Registration F.A.Q.

Here's a list of our users' most common questions about registration. Click on a question below to view the answer.

Why are you asking me to register?

We're asking our users to register so that we can continue to offer free access to quality local content and to access advanced features. We plan to use the demographic information we collect to target messages displayed on Star Tribune Network sites. This makes their campaigns more valuable and helps us generate revenue, ultimately keeping the sites free. The demographic information also helps us tailor new and existing products to the needs of our audience.

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What are the benefits of registration?

By registering with the Star Tribune Network, you are able to access the majority of content and features, including all content you have enjoyed in the past. You also may elect to comment on stories, enter contests, receive newsletters, participate in Talk, or receive special offers from our advertisers.

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Is there a fee to use the Star Tribune Network?

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Are there any other services for which I will be asked to register?

Yes. By becoming a member of the Star Tribune Network, you gain access to the majority of content and features on StarTribune.com, buzz.mn, and vita.mn. However, a few features, such as Jobs and MyCast, require a separate account.

There are a few things to keep in mind about your other accounts. First, you will be explicitly asked to register and create a separate account for these services. Next, be aware that your other accounts are maintained separately from your StarTribune.com membership. Finally, please note that each is governed by its own privacy policy.

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Yes. Though you must be a registered member of the Star Tribune Network to access Jobs, they are separate services and separate accounts. To access Jobs, first register or login as a Star Tribune Network member. Then, when asked to log in to Jobs, enter the user name and password you used the last time you accessed it.

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What is your commitment to my privacy?

We take your privacy concerns seriously. Our privacy policy explains our position on information gathering and how we intend to use any data we collect from our users. In short, here's what we won't and will do:

What we won't do:

For more information, please read our complete privacy policy.

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What if the privacy policy changes?

This privacy policy is subject to change. If the policy is revised, a notice will be posted in our Member Center and an e-mail notice outlining the changes may be sent to you. All users of StarTribune.com may view the privacy policy, including any revisions, by clicking on the privacy policy link in the footer of most StarTribune.com pages and from Member Center. If any changes represent a material departure from our current policy, they will be posted in advance of their effective date when feasible.

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We will not disclose your personally identifiable information without your advance permission except as explained in our privacy policy, or when we explained at the time of collecting the information the purpose for which the information will be disclosed, or when we deem it necessary or appropriate in order to comply with the law, to respond to claims, to protect our computer systems and customers, to ensure the integrity and operation of our business and systems, or to protect the rights, property or safety of the Star Tribune Network, its affiliates or others.

In order to describe our services to prospective partners, advertisers and others, we may disclose user information in an aggregate form that does not identify individual users. For example, we might disclose that a certain percentage of our users are female or within a certain age range or live within a cluster of ZIP Codes.

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What other information will you keep?

In addition to registration data, we may also keep track of your IP address to administer our Web site and to help diagnose problems with our Web servers. (Your IP address is the identifier assigned to your particular computer when you access the Internet. Depending on how you connect to the Internet, your IP address may always be the same, or it may change each time you access the Internet.)

What do you do with the information you collect?

The user data we collect helps us better know our audience in order to develop new content and features to meet their needs as well as to increase the value of advertising campaigns on our sites. Data is used and shared with third parties including advertisers only in aggregate form; individual user data is never shared.

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What is your privacy policy concerning children?

In keeping with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, sites on the Star Tribune Network will not collect or store personal information from anyone under the age of 13. Users below the age of 13 cannot register for the Star Tribune Network, however, anyone can acquire a 7-Day Pass. If we discover that someone under 13 has become a registered StarTribune.com member, we immediately delete the account and discard any personally identifiable information that we may have collected.

If I register, what e-mail will I receive?

All registered members will very occasionally receive StarTribune.com Member Notices. It's a way for us to stay in touch with our members -to inform them of registration account changes and new member benefits, or to solicit their opinions on site content.

All registered users will also receive marketing e-mail called "FYI". FYI Newsletters are occasional messages about what's new in the newspaper and on StarTribune.com. FYI Offers contain information about products, events and other opportunities from our advertisers. These will be occasional messages about special Star Tribune events or offers. You may stop receiving FYI e-mail by visiting the Member Center.

You may also subscribe to any number of topical newsletters and alerts from StarTribune.com or specific categories of offers from our advertisers such as Travel, Home & Garden, and Pets. You may start or stop any of these subscriptions by visiting the Member Center.

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We will send you the FYI Newsletters and FYI Offers as well as any category of Offers you request. Offers are sent to you from StarTribune.com on behalf of an advertiser. You may start or stop your Offers subscriptions by visiting the Member Center. As there are several different categories of Offers; you must subscribe to and unsubscribe from each individually.

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Will you share my name or e-mail address with advertisers?

We only share aggregate information, which does not include personally identifiable information, with our advertisers so that they understand our audience. Offers e-mail messages are sent from StarTribune.com, so there is no need for us to share your name or e-mail address with the advertiser.

