Be heard ...

Statesman.com and Austin360.com just got a whole lot more talkative. Now you can comment on nearly every story we publish and recommend stories to other readers. With a few clicks, you can create your own profile page, send personal messages to other users with similar interests, post blog entries, reviews and more. Watch the video tutorial above to get the full rundown on all the new features.

• If you aren't yet registered with Statesman.com or Austin360.com, then . Once you've done that, come back here to click on the Persona Link below.
• If you are already a registered user of our site, you still need to before using the Persona Link below. Just make sure all the required fields are filled out.
• Once you've gone through the registration steps above, .

Having trouble? Use this form to e-mail us or call us at 512-445-3588.

Frequently asked questions

How do I register?

If you have registered in the past to view stories on statesman.com, you may have to update your registration to include a Screen Name. If you don't remember your password, there is a "Forgot Your Password" link on the login page that will e-mail your password to you. Be sure to look in your spam folders in case your password message falls in there. If you don't receive an e-mail from us, call 512-445-3588 and we'll get you going.

If this is your first visit to statesman.com or austin360.com, you'll need to register with our sites. to sign up. Once you've gone through the registration steps above, .

What's in it for me?

You can make the news a more interactive process than it has ever been. Now you can share your comments on stories that affect your community. What do your neighbors have to say about our hottest stories? What do you think? We now have the capability for you, our readers, to respond as often and whenever you wish.

What is a persona?

A Persona is how you are identified in our online community. Each registered user gets a persona and a profile page, which only you can edit. The profile page keeps track of your comments, blogs and more. You can use one of the uniquely Austin photos we supply or upload your own photo to give yourself a personal touch. You can link to people who you designate as friends and communicate with any Statesman user through messaging. You can access your profile page (or anyone else's) at anytime by clicking on the photo icons next to comments, messages and blogs.

How do I set up my profile?

1. Once you have registered (if you accept cookies, you should only have to do this once until you clear your cookies from your computer), Go to your .

2. Click "Edit profile" next to your name

3. As a default, your picture in your persona is the Texas flag. You can change this to one of our pre-loaded pictures or load your own from your desktop.

4. Tell everyone about yourself. Post as little or as much about yourself as you want.

5. Click "save"

So, how do I start commenting on stories?

Go to a story on which you want to be heard. Make sure you're [logged in]. You can log in at the bottom of each story. Once you're in, look to the bottom of our stories for the comments. Just type what you have to say in the box and hit Submit. Remember, please play by the rules.

What if someone can't play nice?

We're relying on you to help build a good community. If you see someone abusing their privilege with personal attacks, vulgarity, racism or other comments that violate our rules, please use the "report abuse" icon associated with each comment. Of course, be civil yourself.

How do the reader blogs work?

The American-Statesman was an industry pioneer in hosting reader blogs on our sites. We're not about to let that spirit of community go away. If you were an active blogger with us, your old entries have been moved over to the new system. You can pick up right where you left off. If you've never blogged with us, but want to give it a shot, it's a simple process to get started. Go to your profile page and click on the "blog" tab to get set up in minutes. How popular are reader blogs? Well, more than 1,600 of you have created your own blog.

I still have questions!

Watch our handy video. If that doesn't answer your questions, feel free to contact us.