r/modhelp Mar 08 '20

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

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

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 7h ago

Tools Can't Access the User Mod Log in the Official Reddit app Anymore

Upvotes

When I click the username it usually pops up with a box, where I can see the user ModLog, access the full profile etc, instead of doing that now it just collapses the comment.

When I click the username of OP on a Post, ModLog comes up most of the time but not when it is on a comment on a Post. It also collapses the comment. It disappears too quickly to take a screenshot. It's only the username in the top of the Post, that works.

It doesn't work on any comments from any user.

I'm on Reddit Desktop, Windows 11 and using Firefox or DuckDuckGo Browsers. Have tried different Browsers, disabled extensions etc.

Any advice please?


r/modhelp 17h ago

Tools Mod tools for icon change?

Upvotes

Hello, I was creating a group on desktop windows 10 and I got to the prompt to add the group's icon and I could select a photo and a window appeared with a square that let me select which part of the photo to center. I had to alt-tab to search for a photo that I forgot where I placed it, when I was back after 1-2 minutes, didn't take long, I was back to the front page of reddit and the group was created. Now the problem is that when I went to mod tools and changed the icon, I don't get the window with the square where I can select which part of the photo to center. It automatically loads any photo and just compressed it from the sides and it looks awful. How can I get back to that 'tool'? I don't want to create another group since I can't pick the same name and read that you can't delete subreddits. And if I can't get back to that, how did Reddit overlook such a situation?


r/modhelp 19h ago

Answered I got a message that I was removed as a Mod and when I look at the sub, there were no longer any Mod listed. Was it hacked or something?

Upvotes

Our sub r/PhilippinesNews no longer shows any Mod at all. Was it hacked? Suspended? Banned?

We checked both Desktop version of Reddit and mobile version, same thing. No Mods showing.


r/modhelp 22h ago

Users All new posts get removed

Upvotes

I need help with my new subreddit. We are finally getting some movement but most new posts get removed by reddit even if they are harmless and even when the same post is online in a different subreddit.

It makes it hard for me to have a live community when everything is being deleted before I even see it. I don't know if it has to do with settings or how to make it less strict.

I need to clarify I am not referring to obvious spam, but rather subreddit topic related posts from normal looking accounts.

If you know how to fix please let me know.

Desktop and Mobile user.


r/modhelp 14h ago

General Question about subreddit promotion.

Upvotes

I am using desktop and I have a few subreddits but they are dead. Someone gave me a link to a free website or tool that gets people to visit your subreddit and the site/tool was free. Please post a link here or dm it to me. Thanks Reddit!


r/modhelp 1d ago

Tools Issue with banning function

Upvotes

I've only recently been made the mod of a subreddit, and I've been learning the ropes there, but I've run into a hiccup which doesn't seem to be the result of my own inexperience with the platform. I have banning permission for the sub, and I'm able to use it through the mod tools menu by directly inputting a user's handle, but the "ban" function that appears on the toolbar when I click on a user's handle appears not to do anything at all. I've shared screenshots with the head mod of that subreddit, who's confirmed that I'm interacting with the right part of the interface, and it works for them, but it does nothing when I use it. This appears to be the case on both desktop and on my phone, and regardless of which browser I'm using. Does anyone have any idea what might be causing this?


r/modhelp 1d ago

Answered How do I make a comment as a mod team and not yourself?

Upvotes

I know how to set a mod label on my own comments, but I've seen some places provide a custom mod team message. I'm pretty sure it's custom as it's directed directly towards that specific post.

This is a question both for desktop and Android


r/modhelp 2d ago

Design Did Reddit change or remove the option for cropping a photo before making a post ?

Upvotes

Seems after a recent edit I can’t figure out how to crop a photo to post. iPhone 15


r/modhelp 2d ago

Users User flagged in mod queue for “Possible Propaganda Account”… has anyone seen this before? Is it flagged in the sub or is that an Reddit site-wide thing?

Upvotes

I’m not sure if I should share a screenshot or not as it has the username in it

This sub is prompting me to say what platform I’m using I’m on mobile if that matters. Mobile web


r/modhelp 2d ago

Users Coordinated hostile takeover attempts and brigading campaign targeting subreddits of Kurdish cities

Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I am dealing with a severe cross-subreddit harassment and brigading campaign. Users from other communities are targeting the subreddits I manage for various cities in north of Kurdistan (such as Mardin, Kars, Adiyaman, and Bitlis).

These users are upset that these subreddits are moderated by Kurdish moderators. They are actively organizing hostile spamming attempts, coordinating campaigns to mass-report my account so they can seize control of the subreddits.

The specific coordination and hostile discussions are taking place in these threads:

Discussion on r/vlandiya
Discussion on r/MORFLAND

What is the best way to escalate this to Reddit Admins to address these subreddits and users orchestrating hostile takeovers and targeted brigading?

Desktop and IOS


r/modhelp 2d ago

General Mod Log Shows Multiple Removals for Same Post

Upvotes

Is there any particular reason why if a post is removed by the NSFW filter it shows up 3-5 (or more) times per post? We get a lot of false negatives (and plenty that are appropriately removed) and looking at the mod report, the automod will mark something several times.

