What is this Member FAQ?
This FAQ is about viewing and editing our member profiles. It was last updated on November 29, 2006. For more info, check our other help FAQs:

• General FAQ
• Reports FAQ
• Member FAQ   
• Reviewer FAQ
• Host FAQ

How are member levels calculated?
All members on the NewsTrust site are given a member level, indicated by one to five yellow bullets. Member levels are the average of all level values for a given member, and are based on member activity, overall experience, transparency, ratings from other members and profile validation. A one-bullet icon indicates a low member level and a four or five–bullet icon indicates a high member level. This member level is determined by five different sources: your site activity records (Activity and Transparency), your own self-assessment (Experience), ratings from other members (Ratings), and NewsTrust staff (Validation). A detailed explanation of our member level system is provided below.

PRELIMINARY DATA DISCLAIMER: All Member Levels on this beta site are based on preliminary data from a small number of reviewers. As such, they may not yet be accurate, and are shown here for demonstration purposes only. During this beta stage, member levels may be adjusted up or down independently of a member's performance, due to site-wide system corrections. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this testing period. Once we've tested our methodology and confirmed its reliability, we will finalize all member levels and remove this preliminary data disclaimer from our site.

How can I make a suggestion or report a problem?
To help us improve our service, please click "Suggestions" on the left sidebar of our site, or at the bottom of any of our forms. To email us about problems that need to be fixed right away, email us at help@newstrust.net, or click "Report a Problem" in our forms. Thanks for your patience during this beta phase.

Member Profile
A member profile is a web page with information about a NewsTrust member. Each NewsTrust member has a profile that can be viewed by clicking on that member's name, anywhere on our site. Profiles typically include a few facts about that member, along with his or her story reviews, levels and stats. For detailed help about any information provided in a profile, click on its title in the left column, or keep reading this FAQ.

PRELIMINARY DATA DISCLAIMER: All Member Levels on this beta site are based on preliminary data from a small number of reviewers. As such, they may not yet be accurate, and are shown here for demonstration purposes only. During this beta stage, member levels may be adjusted up or down independently of a member's performance, due to site-wide system corrections. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this testing period. Once we've tested our methodology and confirmed its reliability, we will finalize all member levels and remove this preliminary data disclaimer from our site.

Each Member Profile has a gray action bar below the main summary, which lets you see that member's story reviews ("My Reviews"), the ratings of their reviews and how they rated other members' reviews ("My Ratings"), contact that member ("Contact Me"), or check the member's web site, if any ("My Web Page"). When viewing your own profile, this action bar also includes a link to "Edit My Profile."

To suggest a change to a member profile, you may contact that member, or email us to report a problem. Note that some members may have shared information about themselves for staff use only, even if it does not appear in their profile. Profiles can be viewed by both members and visitors, though visitors will not be able to view a member's email address and the "Contact Me" link will not be available.

Member Levels
The Levels section of a member profile shows that member's standing at a glance. All members on the NewsTrust site are given a member level, indicated by one to five yellow bullets. Member levels are the average of all level values for a given member, and are based on member activity, overall experience, transparency, ratings from other members and profile validation. A one-bullet icon indicates a low member level and a four or five–bullet icon indicates a high member level. This member level is determined by five different sources: your site activity records (Activity and Transparency), your own self-assessment (Experience), ratings from other members (Ratings), and NewsTrust staff (Validation). Detailed explanations of our member levels are provided below.

PRELIMINARY DATA DISCLAIMER: All Member Levels on this beta site are based on preliminary data from a small number of reviewers. As such, they may not yet be accurate, and are shown here for demonstration purposes only. During this beta stage, member levels may be adjusted up or down independently of a member's performance, due to site-wide system corrections. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this testing period. Once we've tested our methodology and confirmed its reliability, we will finalize all member levels and remove this preliminary data disclaimer from our site.

For more information about each level criteria, click on its title, or keep reading. In future versions of this site, you will be able to click on any of the bullet icons in the member profile to see a more detailed breakdown. If no answers have been provided for a particular category, that level is not shown in the member profile.

