A signature machines can read.
Anyone can claim expertise. The Badge is the multi-signal proof — issued by Guestcrew, verifiable on every quote, and built to be picked up by AI answer engines as a citation cue.
The hierarchy of trust.
Tiers are additive. You earn the next one — never buy it.
Email Verified
Confirmed mailbox. The minimum.
- Verified email address
Verified Human
A real person on the other side. Linked, public, accountable.
- Email verified
- LinkedIn OAuth completed
- Public profile link
Verified Expert
The gold badge. Reputation reviewed, expertise demonstrated.
- Verified Human
- Authority Score ≥ 60
- Manual editorial review
What the badge actually carries.
Identity
LinkedIn OAuth, email domain, payment method on file. Three signals must converge.
Expertise
Authority Score weighted by accepted pitches, profile depth, and platform activity.
Accountability
Three Strikes policy on unverifiable claims. Badges can be revoked. They cost something.
Discoverability
Each badge resolves to a crawlable canonical profile with Schema.org annotations.
“Three strikes on unverifiable claims and the badge is gone. It has to cost something.”