Create your profile
Choose a username and display name, verify your email and add a short public bio and social links.
Useful links. Honest signals. Good conversation.
These rules protect the quality of the feed and make moderation predictable.
Submit useful, safe links
Link to the original source when possible. Titles and descriptions must be accurate. Spam, malware, illegal content, deceptive redirects, doxxing and repeated self-promotion are not allowed.
Vote on quality, not identity
Upvote links that are useful, original or timely. Downvote links that are misleading, low-quality or off-topic. You cannot vote on your own submissions. Coordinated or automated voting can result in suspension.
Fresh momentum shapes “Hot”
The default feed uses a private ranking score based on net votes and time since publication. A new link gaining support quickly can outrank an older link with more total votes. The exact public vote total remains visible; the internal score does not.
The “Top 30 days” view ranks by net votes inside a rolling 30-day window, so historic hits never occupy the leaderboard forever.
A published link becomes Community Verified when it is more than 48 hours old, has a positive net score and has at least three active upvotes from Curators, Editors or Link Legends. The badge and outbound link status are removed again if those requirements are no longer met. Supporter status never counts toward verification.
Levels reflect participation
Five community levels are earned through account age, published links, unique links voted on and published comments. Link Legend is level 5 and requires at least 180 days as a member, 100 published links, votes on 500 links and 50 published comments. Supporter is a separate paid badge that unlocks enhanced profile features without changing community standing or authority.
Moderation protects the signal
Curators, Editors and Link Legends may flag suspected spam. A Supporter badge alone does not grant moderation access. A report does not hide or penalise a link automatically: an administrator always makes the final decision. Administrators may also hide or reject links, remove comments and suspend accounts. Moderated contributions no longer count toward earned level requirements. Serious abuse may be acted on without warning.
How it works
A free profile is all you need to join in.
CaptureTheLink is a community-curated feed. Anyone can browse it, and creating a profile is free. Verify your email to submit links, vote and comment.
Capture and discuss links
Submit useful URLs with an accurate title, description and category. Vote on other members’ links and add constructive comments.
Build community standing
Consistent participation unlocks earned levels. Trusted community signals can help strong submissions become Community Verified.
Level guide
Reputation is earned. Support is recognised.
All normal votes count equally. Levels show a member’s standing and unlock only the specific community tools described below.
Earned level 1
Explorer
A new member of the community.
Use every core community feature after email verification: submit links, vote, comment and build a public profile.
Included with every free profile
Earned level 2
Link Scout
An active member who finds and rates useful links.
A recognition milestone for members who contribute consistently. Core votes still carry the same public weight as every other vote.
- Account age7 days
- Published links5
- Links voted on20
Earned level 3
Curator
An experienced contributor with consistent activity.
Upvotes can help a link become Community Verified. Curators can also flag suspected spam for administrator review.
- Account age30 days
- Published links20
- Links voted on100
- Published comments10
Earned level 4
Editor
A highly experienced core contributor.
A highly experienced community level. Editor upvotes can help verify links, and Editors can flag suspected spam.
- Account age90 days
- Published links50
- Links voted on300
- Published comments50
Earned level 5
Link Legend
The highest earned community level for long-standing, prolific contributors.
The highest earned community level. Link Legend upvotes can help verify links, and Link Legends can flag suspected spam.
- Account age180 days
- Published links100
- Links voted on500
- Published comments50
Optional supporter
One-time
Supporter
A permanent supporter badge with an enhanced link-in-bio profile.
Unlock a permanent Supporter badge and enhanced link-in-bio profile. Paid status never influences community level, moderation or Community Verified.
€10.00once · permanent
Trusted community signal
How Community Verified works.
The badge is earned by the link, not purchased by its submitter. Three conditions must remain true at the same time.
The link must have been published for more than 48 hours.
Its total upvotes minus downvotes must remain above zero.
At least three active Curators, Editors or Link Legends must have upvoted it.
✓ Community Verified
When all conditions are met, the badge appears and ugc nofollow is removed from the outbound link; the security-related noopener value remains. If a condition later fails, the link returns to its normal status automatically. Supporter status never makes a vote qualify.
Frequently asked questions
The short answers.
These answers describe the current community system. Thresholds may be adjusted as CaptureTheLink grows.
Is it free to create a CaptureTheLink profile?
Yes. Creating a profile and using the core community features is free. Supporter is an optional one-time purchase with a badge and enhanced profile features.
Do I need an account to use the site?
Anyone can browse links, categories, profiles and the archive. You need a free account and a verified email address to submit links, vote or comment.
How do I earn a higher level?
Earned levels are based on account age, published links, unique links voted on and published comments. You must meet every requirement for the next level. Your progress is recalculated as you participate.
Do higher-level votes count more?
Every regular upvote and downvote has the same weight in the public score. Curator, Editor and Link Legend upvotes also act as trusted signals for Community Verified, but they do not add extra points to the visible score.
How does a link become Community Verified?
A published link must have been live for more than 48 hours, have a positive net score and have at least three active upvotes from Curators, Editors or Link Legends.
Can a link lose its Community Verified badge?
Yes. Verification is recalculated. If the score is no longer positive or fewer than three qualifying upvotes remain, the badge disappears and the normal user-generated-link attributes return.
How do I earn Link Legend?
Link Legend is earned after at least 180 days as a member, 100 published links, votes on 500 links and 50 published comments. It is the highest community level and cannot be purchased.
What does Supporter include?
Supporter is a permanent badge and profile upgrade with up to 15 custom links, an extended bio, themes, an accent colour, profile statistics and a QR code. It does not change your community level, voting weight or moderation authority.
Who can report a link as spam?
Curators, Editors and Link Legends can flag suspected spam. Reports never hide a link automatically; an administrator reviews the report and makes the final decision.
Why do older links move down the Hot feed?
Hot rewards recent momentum as well as net votes. This gives new links a fair chance and prevents an old submission with many historic votes from remaining at the top forever.
Make the discussion better
Challenge ideas without attacking people. Add context, evidence or a clear point of view. Harassment, hate, threats, impersonation and repetitive promotion are removed.