Chicago, this is your domain

Welcome to chicago.com. We’re so happy you’re here! You’re probably wondering who we are and what we’re doing. So here’s the scoop:

We’re a new kind of digital platform, made for and by Chicago

Chicago.com is a new site designed to help make sense of the city and its surroundings by bringing together people, partners and information in one welcoming place. 

We’re built on the belief that Chicago deserves a better digital space–one where you can trade restaurant tips with your neighbors, make plans for the weekend, and get updates about your city without scrolling through spam or dodging online trolls. We’re free to join and easy to use. 

Chicago.com is a project of Chicago Public Media, the folks behind WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times. We’re joined by our partner New_ Public, a nonprofit R&D lab that’s reimagining social media through their community app Roundabout. Our amazing url is a gift to the people of Chicago from the Chicago Community Trust, with the stipulation that we use it for the good of our community.

Our vision at Chicago Public Media is a Chicago where people know their neighbors; communities engage in healthy discourse that leads to productive civic action; technology strengthens human connection; and people celebrate one another’s joy, understand one another’s suffering and shape public spaces that truly serve the public.    

What we’re saying is: We’re motivated by people, not profit. We value you as our neighbor, not as a number. And while we’re rooted in journalism institutions Chicagoans have relied on for generations, please don’t think of chicago.com as a news site. We are a community platform that we hope to build with you. Let us tell you about it.

Here’s what you can find on chicago.com today: 

Communities

Powered by Roundabout, communities are location-specific spaces where neighbors can connect with each other to share recommendations, ask questions, discover local organizations and happenings, and exchange knowledge. There’s a community calendar where folks can add and find events. Local stewards (moderator-like leaders with training, resources, and decision-making power) facilitate each space and keep the conversation positive and flowing. We’re starting with five pilot communities in Avondale, Bronzeville, Edgewater & Andersonville, Evanston, and South Shore. If you live in one of these communities, join the party! And if you’re not, you can join the waitlist here.

Guides

Guides help you discover the spots across Chicago worth checking out. Chicago.com guides have a twist: they’re created by you. We’ve designed a user-friendly interface that enables you to build, share, and search customized guides. Got family visiting from out of town? Get them out of your hair with a guide to the best pizza in other neighborhoods! Need ideas for date night? Search for guides to the best pizza in your neighborhood! Tired of guides about pizza? Make one about tacos! The possibilities are as endless as the wait for the Red Line when you’re late for work.  

How-tos

Ever wish Chicago came with an instruction manual? Chicago Public Media journalists and other trusted sources have your back with clear resources on how to navigate the city. From explaining how zoning works to outlining the steps for creating a community garden, let chicago.com be your partner in cutting through bureaucracy and getting things done!  

Latest News

There’s a LOT going on in Chicagoland at any given time, but it can be hard to find local information you can trust in one place. Wouldn’t it be great to have a local news dashboard? We thought so–so we made one. The chicago.com news feed is constantly refreshing with stories from vetted sources you can trust. Filter by community. Find what matters to you. Get the information you need and get on with your life–or maybe discuss it with your neighbors in one of the communities. 

Partner Hub 

Get in on all the goodness Chicago has to offer, with partners selected for their service to Chicagoland, nonpartisan and public-minded work, and commitment to sharing trustworthy, accessible information with the community. Find your next volunteer or civic engagement opportunity on the Partner Hub, where some of the area’s coolest organizations are lining up to help you make the city a better place. 

Email partners@chicago.com to nominate your organization or learn more.

Share your Chicago

Now that you know what we’re all about, take a look around and start connecting with your city in a new way. But don’t get too attached: What you see on the site today will be different a year from now. That’s because, right now, chicago.com is a minimum viable product. We’re starting intentionally small and building and learning along the way. There’s so much more to come–from new communities, to new features, to... Well, why don’t you help us fill in the blank? Chicago.com is built for you, and we want to continue building with you for years to come. Let us know what else you’d like to see!

Help keep chicago.com open to everyone 

Chicago.com is free to use because we believe useful tools for navigating and connecting with our city should be available to everyone. Keeping it that way takes people who believe in what we’re building. Membership is one way to help sustain chicago.com as a trusted, community-powered resource–built to serve Chicagoans, not shareholders or algorithms.

If you want to help with our mission of creating a different digital experience: join us! We want to set an example for the country of how to build healthier technology tools for everyone. You can help by joining a community, spreading the word, and, of course, we’re a membership-driven organization so we’d always love your support! Become a member or kick in a few bucks to help chicago.com grow.

Made for Chicago

To mark the beginning of chicago.com, we’re commissioning Chicago artists to create original work inspired by the city and the people who make it what it is.

The artwork will become part of a limited-edition collection created especially for our earliest members–a tangible piece of Chicago and a way to remember that you were here at the beginning.