A few readers were disgusted by this courtesy reminder posted at the bottom of a story on transgender regret:

READERS: All views, respectfully presented, are welcome in the comments section below. Please keep in mind USA TODAY's community guidelines against obscenities, vulgarities, hate speech, personal attacks against other readers and plagiarism. If you see this, click the Report Abuse button next to the comment. Thank you!

One reader requested a "Report Abuse" button for "the bold comment at the bottom of the article to the readers." "The guidelines are already posted, but the thought police had to make them MORE clear for this article," the reader continued. Another poster made fun of the note. "Dear readers: USAToday demands you be extra nice about this issue that really means something to them, personally."

TELL US: Did the note offend you? Do you think it helped or harmed the conversation?

This word cloud, produced using Wordle, shows pages containing USA TODAY feeds on Twitter, a free social-messaging utility that allows you to stay on top of the news through brief and frequent updates.

You don't have to be a member to view our real-time content. Just go to Twitter.com, add a back slash and then one of the names from the graphic above (click to enlarge).

Across the site, you should now see several new features in our conversation areas. Today's additions give you fresh ways to view USA TODAY comments and a new route to react to them.

Most Recommended sorting. You are now able to sort USA TODAY comments by the most recommended. Simply click the dropdown above the comments, and choose "Most Recommended" instead of "Newest First" or "Oldest First." Your choice stays the same as you move from page to page (until you decide to change it again). With this kind of visibility, your recommendations of other comments count more than ever. One note: The new rankings on each story update throughout the day, not immediately. Also, here's a picture of the dropdown you want:

Easy access to messaging. A new "send message" link now appears next to the username of any USA TODAY member making a comment. Click that link, and you arrive at our recently launched private-messaging page. The username of the person you're contacting is already filled in. The page also pre-fills your new message's subject with the headline of the story or blog post where you clicked "send message." When you finish your private message and click the send button, your browser automatically takes you back to the original story or blog post. Again, here's a picture:

Get a grasp on popularity. Comment areas now also show the number of friends for each commenter. You can see at a glance at how connected others are in the USA TODAY community. Remember: To make new friends on the site, just go to another member's profile page and click the "Add me as a friend" button.

Missed the launch of private messaging? Community Center has details here. Also, if you missed January's launch of e-mail alerts on our increasingly popular forums, the blog has those details too.

Do you love or hate your car? Do you prefer foreign or American autos?

Discuss this and more with other drivers at USA TODAY's new Auto Forum, where you can start your own discussion or get behind the wheel with reporter-moderator Jayne O'Donnell. She's been covering the auto industry for nearly a decade, and today's conversation is on what you love or hate about American-made or foreign automobiles.

Join the car chat and then swap views on faith, sports and politics with readers in other discussions. Topics in the USA TODAY forum index run the gamut.

(Photo: USA TODAY reporter Jayne O'Donnell.)

Noticed two new buttons on your persona page: Inbox and Contacts?

USATODAY.com is rolling out a new messaging feature for users who wish to connect privately with other users.

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Now you don't have to exchange e-mail addresses on the boards anymore. Open your Inbox and compose a message to your friends.

A search box will help find your contacts and other users. You can even use this new function in the forums. Send personal notes to other contributors during the discussions.

If you're logged into the site, access your Inbox here and let us know what you think.

Are you heading south for Super Bowl XLIII? USATODAY.com is looking for photos from your trip to Tampa. Take your best shots and upload your favorites here. Don't forget to tell us who you're rooting for.

If you plan on watching the game from home, make sure to join the sideline chitchat with our media expert, Laura Petrecca. Laura will be taking your ad questions and concerns during the game at media.usatoday.com.

(Photo: An NFL logo decorates the outside scoreboard at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. By Al Messerschmidt, Getty Images)

Posts on today's most-commented story, Stimulus uncertainty: How fast will the impact be, show that folks are uneasy about spending lots of money, let alone more than $800 billion, on jump starting the nation's economy.

House representatives will make a decision tonight, but readers have already had their say. And most, like reader RightHere, are skeptical about the passage of such a massive package.

"(We're) voting to spend all this money on projects that don't create jobs and that won't help the economy for two or three years," wrote RightHere.

(Photo: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tries to rally support for the proposed economic stimulus during a news conference in Washington, D.C., today. By Mark Wilson, Getty Images)

"Did I read that right," wrote reader bruceton. "Ten-20 bucks a week from a tax cut? Geesh, like don't eat lunch out one day a week and you can make that up. Why is this so difficult." Bruceton believes a five-year tax relief for workers who make less than $150,000 a year would be a better help

Rottweiler doesn't think the government should take any action at all. "We have had 18 recessions in this country, we will be JUST FINE." Reader Onecaguy12350 agreed. "As long as Obama doesn't raise taxes, then the recession will clear itself up ALL BY ITSELF in 18-24 months," he predicted.

Sjt was critical of the plan's terms. "Spending money seven years from now will not help us get out of a recession ... 64% is a FAILURE! Congress needs to give us 100%, not a paltry 64%. ... Where is the change we were promised???"

Joseman called the bill a "waste of money." "Forty-two percent of the money in this package goes to pay for the interest over a 10-year period," wrote Joseman.

But Educated1913 defended the big bucks in the White House's proposal. "(The president) is saying why not do everything at ONCE instead of going back and forth asking for money piecemeal," Educated1913 wrote. "It's a novel idea and I think it's smart and more effective. That way if he doesn't do what he planned he won't be able to say it was for lack of money."

What do you think? Should Congress pass the stimulus bill?

Readers submitted dozens of Inauguration Day photos and experiences last week.

And our Op-Ed editors captured the historic event, from the festivities in D.C. to the fanfare in your hometowns, through your eyes.

Check out the resulting gallery, and submit your own photos.

(Photo: Ramon Danganan, of Maryland, says the most "enjoyable moment" of the inaugural ceremony was the deep rumble of "Obama" throughout the crowd.)

Three oʼclock in the morning comes very early, especially when you have had just gone to sleep at 12 midnight. That is how my inauguration day started. We had to leave early in order to arrive at the Metro station in Washington by 6 a.m. and to the National Mall by 9 a.m. It was cold, and at times very windy but we marched on to a greater destination. Rona, my friend and roomy commented that it was a glorious day and this was a small price to pay considering what our ancestors endured during slavery and the Civil Rights movement. We were heading to our nations ʽholy groundʼ to witness history in the making. My heart was heavy but I was excited at the same time. Back home in St. Louis, my family was waiting for Wednesday, January 22 and Thursday, January 23 to come and go and this trip may have given them hope for it was one of the last desires of my Daddy, who had died one week prior. Now my family waited for my return to honor our loved one.

Most of us on the trip felt and thought that we would never, ever, live to see America move in a direction of courage to elect a black man as president. Our lives have sustained the blows of racism either overtly or covertly so much so thought why would America want to place a person of the darker hue in such a high office of power with the weight of the world on his back. From 500 years of being considered ʽless thanʼ a human beingʼ to have one of our ʽsons/brothersʼ to rise to such heights was truly mind-blowing. -- Juanita Blackshear

Click "Read More" to read the rest of Blackshear's post.

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