Frequently Asked Questions

TownSquare is a quality-driven social media platform that uses an ELO-based reputation system to reward thoughtful discourse and meaningful engagement.

Unlike traditional social media that prioritizes virality and engagement metrics, TownSquare ensures quality content rises to the top through community-validated reputation scores.

Key features include:

• ELO reputation system (like chess ratings)
• Multi-axis voting (insightful, funny, well-sourced, respectful)
• Topic-based communities
• Trust level badges
• Advanced content moderation
• Real-time updates and notifications

Creating an account on TownSquare is simple and free:

1. Click "Enter TownSquare" on the homepage
2. Select "Sign Up" on the authentication page
3. Choose your preferred method:
   • Email & Password: Enter your email and create a secure password
   • Google Sign-In: Use your existing Google account
4. Choose a unique username (3-20 characters, alphanumeric)
5. Verify your email address (check your inbox)
6. Complete your profile (optional: avatar, bio)

Important: You'll start with 1000 ELO reputation points. Build your reputation by posting quality content and engaging thoughtfully with the community.

The ELO system is a mathematical algorithm originally designed for chess that we've adapted for social media to measure content quality and user influence.

How it works:

• Starting Score: Everyone begins at 1000 ELO
• Dynamic K-Factor: The impact of votes depends on voter reputation
• Vote Weight: Higher-reputation users have more influence
• Bidirectional Changes: Both content creators and voters gain/lose reputation

Example: If a user with 1500 ELO upvotes your post, it impacts your score more than a vote from someone with 900 ELO.

This creates a meritocracy where quality contributions are rewarded and amplified.

Posting on TownSquare is designed to be simple yet powerful:

1. Click the "New Statement" button (or press 'N' on your keyboard)
2. Write your content (minimum 10 characters, maximum 2000)
3. Use markdown for formatting:
   • **bold** for bold text
   • *italic* for italic text
   • #hashtag to tag topics
   • @username to mention users
4. Add up to 5 hashtags to categorize your post
5. Optionally attach images (up to 5MB each)
6. Choose to post to your feed or a specific community
7. Click "Post" to publish

Pro Tips:

• Include relevant hashtags for discoverability
• Add sources for factual claims
• Be respectful and constructive
• Preview your post before publishing

TownSquare offers multiple ways to vote on content, going beyond simple like/dislike:

Basic Voting:

• Agree: Click the green checkmark if you agree with the post
• Disagree: Click the red X if you disagree
• You can change your vote at any time
• Votes are anonymous to other users

Multi-Axis Voting:

Click "More Options" to rate content across 6 dimensions:

• 💡 Insightful: Brings new perspectives or valuable information
• 😄 Funny: Adds humor appropriately
• 📚 Well-Sourced: Backed by credible sources
• 🤝 Respectful: Maintains civility in discourse
• ⚠️ Misleading: Contains false or misleading information
• ❌ Off-Topic: Not relevant to the discussion

Your vote weight is influenced by your reputation and trust level.

Hashtags help categorize and discover content on TownSquare.

Using Hashtags:

• Type # followed by a word (e.g., #technology)
• Use up to 5 hashtags per post
• No spaces allowed (use #camelCase or #snake_case)
• Click any hashtag to see all posts with that tag

Discovering Content:

• Browse trending hashtags on the homepage
• Follow hashtags for personalized updates
• Mute hashtags you don't want to see (up to 100)
• View hashtag analytics to see usage trends

Pro Tip: TownSquare tracks trending hashtags with advanced algorithms considering recency, usage frequency, and user diversity.

TownSquare includes powerful keyboard shortcuts for power users. Press ? to see all shortcuts.

Navigation:

• j - Next statement
• k - Previous statement
• / - Focus search
• Esc - Close modals

Actions:

• n - New statement
• l - Like current statement
• r - Reply to statement
• s - Share statement
• m - Mark as sensitive (moderators)

Page Navigation (press g then):

• g + h - Home
• g + p - Profile
• g + s - Settings
• g + l - Leaderboard
• g + t - Trending
• g + n - Notifications

Reputation on TownSquare uses the ELO rating system with a dynamic K-factor to ensure fair and accurate scoring.

The Formula:

What Affects Your Reputation:

• Post Votes: When your post receives votes (agree/disagree)
• Comment Votes: When your comments are voted on
• Voter Reputation: Votes from higher-reputation users have more impact
• Vote Type: Multi-axis votes (insightful, well-sourced) provide nuanced feedback
• Your Voting: You gain/lose small amounts based on vote accuracy

Reputation Changes:

• Content creator: 10% of content's ELO change
• Voter: 10% of their K-factor calculation
• All changes are logged in your reputation history

Trust Levels are badges that reflect your standing in the community based on your reputation score.