You Rated this Member
If you have already rated a story review from this member, your average rating for that member is shown as red bullets in the member profile. This score is called "Ratings" in our level breakdowns. In future versions of this site, you will be able to click on your red bullet member level to see your detailed rating breakdown for that member. Note that you can change your ratings at any time, by going back to the stories you have reviewed, and clicking on "Review this Story."

Rating Details
For a detailed listing of how other members have rated a member's reviews, click on "More" below the ratings breakdown in the lower right column of a member's profile. This listing shows each member's name and individual ratings, along with reviewed story titles. Note that these member levels are solely based on story reviews, and not on the other criteria described above.

My Favorites
The Favorites section of a member profile shows at a glance some this member's favorite subjects and links, if available. These favorites are helpful to other members looking to find out more about this member. For tips about each type of favorite, click on its title, or keep reading. We plan to offer more favorite options in future versions of this service. Favorite items which are not filled in are not shown in the profile.

My Contact Info
The Contact Info section of a member profile shows how you can contact this member, if they have chosen to make that information available. This contact info can be helpful to other members looking to find out more about this member. For tips about each contact info item, click on its title, or keep reading. Contact info items that have not been filled in are not shown in the profile.

My Background
The Background section of a member profile shows background information about this member, if available. We collect this background information in the spirit of transparency, which is a key objective of our social network. This information also lets us break down our member levels by viewpoint (e.g., favorite publications from left or right political viewpoints). This supports another important goal of this service, which is to help citizens compare a variety of viewpoints as part of a balanced news diet. In the same light, this background information is helpful to other members looking to better understand this member's point-of-view about the news.

Note that members are under no obligation to fill any of these fields, nor are they required to show them once they fill them in. This background information is voluntarily provided by each member, on the honor system. NewsTrust does not verify that this information is correct, except as part of random validation checks, or if someone reports a problem about this member. In future versions of the service, we may invite other members to independently confirm a member's background, to enhance the accuracy of our news ratings. For more information on how this personal data is used, check our privacy policy.

For tips about each background info item, click on its title, or keep reading. Background info items that have not been filled in are not shown in the profile. In future versions of this site, you may be able to click on any linked background tag to see top-rated news sources or stories from members who share that background tag.

How do I edit my member profile?
To edit your member profile, click on "Edit Your Profile" in the left sidebar or "My Account" in the upper right corner of the page. You can also click on "Edit My Profile" in the gray action bar of your own profile.

This will take you to an edit form, where you can update your personal information, name, email address and password, as well as change your account settings and preferences.

Required questions are marked with an asterisk (*), all others are optional. For edit tips, click on any field title in your edit form (or keep reading). If you're not sure how to fill in your member profile, check this example of a fully edited profile.

The more information you share, the more your ratings will count. Please check "Show" next to each information item you wish to show in your profile. Any information left unchecked will remain private (see our Privacy Policy).

Note that your profile edit form is also used to set your Preferences (see last section). When you are done editing your profile or setting your preferences, click "Set Preferences ", which is provided as a link throughout your edit form, and as a button at the bottom of the page.

How can I view my profile?
To see your own member profile, simply click on "View My Profile" at the top of your edit form, next to your name. This will open your profile in a new window.

You can also view your profile anywhere on our site by clicking on your member name in the upper right corner of the page.

Show in Profile
Please check "Show" next to each information item you wish to show in your profile. The more information you share, the more your ratings will count. Any information left unchecked will remain private, except for your real name (see our Privacy Policy).

To encourage transparency in our community, we invite members to show in their profile as much personal information as they are comfortable with (e.g., occupation, location, journalistic experience, political viewpoint, etc.). This makes it possible to break down our ratings in many useful ways (e.g: top-rated sources by political viewpoint, top-rated stories by journalistic experience). It also makes it harder for malicious users to conceal their true identity in order to "game the system."

To that end, we encourage you to fill in as many fields are you can, even if you choose not to show them in your profile. This information is very helpful for statistical purposes and to guarantee the reliability of our ratings, even if it does not appear in their profile.

My Real Name*
Your name appears at the top of the page, as provided during registration. Please make sure this is your real name. This is a required field. To insure the integrity of our service, we do not allow anonymous or pseudonymous members on our site at this time. Your real name (or email address) is also required to "sign in" on our beta site.

If by chance your real name is already taken by another member, a number may be automatically be added at the end of your last name. If you prefer, you can delete that number and add your middle name, initial or nickname between your first and last name.

