What is reddit, really?
Don't think of reddit as one giant community. This site is made up of "sub"reddits, which are all their own communities. Every single post you see on this site belongs to its own community, with its own set of users, and with its own set of rules. reddit provides you an easy-to-use interface for managing what posts you see by letting you subscribe or unsubscribe from certain subreddits.
By making an account, you are automatically subscribed to a set of "default" subreddits which are a set of highly popular communities that the administrators of this site feel would give the average person an interesting first experience.
Don't like one or more of these default subreddits? Use the "unsubscribe" button on the sidebar, and start customizing your reddit front page! Find subreddits that interest you. Many subreddits feature lists of "similar subreddits" that will help you find other awesome places to subscribe to. Looking for a subreddit but you just don't know its name? Try /r/findareddit! Finally, try setting up a multi-reddit to categorize your subreddit list even further!
Tips for your account.
See and change your preferences. Customize how many comments show up, what kind of posts show up, and more!
Verify your e-mail. If you don't do this and you lose your password, you will have no way to log back onto that account. Ever. Please do this!
Karma is a point system that lets you know how your submissions or comments are doing. The more karma your post has, the more people have upvoted it. Generally a higher karma count on a post means that the community of that subreddit found your post valuable and interesting. Your karma is logged on your user page on the top right. Please note that self-posts earn you no karma. Only comments and link-posts do.
What is the sidebar?
The "sidebar" is the list of information pertaining to a specific subreddit. At the top you will find a link to submit a post and a link to search the subreddit. It also contains the link to "subscribe/unsubscribe" from that subreddit. Underneath that it generally lists the rules, guidelines, relevant information, similar subreddits, etc.
Note: many mobile reddit apps require you to press a certain button for the sidebar to show up. Every subreddit has a sidebar. Please don't forget to look for it even if your app doesn't immediately show it! Here's an image showing where to find it on common reddit apps.
You should always read the sidebar before submitting a post to any subreddit, and if you don't understand a rule message the moderators to ask. This ensures that your post stays on the subreddit, as rule-breaking posts will likely be removed.
Have a question about a submission to a particular subreddit? Ask the moderators there! Here's an image that shows you where you can typically find the link to message the mods.
Who are moderators? What do they do?
Each subreddit is a community with its own focus. The mods are volunteers who ensure the subreddit stays true to its purpose by enforcing set rules. For example, /r/android is a subreddit dedicated to discussion of the Android operating system. Anything not directly related to Android is removed by its moderators. Similarly, /r/apple is a subreddit dedicated to discussing Apple and its products.
Moderators have the power to approve or remove any comments or submissions made to only the subreddits they moderate. They can also issue a ban for users on their subreddit. Moderators enforce the rules laid out in the sidebar, so if you follow all the rules in the sidebar you should be good!
Who are admins? What do they do?
Meet the admins. The admins are like super-moderators. They have all the abilities of moderators across every subreddit plus more. They are paid employees of the site and they ensure that the site runs smoothly for all users.
The admins are generally hands-off when it comes to individual subreddits, letting the moderators and the community decide how its run. However, the admins will enforce the rules of reddit on every subreddit. Be familiar with these rules. Failure to follow these rules may earn you a sitewide ban, or the closing down of a subreddit.
What is reddiquette?
- reddiquette is an informal set of guidelines to follow before commenting or submitting on reddit. As reddit has grown, certain behaviors have been frowned upon and other behaviors have been encouraged. reddiquette spells out these behaviors so you aren't left wondering why your posts aren't well-received. You might not be banned not following reddiquette, but you will probably be showered in downvotes if you don't.
Help! What happened to my post?
reddit is a huge forum with millions of users. Many posts are made here every day. Many, many posts are made with the intention to spam or harass other users. Other posts just don't fit the subreddit. Moderators have to filter through these posts every day to ensure their subreddit stays on topic and free of hostility. Some moderators use bots to help them report posts, some moderators do it all themselves. Every subreddit is different. If you find your post not showing up in the subreddit, your best bet is to ask the moderators there why it's not showing up. Please note: when you message the moderators, ALL moderators can read it! It's a shared inbox!
