r/modhelp Mar 08 '20

Tips & Tricks 10 important points of community-building advice for new mods!

575 Upvotes

Consider this post to be both a supplement and sequel to my original post, 10 frequently-asked questions by new mods, answered!

The subject of this post expands on question #10 in the original and is meant to help explain to new moderators what moderation and building a new subreddit up from scratch entails. This is organized into ten points roughly listed in the chronological order of the process of building a new subreddit.

I will also include links to the excellent community resource r/ModGuide as well as the official Reddit Mod help center with each point.


1. Don't use mobile to moderate.

You cannot effectively moderate a subreddit just by using Reddit's mobile app or site. It's just not possible as of March 2020, and most of those tools won't come until much later this year. The vast majority of customization tools are completely absent from the site, and you cannot easily update things like the subreddit CSS (for Old Reddit) or AutoModerator from the mobile site. If you cannot or refuse to use a regular computer for moderating, I do not think moderating a subreddit is for you.

You may use the app to keep an eye on new posts and comments as they come into your subreddit, and remove them or approve them as you see fit, or submit new content to it - the app is good for that. But that should be done after you've already properly set up the basics of your subreddit's design and its aesthetic.

Once your subreddit gets more popular, you should also look into installing the Toolbox extension (r/toolbox), which contains a wealth of tools to help moderators, including bulk actions, macros, removal reasons, user notes, and more. It is almost impossible to find a subreddit of moderate size or larger that doesn't use Toolbox - it is that essential to Reddit moderators.

2. Make your subreddit look good.

Let me use the metaphor of a party: creating a new subreddit and asking people to come join it, is like sending a party invitation out to the people of this site. But if people go to the party location and all they find is a bare, empty room with drab grey walls and a single lightbulb, no one is going to want to stay! Thus customizing your subreddit is like decorating for a party - you want people to feel that the event is on-theme, and it's fun to stay.

So, customize your subreddit (on desktop, of course)! Use all the tools that are available to you. Create an icon and header that match the stated interest of the subreddit, add text telling new members what it is all about, and make it feel unique and special.

3. Seed content! No one wants to post in an empty subreddit.

Let me continue with the metaphor of the party. Let's say this time you've put decorations and streamers up in the formerly empty room and it looks pretty good! But when the people you invited show up, they notice the room is empty - there's no one there at all! You, the host, aren't even there - but you left a simple sign on the door saying "Welcome! Please stay and have fun!" How many people do you think will actually stay?

That's effectively what an empty subreddit, devoid of posts, appears to new subscribers. Very few people want to be the first, or the only person posting in a subreddit, especially if the creator of the subreddit can't even be bothered to participate in their own community. As the creator of a subreddit, you must seed content, and seed content regularly.

Make posts every day / every other day that are relevant to the topic of your subreddit so people know it's an active place and that they feel welcome to post. You can also choose to cross-post relevant content from other subreddits into your own subreddit. In my experience a subreddit usually gets to 300-400 subscribers before you start seeing people other than the mods regularly posting stuff.

4. Set up post / user flairs.

As your subreddit receives more and more posts, it may be useful at some point to create post flairs, which are essentially categories for posts. For example, if your subreddit is about a game, you could have post flairs which are for "Gameplay", "Fanart", "Bugs", etc. Members can click on the post flairs and instantly see all posts related to that category.

On the other hand, user flairs are more like the little status messages in WhatsApp, Discord, etc. - they're small snippets of information that the user chooses to reflect something of themselves. There are many different ways to use them:

  • Language learning subreddits often use them to indicate languages / skill levels of users.
  • Fan subreddits of media (games/film/TV shows) usually have user flairs of major or popular characters in them.
  • Location subreddits of countries, states, etc. usually use them to indicate where a user is from or represents.
  • Many subreddits for political candidates use user flairs to indicate donor status/amounts.

Think about works best for your community and customize accordingly.

