Commenting policy

Welcome to the chicagotribune.com commenting community. Please help us maintain civility and focus, both by keeping comments courteous and on-topic and by flagging comments that don't live up to that ideal.

You don't have to be a Chicago Tribune subscriber to comment, but you do need to register with our site. Relax, it's free although you should read our privacy policy.

By commenting on chicagotribune.com, you agree to abide by our standards of conduct, which are laid out in our terms of service.

Do I need to be a subscriber to comment?

You don't need to be a Chicago Tribune subscriber to comment, but you do need to register with our site. Registration is free.

If you are already registered on chicagotribune, be sure to log in.

How do I register?

At the bottom of an article you'd like to comment on, click "Register" to sign up for a free chicagotribune.com membership, which allows you to comment, flag inappropriate comments and "like" other readers' comments.

How do I edit my profile? How do I activate or change my notification settings?

Click on your username or profile photo (visible at the top of the comment section on each story and on each of your comments) to view your commenter profile.

Click the Settings tab to add or change your profile photo or adjust your email notification settings.

When you make your first comment using our new system, you'll be prompted to confirm or change your current username (if you're already a registered user at chicagotribune.com) or choose a new one (if you're signing up for the first time).

If you'd like to change your username at a later date, click your name as it appears at the top left of your screen when logged into chicagotribune.com.

Choose "Profile" from the drop-down menu that appears, then click "Edit" next to your username.

All photo and video comments will be viewed by a chicagotribune.com moderator before they are published. Please post only your own work.

I submitted a comment. Why hasn't it been posted yet?

On most of our articles, comments are posted immediately. On some articles, we make the decision to moderate comments before they are published, either because the comment thread has gotten out of hand or because we suspect it might. On those articles, there is a delay before submitted comments appear to allow moderators to vet them and decide whether they will be published.

All photo comments are viewed by a moderator before they are published.

How do I report an inappropriate comment?

Hover over the comment and a flag icon will appear on the upper right. Click it to report the comment to our moderators.

What happens when I flag a comment?

We appreciate you letting us know there’s an issue worthy of our attention. Flagged comments will be addressed by our moderators, who will decide if any action needs to be taken. Not all comments that are flagged will be removed, and we thank you for understanding.

Why hasn't the comment I flagged been removed?

If a comment you flagged is still visible, it's either because a moderator hasn't gotten to it yet or because it was determined not to have violated our terms of service.

I've been banned. Why?

If your comments show a pattern of incivility, inappropriate language or other violations of our community guidelines or terms of service, we may revoke your commenting privileges.

What is commenter ranking, and how is my rank calculated?

Each commenter at chicagotribune.com has a number, updated daily, that reflects his or her degree of engagement in our community. Your rank is automatically calculated by the quality and volume of your comments, as well as the replies your comments receive from others.

How do I share a comment?

Under each comment, you'll see the words "Like,"" "Reply" and "Share." Hover over "Share" and Facebook, Twitter and email icons will appear; click an icon to share to the corresponding service.

How do I change the way in which comments are sorted?

A drop-down menu at the top of each comment section shows how comments are currently being sorted. Change the selected sort option to adjust your comment display.

If your question wasn't answered here, you can ask us via email.