HOW TO EARN
Ways to earn W
W credits are awarded for validated value. Raw engagement volume never creates spendable W.
Zero direct reward: opening stories, external clicks, ordinary likes/reactions, posting a bare comment, follows, refreshes, shares.
Trust levels
New Reader — internal eligibility tier (not political, not popularity alone)
Participant — internal eligibility tier (not political, not popularity alone)
Contributor — internal eligibility tier (not political, not popularity alone)
Researcher — internal eligibility tier (not political, not popularity alone)
Curator — internal eligibility tier (not political, not popularity alone)
Helpful comments
Posting a comment earns 0 W. Helpful endorsements (distinct from reactions) can unlock awards after 12+ hours, substance checks, and no upheld violations:
- 3 valid Helpful → 2 W
- 6 valid Helpful → +3 W
- 12 valid Helpful → +5 W (max 10 W per comment)
- Daily cap for helpful-comment earnings: 20 W
Endorsement reasons:
- Adds evidence
evidence - Clarifies the issue
clarifies - Provides useful context
context - Corrects an error
corrects - Respectfully advances the discussion
advances
Award schedule
| Contribution | W | Validation | Limits | Min trust |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complete public profile Set a public handle and basic profile details. |
5 | Immediate if eligible | day — / week — / life 1 | New Reader |
| Confirm recovery method Confirm a recovery email so your balance can be restored across devices. |
5 | Immediate if eligible | day — / week — / life 1 | New Reader |
| Accept community standards Read and accept WeSearch community standards. |
3 | Immediate if eligible | day — / week — / life 1 | New Reader |
| Add bio and topic interests Add a short bio and optional public topic interests (does not personalize the news feed). |
2 | Immediate if eligible | day — / week — / life 1 | New Reader |
| Helpful comment (3 endorsements) Comment remains published 12h+, no violations, receives 3 Helpful endorsements from distinct eligible users. |
2 | 12h delay | day 20 / week — / life — | New Reader |
| Helpful comment (6 endorsements) Additional award when a comment reaches 6 valid Helpful endorsements. |
3 | 12h delay | day 20 / week — / life — | New Reader |
| Helpful comment (12 endorsements) Additional award when a comment reaches 12 valid Helpful endorsements. Max 10 Ws per comment total. |
5 | 12h delay | day 20 / week — / life — | New Reader |
| Accepted metadata correction Valid correction to story metadata accepted by moderators. |
5 | Pending validation | day — / week 15 / life — | New Reader |
| Accepted broken-link correction Valid broken-link report that results in a fix. |
5 | Pending validation | day — / week 15 / life — | New Reader |
| Accepted source-attribution correction Valid correction to source attribution. |
10 | Pending validation | day — / week 20 / life — | New Reader |
| Accepted factual correction Valid factual correction to a WeSearch summary. |
20 | Pending validation | day — / week 40 / life — | Participant |
| Valid Blindspot candidate Submitted Blindspot candidate accepted into review (pending until confirmed). |
5 | Pending validation | day — / week 15 / life — | New Reader |
| Confirmed Blindspot Blindspot contribution confirmed by moderators. |
20 | Immediate if eligible | day — / week 60 / life — | Participant |
| Valid new source accepted Suggested news source accepted into the catalog. |
10 | Pending validation | day — / week 20 / life — | New Reader |
| High-quality specialist source accepted Local or specialist source of high quality accepted. |
15 | Pending validation | day — / week 30 / life — | Participant |
| Report reviewed and upheld Abuse or policy report that moderators uphold. |
3 | Immediate if eligible | day 9 / week — / life — | New Reader |
| Accepted context note Structured Context Note with supporting source accepted. |
8 | Pending validation | day — / week 24 / life — | Participant |
Awards may be rejected for fraud signals, duplicate submissions, unsupported claims, or policy violations. Pending W is not spendable until confirmed.