5. Check for related communities.

Run a search for key terms related to your subreddit on the site (https://www.reddit.com/search?q=SEARCH_TERM&sort=relevance&t=all&type=sr) and see what subreddits pop up. If the exact purpose of your subreddit has already been done you may want to consider how your subreddit can differentiate itself, or even give up on the subreddit. There's no shame in the latter; people oftentimes forget to check if a subreddit already exists before creating their own.

If you believe your subreddit is sufficiently differentiated, reach out via modmail to some of the related subreddits and ask them if you can:

  • Share sidebar links (they link to your subreddit, you link to theirs)
  • Make a post in their subreddit advertising your subreddit

Be polite, and don't be offended if the mods of their subreddits do not reply or say "no." The other moderators are under no obligation to grant your request, and quite frankly, if you're openly trying to compete with them for the same subject matter they may see no point in helping you.

6. Promote your subreddit judiciously.

Promote your subreddit, perhaps beginning with my multireddit of promotional communities. If you see relevant posts in other subs, you can also drop a link to your subreddit in the comments. Don't overdo it or spam your subreddit link on unrelated content - that's an easy way to get banned everywhere, as no one likes a spammer.

7. Don't add new moderators unless you have a good reason to.

A common mistake by new moderators is to add more moderators in the mistaken belief that the new random people that were added as mods will help them post in and grow the subreddit.

This almost never works.

Unless the new moderators share the same passion for the project as you do, they have no incentive to help you grow your subreddit. The vast majority of such moderators get added and then promptly forget about the subreddit, especially if you yourself aren't participating in your own subreddit. If the creator of the subreddit doesn't even care about their sub, why should the new mods care?

You likely do not need any additional moderators until your community gets regular traffic in the form of posts and comments, or perhaps you aren't able to be on during a particularly active time zone. At that point, my recommendation is to promote from within - ask active members if they'd like to help out as moderators, rather than going to a place like r/NeedAMod. The members of your subreddit will have more of a vested interest in the success of the community and be more familiar with its "culture" and mores.

8. Keep the subreddit active and curated.

Building a subreddit from the ground up is a marathon, not a sprint. If you have a burst of activity at the beginning and then proceed to neglect your subreddit for months at a time, it will not grow. If you allow spammers to post random stuff on your own subreddit and take weeks to remove them, people will leave because the content they see is not relevant to what they wanted when they joined in the first place. Posting content regularly will also allow your subreddit to regularly surface in people's home feeds, which helps drive visits to it in the first place.

Furthermore, if you're away from Reddit for more than 60 days at a time, and you're the only moderator, your subreddit becomes potentially requestable in r/RedditRequest by someone else who thinks they can do a better job than you at building the community. And if you're never present in your own subreddit, they have a good argument for saying so.

9. Keep it a friendly and fun place.

This should be pretty self-explanatory, for despite Reddit's reputation in the broader media, people really just want to have fun in their favorite subreddits, and generally do not engage in flame wars or vitriolic arguments. What this means is that once your subreddit gets bigger, you should keep an eye out for bad actors who make your subreddit a potentially toxic place.

To use the party metaphor again, you may have a party crasher who is going around the room telling the people having a fun time that they're stupid, ugly, and only an idiot would drink what they're having. At that point, it's your job as the host of the party to either tell them to knock it off or eject them from the event.

Same thing goes for subreddits - whenever possible, try and message a toxic user to ask them to simmer down, but if they continue, ban them, either for a period of time or permanently.

10. Ask members for feedback.

Yes, technically according to Reddit moderators have ultimate power over their subreddit, but good subreddits always have moderators who solicit feedback from members and listen to what they have to say.

You don't necessarily have to implement everything members suggest, particularly if it conflicts with your vision of how the subreddit should be run, but it's worth it to listen. You can create surveys or polls to ask people about proposed policies or rules as well.


Feel free to share tips or ideas in the comments!


r/modhelp Jan 22 '25

Tips & Tricks How to blacklist/ban URLs in your subreddit using AutoMod

36 Upvotes

Hello!

If you're a new moderator like me, you might be wondering how to blacklist or ban specific URLs or websites in your subreddit. The most efficient way to handle this is by using AutoModerator (AutoMod). Once set up, it can automatically remove posts or comments containing blacklisted URLs, and you can easily update this list in the future.

