help Center.

Let's Get Started:
Q: Do I need an account on the Huffington Post?
· A: No, to comment all you need is a Facebook account.
Q: What does it mean to comment to an article through Facebook?
· A: When you comment on a Huffington Post article, your comment will be published through Facebook. Please be sure to review Facebook's Privacy Policy here: https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=%20322194465300

- Please note that each comment will also appear on your Facebook wall unless you uncheck the "post to profile" or "also post on facebook" box for that comment. If you uncheck this box for a comment, it will not appear on your Facebook feed.

Q: I don't want to post through Facebook.
· A: Due to changing trends in public communication, all article comments will be submitted through Facebook going forward. If you do not want your comment to appear on your Facebook wall, simply un-check "post to profile" or "also post to facebook" below the comment box. For more information, you can read about this change here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/otto-toth/were-moving-the-conversation_b_5423675.html
Q: I already have a Huffington Post account, what will happen to it?
A: You are still able to log in to your Huffington Post account to follow other users and bloggers, and you will be able to view your post history for comments made prior to the move to Facebook comments. Comments left through the Facebook platform will not be visible in your post history.
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 screen name?
· A: Unfortunately, you cannot change your screen name once you have registered; nor can we. Every screen name 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 information on the preferences page: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/preferences
Q: Can I include a link in my comment?
· A: Yes. But any comment that contains a link to an inappropriate site may not be displayed on the Huffington Post site.
Q: What is the "Follow/Fan" link on Huffington Post user accounts?
· A: When you find a commenter you like, you can press the Follow/Fan 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: 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

Commenting & Moderation Policy

Q: What is the Huffington Post's Code of Conduct?

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. These are supported by a moderating system that features a team of staff moderators. If you wish to participate in the community, we ask that you follow the ground rules below and the spirit of the community they seek to create.

· (I) If your comments make this community a less civil and enjoyable place to be, you and your comments may be excluded from it.

· The Huffington Post promotes a receptive, transparent and civil atmosphere for comments and users. 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. We reserve the right to remove these types of comments where warranted. Individuals who consistently or intentionally post these types of comments may lose their ability to comment and, if we deem necessary, be permanently excluded from the community.

· (II) Comments may be pre-moderated.

· To maintain a civil atmosphere, we reserve the right to have our moderation team read comments before they are displayed on the site. Review time can vary depending on the site-wide comment load, so please be patient -- we will strive to 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 to be processed.

· (III) 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, or spread mis-information. If you do, you will make the community a less enjoyable and valuable place to be and misrepresentation may be removed when we see it.

· (IV) Safe Space.

· We strongly believe that the Huffington Post should be a safe space for individuals, groups and their ideas. As such, purposefully 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 may be removed immediately. If a credible threat is made against an individual or group, not only may 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 never be posted to the Huffington Post comments section for the privacy and protection of all community members. This includes, but is not limited to, full names, addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses. Any comments that contain this information may be deleted.

Q: I posted a comment. Why can't I see it on the site?
· A: Please be aware that not all comments may appear directly on the Huffington Post site, but will still appear on your Facebook feed for you and your friends, unless you have unchecked the "also post on Facebook" box above the comment entry space.
Q: Why do my posts never appear in the Huffington Post comments?
· A: If a user has repeatedly posted comments that have violated these ground rules, their comments may be blocked from appearing on the site. This would include inappropriate comments that contain, insults, attacks, abuse towards other users or groups; or have engaged in trolling or hijacking the comment threads.

Even more questions? Find answers at http://help.huffingtonpost.com

Updated: August 19, 2014