For future members

Your work.
Your way of thinking.

Record real computer work, explain how you work things out and get paid for accepted projects. You can bring years of expertise or a beginner’s approach. Both belong in the range of human experience we want to capture.

Applications are not open yet. This page explains the planned program.

01 / Taking part

Bring work you were already going to do.

Your own permitted work, research, studying or personal projects. It can take one sitting or several days; every project includes a short recall session the next day.

The planned program is for US adults 18 or older with a Windows computer. Openings will depend on the occupations and backgrounds needed for each collection.

Apply with your background
Send your résumé and answer a few questions about your work. Accepted members read the guide, agree to the terms and set up payment.
Record and think out loud
Name your project, say what it is for and work as you normally would, explaining your decisions as you go. Use Pause for anything private or when you stop working.
Reflect, submit and get paid
Finish with next-day recall, then submit the project. We review the whole project and pay for accepted recordings.

02 / What to explain

Let us hear how you work things out.

We can already see what you click. What we can’t see is why. Talk like you’re explaining your work to a friend sitting next to you who wants to learn how you do it.

These are the questions to answer out loud as the moments come up. Say what you really think, including what you’re unsure about. Beginners and experts both have something to say here.

01
Before you act: What are you about to do, and why this step now?
02
Weighing options: What are your options? Why are you picking this one over the others?
03
What your experience tells you: What have you seen before that makes you do it this way? What tells you this is right, or that something is off? If this is new to you, what are you guessing, and what is that based on?
04
Before you look something up: What do you hope to find, and what is it for? Why this source over another one?
05
While you read: Which lines matter? Read them out loud. What do they mean to you?
06
After you read: What are the key points? What made sense, what didn’t, and how will you use it?
07
When you change your work: What are you changing, and what made you change it?
08
When something goes wrong: How did you notice? Why do you think it happened? How will you fix it?
09
After you stop to think: What were you thinking about, and what did you decide?

Your experience is part of what we’re asking for. If you can tell something is off before you can explain why, say that, then try to work out what tipped you off. Use Pause for breaks and private information.

03 / Across a project

Five moments in every project.

Each takes a few minutes. They show how your thinking changes from start to finish.

Start introFirst session: What are you working on, and what is it for? What do you already know? What does “done” look like?
Pick-up introStart of each later session: Before opening your work: what do you remember about where you left off? What did you learn or think about while away, and which ideas stuck? After opening it: what looks different, and what had you forgotten? What’s your plan today? If you worked off the record, what did you change and why?
Sign-offEnd of every session: Where did you stop? What will you do next? What’s still unresolved or bugging you?
Project wrap-upEnd of the last work session: How did your plan change from start to finish? What was the biggest turning point? What would you do differently next time?
Recall checkThe next day, no notes, work closed: What was the project, and how did it end? Which three things do you remember most clearly? What fact or number do you remember exactly? What do you now think you got wrong?

04 / Getting paid

Every recorded hour of an accepted project counts.

Paused time is not recorded and does not count toward payment. Rates will be published when applications open.

We review the project as a whole. Skill, experience, the quality of the work and clear explanations contribute to the pay assessment. Each payout comes with a score breakdown.

Accepted projects are paid by direct deposit within 14 days after we receive the complete recordings for the submitted project. Review or the buyer’s decision does not restart that clock. If our review is unfinished on day 14, the project counts as accepted at your base pay.

What if a project is not accepted?

Made-up tasks, deliberately running up the clock or projects that are not real work are unpaid and deleted unused. Long unexplained silences or narration that only describes clicks may also lead to rejection. We explain what went wrong. Ordinary thinking time, mistakes and dead ends are expected.

Recording prohibited material has a separate rule: a first non-serious violation is paid at base rate, deleted unused and followed by a warning. A second violation is unpaid, deleted unused and ends membership. Serious violations are unpaid and may end membership immediately. The full guide explains these rules before you begin.

What if I cannot finish or complete the upload?

You can submit an unfinished project for review; it generally scores lower. Complete the recall session before submitting. Unsubmitted projects are deleted unused and unpaid 30 days after their last session. A submitted project whose uploads remain incomplete 30 days after Submit is also deleted unused and unpaid.

05 / What you are sharing

Know what is recorded and how it is used.

CommonWhy plans to pay members for accepted recordings, review and prepare the data, and license it to AI companies and data partners for training. These uses will be explained before you apply and record.

What the app records: All screens, your voice, keystrokes, clicks, scrolling, app and window context, and timing. There is no webcam. Pause stops capture across all streams. Close private tabs on every screen and pause before opening anything sensitive.
Your résumé: The actual résumé accompanies your recordings, with name, phone number, email, street address and personal links removed. Buyers may use that copy to understand and select backgrounds and to train AI. Your voice, work history or screen content could still identify you.
Your recordings & work: Under the planned terms, submitted recordings belong to CommonWhy, and one payment covers all later uses and sales. You can’t take a project back after you submit it. Your underlying work files stay yours. We keep the recording of you doing the work, not the paper, spreadsheet or website itself. Final terms will explain the rights and any legally required exceptions.
Your voice: Buyer licenses will prohibit cloning or impersonating your voice while allowing general AI training on your narration.

Record work you can share.

Only record material you have the right to share for these uses. Follow applicable employer, school and client confidentiality and sharing obligations. Keep client, customer, patient and confidential company information out of the recording.

Use Pause before passwords, bank screens and private messages. We review recordings for sensitive information before sharing them. Our Terms and Conditions will explain how we handle what we find.

Keep these out of the recording.

Tests and exams; anyone under 18; anyone who has not agreed to be recorded; medical or legal client records; and other people’s private messages.

Do not use AI tools while recording. Explain your own understanding and decisions.

What happens to my résumé if I do not join or later leave?

Rejected applicants’ résumés are deleted 90 days after rejection. For members who leave or are removed without ever being paid, the original résumé is deleted 90 days after leaving or removal. If you have been paid, your original résumé and contact details are deleted after you leave and your last payment is complete, with required payment records retained.

Any legally required retention will be explained in the final policy. The résumé copy attached to licensed recordings stays with those recordings.

This is a preview of the planned program, not the final member agreement. The full terms and Member Guide will be available before you join. Questions: [email protected]

Your work.Your way of thinking.