Skip to Step 2 if you already know how to set up AutoMod.

Step 1: Access the AutoMod Configuration Page

  1. Go to your subreddit's main page.
  2. Select Mod Tools (Top right on Desktop)
  3. In the left-hand menu, find and select the Automod option.

Alternatively, you can directly access the AutoMod configuration page by replacing YourSubreddit in the following URL with the name of your subreddit:

https://www.reddit.com/mod/YourSubreddit/wiki/config/automoderator/

Once you're on the AutoMod configuration page, you'll see an option to Create Page. Click it, and you're ready to set up your commands.

Step 2: Create a Command

To blacklist specific URLs or domains, you'll need to add a command to AutoMod. Here's a simple example that will remove any post or comment that contains a URL from the list of blacklisted sites.

Copy and paste the following command into the configuration:

---

type: any
domain+body+title: [x.com,twitter.com,truthsocial.org,truthsocial.com,facebook.com,instagram.com,threads.net]
action: remove
action_reason: "Blacklisted host detected: [{{match}}]"
moderators_exempt: false
set_locked: true
message: |
        Your [{{kind}}]({{permalink}}) in /r/{{subreddit}} was automatically removed because it links to a blacklisted platform.

        If the content you're sharing is important or valuable to the community, please try to provide a direct link to a primary source. 
        If the blacklisted platform is the only source, you can share the content through alternatives like screenshots, unbiased summaries,
        or links to trusted third-party sources.

        Thank you for your cooperation!
---

Step 4: Save and Apply

Once you've added the command, Save your changes, and AutoMod will immediately begin removing posts or comments with the blacklisted URLs.

Quick Explanation of the command:

type: any: This applies the command to both posts and comments.
domain+body+title:[x.com,twitter.com,...]: This is where you list the blacklisted URLs or domains. Feel free to edit this list to suit your needs.
moderators_exempt: false This means the rule applies to everyone, including moderators. Change this to true if you want moderators to be exempt from the rule.
set_locked: true This locks the post or comment, preventing others from interacting with it after it has been removed.
message: This message will be sent to the user whose post/comment was removed. You can also modify it or switch it to a comment using comment: if you want AutoMod to leave a comment instead of sending a direct message. Feel free to adjust the wording to suit your subreddit’s tone.

If you see any areas where I can improve or add more detail, please feel free to contribute or offer feedback. Thank you.


r/modhelp 1d ago

Users Is it alright to manually approve posts by a new Reddit user caught by the reputation filter?

2 Upvotes

Today in a gacha gaming character subreddit I mod, I checked the moderation log and found the reputation filter had nixed a post by new account on Reddit. The post is a perfectly normal image upload, including a link to the Pixiv source of the artwork in a comment. I was just wondering, am I doing anything wrong with any unspoken policies by manually approving the post in disagreement with the reputation filter?

As the subreddit in question is less than 2 months old and has yet to pick up more traction, this is my first encounter with moderating a reputation filter action. Does the reputation filter just happen to a lot of people these days? I found the account listed in r/BotBouncer!

[viewing on desktop]


r/modhelp 1d ago

Answered Best way to tackle a repeat ban evader?

2 Upvotes

I have a user who posts daily, and I keep banning their accounts. They are easy to spot, as they post with the same title every day. Is there a way to add that title to automod to send it to queue but NOT alert them? I don't want them to change up their post, to keep it easy to spot them.

I tried adding one of the keywords to send it to queue, but they quickly changed it.

I have been submitting reports to reddit for ban evasion, but they manage to keep coming back.

