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Trust levels — TL0 through TL4

Trust levels (TL) are how URBALT's community recognises members who've been around, contributed, and behaved well. Inspired by Discourse's trust system, they're earned automatically — no manual application — and unlock visible badges on your profile, posts, and member directory entry.

The five levels

  • TL0 — New · Default for any new account. You can read everything, like, and post in most categories. A few advanced features (e.g. uploading custom images in posts) wait until TL1.
  • TL1 — Basic · Reached by spending some real reading time on the community, opening a handful of topics, and posting a small number of replies. This is the "you've looked around" threshold.
  • TL2 — Member · Active participant. Spent meaningful time reading, posted in multiple topics, given and received likes. TL2 unlocks the visible TrustBadge on your forum posts and your community feed posts. The member directory shows a small dot (●) next to your name.
  • TL3 — Regular · Earned by sustained activity over weeks. Reading lots of topics regularly, low flag count, contributing replies that get likes. Profiles and posts at TL3 show a "Regular" badge — buyers and sellers tend to trust regulars more.
  • TL4 — Leader · Granted to a small number of members who consistently shape the community: helpful answers, surfacing problems, low drama. Shown as a "Leader" badge. Leaders also get light moderation tools (more on that in the community guide).

How TL is calculated

The system looks at:

  • Reading time — actual minutes spent looking at posts (not just opening the page).
  • Topics entered — how many distinct threads you've read.
  • Replies posted — your contributions.
  • Likes given and received — engagement going both ways.
  • Flags handled — for TL3+, your community-policing track record. Bad-faith flags lower trust; well-grounded ones help.
  • Tenure — days active. You can't fast-track TL2+ in a day.

Levels can also drop. If a TL3 member goes silent for months or starts collecting flags, the system can demote them automatically.

Where badges show up

  • Forum posts — TrustBadge visible from TL2 onwards.
  • Community feed — same badge appears next to your community feed posts at TL2+.
  • Member directory — small dot (●) at TL2, "Regular" chip at TL3, "Leader" chip at TL4.
  • Profile page — your current level and what you've unlocked.

What TL doesn't affect

Trust levels are about community, not the marketplace. Your listings rank on their own merits — verification tier, photos, completeness, location. A TL4 Leader doesn't get listing boost; a brand-new TL0 isn't blocked from selling.

Earning trust faster — the honest way

  • Read posts you actually care about. The clock counts genuine reading time.
  • Reply when you have something useful — quality, not quantity.
  • Like generously when someone helps. Likes given count too.
  • Flag bad content responsibly. False flags hurt your trust.

There's no XP-grinding in URBALT trust. The system rewards being a good neighbour over time.