Getting Started

Getting Started with CrowdUp

New to CrowdUp? This guide will get you up and running in just 5 minutes.

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Table of Contents

1. System Requirements
2. Quick Start (5 Minutes)
3. Creating Your Account
4. Your First Login
5. Creating Your First Post
6. What's Next?
7. Having Trouble?

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System Requirements

CrowdUp works on:

• ✅ Modern web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• ✅ Desktop computers (Windows, Mac, Linux)
• ✅ Tablets and smartphones (iOS, Android)

No installation needed — just open a web browser and navigate to the platform.

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Quick Start (5 Minutes)

Step 1: Access CrowdUp (30 seconds)

1. Open your web browser
2. Go to the CrowdUp platform
3. You'll see the homepage with a feed of posts

Step 2: Sign Up (2 minutes)

1. Click the Sign Up button in the top right
2. Enter your details:
   • Email address — use a valid email you have access to
   • Password — create a strong password (8+ characters)
   • Username — choose a unique username (letters, numbers, underscores only)
3. Click Create Account
4. Verify your email — check your inbox for a verification link and click it

Step 3: Complete Your Profile (2 minutes)

1. After verification, log in with your email and password
2. Click on your Profile icon (top right)
3. Add:
   • Display name — how you'll appear to others
   • Bio — optional, tell others about yourself
   • Profile picture — optional
4. Click Save

Step 4: Create Your First Post (1 minute)

1. Click the Create Post button (or "+" icon on homepage)
2. Write your post:
   • Title — catchy headline
   • Description — your idea or thought
   • Category — choose a relevant category
3. Click Publish
4. Your post is now live! 🎉

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Creating Your Account

Sign Up Process

1. Click Sign Up — Look for the Sign Up button in the top navigation
2. Fill in your details:
   • Email: Must be a valid, unique email address
   • Password: At least 8 characters (mix of letters, numbers, symbols recommended)
   • Username: 3-20 characters, letters, numbers, underscores only
3. Accept terms: Check the "I agree to the Terms of Service" box
4. Submit — Click "Create Account"

Email Verification

You'll receive a verification email at the address you provided:

1. Check your inbox (and spam folder if needed)
2. Click the verification link in the email
3. Your account is now active!

Tip: If you don't receive the email within 5 minutes, click "Resend verification email" on the login page.

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Your First Login

Logging In

1. Click Sign In on the homepage
2. Enter your email and password
3. Click Log In
4. You're in! 👋

Staying Logged In

• The platform remembers you for security — you'll stay logged in even if you close the browser
• Click Log Out in your profile menu when you want to sign out

Forgot Your Password?

1. On the Sign In page, click "Forgot Password?"
2. Enter your email address
3. Check your email for a password reset link
4. Click the link and create a new password
5. Log in with your new password

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Creating Your First Post

What Can You Post?

On CrowdUp, you can post:

• Ideas — Share your thoughts and suggestions
• Questions — Ask the community for help or advice
• Updates — Share news or progress on projects
• Discussions — Start conversations about topics you care about
• Resources — Share links and information with others

Step-by-Step: Create a Post

1. Click "Create Post" (prominent button on homepage or navigation)

2. Fill in the form:

   • Title — Clear, descriptive headline (max 200 characters)
   • Description — Main content of your post (supports formatting)
   • Category — Choose the most relevant category (e.g., Ideas, Questions, Updates, Discussions, Resources)
   • Tags — Optional, add tags for better discoverability (e.g., #innovation, #community)

3. Add media (optional):

   • Attach images or files to make your post more engaging

4. Preview — Click "Preview" to see how your post looks

5. Publish — Click "Publish" when ready

   • Your post is now visible to the community!

Post Best Practices

✅ Do:

• Write clear, descriptive titles
• Use the right category
• Be respectful and constructive
• Proofread before publishing

❌ Don't:

• Post spam or promotional content (unless in relevant category)
• Use ALL CAPS excessively
• Share personal information (email, phone, address)

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What's Next?

Explore the Platform

• Browse the feed — See what others are posting
• Vote on posts — Click the ⬆️ or ⬇️ to vote (thumbs up/down represent importance)
• Join conversations — Comment on posts you find interesting
• Follow users — Click Follow on someone's profile to see their posts

Personalize Your Experience

• Update settings — Go to Profile → Settings
  • Privacy settings
  • Notification preferences
  • Display preferences
• Customize your profile — Add a bio, profile picture, social links

Discover Features

For a complete overview of all features, see Features:

• Messaging — Send direct messages to other users
• User profiles — Explore other users' contributions
• Apps and companies — Discover integrated apps and company pages
• Leaderboard — See top contributors and trending posts

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Having Trouble?

Common Issues

Can't create an account?

• Make sure email is valid and not already used
• Password must be 8+ characters
• See Troubleshooting for more help

Can't log in?

• Check that email and password are correct
• Try resetting your password
• See Troubleshooting

Posts not showing up?

• Check that you published successfully (you should see it on feed)
• See Troubleshooting

Other issues?

• Check our Troubleshooting page for solutions
• Reach out to the community on GitHub

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Ready to Go Deeper?

• Learn all features: Features
• Solve problems: Troubleshooting
• Back to home: Home

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Last updated: December 2025