Frequently asked questions
Getting started
What is TribLocal?
How do I get started?
Does it cost anything?
How do I change how my name appears above my articles?
What is a member page?
How do I change my profile?
Should I still email a press release?
What if I want a reporter to cover a story?
What if I want to post for an organization, but also post personally? Do I have to set up two separate accounts?
How do I get selected for the Photo of the Week contest?
Contributing to TribLocal
How do I post to TribLocal.com?
What can I post?
Should I post a story, photo or event?
How do I post a story?
How do I post an event?
How do I post a photo gallery?
Can you post for me?
How do I create a link?
Can I format my text?
Can I post to multiple towns?
Can I post events on multiple days?
Can I post to multiple categories?
How do I find what I have posted?
How long do posts stay on the site?
Can you edit my posts? How do I edit my post?
Who monitors the posting of stories and photographs?
How can I tell the difference between posts from TribLocal staff and my neighbors?
I can’t find my post. Did I do something wrong?
I got an email saying “Your TribLocal post has been promoted,” what does it mean?
Photos
How many photos can I post?
How large should my photos be?
What should go in the caption?
Can I use photos from other web sites?
Print edition
How do I get into the print edition?
What are the deadlines?
How do I know if my item is selected for print?
What happens when something is selected for print?
Where can I get a copy of my paper?
Technical Technical issues and contacting us
What browsers do you support?
Where can I look for more information?
If I step away from my computer after logging in to Triblocal.com, will I be disconnected?
If I have a problem not addressed anywhere on this site, whom do I contact?
I spotted something offensive. What do I do?
What is your site’s commenting policy?
What is TribLocal?
TribLocal is the go-to source of real-time relevant news and happenings in your town to help you make informed decisions and organize your life. We cover almost 100 towns, have 88 town websites and 21 print editions. Our reporters cover news in their towns while we also accept stories, photos and events from organizations and people living and working in the suburbs.
How do I get started?
• Go to triblocal.com/login.
• Enter your information.
• Confirm your registration via a Tribune email. (Didn’t get it? Check your spam folder.)
If you do not receive this confirmation email, contact us at triblocaltips@tribune.com.
How do I change how my name appears above my articles?
Click on Account in the grey bar at the top of the page. Under “Edit My Public Profile,” update the box which says “My name as shown to others.” This can be your name or your organization’s name. However, if you’ve posted previously, changing this field will affect the byline on all your articles.
What is a member page?
Your member page is the one spot on the website where you can find everything you’ve posted and it’s public. It’s your profile and you can share your link with everyone. You can write a small bio, upload your photo or logo and include contact information. The link is http://triblocal.com/members/ and you put your username after members/.
How do I change my profile?
In the grey bar at the top of the page, click on Account. Under “Edit My Public Profile,” fill in all the different fields. You can also upload a profile photo by clicking on “Change my profile photo.”
Should I still email a press release?
You can, but the best way to get your story, photo or event featured on our website or in print would be to post it yourself.
What if I want a reporter to cover a story?
You can send your media request to the reporter or community producer that covers a particular area, but to guarantee that your item will get online and be eligible for the print edition, you should post directly to TribLocal.com.
What if I want to post for an organization, but also post personally? Do I have to set up two separate accounts?
Yes. It will require two different email addresses.
How do I get selected for the Photo of the Week contest?
Post your photos to TribLocal.com. The community producers evaluate all the photos submitted to their towns and then choose one for the contest by 12 p.m. Wednesday.
How do I post to TribLocal?
Once you create you account and you are signed in, you can start posting stories, photos and events. You can do this by clicking the small green banners found on the homepages saying Post a Story, Post photos or Post an event. You can also click on the “Contributions” link in the grey bar at the top of the page.
Take a look at this video for a posting overview:
What can I post?
You can post almost anything as long as you abide by the spirit of our family-friendly website. You and your neighbors are interested in news the way you define it – photos, opinions, upcoming events, meeting announcements, helpful hints – whatever interests you. See the terms of service for specifics on what is prohibited.
Should I post a story, photo or event?
• Post a story when you have news or local information to share.
• Post an event to submit an item for our print and online calendar.
• Post photos when you have more than one picture and want to create a gallery.
Want to post a story or event, but have a photo to share with it? We encourage users to include images with any post. TribLocal will accept one image with posts and events, so pick your favorite. If you want to post a photo gallery, you can write up an introduction and captions to explain what’s happening.
How do I post a story?
• Sign in and click on the green “Post a story” button.
• Create headline and enter text.
• Add one photo if you wish, then click publish.
How do I post an event?
• Sign in and click on the green “Post an event” button
• Fill out the information on the prompt, including time, date, location and contact number.
• Add one photo if you wish, then click publish.
How do I post a photo gallery?
• Sign in and click on the green “Post photos” button.
• Add headline and description of gallery.
• Upload photos one at a time and add captions. Then click publish.
Can you post for me?
No. We are unable to post for you. But if you are having trouble, you can contact your community producer who will be happy to help you and explain posting. Find their contact information by clicking here.
