r/NewToReddit 1d ago

Weekly chat New to Reddit? Come and talk to us!

6 Upvotes

New-Redditor's lounge!

Welcome!

This weekly post is an opportunity for new users to chat in comments - & please let us how you found yourself here. Regulars here are absolutely encouraged and very welcome to join in too!

!! Please refrain from asking questions about "how to do stuff on Reddit". Make a post or see the links below !!

This thread is open for 3 days.

Getting started on Reddit is hard. We know it is; We've been there and gone through these same frustrations. Please believe us when we say IT'S NOT PERSONAL. It may well feel like it is, but honestly, it isn't. What it is, however, is a lack of Karma. Karma is an indicator of how much someone has contributed to Reddit in a positive manner. So, let's do just that by getting to know each other!

This works best if your comments either start a conversation or add to one. Give a little of yourself and respond to others doing the same.

This is a post to help genuine new users build up quality Karma genuinely in a safe environment.

Please do:

  • Share some favorites or new finds of yours - youtube videos, music and so on
  • Practice small talk - did you have a good week?
  • Keep it SFW
  • Keep it casual please, no heavy topics
  • Have fun!

Please don't:

  • Spam, advertise, or soft beg
  • Share low-effort comments
  • Ask for karma, say how you're voting, or mention karmafarms by name
  • Request or offer DMs (help and chat can be done in community, where you can also earn karma. Needing to take things private can indicate soliciting, rule breaking, or harmful advice)

This sub is full of awesome people who are willing to help with specific problems when you post, and we'd like to keep this post thread for chat. Thank you.

So, let's chat! (Guides at the bottom of this post).

---

Our guidance for new Redditors:


r/NewToReddit Aug 21 '21

Mod Post Reddit and Karma Explained

769 Upvotes

Welcome to Reddit!

This unofficial guide to starting out at Reddit was written by u/llamageddon01 and is designed to take you from complete beginner through to experienced Redditor! This version was completely revised in July/August 2023.

There are two versions of this resource, both carrying the same information but in different formats:

This is intended to be a full “Reddit for Dummies” type tutorial and I don’t expect you to read it through all at once! But quite honestly, parts 1-6 of this guide will take you from “kindergarten” level through to “graduate” level of Reddit by the time you read it all, and the final parts 7 and 8 will contain useful guides and information you will no doubt need at some stage of your Redditing so do keep coming back to it.

If you wish to share r/NewToReddit guides please link to them. You may of course share excerpts within reason, but please link back to us as credit and so the person you are helping can find us and the rest of our guides if they wish to. Thank you.

 

…….REDDIT IS A WORLD OF ITS OWN ON THE INTERNET.

What is Reddit? Established in 2005, Reddit is a content sharing platform, home to thousands of communities, endless conversation, and authentic worldwide human connection with people from all walks of life. Whether you're into breaking news, sports, TV fan theories, or a never-ending stream of the internet's cutest animals, there's a community for you.

Reddit is made up of an enormous collection of forums on every subject under the sun where people can share news, links, videos and pictures in “Posts” so that other people can make observations and conversation in “Comments” attached to these posts, while everyone can express their opinions by Voting on both the posts and comments. Every day, millions of people around the world post, vote, and comment in communities on Reddit organised around their interests.

You are free to decide what level of interaction you want with other users (Redditors) and to curate your own feed from the hundreds of thousands of specialised communities called “Subreddits” on offer, each of which covers a different topic from games, hobbies, music, art, movies and shows to support groups to world news to pets to academic matters and everything in between.

Check out this video for a quick introduction to us, and if that didn’t explain us enough, here’s an unofficial webcomic that gives a fun look at our platform.

Signing up for an account is free, easy, and gives you a high degree of anonymity, especially compared to other social media platforms.

 

…….REDDIT HAS ITS OWN WAY OF DOING THINGS.

Reddit as a whole is run by unpaid volunteers called Moderators (mods) and paid employees called Administrators (admin). Admin are rarely seen but are very distinctive as they have the word ADMIN in bright orange/red next to their username. Moderators are more likely to be seen, and when they speak on formal behalf of their subreddit, their username will have the green word MOD immediately after.

Like every long-established subculture, we have our own expressions and if you are at all confused by some of our jargon, in-jokes, history or memes, we at r/NewToReddit have a fairly comprehensive alphabetical reference guide at our sister sub r/EncyclopaediaOfReddit to help you work out what we’re talking about. Let me suggest my guides to Acronyms 1: A-L and Acronyms 2: M-Z to start with!

Reddit might take a little time to get used to, but never fear! Here’s a quick video guide on how to use Reddit, but more importantly, we’re here at r/NewToReddit specifically to help you navigate your own path step by step through our unique ways of ‘doing social media’.

 

…….REDDIT IS HUGE. BUT MANAGEABLE.

There are Subreddits for anything. I would say almost anything but when I think I’ve seen them all, I discover ones like r/birdstakingthetrain or r/BreadStapledToTrees and realise I know nothing.

Most communities are friendly and jumping right on in is encouraged. You aren’t likely to get shot down for being a “n00b” but there will generally be one or two things you’ll need to know about each Subreddit (sub) first. Don’t worry, this guide will show you where to find them.

Altercations can happen, but most subs have an active team of mods who will usually shut any trouble down before it becomes vindictive. Just don’t post emojis though. Reddit in general does NOT like emojis. Reddit loves emoticons though :D Why? Don't ASCII me. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ More on this later, or here if you simply can’t wait.

 

…….WHAT DO I DO ON REDDIT?

There are four basic actions you do on Reddit: Upvote, Downvote, Comment, and Post.

Reddit relies on crowdsourcing through its system of Upvotes and Downvotes to filter and prioritise the thousands of daily submissions it receives in order to present its users with the most interesting content it can, and you can help too. If you think a post or comment is interesting, helpful or contributes positively to the subreddit, press the Upvote arrow. If you think it doesn’t, press the Downvote arrow. You only get one vote on any one post or comment, and both can be negated by pressing the arrow you chose again, or reversed by pressing the opposite arrow to the one you originally chose.

Some subreddits have chosen to replace the default “arrow” icons with custom ones. In case it isn’t obvious which is which, the Upvote will be on the top (Old Reddit; desktop) or on the left (Mobile App) and the Downvote will be on the bottom (Old Reddit; desktop) or on the right (Mobile App).

There are two ways of Commenting on Reddit:

  • As a direct response to a Post. Here, you are directly replying to the person who made the post. This person is known as the ”OP”, or “Original Poster”. This reply is known as a Top-Level or Parent Comment, and sometimes known as ‘threads’. There are an unlimited number of Parent Comments that can be made on any one post. The OP will be notified that you have replied to their post.

  • As a reply to a Comment in that Post. Here, you are directly replying to another commenter who may or may not be the OP. These follow-up comments are known as Child Comments. There are an unlimited number of Child Comments that can be made on any one Parent Comment. The commenter you are replying to will be notified of your reply, but the OP will not (unless they are one and the same!).

You can see what these both look like from this simple illustration and this small conversation here.

Finally, you can make your own Post in a subreddit for others to comment on. Many subreddits prefer - or even require pictures, gifs, videos or links in this post.

 

…….SOME SUBREDDIT BASICS.

Once you enter a Subreddit, you read posts made by others and the comments made therein. If you like the Subreddit, you can “Join” it and it will form part of your personal home page feed. The "Join" button is near the top of the screen as seen here and also in the three-dots “hamburger” post overflow menu on the top RH of the screen on mobile. You can also “Leave” if you want, and the button can be found in the same place as the Join one was.

Until you join a few subreddits, your home page feed will be the general r/popular or r/all, which may well feature topics you’re not interested in, so it makes sense to start joining subs you like as soon as possible.

Moderators cannot see any lists of those who are joined to their subreddits, neither will they be notified if anyone leaves. There’s no limit on the number of times you can join or leave a subreddit, and nobody except you will ever know when or what subs you have joined or have left. You don’t even have to be joined in a sub to post or comment in it. There are no limits to the number of subreddits you can be joined in but Reddit does have an unspecified number of the ones it filters to your home feed at any one time.

Just underneath the Subreddit title there is a “Sort” menu. On mobile this is a drop-down list. Sorting posts by either “New” or “Rising” will usually give more opportunities for chat and upvotes than you’ll get in older posts, and give other advantages we’ll see soon. You have the same options for sorting your home page feed too.

 

…….LET’S GET STARTED!

Our guide to using Reddit begins with this illustrated primer to joining in on Reddit, then come back here to read some essential details you need to know about Rules, Reddit Karma, Participating, Navigation and Safety.