- I can still see my post but others say they can't?
Nothing is really removed from reddit, if a mod removes something it is de-listed for others to see. You can still see it with a direct link. - My post was removed because it was spam? What gives? Spam is a tricky subject, reddit has several base rules but much of it is left for moderators to decide. reddit's FAQ has a good section explaining it.
- I can still see my post but others say they can't?
I have a great idea for a subreddit!
- Awesome! Message the moderators so you can talk to them
I have a great idea for reddit as a site!
- Awesome too! Post it in /r/ideasfortheadmins
What if I don't like the moderators or how the subreddit is run?
That's okay, reddit was built to handle just that! First though, make sure that you talk to the moderators of that subreddit just to be sure there aren't any misunderstandings, or if you can't just compromise. Otherwise, make your own community! Here is an excellent guide for starting and moderating your own subreddit.
Moderators are people, too, so if you want your voice heard consider messaging them politely with your concerns. We care about the communities we help run and would hate to see users leave because of something that we can help fix!
What if I need help with something else?
- Try /r/help for general help on reddit. /r/askmoderators can also help you out if you need to ask mods about anything.
I think I found a bug.
- Uh oh. If you are using an application or extension, most have a subreddit you can post in! (/r/RESIssues, /r/alienblue, /r/redditisfun). If you found a bug with reddit itself, post it to /r/bugs (more serious issues should be sent directly to the reddit security team: see the /r/bugs sidebar for contact information.)
Other Subreddits of Note
- Other good subreddits to check out for help with various topics are /r/Modhelp, /r/Modnews, /r/ChangeLog, /r/Blog, and /r/Announcements.
I Don't Know What is Harassing Other Users? Please Give Me Some Rules About This Rules of Harassing Users And Banning Bad Users Thank You!
A redditor I don't know has initiated a chat session with me by sending "You're a n*****". A non-public, direct racist attack with no free speech value. Does this violate Reddit policies, and if not, why not? If it does, what recourse do I have other than blocking this user? Note that when I look up his comments it's filled with similar hate speech drooled all over reddit in various subreddits. This kind of abuse harms the reddit community and will cause less participation by the usual targets of bigots. Thanks in advance for your replies.
This is probably a pretty obvious question, but do I need permission to link articles? I want to link something from Liiga's website. Like on r/hockey, do they get permission before posting or just post it? I'm a bit paranoid about copyright. I'll delete if this doesn't relate to the subreddit.
It's been 8 days since I joined Reddit. But this shadowban isn't making me enjoy the Reddit experience. Am I gonna be stuck like this forever?
So what happened was I made an opinionated post on r/Spyro subreddit talking about why people mass downvoted comments that pointed out that Spyro: Enter The Dragonfly was a rushed, below average game, saying that people can like the game but they have no right to mass downvote over an opinion they do not agree with and they haven't played the game in years so their nostalgia has clouded their judgement of the game as a whole. My post was removed without my knowledge I found out when I signed out and asked the moderators why it was removed as I hadn't broken any rules, instead of getting a reply I was unjustifiably banned from the subreddit just for asking. Their reason for banning makes no sense as I have not being harassing, threatening or as they put it "nuisance, troublemaker and shit starter" even though all I have done was defend people who get attacked by users for criticising the remakes.
My account is only 2 days old, but I was wondering how long I should wait before I scrap this account and try again.
I recently created a second username account, I think I was being stalked so to speak, and I think the new account is being shadow banned. Is a second account against the rules?
