Reddit is one of the best places on the internet to find the latest news, as well as memes and discussions about anything you can think of. While browsing Reddit can provide a lot of value, you may decide that it’s time to create an account and get involved. But before you start posting, it’s a good idea to review some basic Reddit etiquette, also known as “Reddiquette.” Let’s go over some of the things you shouldn’t do on Reddit. Avoid them, and you’ll have a more enjoyable experience.

1. Do not enter right away

If you haven’t spent much time on Reddit, we don’t recommend submitting content right away. You should first explore the site to get a sense of how it works, read the rules for your favorite subreddits, and find out what kinds of Reddit posts make it to the front page. You should be better prepared to start posting after spending some time looking around, going through the rest of these tips, and brushing up on the Reddit 101 guide.

2. Do not request upvotes

It is possible to upvote or downvote content to determine which posts are the best. Obviously, the posts with the highest ratings are at the top. This, however, must occur naturally.

It is not permitted to begin your post with “Upvote this if…” or to include phrases such as “Can we get this to the front page?” When you create a new post, you are committing a “violation of intergalactic law,” according to the warning on the old Reddit interface. This will almost certainly result in a moderator removing your post.

Instead, submit interesting content with a clever title, and upvotes will come naturally. If they don’t, your fellow Redditors have deemed your content unfit to be seen. Don’t take it personally; what becomes popular on Reddit is largely determined by chance.

3. Do not republish content

Reposting—sharing old content—is a common problem on Reddit. This is sometimes done to signal-boost great content. After all, not everyone is online at the same time, so you may overlook one of the most popular Reddit posts. This type of reposting is sometimes acceptable, but there is another, far worse type.

Many reposts are simply people stealing someone else’s photo or video and claiming it as their own. They wait a few months after a viral post to share it again (sometimes with the exact same title). These frequently get a lot of upvotes again, but you’ll also see people calling out the repost in the comments. The preceding is an example. Reposts are pointless. It is preferable to share new content rather than try to replicate past successes.

4. Do not leave useless comments

In a long thread, Reddit comments are the place to delve deeper into the linked article, make jokes about the image, or go completely off-topic. All of these are acceptable but avoid low-quality comments. Leaving comments like “this,” “lol,” or “Came here to say this” is tiring and useless. Upvoting a comment expresses your agreement with it; only leave a comment if you have something worthwhile to say.

5. Do not downvote content with which you disagree

It stands to reason that you should upvote any content that you believe is solid. However, the downvote button is frequently misunderstood. It’s not meant to be an “I disagree” button. Instead, only downvote content that is low-quality, off-topic, or otherwise inappropriate for Reddit.

So, if you click a link and it takes you to a spammy website, vote it down. Downvote a post if it violates the subreddit’s rules. However, do not simply downvote because you disagree with the article or content being shared. There could be an interesting discussion lurking behind something you dislike.

6. Do not promote yourself

Reddit, for the most part, despises self-promotion. Because it’s intended to be a place where you can share cool online content you’ve discovered, shilling your own book, art, website, or similar is prohibited. As a result, you should avoid submitting links to your own website or YouTube channel, as well as promoting a cause in which you are personally involved.

This does not preclude you from posting your own content on Reddit. r/ITookAPicture and r/MusicCritique are two subreddits dedicated to sharing your artistic work. However, don’t post solely to drive traffic to your own content.

7. Don’t reveal anyone’s personal information

Although Reddit accepts nearly all content, it is never acceptable to share someone else’s personal information (doxing) or post links to such information. For instance, if you post a screenshot of Facebook like the one above, blur out people’s names and profile pictures. If you recognize someone in a Reddit photo, avoid linking to their Instagram page.

Your intentions may be good (or unintentional), but you never know who might find that post and harass the person. Unlike many other social media platforms, most people prefer to use Reddit anonymously.

8. Don’t be a jerk

It’s easy to be rude on Reddit, especially given the level of anonymity. However, it’s important to remember that every username you interact with is a person. While you are not required to agree with everyone, you should avoid being vicious, overly critical, or otherwise negative. Nothing on Reddit is worthwhile enough to ruin someone’s day. If you find the site, in general, to be toxic, there are many Reddit communities dedicated to being positive. For starters, try r/UpliftingNews or r/FreeCompliments.

9. Avoid downvoting posts for personal reasons.

It’s easy to misinterpret the purpose of the downvote button. After all, you upvote posts because you like or find them useful, so it stands to reason that posts that have the opposite effect should be downvoted. However, this should not be the case. You should never downvote a post simply because you disagree with it or find it boring.

The main function of the downvote option is to report posts that should not be on that specific thread, violate Reddit’s general rules, link you to a malicious site, or something similar. Only downvote a post if you have a good reason to. When deciding whether to downvote a post, consider whether it is related to the Subreddit and contributes to the topic. If it doesn’t do either of these two things, the post should be downvoted.

Conclusion

We looked at what you should avoid doing on Reddit in order to improve your experience and the site’s overall quality. After all, Reddit is nothing without its users’ comments and content submissions, so how you behave on the site is extremely important. Most long-time Reddit users should already be aware of these guidelines, but it never hurts to be reminded.