Frequently Asked Questions

The Local Tourist, or TLT as it's affectionately known, is your one-stop-spot for events, things to do, restaurants, nightlife, news, reviews, photos, and videos. You name it, we've got it. We're a business directory, an events calendar, a multi-contributor magazine filled with news from our TLTeam of city experts. We showcase local restaurants with our Chef's Table events, and we introduce you to amazing craft brews with AlphaBeer.

We're for you, and we're also by you.

As a Local Tourist you can add businesses and events and specials and photos and videos and blog posts. You can keep a map of the places you've been and plan an itinerary of where you want to go (coming). You can see your fellow Local Tourists, and soon, connect with them. We like to say we tell people where to go, and with our ratings and reviews, you can tell them where to go, too!

We are your Online Guide for your Offline Life.

We are The Local Tourist.

And so are you.

A Local Tourist is someone who wants to experience the fascination of a tourist while feeling the comfort of the local.

It's You! Well, you once you've registered. Sign up to become a Local Tourist for free and you can:

• Add a business or event
• Rate and review businesses
• Post photos and videos
• Write a blog
• Keep a map of all the places you've been
• And there will be much more to come!

Whether you're a local or a visitor to Chicago, go ahead and sign up. It's free and relatively painless, we promise.

Yes! All you have to do is look for this: on any business listing and click on it. You'll then be invited to leave a tip about that place, but that's entirely up to you. Once you click on "Add to map" that business will be added to the map on your profile. It's an easy way to show off your "been there, done that".

You must be logged in to use this cool function.

As you're browsing through The Local Tourist look for the passport symbol:

When you move your mouse over it you'll see "Add to itinerary". Click on it and it will turn gray, like this:

Now when you visit My Itinerary you'll see what you just added.

You must be logged in to use this cool function.

You can save any articles, blog posts, photos, videos and galleries and come back to them any time you want. Just click on this:

Then look for it in My Bookmarks from your My TLT drop down menu under the TLT logo.

You must be logged in to use this cool function.

Maybe...you can find out by visiting our Search page, browsing our Business Directory, checking our Events section, and searching our Food & Drink Specials.

Just visit our Create Content page and choose what you'd like to add. Our basic listings are free, and we've got incredibly affordable options if you'd like to get more exposure and take advantage of our awesome social media presence.

Easy - peasy. Just visit your listing and click on to claim it.

OK, maybe it's not that easy. Once you claim it we have to make sure it's really yours. We'll be notified that you want that listing and we'll check things out. If it's legit then we'll assign it to you. If not, well...

If the business has been claimed by somebody already you'll see a gray checkmark, like this: . Contact us if you need to switch who owns the listing.

You must be logged in to use this cool function.

Sure! Just visit My Content!

My Drafts - if you're logged in, that is!

Visit our Create Gallery page. Then create the gallery name and optionally provide a description and location.

Click on Publish or Save As Draft, and you'll be automatically taken to a page where you can add your photos.

Note: If you click on Save As Draft and then upload photos, the gallery will say it's empty until you publish it. Don't worry - the photos are there! Click on Sort Items or Manage Items and you'll see them.

If you've uploaded photos but your gallery says it's empty, check to make sure your gallery is published. If it isn't, you'll see it on your My Drafts page. Click Edit, then click Publish. Visit your gallery again and there they are!

If you'd like to add an image within your blog post or Article (TLTeam only) click on the icon that looks like a picture of a mountain:

This will open a dialog window where you can upload your picture or browse images that have been previously uploaded:

1. Visit the Add Group form. You can find this from the My TLT drop-down menu under the logo.
2. Mouse over Add Content
3. Click on Add Group
4. Fill out the form:
   • Choose a name for your group. This can be changed any time you want!
   • Write a brief description about your group
   • Decide whether you want your group to be Public or Private. You can also change this later.
5. Click Publish or, if you're not ready to go live, Save Draft. You can find your unpublished group later at My Drafts

Visit the group and in the top right of the page click on Request Membership. You will be notified by email if you're approved by the group administrator.

To find groups that you either own or are members of visit your profile page and click on the tab called "My Groups".

You can get to your profile page in two ways:

1. Click on My TLT, located right under the logo:
   
2. Click on your user name in the upper right corner of the screen:
   

Once you're viewing your profile, click on "My Groups"

First of all, only Group Administrators can add people. If that's you, you can add people to your group in two ways:

1. Make them do it! On the right side of your group's page is a link to "Request membership". Any registered user can click on that link and ask to be a member of your group. To approve:
   • Visit your Group Page
   • Click on Group
   • Click on People
   • Select the checkbox next to any person or people who are "Pending" you want to approve
   • From the Operations drop down menu choose Modify Membership Status and click on Execute
   • You'll be taken to a page where you can choose Active, Pending, or Blocked. Choose Active and click Next
   • On the confirmation page click Confirm
     OR
2. Add them yourself:
   • Visit your Group Page
   • Click on Group
   • Click on Add People
   • Add the user name of the person you want to enter.
   • Leave the "Request message" box blank.
   • Click on Add Users
     Although it says Add Users, you can only add one person at a time
   • The page will refresh and you can add another user.
   • Click on Group in the breadcrumb and you'll see them listed with your users. You can also visit your Group Page and see their pretty face.

Xpress Connect is an exciting program that makes it easier to manage and connect businesses on The Local Tourist. More importantly, it makes it easier to promote them. It's designed for people and businesses that represent multiple businesses, like PR companies, restaurant groups and chambers of commerce. It's even beneficial for shopping malls and hotels that have restaurants, spas and shops on site.

With Xpress Connect, you get your own custom group that you create and manage, letting you - or anyone else you choose - see everything that's happening at a glance.

