What is Reddit?

Reddit is a place to share news, memes and have discussions about almost every subject under the sun. Reddit is a network of communities based on people’s interests. Here’s our advice on how to get involved and participate. What is Reddit? People use Reddit to keep up with the news or to find others they…

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Reddit is a place to share news, memes and have discussions about almost every subject under the sun. Reddit is a network of communities based on people’s interests. Here’s our advice on how to get involved and participate.

What is Reddit?

People use Reddit to keep up with the news or to find others they share similar interests with.Reddit is a collection of forums that calls itself the ‘front page of the internet’. Whether it’s something you’ve found online or a hobby from your home life, there’ll be a place for it on Reddit. There are thousands of communities on Reddit that are split into channels called subreddits that focus on a separate topic.

You can subscribe to as many different subreddits as you’d like to create a personalised feed of news, information and other discussions that are a mix of the topics that you’re interested in.

How does voting work on posts?

Reddit is different to other social media platforms online in that not all engagement will promote content. You can up vote a post or comment you think contributes positively to the site and this will help it move to the top of the page for everyone else. You can down vote a post or comment to make it less prominent on the communities feed.

What type of content can you see?

With millions of comments and posts added to Reddit each day, you’re more likely to see things that people have voted positively for. However, Reddit is home to a huge number of communities and a wide range of views so sometimes you will see things that are funny and helpful  and other times you might come across things that you might disagree with.

How can you create a subreddit channel?

Anyone can create a subreddit and start a community on the site. Apart from the platform wide rules that apply to everything on the site, each community can add their own rules like banning spoilers for television shows or sports games.

Who moderates Reddit?

Each subreddit has its own team of volunteer moderators who are picked from within the community. They help to keep the subreddit safe from harassment, spam or other submissions and comments that don’t positively contribute to the community. With thousands of subreddits, each with their own volunteer moderation team, enforcement can be uneven at times but they’re generally transparent about how the rules are enforced.

Do you have to use your own name?

Reddit is pseudo-anonymous. You can use it without creating an account, or even if you do, there’s no requirement to use your real name.

What’s Netsafe advice on how to stay safe?

  • A good way to stay safe online is to use a username that can’t be tracked to who you are
  • Be careful of the type of personal information you share in comments and posts
  • Never share private information like your address
  • Use the report button if any comment or post makes you uncomfortable so the community moderators can decide if it’s allowed to stay on the site

More advice and information

Checkout Reddit’s policies and read about the behaviour expected of the people on Reddit (called reddiquette).

CONTACT NETSAFE FOR HELP

Our helpline is open from 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am – 5pm on weekends and public holidays. We are closed Christmas Day. You can make a report to Netsafe by:

Join our mailing list to get the latest in online safety news, trends and advice delivered to your inbox, or follow ‘NetsafeNZ’ on social media.


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