# Discover posts and Requests Sometimes a story leaves you with questions, or you want to compare your own experience with someone else's. On Boutlet, people can bring together questions, experiences, and supporting materials to explore a topic together. A **Discover (Bout)** post introduces the topic to explore, while a **Request (Mission)** asks for a specific way to help with it. To share what you have researched or experienced, you can write a **Contribution (Signal)** connected to that post. ## Discover posts introduce the topic; Requests explain what to do | Aspect | Discover (Bout) | Request (Mission) | | ---------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | Role | Introduces a topic or question to explore together. | Describes a specific way to contribute to that topic. | | Main content | The topic's background, open questions, and what people hope to explore together | What to research or try, what to check, and what results to share | | Questions to ask as you read | “What is this topic, and why are people exploring it together?” | “What can I try, and what should I share?” | Several Requests can be connected to one Discover post. Even within the same topic, you can take part in different ways, such as trying something yourself, finding sources, or comparing differences. You do not need to complete every Request. Choose one where you have relevant experience or can investigate something yourself. ## Let's look at an example Imagine this topic: > **Discover** > Which steps were confusing when you first connected a Web3 wallet? The topic might have Requests such as: - **Try it yourself:** Connect a wallet and go through a signature request, then tell us which parts were hard to understand. - **Compare instructions:** Compare wallet connection instructions from different services and identify explanations that helped you understand the process. For the first Request, your contribution could describe your setup, the steps you tried, and the screens you found confusing and why. For the second, you could share the instructions you compared, the differences you found, and wording you think could be improved. Even when posts address the same topic, different findings and perspectives can help people understand it in different ways. ## Contributions connect to a topic or Request Discover posts, Requests, and Contributions are separate, connected posts. They are not stages that one post moves through. - A **Discover** post provides the background and question. - A **Request** describes a specific way to explore that question. - A **Contribution** shares what you checked and what you found. Where a Discover post is open for participation, you can also **contribute directly without going through a Request.** If none of its connected Requests fits your experience, check whether you can contribute directly to the topic. A contribution written from a Request connects both to that Request and to its parent Discover post. Others can see the wider topic behind the experience you shared. ### How is this different from a comment or quote? Use a comment to ask a question or briefly exchange ideas. Use a quote when you want to introduce the story in a post of your own and add your perspective. **To share your experience or research as a contribution to the topic, use “Write a contribution.”** Publishing an ordinary post, comment, or quote does not register it as a contribution. ## Read the details before taking part When you find a topic that interests you, check the following: 1. **The topic's background and question** Read about the problem being explored and the range of experiences or materials people are looking for. 2. **The Request's specific instructions** Check what to research or try and what results to share. Requests within the same topic may ask for different things. 3. **Contributions already shared** See what others have found. This can help you identify something new to add, such as your own experience, results from a different setup, or additional sources. 4. **Whether participation is currently open and what conditions apply** Check the Request's status and instructions. If a reward round is connected, also read its submission window and participation requirements. Open a post's **Connected posts** to follow related Requests, Contributions, and quotes. ## Taking part in a topic is separate from a reward round A published Discover post or Request does not always offer rewards. Some topics gather experiences and contributions without a reward round. If a reward round is connected, check the **Reward guide** on the post and in the composer. - A round may apply to the whole Discover topic or only to a specific Request. - Requests connected to the same topic do not necessarily have the same rewards. - When you contribute through a Request, that Request's round takes priority. If it has no dedicated round accepting submissions, the parent Discover post's round may apply. - **One contribution is not automatically submitted to multiple related rounds.** - Publishing a contribution or submitting it to a round does not confirm a reward. The [Seasons and reward rounds](seasons-and-bounties.md) document explains reward round requirements and the review process in more detail. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I take part if I am new to the subject? Check the requirements in the Request. Some Requests benefit from difficulties you encountered as a first-time user, differences you compared yourself, or sources you found, as well as expert analysis. Distinguish what you verified from your interpretation, and explain anything you still do not know. ### If a topic has several Requests, do I have to complete all of them? No. Choose a Request where you have something to add. If you take part in several, tailor each contribution to that Request and explain what additional value it brings. Repeatedly submitting the same content may be considered duplicate or similar submissions during reward review. ### Can I create my own Discover post or Request? In Season 0, the Boutlet team manages the creation and publication of Discover posts and Requests. You cannot create them from the regular post composer. You are free to share questions and experiences that interest you in ordinary posts. Publishing a post, however, does not automatically create a Discover post or Request. ### Does the topic end when a Request closes? Requests, topics, and reward rounds each have their own status and timeframe. The closure of a particular Request or reward round does not necessarily end all activity around the topic. Check the post's current instructions to see whether you can write a new contribution and whether reward submissions are still open. --- When you find a topic that interests you, read its background and connected Requests. Once you have chosen something you can investigate, use **“Write a contribution”** to share your experience and findings.