How It Works

The Internet's Missing Context Layer. Anotato turns the passive web into an active conversation.

Installation

Download the extension from the Chrome Web Store and install it anywhere you have the Chrome browser (desktop only).

Viewing & Interacting

Once installed, you’ll notice text highlighted in pale green on some websites. These are anchor texts for annotations.

  • Click any highlight to open the view window and see the annotation(s).
  • If there are multiple annotations, cycle through them with the buttons: < Prev Next >
  • You don't need an account to view, but you must register to interact.

User Profiles & History

Curious about the author of a note? Click their username inside any annotation to view their Public Profile.

  • Viewing Profiles: Completely free. You can view their bio, location, interests, and current Trust Score.
  • Viewing History: For 1 Credit, you can unlock a clickable list of all the public annotations that user has ever created, allowing you to easily browse their past insights across the web.

Creating Annotations

1. Highlight any text (10-300 characters).
2. Right-click and select "Create Anotato Annotation".
3. Write your note (up to 20,000 chars) and click Save.

This costs 2 Credits.

The Credit System

To prevent spam and ensure quality, Anotato runs on a unified credit system:

  • Creating: Costs 2 Credits to publish a new annotation.
  • Interacting: Costs 1 Credit to "Forward" (upvote) an insightful note or to Report spam.

New users start with 100 free credits. Plus, if your balance ever drops to zero, we will automatically grant you another 100 free credits (available once every 30 days). You can also purchase additional credits at any time via our store.

Trust Scores

Every user has a Trust Score that affects visibility.

  • Increases: When your notes are Forwarded or you successfully Report spam.
  • Decreases: If your notes are Reported (and upheld) or if you make false reports in bad faith.

Interaction with other annotations

Forwarding (Forward 👍): Boosts visibility by your Trust Score value. Costs 1 Credit.

Rejecting (Reject 👎): Reduces visibility by one. Does not cost credits or affect Trust Score.

Reporting (Report ❗): Hides the annotation for review. Costs 1 Credit (refunded if upheld).

Process: If a report is upheld, the offender is penalized, and the reporter is rewarded. If a Report is found to be false and given in bad faith, the reporter may be penalized with a reduction in their Trust Score.