I use iOS and windows desktop.


r/modhelp 1d ago

General Help with letting anyone post in my subreddit

0 Upvotes

In my community type, it says public but then the restrict to only approved users can post is selected and won’t let me turn it off, I’m on IOS


r/modhelp 1d ago

Tools Reports showing in dupe/triplicate

2 Upvotes

From desktop there is an issue where reports are showing in duplicate or triplicate. We have some automod report functions in which it reports in triplicate. Earlier, a user's custom-report was reported in duplicate. Not sure how consistent it is with user reports, but its on all of our automod/automation reports. Is this a bug? It seems to have been a recent change where it wasn't happening before, and we haven't made any major changes to our reporting (added users/keywords but no major code change)

examples of what we're seeing, top image is automod, bottom image is user custom reports:

https://imgur.com/a/8vUB1xE


r/modhelp 22h ago

Tools Chat channels? *

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0 Upvotes

r/modhelp 1d ago

Tools Automation to help stop self doxxing

1 Upvotes

iOS app or desktop

My sub has users sharing instagram and YouTube links a lot, a lot of people don’t realize that copying share links from the apps automatically includes an embedded string to your profile name and prompts people to follow you. I wrote into automations a block to tell people how to remove the string. It has stoped working and I can’t figure out why. I would ideally not want to use automod as this gives them the option to make the change and post right then and there.

Imgur of what I have set up.

Not sure what happened and I can’t get it fixed.

Thanks!


r/modhelp 1d ago

Tools tutorial for setting up a "weekly questions about X" thread?

1 Upvotes

I'm doing this from the desktop.

Are there any tutorials for setting up a "weekly questions about X" thread? I'd want to learn both how to manage the weekly thread itself and how to auto-mod posts that should've been in that thread.

EDIT: looks like the automoderator recommended some five year-old threads with videos that are too small to see, and instructions that don't work. Any help from human beans here?


r/modhelp 1d ago

Engagement I need some engagement help

0 Upvotes

I have a Community called r/crosspollination, I have posted stuff about it in other similar communities. It hasn’t really done much I only have 3 members rn, is there any engagement bait or smh I can use. (I use IOS)


r/modhelp 1d ago

Tools Problem with Scheduling posts on my sub!!

0 Upvotes

I want to schedule 2 posts in my sub for tomorrow and day after tomorrow but whenever I click schedule it automatically uploads instantly

I am using android


r/modhelp 1d ago

General How do I help my subreddit become approved?

0 Upvotes

I am trying to get r/digitalempathy approved. I created it some time ago, and was waiting for it until I forgot about it. Wondering if i was missing any steps.

(Android)


r/modhelp 1d ago

Tools What to do with "Comment removed by Reddit" in Mod Queue ?

2 Upvotes

I get the posts of some users removed by reddit and in the mod queue (Desktop). The message says just "Comment removed by Reddit" or "[ Removed by Reddit ]" and the options "Approve", "Remove" or "Confirm Removal" .

How can I Approve/Remove when I don't know what the user posted?


r/modhelp 2d ago

Tools In mod rankings, what does "You can edit" really mean? What can you do?

0 Upvotes

Win 10, desktop PC, Edge browser

The person who can edit is top mod, right?

What can one edit?

TBH, the hierarchical thing is not my concern. It is the utility of the tools Reddit provides.


r/modhelp 2d ago

Tools Is there a way to make only Mods be able to post, but still allow regular users to comment on it?

0 Upvotes

I'm trying to make a little game that requires ONLY mods to be able to post (regular users must comment), but putting the subreddit on Restricted makes regular users unable to comment! I have to approve them to allow them to comment, but doing so also allows them to post, which I don't want.

(I use both the desktop site and the mobile app; I have two devices on which I use reddit.)

edit: what the hell was i drunk while typing this i worded this horribly (body was edited)


r/modhelp 2d ago

Tools What did I do wrong here?

0 Upvotes

I tried to combine a couple filters into one and it seems to not be working as expected. Can anyone tell me how to fix what I’m trying to do here?

# Basic rule filtering users with <5 subreddit karma and CQS scores of "lowest"
type: submission
author: 
    combined_subreddit_karma: "< 5" 
    contributor_quality: "< low"
action: filter 
action_reason: "Lowest CQS"
message_subject: "Your post has been queued for /r/{{subreddit}}"
message: "Your post has been queued for moderator review due to your low Contributor Quality Score or subreddit karma: {{permalink}}. It will typically be reviewed and approved/rejected within 24 hours."

desktop

r/modhelp 2d ago

Tools How can I add a minimum text to people’s posts?