I'm currently a moderator of a gaming subreddit which will remain anonymous. I didn't start my subreddit or currently maintain with this end goal but I'd now like to find some way to turn my passion into a career or experience I can use toward a career. I'm someone who likes to create and maintain game communities. I'm usually ok with doing this hobby/volunteerism for free if I have the passion, hence why I became a moderator and operate the subreddit in the first place. I'm also at a point where I need financials to support myself and my dreams. I spend a lot of the time on the subreddit, both answering user questions about the game and curating topics, almost as an unofficial customer support. In the real world if I were helping a company for free I'd be considered a sucker.
If I have a line to the developers should I ask if they're hiring, even just part-time employees or would that be considered taboo. How do I do so in such way where it's not awkward or effects the community in any such way? I'd also like to know if there has ever been a moderator of a gaming community or any community who went on to work for the company as a Community Support, Customer Relations or any type of employee.
Also, has any subreddit ever had a small donate button somewhere on the subreddit and does reddit allow it? Like somewhere unobstrusive and downplayed like in the sidebar? If reddit doesn't allow it, what is the reasoning behind this?
To be clear, I'm not being negative towards reddit or trying to disrespect the moderator duty or volunteerism as a whole but I have a curiousity that I'm sure others have or have had in the past.
Thanks for your read and your time.
I was just browsing findareddit. As I scrolled, I saw something that said "You are not a member fo this community. Please respect that by not downvoting". Does anyone know how this works?
im trying to post to my own wall every time i try to post my story it gets removed could someone please let me know why? i know my account is new but should posting to my own wall matter? and if its because its a copy/paste from another post that is because i wrote the story this is just an account to share my stories with friends and have them in one place (my wall maybe eventually my own subreddit)
Hello, few weeks already when i try to post no matter what - link, text, whatever, I keep receiving empty page with 500 written in the left side or "you are forbidden to do so". Why is that? As far as I can see, the profile is not banned...
How can I get full access to a subreddit I am a mod of when the only other mod who has full access never uses their account anymore?
A subreddit mod told me I’m shadow banned cause they reported me as spam. I’ve never spammed just by looking at my history. Any help?
If my post was removed the only was I can tell is if I logout, where I then see a [removed] in the description, if I stay logged in this doesn't appear - anyway I can force it to appear even when I'm logged in?
why tf can i not post names?
I realize that I wouldn't be able to delete them on the receiver's end, but it would be nice to clear out my sent messages.
Hey mods! I’ve never spammed or used anything spam like in my posts. Why was I shadowbanned to begin with? Any answers would be appreciated! Thanks
The mod of r/mugen, from what I understand, recently banned someone I know of for seemingly no reason whatsoever. The mod cited the rule about not being toxic, but used the phrase "kill yourself" in the reason for the ban, saying it would be the only positive thing the banned user could do. Additionally, the only two posts I saw the user make on the sub at all didn't seem to be toxic in any way I could see. I know this isn't really the place to report bad users, but the one post I saw about this on the r/ReportTheBadModerator got deleted by AutoMod for not using the proper title format. And apparently, from what I saw of the post before it was deleted, the mod, an admin on another website (MUGEN Archive), was promoted to mod on the subreddit, and soon started banning anyone who criticized the site or linked to other sites for the same topic, neither of which are against the rules on the subreddit. When I visited the site after learning this I saw no other moderators there, so either they were removed from the team or stepped down, though I find the former more likely than the latter. I want to know how to report the user to someone on the Reddit staff team, maybe, or get someone to do something about this. If details are needed, I can provide them in the comments.
Is there anything a subreddit can do if members in it feel like the current mod is unfit and would request a new mod?
How do I contact Reddit through email or something the website doesn't work and it says just reply to a pm and I never get one
Since the web redesign the sidebar with rules, info etc. is gone on a lot of subreddits.
Same question for singular posts nested in a series of comments. Thanks.
Hi I'm not exactly what a subreddit is? can someone tell me please?
if not thats fine. Im just new and have no clue what I'm doing >.<
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A place for users to ask moderators questions and have them answered.