How OpenLinq works
Everything you need to know to get the most out of the community.
Trending
The main feed. Articles are ranked by score — every upvote pushes an article higher. You can filter by time window (today, this week, this month, all time) or switch to New to see the freshest submissions first.
- ·Sort by Top to see what the community loves most
- ·Sort by New to see the latest submissions
- ·Articles auto-hide after 5 flags from the community
Groups
Curated spaces for specific topics or communities. A group can be open (anyone can join), an expert circle (invite-only, for specialists), or a book club (time-bounded reading group).
- ·Open groups — join freely, submit and vote on articles within that topic
- ·Expert circles — invite-only spaces where verified experts share deep reads
- ·Book clubs — time-limited groups reading through a specific book or topic together
- ·Each group has its own feed, separate from the main Trending page
Seeds
A seed is a knowledge gap — a topic or question the community wants great articles about, but nobody has submitted one yet. Plant a seed when you're looking for reading recommendations on something specific.
- ·Plant a seed with a topic you want to learn about
- ·Other members submit articles to 'grow' the seed
- ·Think of it as a reading request board
Shelf
Your personal reading list. Bookmark any article to your Shelf to read later. Mark articles as read to keep track of what you've finished.
- ·Save articles with the bookmark button on any post
- ·Mark articles as read once you've finished them
- ·Your shelf is private — only you can see it
Reputation
Reputation (rep) is how OpenLinq measures contribution quality. You earn rep by submitting articles that others find valuable, and by inviting people who become active members.
- ·+10 rep when someone upvotes your article
- ·+25 rep when someone joins using your invite link
- ·+5 rep bonus if your submission includes a 'why it matters' note
- ·Higher rep = more credibility in the community
Invites
OpenLinq is invite-only to keep quality high. Every member gets a personal referral link they can share. You can also invite friends directly by email from your Settings page.
- ·Share your referral link — anyone who signs up gets in
- ·Invite by email directly from Settings
- ·You earn +25 rep for every person who joins via your link
- ·During the founding period, the first 100 spots are open without a referral code
Ready to dive in?