Features:

• All of your businesses are in one section
• Quickly see which events and specials have been added to TLT
• See photos of your businesses added by any user
• View articles about your businesses by the TLTeam
• Ability to edit all business listings, no matter who added them
• Add businesses, events, specials, and photos
• Post to @thelocaltourist and reach over 15,000 people with one click
• Invite businesses to join your group
• Grant editorial control to specific users
• Make your group public or private
• Custom TLT Media Kit for your businesses on request
• Discount for all of your businesses on all advertising with TLT

Example: Edible, Ink

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Xpress Connect account you must be a:

1. PR company
2. Restaurant group
3. Shopping Mall
4. Chain or franchise
5. Hotel with other businesses on site
6. Chamber of Commerce or other business association
7. Any other entity that represents multiple businesses

Best of all, your Xpress Connect account is free!

It's free! In fact, it saves you money since your participating businesses receive a discount on all advertising.

1. Visit the Add Group - Businesses form. You can find this from the My TLT drop-down menu under the logo.
   If you don't see this it means you're either not logged in or you have not been approved for our TLTrep program. Apply here.
2. Mouse over Add Content
3. Click on Add Group - Businesses
4. Fill out the form:
   • Choose a name for your group. This can be changed any time you want.
     The initial name you choose will determine your group's URL: thelocaltourist.com/group/your-group-name
   • Add a logo
   • Choose what types of businesses will be in your group
   • Add your website, Facebook, and Twitter links
   • Write a brief description about your group
   • Decide whether you want your group to be Public or Private. You can also change this later.
5. Click Publish or, if you're not ready to go live, Save Draft.
6. You can find your unpublished group later at My Drafts.
7. You can find your published group by going to your profile page and clicking on My Groups.
8. If your group is public you can also find it in the Groups directory.

To find groups that you either own or are members of visit your profile page and click on the tab called "My Groups".

You can get to your profile page in two ways:

1. Click on My TLT, located right under the logo:
   
2. Click on your user name in the upper right corner of the screen:
   

Once you're viewing your profile, click on "My Groups"

We'll start with the assumption that you've already created a group for businesses and/or are the administrator. Then the first thing you'll want to do is see if your business is already listed on The Local Tourist. You can do this either by searching the entire site, or by visiting our Business Directory and searching only our business listings (the second way's easier).

If it's listed and it's your business (you are the owner or manager) and/or you will be responsible for any updates to the listing:

• Click on Claim This
  
• We will contact you to verify that it is, indeed, your business and then assign the listing to your account.
• Once you receive notification that the listing has been transferred to you, visit it and click on Edit
• At the bottom of the listing choose your Group and click on Save
• This listing will now appear in your group!

If it is listed but it's not your business and you are not responsible for administering the listing, send us an email with the link to the business listing and to the group.

It it's not listed on TLT, add it! While you're adding it you can also add it to any groups that you administer.

First of all, only Group Administrators can add people. If that's you, you can add people to your group in two ways:

1. Make them do it! On the right side of your group's page is a link to "Request membership". Any registered user can click on that link and ask to be a member of your group. To approve:
   • Visit your Group Page
   • Click on Group
   • Click on People
   • Select the checkbox next to any person or people who are "Pending" you want to approve
   • From the Operations drop down menu choose Modify Membership Status and click on Execute
   • You'll be taken to a page where you can choose Active, Pending, or Blocked. Choose Active and click Next
   • On the confirmation page click Confirm
     OR
2. Add them yourself:
   • Visit your Group Page
   • Click on Group
   • Click on Add People
   • Add the user name of the person you want to enter.
   • Leave the "Request message" box blank.
   • Click on Add Users
     Although it says Add Users, you can only add one person at a time
   • The page will refresh and you can add another user.
   • Click on Group in the breadcrumb and you'll see them listed with your users. You can also visit your Group Page and see their pretty face.

One of the great things about Groups for Businesses is that you'll see all events at your businesses, no matter who posted them on The Local Tourist. If the person who created that event is not in your gruop, though, you won't be able to make any changes to it.

To fix that, click on the event name for your group, and then click on the green checkmark. We'll be notified that you'd like to make changes and will get in touch to confirm that you should be able to.

If the person who added that particular event will be adding more, add them to your group!

The TLTeam is our group of people in the know! They keep you informed on what to do, where to go, and people to meet.

Just fill out our application!

As a member of the TLTeam you can post both Articles and Blog Posts.

An Article is posted by members of the TLTeam (that's you) to keep people in the know about places to go, people to see, and things to do. It automatically appears on our News & Views page and will go out in our feed to our subscribers.

A Blog Post is for any registered user of The Local Tourist. They can have their own personal blogs on the site by using the Blog Post form. You would use this form if you wanted to post something that wasn't appropriate for News & Views, like a personal piece or a topic that has nothing to do with your city.

All OVER the place!

1. The News & Views page. This is the primary location for all articles published by the TLTeam.
2. Your profile page. Your five most recent posts are included on your main profile page.
3. Your blog page, which is at thelocaltourist.com/blog/your-user-name
4. If you chose any neighborhoods in your post, it will appear on those pages, too.
5. Depending on the categories you selected your post could appear on any of the top level pages. For example, if you selected the Restaurants category, your post will be on the Dining & Nightlife page.

Deciding which articles appear on the home page in our Recent News Of Chicago slideshow is an editorial decision. To make that decision easier, you'll need to include a landscape-oriented featured photo. That just means your photo needs to be wider than it is tall.

Because our featured articles are also pushed out to our RSS feed and posted to Twitter we try to space them out, so if your post hasn't been moved to the front page right away don't worry! It could still happen.

If you'd like to add an image within your blog post or Article (TLTeam only) click on the icon that looks like a picture of a mountain:

This will open a dialog window where you can upload your picture or browse images that have been previously uploaded: