If you are looking for a website where content is indeed the king, Reddit could be your go-to destination. The site calls itself the “first page of the internet” for all the right reasons.
- Impeccable content
- Ability to remain anonymous
- Interesting topics on board
The features above make Reddit what it is today. Imagine being on a website where you can talk about anything and everything, give your opinions, receive feedback without coming on the forefront. How cool does that sound?
In short, Reddit is all about the significance of the content where the user and his/her identity remains insignificant. So, you see, when the focus is solely on the content, it is bound to make heads turn.
Already in love with Reddit? Look at these statistics and figures and see how the world too, has fallen in love with the front page of the internet.
These are a few of the many statistics that makes Reddit everyone’s favorite. If you are already on Reddit, you would know how and why Reddit has reached such success. However, if you are someone who has no idea about Reddit, you are missing out on something amazing.
So, are you willing to jump on the Reddit bandwagon? Do you want to extract the most out of it? We have it sorted it for you.
Here is a list of Reddit terms to familiarize you with the platform.
Glossary of Reddit Terms
Subreddits
Like any other website, the first and foremost thing you need to do is sign up at Reddit.
Find the details on the top right of the homepage and you are done. This is the time you will find a plethora of “oh-so-popular” subreddits like the one mentioned below.
These are basically like specific message boards based on a particular topic. Beginning with the lower case alphabet “r” with a slash, there are thousands of subreddits doing the rounds of the internet. From r/news to r/jokes, you can find anything and everything through these subreddits. All you need to do is search a topic of your interest and subscribe it by clicking on the green button.
Well, it is as simple as eating a piece of cake. Take a look at this quirky post submitted under the category r/funny.
Votes
It is through voting that the content becomes king on Reddit. This is the very basis of the site’s functionality. Yes, you heard that right. Reddit is all about upvotes and downvotes. While an upvote is a way of showing appreciation for a post, you can also downvote a post, if you don’t like the content posted on it. Just use the up arrow for the upvoting and down arrow for downvoting. The subreddit with the highest upvotes gets a prominent place in the news feed. The subreddits are arranged in order of the upvotes they get. It works the same way for comments too.
Posts
Posting is lots of fun on Reddit. From sharing a link to posting a video or an image, you can do it all on Reddit. You can even share your thoughts here. Just follow the guidelines which are present on the right side of the screen and enter your post on the subreddit you want it to be displayed upon.
Reading
If you are someone who is not much into posting stuff online but, loves to read online content, head straight to Reddit. It has everything to satisfy your reading cravings. Since most of the posts on Reddit are links to other websites, once you click on the post, you will be taken to that particular website. However, if you want to stay on Reddit and see what other people feel about the post, click on the comment section, and you can see it all. Further, if someone has posted his/her original thought on Reddit, you can read it on the Reddit website itself.
Unsubscribing
We, humans, get bored with everything quickly. So, if you start finding any particular topic or subreddit dull, you can unsubscribe by clicking the “My subreddit” link. Here, you will get the option of editing your subscription. Further, click on the red colored unsubscribe button and you are done. You will no longer see that subreddit in your newsfeed.
Multireddits
If you wish to group subreddits of a particular topic, Multireddits can come in very handy. It won’t only help you find all your favorite topics in one place but, also make the whole browsing process easier.
Reddiquette
We all know what etiquette is. Reddiquette is somewhat similar to this. Yes, these are the guidelines that Reddit imposes on its users. For instance, Reddit doesn’t allow self-promotion and submission of many links. If you do so, you might be termed as a spammer along with revoked site privileges. Also, Reddit encourages posting the source of a post along with posting the content to the most relevant subreddit. To put it in other words, your journey on Reddit can be worthwhile if you use it in a dignified, intelligent and consistent manner.
Karma
Karma doesn’t only pay back in real life but, on Reddit, it does too. Yes, if you are an active Reddit user who follows all the Reddiquette, you will be instantly rewarded with good karma. It is an excellent way of pumping up your Reddit account.
Reddit Gold
By now, you must have fallen for Reddit a little too much. If that’s the case, Reddit Gold is all you need. Just sign up for the Reddit Gold membership worth $3.99 per month or $29.99 per year and enjoy exclusive benefits such as different customized themes and avatars, ability to turn off ads, posting to subreddits accessible only by other gold members, etc.
The quirky Reddit terms
Reddit is the coolest social media platform because of the quirky names it uses. Here’s a quick sneak peek at a few of these terms. Take a look.
