Frequently Asked Questions

What is Fresh Chalk?

Fresh Chalk is a site for sharing recommendations for products and professionals with your friends. Many of us have a handful of people, products, brands, or apps we trust to help us manage our health, our homes, or our well-being. But when a new need arises, what do you do? The general consensus is that recommendations from friends rule. The problem is, getting those recommendations from friends in the normal course of life (via text, chance encounters, or planned social events) is no small task. The alternative—blindly trusting reviews on the internet—can be downright scary. Fresh Chalk compiles a list of recommendations in each category from people you already trust, so when you need them, they're there.

Where do you get your data?

Fresh Chalk's business listings come from publicly available information online, as well as from user submissions. We've organized, categorized, and filled in the details on those listings to make contacting the pros you need to hire, or products you're looking to purchase, super simple.

What does it mean to follow someone?

When you follow a person on Fresh Chalk, their recommendations become part of your recommendation ecosystem: they show up higher in search results, they're linked from the top of your profile page, and you'll get notified on your feed when that person adds a new recommendation. You should follow people whose recommendations would carry weight with you.

What is a cautionary tale?

Cautionary tales are anecdotes from Fresh Chalk users that help inform their friends of poor experiences or caveats when it comes to products or professionals they've used. Only established Fresh Chalk Community members are able to add cautionary tales. The names of the authors of cautionary tales are only shared with the people that they follow.

What is karma?

For users, the karma score is a reflection of how much they've participated in the community — by adding reviews, contributing to conversations, and leaving comments. Users with higher karma scores are eligible for rewards from Fresh Chalk and its partners. For businesses, the karma score is a reflection of their overall reputation on the internet, including reviews on Fresh Chalk as well as other sites. Businesses with higher karma scores are ranked higher on Fresh Chalk.

How do I get my business or product onto Fresh Chalk?

To create a page for your business, first sign up for a user account. Use your personal name, email, photo, and bio (not your business name, description or logo.) Then fill out the "Add Business" form. We will create a new page for your business and set you up as the owner.

How can businesses take advantage of Fresh Chalk?

Business owners can claim their business listings by contacting Fresh Chalk. We don't currently offer advertising programs, but business owners can verify their contact information, change the photo on their listing, and be notified when they receive recommendations.