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Yes, it would be possible for a brief period. Your account information is updated immediately when you enter new preferences in the Member Center. However, there could be a solicitation already in progress that might generate an e-mail message after you update your preferences. This interim period would be short; it will not exceed seven business days.

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Will my name or e-mail address appear anywhere on your site?

When you sign in to Star Tribune Network sites featuring user profile pages, such as vita.mn and buzz.mn, your full name will be included on your public profile. However, this information is optional, and you are welcome to delete it from your account if you do not wish for it to display.

Your first name will be displayed on our home page as a welcome message when you visit StarTribune.com. We will also display your full name, e-mail address and contact information if you update them in the Member Center. Please keep in mind that the Member Center is secure; it can only be accessed by logging in with your password.

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Why do I need to activate my account?

We ask users to activate their account to confirm that the e-mail address they submit is active. This decreases the likelihood that an incorrect e-mail address was submitted by mistake or as a prank.

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How do I activate my account?

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What if I do not activate my account?

After you register, you have grace access to StarTribune.com for the remainder of your visit. On subsequent visits, you will need to have activated your account to access StarTribune.com.

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When will I receive the activation e-mail?

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What if I do not receive or have deleted the activation e-mail?

If you do not receive or have deleted you account activation e-mail, please contact us.

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What is the Star Tribune Network?

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What is the eEdition version of the newspaper online?

The eEdition is a subscription-based opportunity to view the print version of the Star Tribune newspaper from your computer. This is especially useful to Twin Cities newspaper subscribers who are traveling away from home and may be purchased one edition at a time or a by subscription with more options. It is not updated throughout the day as StarTribune.com is. Learn more about eEdition, here.

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I signed up for a 7-Day Pass. Why am I being asked to register?

If none of these scenarios seems to be the case, you can access most of the content on the Star Tribune Network by becoming a registered user.

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How do I log in?

If you are not logged in, you may click the "log in" link on our home page, or you will be prompted to log in after you view one or two articles. At that time, you need to enter your member name and password in the login box.

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When logged out of the Star Tribune Network, you will be prompted to log in if you've passed the limit of content available to unregistered members, or if you've tried to access functionality available only to registered members.

The Star Tribune Network administers registration by using files called "cookies." When you register or log in, we place a cookie on your machine; when you log off, we remove it. As long as the cookie is present on the machine, you are logged in.

We do not set the cookie to automatically expire, so there is no specific time when we will ask you to log in again. However, if the cookie is lost or deleted, you will be asked to log in again. You will be also asked to log in if you use a different computer than the one that you used to register, because it would not have the cookie installed on it.

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I've forgotten my login information. What do I do?

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I've already registered for StarTribune.com, vita.mn or buzz.mn, do I still need to register for the other sites?

You can log in to buzz.mn with your StarTribune.com account information without registering. On vita.mn, you can register with your StarTribune.com account information.

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How can I delete my StarTribune.com membership account?

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What happens when my member account is deleted?

If you've only used your Star Tribune Network account on StarTribune.com, all but a transactional record of your account will be removed from our databases. This will cancel your membership, and you will no longer be able to log in to the Star Tribune Network.

If you've used vita.mn or buzz.mn, your login for those sites will be disabled, however, your profile and contributed content will remain intact. To request removal of any personally identifiable information on vita.mn or buzz.mn, please contact us directly.

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Most standard Web browsers contain a feature called "cookies," which allow a Web site to place information about a user's visit to that Web site in a small data text file that is stored on the user's computer.

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How long will my information be stored?

Information you provide to StarTribune.com may be stored by us for an indefinite time. This information includes your registration data and what we collect from various contests or services available on StarTribune.com.

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You may update any information, except member name, that you submit during registration including your password. To do so, please visit the Member Center.

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Are there any risks when I use the Internet?

You should know that when you voluntarily disclose personal information on the Star Tribune Network (for example, in the Talk discussion forums), that information can be collected and used by others and may result in unsolicited messages from other people. While we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot be responsible for information that you choose to publicly disclose. Further, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of any passwords or other account information.

In addition, our advertisers, content providers, partners and other Internet sites or services that may be accessible through the Star Tribune Network have separate data and privacy practices that are independent of us, and we disclaim any responsibility or liability for their policies or actions. Please contact those sites directly if you have questions about their privacy policies.

What if I am an international user?

If you are an international user, by using the Star Tribune Network or by registering for any of its services, you agree that StarTribune.com may collect, use and transfer your personal information as described in this privacy policy, including transfers outside the country where you live. If you reside in a country in the European Union or other jurisdiction that provides access rights under law, you may access your personal information or have it corrected or updated by going to the Member Center and personally updating the information. In some jurisdictions, you may be charged a reasonable fee for access to information.

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How do I get a question answered that is not in this FAQ?