Your real name will appear in each of your reviews and discussion posts. In future versions of this site, we may allow members to post reviews under a clearly-labeled "pen name," but real names will always be required on member profiles, in the spirit of full transparency. If you do not want your real name to be used, and would like to cancel your account, please email us at help@newstrust.net.

My Email Address*
Your email address appears at the top of the page, as provided during registration. Please make sure this is your correct address. This is a required field. Your email (or real name) is also required to "sign in" on our beta site.

If you need to update your email address, please do it right away. If your new email address is not accepted, you may have entered it incorrectly (correct format: myname@mysite.com). If you have another account on NewsTrust with the same email address, you cannot use it for both accounts. Make sure your email is valid, as it is our only way to contact you. If you have any questions about your email, please email us at help@newstrust.net.

Your email address will only be used for purposes you specifically authorize (see our privacy policy). If you are a registered member, your email address will be used for identification purposes during the sign-in process, and to inform you about any changes to your account or new developments at NewsTrust. All members are included in our general mailing list, but you can unsubscribe from our general mailings by unchecking "Weekly Newsletter" in the My Membership section of your Profile Edit Form (see below).

If you wish to show your email address in your profile, check "Show" next to your email. If you do not wish to show your email in your profile, but would like to allow other members to contact you, uncheck "Show" next to your email, then check "Contact Me" in the Preferences section (see below). Note that elect to show your email address, it will only be visible to other members, not to guests.

My Web Page
If you have your own web page or blog, enter it here. Cut and paste your complete web address or URL from your web browser. Some browsers let you drag a page URL directly from the address bar to this field.

Once you have filled in your web address, a "My Web Page " link will be shown in the gray action bar of your profile. To see your web page, other members can simply click on "My Web Page " in the action bar. This will open your web page in a new window.

If you would like other members to see your full web address in your profile, check "Show" next to this address field.

Be sure to click on "Check this Link" to make sure your web address is valid. If you have any questions, email us at help@newstrust.net.

My Occupation
Please enter your occupation or job title. For example, if you're a journalist, your occupation could be: Writer, Reporter, Host, Photographer, Editor, etc.

If you would like other members to see your occupation in your profile, check "Show" next to this field. If this box is not checked, your occupation will only be seen by NewsTrust staff.

My Organization
Please enter your company or organization name. If you are a student, enter your school name. If you are self-employed, you do not need to fill in this field.

If you would like other members to see your organization in your profile, check "Show" next to this field. If this box is not checked, it will only be seen by NewsTrust staff.

My Publications
In the spirit of full disclosure, please identify any two publications reviewed by NewsTrust which you have worked with. If you are a journalist, this may include your current or former employer, publications that have published your work, or a public blog that you are actively contributing to.

Please use our dropdown menus to select a publication type, then a publication name (see below). If you would like other members to see your publications in your profile, check "Show" next to this field (we highly recommend you check this box, to avoid possible conflict of interest issues). If no publication is selected, this information will be omitted from your member profile.

Publication Name
Select a publication name for each of your publications, from our publications drop-down menu. Once you select a media type for each publication, its drop-down menu will change to only show publication names for your selected category. If your publication name does not appear in our drop-down menu, select 'Other' to type it in yourself in a special text box. If your selected publications were already included in our menu, we automatically include a link to their source reports.

Daily News Feed
Checking the "Daily News Feed" box allows NewsTrust to send you a daily selection of news and opinions from our most trusted sources. Includes Today's Picks and Stories for Review. Sent every day at 4pm EST (1pm PST). If you do not wish to receive the Daily News Feed, simply uncheck "Daily News Feed."

Weekly Newsletter
Checking the "Email Me" box allows NewsTrust to send you a weekly selection of quality news and opinions, based on ratings from members like you. Includes This Week's Top Rated Stories, as well as helpful tips and news about NewsTrust. Sent every Wednesday afternoon. We highly recommend this option, so you can stay up-to-date. As a registered member, you're already on our NewsTrust mailing list, so we may email you about new developments on our site. If you do not wish to receive email updates about our beta site, simply uncheck "Email Me."

