# How to Join Wusoup
> [!info] Guest mode
> #todo This isn't ready yet, sorry!
>
> First please check out the site's [[#Guest mode|guest mode]] to make sure that this is actually something you're interested in doing. There's effort involved, and _many_ folks won't like the [[About/Community Standards#Rules|rules]] or [[About/Mission|mission]].
Wusoup is a **members-only** community with an emphasis on [[About/Mission#7. Wusoup is about **quality over quantity**|quality over quantity]]. The number of spots for new members is limited, and will be carefully tuned over time to make sure that the community's [[About/Mission|mission]] and unique culture can be safeguarded.
There's two ways to join:
1. By **invitation** of an existing member.
2. By **application** (without an invite).
## By invitation
As you earn [[Usage/Karma|karma]], you'll occasionally be rewarded with single-use [[Usage/Invites|invites]] that you can share with friends to allow them to join the community.
By sharing an invite with someone, you **vouch for them**:
- If they become a quality contributing member, you'll **earn extra karma**.
- If they break the [[About/Community Standards#Rules|community rules]], you'll **lose karma**.
The idea is to encourage members to be discerning with who they invite, and maybe check in with the person _before_ inviting them - to see if they're on board with Wusoup's unusual [[About/Mission|mission]].
## By application
#todo This isn't relevant yet!
Obviously not everyone interested in joining will know someone who's already a member. That's no problem, but such users will have a few extra hurdles to pass:
1. Applicants will be asked to **setup their profile in advance** and to **write a little about why they want to join**. They'll then need to be approved by an existing member or two. The motivation is to help weed out the most common zero-effort users that don't contribute anything.
2. New members will initially be **in probation**, limiting their exposure and some features - until they've interacted with some existing members and received [[Usage/Reputation#When to upvote|upvotes]].
The idea is to provide a path for *genuinely interested* folks to join, but to make it _just a bit of a hassle_ as a positive filter. If it's too much effort for someone to setup a proper profile and write a few sentences about themselves, then Wusoup's probably not going to be a good fit.
## Guest mode
#todo This isn't ready yet, sorry!
Try Wusoup's guest mode at [www.wusoup.com/guest](https://www.wusoup.com/guest).
This is **coming ~late 2025** - to allow non-members to easily check out the community, its principles, and its rules. There'll be no commitment, and no sign-up necessary.
Basically, if we're asking new users to make an effort to try join - it's only fair to first let them clearly know what the place is about. Then they can decide for themselves if it's worth the effort or not.
> [!info] Limitations
> Guest users do not have a profile, cannot send messages, and can only see a small proportion of Wusoup users that have *specifically opted in* to allow their profiles to be viewed by folks outside the community.