This is your chance to make valuable contributions to your chosen subreddit.
Concept #1: The Importance of Comments
One of the biggest mistakes people make on social media is avoiding the comments section. It is a lot of work to make genuine comments, but the comments section is where the most interesting engagement happens between users. This is especially true on Reddit where sometimes a comment becomes more popular than the submission itself.
Concept #2: Contributing value through comments
Here are our top recommendations for contributing comments that build a positive reputation on Reddit:
– Stay positive. There are a lot of trolls out there, and plenty of things to argue about. We’re not against debate, but avoid being nasty or reacting harshly to another user. It will make you look immature and untrustworthy.
– Don’t make fluffy comments. Avoid making short comments like “Thank you” or “Great stuff”. These comments won’t hurt you, but they don’t add much to the conversation. If you want to thank someone or give someone a pat on the back, explain why.
– Share your knowledge or do research. Don’t make guesses or assumptions. Comment from a place of authority. Look up an answer if you have to and provide a source link in your comment to further validate your contribution.
– Ask good questions. Asking a question that drives the discussion or uncovers information will be valued by other community members.
– Use your voting power in comments. Not as many people vote on comments as they do on submissions, but voting affects comments the same way. Your right to vote will make an impact on what comments are viewed higher or lower on the page.
Today’s Assignment: Join the discussion
Go to the front page of your chosen subreddit and find the post with the highest number of comments (or at least 20). Read the comments and upvote the comments that contribute to the discussion. If someone is being inappropriate or says something patently false, you can downvote their comment.
Then go to the “new” tab of your chosen subreddit (look for the “new” tab near the header of the subreddit). This will display all of the newest submissions to the subreddit, which often have little to no comments. Read the latest submissions and find opportunities to contribute a thoughtful comment. Redditors often ask questions and if you have expertise or can do research, you can contribute value.