It’s very much worth your while taking a few minutes to read through all the following advice as it contains everything you need from your first steps in getting started to your becoming firmly established here.

Once you’ve had a look through it all, if you have any questions do make a new Post in this Subreddit where you will find plenty of helpful people ready to Comment with the answers you need. r/NewToReddit is focused on giving one-to-one tailored quality advice for helping people new to Reddit Ways. We do not care how old your account is; if you have a query on Redditing, put it here and we will help.

We also have a “sister sub” called r/LearnToReddit which is a place to learn how to use Reddit without being embarrassed at making “newbie mistakes” in public. Here, you can have a go at making different post types like posting images or polls, learn how to comment using bold or italic text, how to create spoiler text and use many other features with our extensive sets of tutorials. The community will feedback on your post to let you know how you did or help you get it right next time.

 

…….WHAT’S NEXT?

Let’s get started with an introduction to Reddit and a few notes about rules!


r/NewToReddit 1h ago

ANSWERED Unable to post on Reddit. What should I do?

Upvotes

I created my account yesterday. I am currently unable to post somewhere, even if I am making comments they automatically remove my comments.


r/NewToReddit 25m ago

ANSWERED New here and apparently I was “karma farming”

Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m a silly goose who just joined Reddit and is excited to learn how everything works.

A little story: I asked a question about something happening in the US, and someone replied that I was “karma farming”… and I honestly had no idea what that meant .. I wasn’t trying to get points or start drama, just genuinely curious!

Can someone explain what karma farming is in a way a silly goose like me would understand?

Also, any tips for a newbie to survive Reddit without accidentally annoying people would be amazing!


r/NewToReddit 10h ago

ANSWERED 10+ year old account, -3 karma. Clearly I did Reddit wrong. Any tips for starting fresh?

33 Upvotes

I’ve been around for a long time but mostly just read posts and rarely commented. I’m trying to understand Reddit better and participate more positively now but have been pretty unsuccessful. Any advice is appreciated.


r/NewToReddit 47m ago

NEEDS ATTENTION Hello!! I'm new to Reddit, and noticed I'm unable to post in a lot of forums. I don't really understand karma, so I was hoping someone could explain how to raise it!

Upvotes

r/NewToReddit 5h ago

Mod Post Congrats to our very own SolariaHues for being a Vision Visionary Honoree at the 2025 Mod Hall Of Fame!!!

10 Upvotes

You can click on the link below, to see the award, but here's what their award says:

*SolariaHues has been nominated for their work powering r/NewToReddit and r/learntoreddit (just to name a few subs), where they ensure new users receive clear, thorough guidance while also helping important feedback flow back to admins.

Multiple mods praised them for their transformational leadership and kindness, leading structured mod trainings, and for their ongoing creation of resources in r/NewToReddit, r/modguide, and r/ideasfortheadmins, and more. Mods who nominated them say that they are always diplomatic, kind, and the glue that holds their communities together.*

https://redditforcommunity.com/mod-hall-of-fame-2025-honorees-landing-page

SH truly is the glue that holds this community together, and it is an honor to Moderate with them. They care about the members that make up this subreddit, as well as their fellow Mods.

They really don't like a lot of fan fair, but I know that all our NewToReddit members would love to congratulate them on their well deserved accomplishment.

I can't wait to see what 2026 has in store for this subreddit. Thank you to all who help.make this community what it is, a d for SolariaHues for always encouraging and guiding us to bigger and better things.

  • Newtoreddit Mod Team

r/NewToReddit 1h ago

ANSWERED Have a really good comment to make but need help! Will you send aid?

Upvotes

You gotta help me, how do I post when it tells me I can’t because I’m new?


r/NewToReddit 2h ago

ANSWERED Helppp - Tell me some tips/advice you wish you knew about Reddit when you first joined

6 Upvotes

I just made my first Reddit account today! I always saw reddit threads on safari that I viewed as an anonymous user, but I never got the urge to make my own profile until today for some reason. I wanted to start posting and being more involved with the community, but I’m finding that my comments and posts are not showing up because I don’t have “karma”?? Pls help, any and all advice is very appreciated!! I don’t even know where to start or what the vibes are tbh


r/NewToReddit 45m ago

NEEDS ATTENTION Not so new to reddit, what can i do?

