Founding Readers Program
The Founding Readers Program recognizes the first 1,000 newsletter subscribers as the people who made WikiWalls possible at year zero. Founders get their name on this page, a limited-edition print artifact at year-end, and direct reply access to the editor for the first year. Auto-enrollment when newsletter signup happens.
- Eligibility: the first 1,000 newsletter subscribers (any of the three newsletters)
- Cost: free. The newsletter is free. Founding status is automatic
- Benefits: name on this page, limited-edition print artifact mailed at year-end, direct editor reply for the first year, salon priority
- How to enroll: subscribe to a newsletter. Enrollment is automatic until 1,000 slots are filled
Why this exists
A magazine is built by the people who decide to read it before they have any reason to. The first 1,000 readers of WikiWalls are the people who trusted the masthead before the masthead had a track record at this name. The Founding Readers Program recognizes them as the people who made the publication possible at year zero.
The program is a brand-loyalty asset and a referral engine. Named-on-page recognition produces social-proof distribution. The print artifact compounds reader sentiment beyond the digital channel. Direct editor reply access is what makes the relationship reciprocal.
What founders get
| Benefit | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name on this page | First name + last initial published in the founder list below. Optional: full name, role, location, personal site link. Reader controls what is shared via the newsletter preferences page |
| Limited-edition print artifact | A small zine of the year-one Index findings plus 2-3 essays, mailed at year-end to a postal address the founder provides. Printed on heavy stock. Numbered 1 of 1,000 |
| Direct editor reply access | For the first year, replies to the editor’s newsletter notes receive a personal response. After the first year, replies remain read but response is not guaranteed |
| Salon priority | When the quarterly salons start (month 9), founders get priority on the limited 40-50-attendee guest list. SF Q3 year 1, NYC Q4 year 1, then Austin and London in year 2 |
| Reader-letter-of-the-week eligibility | Founder replies to The Briefing are read first by the editor. The reader-letter-of-the-week surface in The Briefing rotates through the founder list |
How to enroll
Three steps
- Subscribe to a newsletter. Any of the three works. The Briefing is the default subscription
- Confirm your email. Standard double-opt-in. The confirmation email also explains the Founding Readers Program
- Choose your public name visibility in the newsletter preferences page. The founder list below populates from these preferences. You can change visibility at any time
Enrollment is automatic until 1,000 slots are filled. After the 1,000th founder, the program closes; later subscribers receive the standard newsletter experience without the founder benefits.
The Founders
The list populates as the first 1,000 newsletter subscribers join. Names appear in order of subscription. Founders who chose anonymity show as “(private)” with their numbered slot.
The publication is at relaunch. The founder list is empty as of today. Newsletter signup is open and the first 1,000 subscribers populate this list in real time.
To enroll: use the subscribe form on any newsletter landing page (The Briefing, The Bench, The Patio). Founder enrollment is automatic on confirmation
Year-end print artifact
The print artifact mailed at year-end is a small zine. Heavy stock. Numbered. Contents: the executive summary of the inaugural Index report (typically the State of AI Engineering Index), 2-3 essays from the year’s strongest Patio pieces, and a short masthead letter from the editor. Mailed to a postal address founders provide in newsletter preferences.
The artifact is the reminder that the year-one relationship was real and that the publication wants its founders to keep the artifact on a shelf, not just in an inbox.
After year 1
Founders remain on the founder list permanently. The print artifact happens once. Direct editor reply access is for the first year. Salon priority continues. From year 2 onward, founders are recognized at salons and in the newsletter from time to time; the active benefits taper as the publication scales.
Questions about the program: write to [email protected].
Last reviewed by WikiWalls editorial.