A Guide to The Dispatch’s New Comments Section

No, you no longer need a separate commenting account. If you’re signed in to thedispatch.com, you’re signed in to the comments section as well. Your old Disqus login and the old commenting preferences page are gone; you won’t need either again.

Anyone can read the comments, whether or not they’re signed in, but the ability to post comments is reserved for Dispatch members. If you’re reading while signed out (or without a membership that unlocks commenting privileges), you’ll see a notice at the top of the comments section inviting you to subscribe or sign in.

Occasionally, the comments section may lose its connection to your sign-in. We’ve found that this issue occurs more frequently when a reader is using a VPN, but if it happens, you’ll see a bar with a Reconnect button. Click “Reconnect.” If that doesn’t work, refresh the page. If it still doesn’t work, try signing out of the site and signing back in.

1. Go to any article’s comments section and find the bar at the top displaying your picture and name.
2. Click it. A panel will open showing your profile.
3. Click the Settings button (it has a small gear icon).
4. At the top of the settings page, you’ll see your current picture with a small camera icon on it. Click the camera icon.
5. Choose a photo from your computer, phone, or tablet. The file will need to be at least 250 by 250 pixels and smaller than 10 MB. Most photos taken on a phone will work fine.
6. A cropping window will open. Drag the photo to position it, and use the slider to zoom in or out. Your picture will be shown as a circle, just like it appears next to your comments.
7. Click Apply.
8. Back on the settings panel, click “Save Changes” at the bottom. (Your new picture isn’t saved until you click Save Changes.) It then appears on your comments right away.

Your display name is the name shown alongside any comments you post.

1. Click your name or picture at the top of the comments section to open your profile.
2. Click the Settings button.
3. Type your new name in the Display Name field.
4. Click “Save Changes.”

Note: To prevent confusion, display names can only be changed once in a while. The form will tell you how often.

In the same Settings panel, there’s a Bio field where you can write a little about yourself. This is not required, but the bio would appear on the About tab of your profile. Click Save Changes when you’re done.

We built this functionality specifically for readers who found the old comments hard on the eyes.

1. Open your profile and click the Settings button.
2. Find the Display section and turn on the switch labeled “Easier to read.”
3. Click “Save Changes.”

This makes comment text larger and higher-contrast. This setting saves on the device you’re using, so if you read on both a computer and a tablet, you will need to turn it on in both places.

1. Scroll to the comments section under any article.
2. Click the box that says “Join the discussion …”
3. Type your comment. A counter under the box shows your comment’s length and the maximum length allowed.
4. Click “Post Comment.”

When the comment box is open, a toolbar will appear above it with formatting buttons such as bold, italic, list, quote, and hyperlink. Highlight the text you want to format, then click the appropriate button.

To add a link: Highlight the text, click the link button (it looks like a chain), paste the web address, and click Apply.

Type the @ symbol and start typing his or her display name, and a list of matching people will pop up. Click on the commenter you intend to tag, and he or she will be notified.

No. Unfinished comments are now saved automatically as drafts on your device. When you come back to the article or newsletter, your draft will be waiting in the comment box. If you want to throw it away, click “Discard draft.”

Click the Reply button under his or her comment. A comment box will open directly below it, labeled with the person’s name so you know who you’re replying to. Replies appear indented underneath the comment they are responding to.

Comments with replies have a small toggle that says “Collapse” (or “+N replies” when collapsed). Click it to hide or show the replies. You can also click the vertical line beside a conversation to collapse it.

Yes. Click the Edit button (pencil icon) under your own comment, make your changes, and click Save. Edited comments show a small “(edited)” note so the conversation stays honest.

One important thing to know: There is a time period tied to the Edit button. You can edit your comment for a limited window after posting it; once that window passes, the Edit button stops working and will tell you the window has passed. If you need a change after that, you can delete the comment and post a corrected one.

Click the Delete button under your own comment and confirm. Your words are removed and replaced with a “comment deleted” placeholder. If people replied to you, their replies will stay visible.

Every comment has an upvote arrow below it. Click that arrow to upvote; click it again to take it back. You need to be signed in to vote, and you can’t vote on your own comments.

Yes, but only on your own comments. Click the upvote button on one of your comments (this will not actually apply an upvote), and a panel will open listing everyone who reacted and how.

That heart applies to the whole conversation, not just one individual comment. Tapping it bookmarks the article’s discussion for you. If you open your profile page and look under the Liked tab, you will find every conversation you’ve hearted.

Click the reader’s display name or picture on any of his or her comments to open his or her profile, then click Follow. To see everyone you follow, open your own profile, click Settings, and look for the Following list.

Yes. Click that user’s display name or picture to open his or profile, then click “Block.” His or her comments will disappear from your view immediately, on every article and newsletter. The user will not be notified that you blocked him or her.

Yes. Open your own profile, click “Settings,” and scroll to the Following and Blocked lists. Each user will have an Unfollow or Unblock button next to his or her name. (You can also visit his or her profile and click the button again.)

Yes. If a comment breaks the rules (spam, harassment, or anything else that doesn’t belong), please report it rather than engaging.

1. Click the Report button (flag icon) under the comment.
2. Choose the reason that fits best from the list.
3. Add a note if you’d like to give our moderators more context (optional).
4. Click “Submit Report.”

You’ll see a confirmation that your report went through. Our moderation team reviews every report. Reporting is private; the offending commenter isn’t told who reported them.

Yes, this popular feature is back. Here is how to turn it on:

1. Open your profile (click your name or picture at the top of the comments).
2. Click the Settings button.
3. Find the Notifications section and toggle the “Replies to my comments” and “Mentions” buttons on.

At the top of the comments section, there is a “Sort by” control with three choices: Best, Newest, and Oldest. Your choice is remembered the next time you visit.

A note on “Best”: It isn’t simply the comment with the most upvotes at the top. The Best metric blends several signals, including votes, replies, and how recently the conversation has been active, and older activity gradually counts for less. The goal is to surface the discussions people are engaging with right now, so don’t be surprised if a heavily upvoted comment from a few days ago sits below a newer conversation.

Yes, you usually don’t have to do anything for new comments to show up; they now appear automatically while you read.

If new comments arrive at the top of the thread while you’re scrolled down the page, a small “new comments” button now appears; click it to jump to them. To load more of the conversation, click the “Show more comments” button at the bottom of the thread.

Yes. Every comment now has a small link button next to its timestamp. Click it and the link is copied, ready to paste into an email or message. Anyone who opens the link is taken directly to that comment.

Some comments are held briefly for a moderator to look at before they’re published. Only you can see the comment while it’s waiting; there’s nothing you need to do.

Discussions close on some articles (usually older ones). You can still read the whole conversation; new comments just aren’t being accepted there.

Click the Reconnect button in the notice. If that doesn’t work, refresh the page or sign out of the site and back in.

The comments section requires JavaScript, which is switched on in almost every browser. If you use a content blocker or privacy extension, try allowing thedispatch.com. Updating to a current version of your browser can also help.

Check whether you’ve blocked them: Open your profile, click “Settings,” and look at the Blocked list. If the user is there and you didn’t mean to block them, click “Unblock.” Otherwise, the comment may have been deleted by its author or removed by a moderator.

Your commenting history from the old Disqus system has been carried over. Click your name or picture at the top of any comments section and look at the Comments tab of your profile to browse what you’ve written.