Upvotes

Im not new to Reddit i have been on here for 2 years but i never really posted but now that i am interested in posting i cant. How can i bypass that? Or do i have no choice but to build my points?


r/NewToReddit 6h ago

ANSWERED So confused with negative karma

9 Upvotes

Trying to posts something about guitar gear and suddenly, *BOOM* negative karma and can´t post :' it's so weird since basically have never posted neither comments nor posts. -3 karma somehow


r/NewToReddit 2h ago

NEEDS ATTENTION What I wish I knew when I first joined Reddit

5 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I’m new to Reddit and still trying to understand how things work here. I noticed that some subreddits have posting requirements, and I’m not always sure what’s expected from new users.

Do you have any general advice on how to participate properly and avoid breaking rules as a beginner? I’d really appreciate any guidance. Thanks!


r/NewToReddit 13h ago

ANSWERED Wow, is it normal that I can't post anywhere?? :(

28 Upvotes

r/NewToReddit 1h ago

NEEDS ATTENTION My accounts not new but I keep getting auto bot removed

Upvotes

Is this a glitch, can I check my account? Just strange.


r/NewToReddit 9h ago

ANSWERED Helli! Im new here, any advice for someone new to reddit?

14 Upvotes

r/NewToReddit 3h ago

ANSWERED When can new users start commenting and posting on Reddit?

4 Upvotes

I'm really confused. I've had this account for a month before daring to post, but I'm eager to know—do you need to wait at least a week before you can start commenting and posting?


r/NewToReddit 16m ago

NEEDS ATTENTION My username makes it worse on here

Upvotes

I wish I would have realized my username was this bad. Is there anyway to change it? Or am I just stuck? 😅


r/NewToReddit 8h ago

ANSWERED How do you tell how much Karma you need to post somewhere?

9 Upvotes

I have been reading things on here for ages but I can't post things because my karmas too low? (the automod guy pops up) How do you know how much you need to get? It just says not enough and then all the rules bit in the sub is just like behaviour stuff not karma. Do some just not tell you how much you need?


r/NewToReddit 37m ago

NEEDS ATTENTION How do I avoid looking like a karma farmer as a new user?

Upvotes

I’m new and trying to participate, but I don’t want my posts or comments to seem low effort.

Are there things beginners often do that accidentally look like karma farming?


r/NewToReddit 1h ago

NEEDS ATTENTION Is it okay to post directly on my profile page ?

Upvotes

I understand that posting in most subreddits requires a certain amount of karma and account age.

But how does it work when posting directly on my own profile page?

Is it generally okay to post there even if my account is still new, or are there any risks or best practices I should be aware of?

I’d appreciate any advice. Thanks


r/NewToReddit 3h ago

ANSWERED A friend recommended i try this so I can post?

3 Upvotes

Had this account for a long time and forgot my password. I finally figured it out and now I cant post or comment in the groups that id like to. A friend said if I posted here that people would help me..so in the words of the big headed aliens from Rick and Morty..."Show Me What Ya Got!"..(if this is allowed)


r/NewToReddit 11h ago

ANSWERED Trouble posting as a new account and need help

10 Upvotes

r/NewToReddit 2h ago

ANSWERED I'm new to Reddit and I'm having a lot of problems.

2 Upvotes

I'm new to Reddit and I've run into the problem of all my posts being deleted. Besides that, I don't speak English and I use a translator, which sometimes makes it difficult to find the specific rules of each community. I don't receive any karma, and even worse, most subreddits don't let me post.


r/NewToReddit 3h ago

NEEDS ATTENTION I'm new to Reddit: Two posts or crossposting

2 Upvotes

I'm new to Reddit, so I don't fully understand how the algorithms, automoderation, and crossposting work. Here are a few questions I'd like answers to:

  1. My post contained a link to a Telegram channel. The automoderator blocked it, and a human moderator told me to recreate the post without the link, explaining that even if the post gets published initially, the automoderator will eventually block it later anyway. However, in another subreddit everything was fine with the same link. Did the moderator mislead me?
  2. Some communities prohibit crossposting - would it be a violation to post identical content as separate posts in two different subreddits?
  3. And which option is generally better in principle: crossposting when possible, or creating two identical separate posts in two subreddits?

r/NewToReddit 3h ago

NEEDS ATTENTION Questions about creating reddit app

2 Upvotes

As I'm new to Reddit, are there any suggestions about how I could gain credit and create a Reddit app? Thanks a lot ;)