How do I create a link?
Make sure you include the entire URL, including the http://, and the site will automatically hotlink.
Can I format my text?
We do not allow bolding, underlining, italics or other typefaces. You can put in paragraph breaks just by hitting enter twice at the end of a paragraph.
Can I post to multiple towns?
You cannot post to multiple towns at once. You will have to post to each town one by one.
Can I post events on multiple days?
No. For events spanning several days, you will have to post on each day the event occurs.
Can I post to multiple categories?
Only for events. As for stories and photo galleries, you should only select one category. You should not duplicate a post just to add it to another category.
How do I find what I have posted?
Access your stories, photos and events by clicking the “Contributions” link in the bar at the top of the page.
How long do posts stay on the site?
Indefinitely. Some stories will be selected for the front page of the site, and those will change frequently. But even if they are moved off the front page to make room for something new, the story will remain on the site. You can find it using the search function.
Can you edit my posts? How do I edit my post?
We are unable to edit your posts for you, however, you can edit anything you post on the website. Click on your story and click “Edit this entry” at the end of the story. You can also edit your stories though the “Contributions” section of your account which you can find in the grey bar at the top of the page.
Who monitors the posting of stories and photographs?
You and your community members will do most of that. TribLocal staff will review stories and select some for the main page. If you object to any content, click the ‘Flag as inappropriate’ button or alert us by sending an email to triblocaltips@tribune.com. We will review it and remove the content if necessary. See the terms of service for guidelines on contributions.
How can I tell the difference between posts from TribLocal staff and my neighbors?
Stories and photos posted by staff will contain their names along with a line that identifies them as a Tribune or TribLocal journalist. Content from citizen contributors will have the tagline “From the community” in italics above the story.
I can’t find my post. Did I do something wrong?
As long as you hit publish and not save as draft on your post, it is live on the website. It is just not featured on the town’s homepage. You can find it by clicking on the category you selected or, under the green navigation bar, there are links for items from the community. You can also use the search box in the upper right hand corner of the screen and search for a keyword in your contribution.
I got an email saying “Your TribLocal post has been promoted,” what does it mean?
That means that you can now find your post featured on the town’s homepage.
How many photos can I post?
With stories and events, you are only allowed one photo. If you have more than one photo, you’re allowed to post up to 20 photos in a photo gallery.
How large should my photos be?
The larger the photo the better. If your story or photo gallery is chosen for our print edition, we need large photos. You are allowed to upload photos up to 9MB. A resolution of 300dpi is also suggested. If you get a message that your photo may be too small, that is in reference to use in print. It still may be fine for online.
What should go in the caption?
Describe the photo, where it was taken, when it was taken. If there are people in the photo, identify them. If it’s a large group of people, you don’t have to name everyone. Smaller groups, you should.
Can I use photos from other web sites?
No. You should only post photos that you’ve taken.
How do I get into the print edition?
You will need to post your stories, photos or events to TribLocal.com. Everything posted to the web site is eligible for the print edition.
What are the deadlines?
For events, we suggest posting 10 days in advance of the print edition you would like your event to appear in. As for stories and photos, we start planning and designing the papers on Thursdays and Fridays. By Mondays, the paper is usually full. If you know you are going to something on the weekend, you can always contact your community producer to see if they will have room.
How do I know if my item is selected for print?
If you submit a photo gallery or story, your community producer should contact you to double check your byline and any other information if they have not spoken to you before.
What happens when something is selected for print?
Your post is edited for AP style, grammar and length.
Where can I get a copy of my town’s paper?
If you subscribe to the Chicago Tribune, it will be delivered to you on Thursdays. You can also pick up a copy at various places around town like the library. If you can’t find any, you can contact your community producer and they can get you a copy. You can also find all 21 print editions in a PDF form online every Thursday here.
What browsers do you support?
For best results, use a recent version of Apple’s Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Opera. The site is also compatible with Internet Explorer 7 and 8.
Where can I look for more information?
Try about us or the terms of service.
If I step away from my computer after logging in to Triblocal.com, will I be disconnected?
No.
If I have a problem not addressed anywhere on this site, whom do I contact?
You can email us at triblocaltips@tribune.com or call 708-505-9504 with your questions, concerns, technical problems and comments.
I spotted something offensive. What do I do?
Please click the ‘Flag as inappropriate’ button, email triblocaltips@tribune.com or call 708-505-9504.
What is your site’s commenting policy?
Readers are reminded to post comments that are germane to the article and write in a common language that steers clear of personal attacks and/or vulgarities. We reserve the right to remove any user or user’s comments that are identified as inappropriate. Examples of these types of infractions are comments that include:
• Abusive, off-topic or foul language;
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other offensive terminology;
• Solicitations and/or advertising spam;
• Attacks that celebrate the death, injury or illness of any person, public figure or otherwise.
Comments are filtered for language. Readers may report comments by clicking “Flag as inappropriate.” Once a comment has been flagged, a staffer will investigate.