Contact Me
Checking the "Contact Me" box allows other members to contact you by email. We highly recommend this option, so that others can collaborate with you. When this this feature is enabled, a "Contact Me" link is shown in the gray action bar of your profile. Other members can then click on that link to send an email to you. If you do not want other members to contact you, simply uncheck "Contact Me." In future versions of the site, we plan to offer a Contact Me mailing form with more privacy options.

List Me
Checking the "List Me" box allows your name to be listed in the member directory of our beta site. This also allows NewsTrust staff to feature your name in the member section or home page, to reward your great work. If you do not wish to be listed or featured on our beta site, simply uncheck "List Me."

Show My Profile
Checking the "Show My Profile" box allows your member profile page to be seen by non-NewsTrust members as well as search engines. If you do not want non-members or search engines to view your profile page, simply uncheck "Show My Profile."

My Favorites
My Favorites lets you share some of your favorite subjects and links with other members. These favorites are helpful to other members looking to find out more about you. This information will be featured in your member profile, and will be used to list your name in our member listings. For tips about each type of favorite, click on its title, or keep reading. We plan to offer more favorite options in future versions of this service. Favorite items which are not filled in and checked are not shown in your profile.

Favorite Links
Enter your favorite links in this text field, one per line. For example, you may want to point to a reliable online reference or document which might help other members get a better understanding of the news.

Cut and paste the full web address or URL of each link, on a line by itself. If you like, you can give a title to each link by following the URL with a space and your title. There is currently no limit to the number of links that can be included in this field.

My Contact Info
The Contact Info section tells NewsTrust staff how to contact you. Some general contact info, such as your city and state, could also be helpful to other members looking to find out more about you. For tips about each contact info item, click on its title, or keep reading.

If you wish to show any contact info item in your profile, check "Show" next to that item. Contact info items that have not been filled in and checked are not shown in your profile and are only available to NewsTrust staff. Your contact info will only be used for purposes you specifically authorize (see our privacy policy).

My Background
The Background section includes demographic and other background information, for statistical evaluation purposes. We collect this background information in the spirit of transparency, which is a key objective of our social network. This information also lets us break down our member levels by viewpoint (e.g., favorite publications from left or right political viewpoints). In future versions of this site, you may be able to click on any linked background tag to see top-rated news sources or stories from members who share that background tag. This supports another important goal of this service, which is to help citizens compare a variety of viewpoints, as part of a balanced news diet. In the same light, this background information is also helpful to other members looking to better understand your point-of-view about the news.

All fields below are optional. For tips about each background info item, click on its title, or keep reading. If you wish to show any background info item in your profile, check "Show" next to that item. Background info items that have not been filled in and checked are not shown in your profile and are only available to NewsTrust staff. You're under no obligation to fill any of these fields, nor are you required to show them once you fill them in. This background information is voluntarily provided you, on the honor system. NewsTrust does not verify that this information is correct, except as part of random validation checks, or if someone reports a problem about a member. In future versions of the service, we may invite other members to independently confirm a member's background, to enhance the accuracy of our news ratings. For more information on how this personal data is used, check our privacy policy.

News
How often do you read, watch or listen to the news?
Select how often you read, watch or listen to the news, on an average day. Options for this news field include: Rarely or never, Less than 10 minutes per day, 10-30 minutes per day, 10-30 minutes per day, 30-60 minutes per day, 60-90 minutes per day, 90 minutes per day or more, Decline to state and Not sure. Note that this field is also used to calculate a member's experience level.

My Preferences
The My Preferences section lets you set miscellaneous preferences, such as changing your password, uploading your own picture, setting email notification, or subscriptions.

Everything in the preferences area is optional. If you'd rather skip all of this for now, the default settings will work fine. Note that some of these preferences may not be active yet or may only work in the discussions areas.

If you have any questions about your preferences, please email us at help@newstrust.net.

Change Password
To change your password, simply type your old password, the enter your new password in the provided text boxes.

My Picture
If you like, you may upload your picture to appear in your member profile. Note that the image must be smaller than 50K and no more than 200 pixels wide by 200 pixels tall (it will get resized to 100x100 in your member profile). Please do not post offensive pictures, as requested in our terms of service.

• General FAQ
• Reports FAQ
• Reviewer FAQ
• Host FAQ