Moderation

Blog - a shortened form of weblog (web log). It is a 'log' of someone's thoughts and opinions. They have in the past mostly been text based but increasingly they display pictures, video and sound.

Entries - Also called 'blog posts' or 'posts', they are written in a more conversational tone than normal articles. Entries are sometimes time stamped at odd hours because bloggers often post when they are out and about, travelling, or even at night - in short, when they have something relevant to say, they make an entry.

Blogs are dynamic and change regularly. They may have new entries posted many times a day or only once a week. They also encourage readers to link to them, share their links with friends and comment on entries.

A comment module enables you to comment on a blog or other BBC webpage.

Users can start their own discussions on a messageboard. Members of BBC staff may take part too. 

Feeds let you subscribe to the blogs that you like so you know when they are updated. There is some discussion as to what RSS stands for, but the majority plump for 'Really Simple Syndication'. For more information see this News Feeds article.

On some comment modules you will notice a tab for Editors' picks. Editors' picks are a selection of comments submitted which are well-expressed and add new perspective or insight but generally reflect the balance of opinion we receive. The selection might be updated as more comments are received. To read all the comments click the All Comments tab.

We have introduced a Twitter module. It provides a snapshot of conversation and trends around events, topics or personalities which can be read without leaving the BBC website. It also enables you to continue your journey by following events, topics and personalities you are interested in via Twitter.

What is Twitter? Twitter is a microblogging service. Users make short updates called Tweets. They are 140 characters or less.

Who are they from? So far the sites using the module are reflecting tweets by 'notable' users, for example BBC staff, presenters, guests and other contributors. In the future, sites may include tweets from a wider range of people too.

How are they selected? Tweets from 'notable' users are included automatically. Tweets from other users are selected by BBC editorial staff and chosen for interest, relevance or because they catch the eye. It is not possible to read all tweets ever posted on a topic and so the selection reflects a sample of activity.

Why is the BBC giving such prominence to a commercial company? We know that licence fee payers use Twitter to a far greater extent than any other comparable microblogging services. They have shown that they enjoy receiving messages, and responding to them, in this way. If the BBC is to remain relevant to its users we need to engage with the new forms of media that they choose. We also use a wide range of other social media services, some of which can be accessed on most of our pages via the Sharetools feature.

I have seen some content which I believe should be removed. Tweets are curated by BBC editorial staff and they are not moderated in the same way as BBC blog comments, for example. So it is not possible to report them via the BBC. However you can follow the link through to Twitter to report a tweet, if you consider that it breaks the Twitter terms of service or the Twitter rules.

I have a complaint about the editorial selection. Please follow the 'Contact Us' link on the page in which the module is embedded and report your concerns via this channel.

BBC iD is the pan BBC sign in system and we've listed some common questions here. For more information on BBC iD visit the BBC iD information pages. 

If you have further questions about BBC iD please contact the Membership team.

Create a BBC iD on the BBC iD registration page. For more information visit the BBC iD information pages.

If you have further questions about BBC iD please contact the Membership team.

Once you have created or upgraded your BBC iD you can use it to sign in. For more information visit signing in to BBC iD.

If you have further questions about BBC iD please contact the Membership team.

Remember that posting a comment on the internet is like making a public announcement. Everyone can see that information, not just the person you have been talking to.

People you meet online may not be who they seem. They can post information about themselves which may not be true and encourage you to build up a picture of them which is misleading.

This includes things like:

• Postal address and postcode.
• Telephone number (including mobile)
• Email address

Comments which contain contact details, sensitive personal information or encouraging off site contact will be removed under the House Rules. Take care when giving out information that could help someone to locate you. If you see contact details in a message, use the report link beneath the comment to alert the moderators.

If you feel you are the victim of abusive or harassing behaviour anywhere on the BBC, please alert one or more example comments to the moderators using the report link beneath the comment. Please explain the situation as clearly as you can so that we are able to investigate.

The BBC always investigates complaints made by members of our online communities and cooperates fully with the authorities in the event that an individual's comments are considered threatening, abusive or harmful. 

To find out more about this, please read our privacy policy.

Please note you must have ongoing access to a valid email address. Moderation notifications and directions to appeal are sent via email and you will need a valid email address if requesting a password reset. If it comes to our attention that the email address your BBC iD is registered to is no longer valid we may restrict your ability to comment. You can change the email address your BBC iD is registered to via Settings. For details please visit the BBC iD information pages. If you think your BBC iD has been restricted for this reason please Contact Us.

In response to changes in the regulations about cookies changes have been made to make it easier for you to manage the cookies we use as described in this BBC Internet Blog entry.

If you have switched off cookies you will receive an error message when you try to post a comment on the BBC website. You can manage your cookies via the cookie settings page.

More information about cookies can be found in the BBC Privacy pages.