Lifetime Contributions to Got AI Policy: How Your Activity Score Works

If you have spent any time on a public profile here — your own or someone else's — you have seen a small badge that reads "Activity Score" with a number next to it. Hover it and the tooltip says "Lifetime contributions to Got AI Policy." This post explains exactly what that means.

Why a single number

Communities run on contribution, but contribution is hard to see. People who quietly verify a record, resolve a flagged entry, or take the time to write a thoughtful reply often do more for the registry than the loudest voice in a thread. The Activity Score is a way to make that work visible — a single, honest number that reflects what you have actually done, not how often you have shown up.

Think of it the way Reddit thinks of karma: it is not a leaderboard and it is not a status game. It is a signal that says "this person has been part of building the thing."

What counts as a contribution

The score now rewards work across the whole site — the registry, the forum, the Exclusive Library, and Policy Studio. Each activity is something the community benefits from, not just something you clicked on.

• Discussions started — opening a new forum thread that gives others something to engage with.
• Replies written — posting in someone else's thread (the original seed post does not double-count).
• Verifications filed — flagging a registry entry that may be out of date, mislabeled, or missing.
• Verifications resolved — when a verification you filed is confirmed and the registry is updated.
• Policy reviews published — submitting a policy for review and having it complete successfully.
• Connections — accepted mutual connections with other members.
• Upvotes received — net upvotes on your forum replies from other members (self-votes do not count).
• Studio drafts started — beginning a Policy Builder draft, section-by-section.
• Studio drafts exported — bonus points when a draft makes it all the way to exported (i.e. actually usable).
• Trust Drill profiles hosted — creating a facilitator profile so your team can run drills together.
• Library files shared — contributing a resource to the Exclusive Library.
• Library ratings given — rating other members' contributions.
• Library comments — thoughtful comments on Library files.
• Reactions given — reacting to forum posts, policy reviews, and municipality entries (a light-touch way to signal what's useful).

How the weights work

Not every contribution is the same amount of work, so they are not all worth the same number of points. The weights are fixed and public. Older contribution types kept their original weights; new ones were added at conservative values so the ladder still rewards the harder, higher-signal work most.

• Verifications resolved — 5 points each (the highest weight, because a resolved verification means the registry got more accurate).
• Policy reviews published — 4 points each.
• Verifications filed — 3 points each.
• Studio drafts exported — 3 points (bonus, on top of the 2 points for starting the draft).
• Trust Drill profiles hosted — 3 points each.
• Library files shared — 3 points each.
• Discussions started — 2 points each.
• Connections accepted — 2 points each.
• Studio drafts started — 2 points each.
• Library comments — 2 points each.
• Replies written — 1 point each.
• Upvotes received — 1 point each.
• Library ratings given — 1 point each.
• Reactions given — 1 point each.

So a member who has filed 10 verifications, had 6 resolved, written 20 replies, started 3 discussions, exported 1 Studio draft, and shared 2 Library files has a lifetime score of 10×3 + 6×5 + 20×1 + 3×2 + 1×(2+3) + 2×3 = 97. The tooltip on the badge breaks this down into its parts so you (and anyone looking at your profile) can see where the number actually came from.

What does not count

Just as important as what is counted is what is not:

• Self-upvotes on your own posts.
• Deleted threads or replies — once content is removed, the points associated with it are removed too.
• Archived Library files — if the file is pulled from the library, its share credit goes with it.
• Downloads of Library files — downloading is not a contribution, so it is not counted.
• Page views, time on site, or anything that measures presence instead of contribution.
• Follows, bookmarks, and other lightweight signals that do not require any thought.

The goal is to reward the work that makes the registry, the Library, Studio, and the community more useful — not the work that makes a number go up.

Why scores under 5 are hidden

If you have just signed up, your profile will not show a score. Instead, it shows "New member." This is intentional. Showing a brand-new account a score of 1 (or 0) is demoralizing, and it gives long-standing members a meaningless number to compare themselves to. The badge appears once you cross 5 points — usually after a couple of meaningful contributions, not just one.

Who can see your score

Your Activity Score follows your profile visibility setting. If your profile is public, the score is visible on your public profile badge. If your profile is private, only you can see it (in your own dashboard). Members who block public discovery do not have their scores exposed via the registry or forum chips.

You can change your profile visibility at any time in Settings → Profile.

How fresh is the number

The score is recomputed every 15 minutes from the underlying data. So a verification you resolved a minute ago will not show up in your score immediately — but it will be reflected the next time the refresh runs. The tooltip's "+N this month" figure follows the same cadence.

What the score is not

A few things worth being explicit about:

• It is not a credibility score. A high Activity Score means you have contributed a lot; it does not mean your views are correct.
• It is not a readiness score. It says nothing about whether you (or your organization) are prepared to adopt AI.
• It is not a measure of policy quality. Drafts, reviews, and verifications count as contributions regardless of the grade the underlying policy would receive.
• It is not used to gate features. Membership tier (Free, Starter, Pro, Founding Member) controls access — not your score.
• It is not visible to moderators in any special way. The same number you see is the number we see.
• It cannot be purchased, tipped, or transferred between accounts.

If something looks wrong

Because the score is derived from the same database tables that power the registry and forum, the most common reason a score "looks off" is that some content was deleted (intentionally or by a moderator) and the points went with it. If you think your score is missing contributions that should be there — for example, a verification you filed that never showed up — email support@gotaipolicy.ca and we will look into it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see my Activity Score anywhere?

Yes — it appears on your profile and next to your name in forum threads where you have opted in to a public handle. Signed-out visitors do not see it; the number is intended for you and for people you are already interacting with.

Does a higher Activity Score unlock features?

No. Membership tier (Free, Starter, Pro, Founding Member) is what controls access. The score is a mirror of contribution, not a paywall.

How can I earn contributions faster?

You cannot really — and that is intentional. The score is designed to reward sustained, verified contribution: submitting policies, verifying entries, drafting and reviewing, helping in the forum. Bursts of low-signal activity don't move it much.

Does the score ever reset?

No. It is lifetime by design, so long-time contributors don't get erased by a quiet quarter. If something looks off, it is almost always because a source contribution's status changed — check your contribution list first.

Can moderators or admins see something different from what I see?

No. The same number you see is the number we see. Moderation decisions are made from post content and reporter context, not from your score.