On Desktop


r/modhelp 2d ago

Answered Comments being removed as spam by a banned user?

Upvotes

Hello!

I am a mod of a small sub.
Lately every comment made by two users are being removed as “Spam Removed by Reddit’s automated systems”
When I click on their profile it says u/username has been banned.

If these two members have been banned from Reddit how are they able to post comments in our sub? Or are these users banned from our sub but using alt accounts?
Their comments are not malicious but they are new to our sub.
I have ban evasion on but I don’t see anything?

Should I report at all?

Im sorry, i am not very technology advanced or an advanced mod.

Any help about whats going on is appreciated!

Thank you!

Using web/ios


r/modhelp 2d ago

General Mod review report with no reason given

Upvotes

Occasionally I’ll get a mod review for a post but there is no reason given. I thought a reason always had to be given. What’s going on in these cases? I’m on IOS and android tablet


r/modhelp 3d ago

Answered I command all moderators to have a lovely weekend.

Upvotes

Being a mod is often called a "Thankless task".

Thank you for your service.

On a desktop


r/modhelp 2d ago

Tools How to see members of my subreddit ?

Upvotes

I'm the mod, and would like to see the members who join my subreddit. Is it possible to see their profile ?
Thanks - (mod on desktop)


r/modhelp 3d ago

Answered What to do about a deceased mod?

Upvotes

I found a sub for the small town where I recently moved but it’s essentially defunct due to a deceased top mod, and the other mod, who is the deceased persons brother, has lost access to his account with mod privileges and is understandably emotional and not very happy about my inquiries within the sub about how we can get a new active mod.

While I’ve been on Reddit for 3 yrs I’m more of a commenter and I don’t have any post Karma to request Reddit to make me the mod. Honestly I’m not that interested in actually being a mod, I just want my small town sub to be useable.

Hoping folks here might have some suggestions on how to figure this out.

iOS


r/modhelp 3d ago

Tips & Tricks What can I do about someone abusing the report button?

Upvotes

I mod a few subs on iOS and desktop and in theoast few days, there has been a problem of someone reporting posts even when they don't break rules. I also made a post warning people not to abuse the report button and my post has been reported for spam and endangering minors (2x). I know that reports are anonymous and I can't catch the person who's doing this, but is there anything else I can do to prevent this from happening again or limit it?


r/modhelp 2d ago

General Automoderator is spamming our sub

Upvotes

Well this is weird one. The Automoderator, who I cannot block from the sub is sending game watching spam. I've removed the posts but what on earth?

Caught on android. Sub is r/Hyperhidrosis.


r/modhelp 2d ago

Answered Hello, I am running a subreddit called r/manisaa, but how would i move the subreddit to r/manisa ?

Upvotes

[Desktop] 4-5 years ago, i created the r/manisaa (with double a at the end) subreddit. it is the subreddit for my city. however, i did it so because r/manisa was already taken. However, back then (2022 ish) when i tried creating r/manisa, it said that r/manisa already existed, so i couldn't create it. and when i checked to see what r/manisa was like, it was a banned subreddit. and at that time, i did not know that you could ask to get moderation perms for dead subreddits. so i didn't, and just created r/manisaa. however, after a while, i have seen that r/manisa was no longer banned and asked the moderator of r/manisa if they could give me mod rights too. now i have moderation perms in both r/manisa and r/manisaa. however, since r/manisaa was more active over the years, we have around 1000 members in r/manisaa and a lot less in r/manisa. however, since r/manisa is the correct name for our city, i would really love to move r/manisaa and its members to r/manisa. is there a manual way to do this either by myself or from reddit administration? if so, how can i do it? if nothing works, i will probably have to post a post in r/manisaa to tell people to kindly move to r/manisa instead. since we are only 1000 members, i don't think it would be an impossible task to move to r/manisa, but anyway.


r/modhelp 3d ago

Tips & Tricks What can I do about bots scraping codes from picture posts?

Upvotes

So I'm running /r/pokecodes, a sub for posting pokemon code cards from the packs you open. The codes are for an online version of the game but bots constantly scrape the QR codes or the actual number/letter codes and redeem them for the bot owners.

How could I help stop this? Will auto spoilering all photos help?

Im on ios but can use desktop if needed.


r/modhelp 3d ago

Engagement Top 9 mods are inactive, how to reorder?

Upvotes

Can I make a request through any mod channels?

Desktop


r/modhelp 3d ago

Answered User is seeing comment removed by moderator, but I didn't remove it. What happened?

Upvotes

This is on desktop. There's been confusion between the app my subreddit is for, and a new similarly named one that recently popped up. The developer has been clearing things up in the comments, but their comments keep getting pulled by reddit itself as spam, not me. I've been approving them as they pop up.

But they have as screenshot of one of the comments where it says [deleted] removed by moderator.

I didn't remove it though! I approved it as soon as I saw it. Is that what it shows anytime spam is removed, even when a moderator isn't the one who did it?


r/modhelp 3d ago

Answered How to make post fairs required

Upvotes

I am a very new mod and creator of a subreddit and I am confused on how to do most things

(Mobile iOS)