Commenting and Discussion Guidelines

Here are the general rules of the road.

In Story Comments, Stay on Point.

When making a comment after a news article or feature, don't go off-topic and do not post a tome. This is not the place to paste a chapter of your (or anyone else's) dissertation or white paper. In Speak Out or other Forums, you are welcome to engage in a more freewheeling, random discussion. But in all areas, keep the tone of your comments civil.

Show respect.

We encourage and appreciate thoughtful debate. Just make sure that when you disagree with a story's premise or another commenter that you do so in a respectful and courteous manner.

Be polite and keep it clean.

We do not tolerate personal insults, including name-calling, racism, sexism, hate speech, or obscenity. That means no profane, abusive, harassing, or bullying remarks. If you can't be civil and polite, don't post it.

Ignore trolls.

The best response to a troll--someone being repeatedly hostile and provocative--is no response. Please don't encourage bad behavior by responding; it only serves to delight trolls and egg them on. If someone is abusing a discussion thread, flag any offending comments, and we will review.

Be responsible and authentic.

Post your opinions in your own words. You are responsible for the content you post.

Don't post spam or ads.

Unless you have an advertising contract with us, this website is not a billboard for your business. Don't post spam, self-promotional content, or ad campaigns. No lobbying, recruiting, or soliciting.

We ban egregious members.

It's not something we relish. But when necessary, we will ban members who do not abide by these guidelines.

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For specific Terms of Service, click here.

Credit to the MIT Technology Review for inspiration of these rules.