The Four Trust Levels:

Benefits of Higher Trust Levels:

• Increased vote weight
• Visual badge next to your username
• Access to exclusive features
• Greater influence in community decisions
• Priority in moderation queues

Best Practices for Building Reputation:

1. Post Quality Content:
   • Well-researched and thought-out opinions
   • Include sources for factual claims
   • Use proper formatting and clear language
   • Add relevant hashtags
2. Engage Thoughtfully:
   • Leave constructive comments
   • Contribute to discussions meaningfully
   • Be respectful even when disagreeing
3. Vote Accurately:
   • Use multi-axis voting for nuanced feedback
   • Vote based on quality, not just agreement
   • Your voting accuracy affects your reputation
4. Be Consistent:
   • Regular participation builds reputation over time
   • Inactive users may experience reputation decay
5. Earn Achievements:
   • Complete milestones for reputation bonuses
   • First post, 100 votes received, etc.

What NOT to Do:

• ❌ Spam or low-effort posts
• ❌ Vote manipulation or coordinated voting
• ❌ Harassment or toxic behavior
• ❌ Posting misinformation

Yes, reputation can decrease through several mechanisms:

1. Negative Votes

When your content receives disagree votes or negative multi-axis ratings, your reputation decreases proportionally.

2. Reputation Decay

Inactive users experience gradual reputation decay to keep the system dynamic:

• Kicks in after 30 days of inactivity
• Decay rate: 1-2% per month depending on inactivity duration
• Can be reversed by becoming active again
• All decay events are logged transparently

3. Moderation Actions

• Content removal: -10 to -50 reputation
• Community guideline violations: -20 to -100 reputation
• Repeated violations may result in account suspension

4. Vote Manipulation Detection

Our circuit breaker system detects suspicious voting patterns. If triggered:

• Temporary voting restriction
• Reputation penalty: -50 to -200
• Admin review

Note: All reputation changes are logged in your reputation history with detailed explanations.

Your complete reputation history is available on your profile page.

Accessing Reputation History:

1. Click your profile picture or username
2. Navigate to "Reputation" tab
3. View detailed log of all reputation changes

What You'll See:

• Timestamp of each change
• Reputation change amount (+/-)
• Reason for change (post voted, achievement earned, etc.)
• New reputation score after change
• Link to relevant post/comment

This transparency ensures you understand exactly how your reputation is calculated and can track your progress over time.

Achievements are special milestones that reward your activity and engagement on TownSquare.

Achievement Categories:

• First Steps: First post, first vote, first comment (small reputation bonus)
• Engagement: 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000 posts (increasing bonuses)
• Quality: Receive 100, 500, 1000 upvotes (reputation multipliers)
• Community: Join communities, become moderator
• Influence: Reach trust level milestones
• Consistency: 7, 30, 100 day streaks

Achievements are displayed on your profile and provide reputation bonuses when earned.

Vote weight determines how much impact your votes have on others' reputation and content ranking.

Vote Weight by Trust Level:

• 🌱 Newcomer (0-999 ELO): 0.8x weight
• 👤 Member (1000-1199 ELO): 1.0x weight (baseline)
• 🎖️ Veteran (1200-1499 ELO): 1.2x weight
• ⭐ Trusted Contributor (1500+ ELO): 1.5x weight

Example: A Trusted Contributor's vote has 1.5x more impact than a Member's vote, incentivizing quality participation.

Vote weight also factors into the ELO K-factor calculation, creating a dynamic and fair system where experienced users have earned greater influence.

The leaderboard showcases TownSquare's top contributors and most popular content.

Leaderboard Categories:

• Top Users: Users with highest reputation scores
• Top Posts: Posts with highest ELO ratings
• Rising Stars: Newest users with fastest reputation growth
• Community Leaders: Community moderators and active contributors

How to Appear on Leaderboards:

1. Consistently post high-quality content
2. Build your reputation through positive community engagement
3. Create statements that resonate with high-reputation users
4. Be active and contribute regularly

Leaderboards update in real-time and can be filtered by time period (today, week, month, all-time).

Communities are topic-based groups where users can discuss specific subjects, share content, and connect with like-minded individuals.

Key Features:

• Dedicated discussion spaces for specific topics
• Community-specific rules and guidelines
• Appointed moderators to maintain quality
• Member-only features and privileges
• Community analytics and statistics

Examples: #Technology, #Science, #Politics, #Arts, #Gaming

Joining Communities:

1. Browse communities from the homepage or Communities tab
2. Click on a community to view its details
3. Read the community description and rules
4. Click "Join Community" button
5. Start posting and engaging!

You can join as many communities as you like. Your feed can be filtered to show posts from specific communities.

Creating a community requires minimum reputation of 1200 ELO (Veteran status).

Steps to Create:

1. Navigate to Communities page
2. Click "Create Community" button
3. Choose a unique name (3-50 characters)
4. Write a clear description
5. Set community rules and guidelines
6. Choose privacy settings (public/private)
7. Submit for creation

As the creator, you become the primary moderator with full administrative rights.