Leaderboard

Top local referrers.

The leaderboard opens once referral attribution is connected to Buttondown signups. Until then, use the invite link and weekly share prompts.

Do not publish live rankings, prize winners, private emails or sponsor-backed rewards until Buttondown attribution is verified and the editor approves the public launch.

Grow the briefing

Invite local readers. Climb the referral ladder.

Help build the useful daily briefing for Cork Metro. Your personal link appears here in supported browsers.

https://www.gmcork.co.uk/subscribe/?ref=YOUR-CODE

Public leaderboard shape

Only these redacted columns should ever reach the public page.

OpenRankSort by confirmed referral count after fraud checks.OpenDisplay nameInitials, first name plus area, or opted-in community name only.OpenAreaReader-selected broad area such as Cork City, Ballincollig, Carrigaline, Midleton, Cobh or Douglas; no street-level data.OpenConfirmed referralsCount confirmed Buttondown subscribers with matching referral_source, excluding reversals and abuse.OpenReward tierShow reward label only; prize fulfilment remains manually approved.

Buttondown metadata

Static signup fields prepared for private attribution and later MY-2571 wiring.

Openmetadata__referral_sourceIncoming subscribe URL ?ref= token - Never displayed raw; used only to attribute a confirmed subscriber to an inviter.Openmetadata__reader_tokenBrowser-local share token generated on /share/ - Can be mapped to an approved display name after opt-in.Openmetadata__signup_marketStatic hidden field - Market filter for Cork referral dashboards.OpentagButtondown embedded form tag website-subscribe - Operational filter only; never shown to readers.

Webhook gates

All gates must pass before public rankings or sponsor-backed prizes go live.

OpenWebhook gateButtondown subscriber.created or equivalent event is received with metadata fields intact.OpenWebhook gateConfirmation state is checked before a referral increments public totals.OpenWebhook gateSelf-referrals, duplicate aliases and same-household abuse patterns are excluded before scoring.OpenWebhook gateA private attribution table exists separately from the public leaderboard view.OpenWebhook gateLeaderboard cache can be rebuilt without exposing raw subscriber records.OpenWebhook gateManual kill switch hides public rankings if abuse, privacy or sponsor-risk flags appear.

Launch sequence

Internal prep order for a privacy-safe leaderboard.

OpenLaunch stepKeep /share/ and /subscribe/ static referral capture in place.OpenLaunch stepVerify Buttondown stores referral_source, reader_token and signup_market from embedded form submissions.OpenLaunch stepBackfill a private referral ledger from confirmed subscribers only.OpenLaunch stepGenerate a redacted leaderboard JSON containing publicColumns only.OpenLaunch stepReview reward wording and sponsor-backed prize terms manually.OpenLaunch stepPublish public rankings only after the editor approves the live leaderboard.