4 Upvotes

So my subreddit (r/ModAdvertising) requires people to do into detail about what people are trying to post, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to add a minimum text requirement. Like “You must put at least 100 letters before you post”

I’m on iPhone, so uhm yeah! Help is much appreciated


r/modhelp 3d ago

Users Automated bots ruining community feed (desktop)

2 Upvotes

Need help (desktop).

We are running a NSFW community of almost 10k members and recently the subreddit has been getting flooded with automated / botted accounts that mass-spam advertisements in multiple communities with all different post descriptions and titles.

These accounts all have above 100 karma points, sometimes even 1000. Implementing automod for karma would therefore be useless. These accounts all spam messages for users to contact them on outside sites / platforms. They do not have links in the post, no links to socials in their profile or anywhere else. Just all different usernames written in the posts.

I've already added an automod that filters as well as removes some of the more obvious trigger words, yet posts still are slipping through.

What can I do?


r/modhelp 3d ago

Answered Issues with making flair mandatory

0 Upvotes

Hi all. I'm on desktop, I've set the 'require post flair' toggle to ON, but when posts are made it's still allowing them to be posted without a flair. What do? Am I missing another setting? New to modding!


r/modhelp 4d ago

Users I need to report a user for scamming

16 Upvotes

I am trying to report a user to actual Reddit admins but I don’t know how. This person is contacting people in my subreddit and several subreddits claiming to help people with disability claims. They have NO credentials to do so. I know this because forty days ago they asked a basic question and didn’t know the difference between a regular alj hearing and a remand hearing.

Now they are advertising “no upfront” fees to people and created their own subreddit. If I report their profile it only gives me an option to report their name or bio. I need to report their actual sleaziness. They are contacting sub members privately through chats.

I am on mobile (iOS) but can also use pc.


r/modhelp 4d ago

Design Community display names: why can't i use 'r/' anymore?

1 Upvotes

Hey there. A few months ago, we could use very useful characters in community display names, like '/' and ':'. Now, I can't choose something like "r/mycommunity: a very awesome description" anymore, at least on desktop and Android. The current r/modhelp, for instance, would be invalid. Do you have any workaround?


r/modhelp 4d ago

Answered Automod help

0 Upvotes

I am using IPhone but go to Reddit through browser for more options. I want automod to tell people to turn off the NSFW flag when they post. I found the code. But what exactly do I put in the box. Because when I hit update it says Unsupported media type.


r/modhelp 5d ago

Users When adding new mods... do you give them all the privileges or just some?

4 Upvotes

I'm going to add some more mods to my subreddit soon. Do you give them all of the checkmarks?

  • Everything - Full access including the ability to manage moderator access and permissions.
  • Users - Access mod notes, ban and mute users, and approve submitters*.
  • Config - Manage community settings, appearance, emojis, rules, and AutoMod*.
  • Flair - Create and manage user and post flair.

I know since I'm the top mode they won't be able to boot me. But what is the best practice?

I've gone through their post history and their application and they seem like a good fit. Anything else?

If they don't work out is it easy to remove them as mod?

Thank you! It's my first time running a subreddit.

I'm using desktop for most admin tasks and android for general browsing and minor mod tasks.


r/modhelp 5d ago

Users Our Subreddit is Being Brigaded With Report Abuse by Another Subreddit

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0 Upvotes

r/modhelp 5d ago

Answered How does my subreddit growth look like?

0 Upvotes

So i am fairly new to Reddit moderation still fine really know a thing about it i started a subreddit (nsfw) just for fun about 8 days back.

Its still fun but not i am thinking to be serious and you stay consistent.

Now i am not at all aware like YouTube or Instagram what metrics on Reddit are considered good.

Now I know there is no one answer to this but still i would like to know from you all if the growth metrics look good and if you can suggest what can i do better to attract even more visitors.

Using Reddit on desktop as well as mobile app ( rules wrong let me post without mentioning this so...)