TLDR: It stands for “too long, didn’t read”. It is used on such subreddits where the body of the text is too long. So, the next time you find a lengthy post on Reddit, you know what to do, don’t you?
IRL: This is another regularly used term on Reddit which stands for “in real life”. It is used for referring to experiences outside the online world.
NSFW: Standing for “not safe for work”, this term is used in the title of those posts which might have inappropriate or explicit content. It is a way of warning people about the content that might not be a good idea for opening in public.
FTFY: Known as “fixed that for you”, it is either used as a tongue in cheek comment or for correcting any typo and factual mistakes.
TIL: Standing for “today I learned” is a term Reddit users use when they come to know about a particular thing on the internet that they didn’t know earlier.
AMA: It stands for “ask me anything” and is an excellent way of initiating conversations with anyone and everyone on the internet. Many celebrities indulge in AMAs on Reddit. After all, it is pure fun.
Reddit Tools
So, how did you like the details above about the first page of the internet? It will surely help you in using Reddit smoothly. However, to become a pro at Reddit, you can also use specific tools mentioned below to get a good experience.
Reddit Enhancement Suite
Available as a Chrome extension, it makes the whole Reddit experience worthwhile. It gives you certain Reddit gold features for free. From easily formatting your posts to keeping a check on specific users, these are few of the many ways the Reddit enhancement suite can help you.
Reddit Insight
If you want to keep track of a post in real time, Reddit insight is all you need. From the number of comments to the amount of Karma, you can know it all about a particular post through this exciting feature.
Reddit Later
It allows you to schedule your post according to a day and time that you think is the best time to post. This can work wonders for increasing the visibility of your post in no time.
Bonus Reddit Tips
All in all, the jargon mentioned above, tips and tools can serve as an ultimate Reddit domination guide for you. It will help you contribute value to this community of social media in a variety of ways. Here are some added tips and tricks. Take a look.
Relevancy
Relevant content plays an excellent role in adding value on Reddit. So, when you post or share something here, make sure it is not only relevant to the subreddit but, also hasn’t been posted already. Similarly, when you upvote, downvote or make a comment on someone’s post, it should add value. Therefore, try being insightful, witty and intelligent with anything that you post on Reddit and see how it helps you get a plethora of upvotes in no time.
Rules
Note that every subreddit comes with its share of rules and guidelines. It is visible on the right sidebar and is a critical tool for enforcing specific rules. Reddit implements rules through three particular frameworks.
Here’s a quick look at them:
- Manual moderation. Reddit moderates any content posted on it manually through manual moderators.
- Automation. The next way of moderation comes in the form of automation where bots act as moderators and flag the content which breaks the Reddit rules in any way.
- Subreddit community. The subreddit’s community also works as a moderator where a post is flagged by reporting and downvoting.
In short, the bottom line is that each subreddit is different from another. Hence, keeping a check on the rules and posting guidelines can help you safeguard yourself from any post deletion or banning.
Submissions
Usually, Reddit allows two types of submissions, i.e. links and textual posts. While a link that you post will take a visitor to a website or page of the particular link, textual posts are text-based content that can expand. You can also format and add links to such posts for initiating a discussion or conversation. However, before you submit, make sure to search through Reddit to avoid any duplication of content. Redditors despise it completely.
In short, being specific with your content, posting at the right time and the subreddit you are submitting your post to; each of these criteria plays an important role in attracting traction on Reddit while helping you earn a lot of upvotes and comments. If you do this right, your post might have the chance of being featured not only on the top of a subreddit but, also on the front page of Reddit.
Imagine the millions of views your post will get. Sounds cool, doesn’t it?
Collecting Reddit karma
Building Karma on Reddit is a great way of building the credibility of your profile. To put it in other words, the higher your Karma points, the larger your chances of being taken seriously on Reddit. So, try earning as much karma as you can through your posts and comments. Therefore, be active, consistent and productive on your posts and comment karma to boost your Reddit profile to the next level.
Wrapping up
In conclusion, Reddit is an excellent platform for giving and receiving interesting content anywhere and anytime. All you need to do is have a thorough understanding of it, and you will be good to use and leverage it effectively.
Anonymity, fun, knowledge, karma – these ingredients of Reddit undoubtedly make it not only the king of the content but also the king of social media.
Guest author: Rajat Chauhan is a full stack marketer with a deadly focus on better writing and disciplined creativity while implementing growth hacking strategies for organizational growth. Find him on Linkedin and Twitter.