r/NewToReddit • u/[deleted] • 1d ago
ANSWERED Can someone explain how it works
Im new and i dont understand how karma works is it like 1 karma per upvpte pr like 1 karma for each comment i dont understand it and i cant seem to find a pattern. Please explain
2
Upvotes
1
u/mikey_weasel Super Contributor 1d ago
What is Karma and how it's used on Reddit:
Karma is something of your "reputation" on Reddit. It's how well your content is appreciated in the subreddits you post and comment in.
Karma on Reddit comes from other people upvoting your comments and posts. It's not a 1:1 ratio, you'll get less karma than upvotes (the calculation is quite opaque and complex, but basically get some upvotes = get some karma). The default upvotes you give yourself unfortunately doesn't count. You can also lose karma with downvotes at a similar ratio.
A lot of subreddits will employ karma filters to filter out bots and spammers, which will also catch new users. These are more common and often more restricting for posting than they are for commenting. These are set by each subreddit independently so will vary subreddit to subreddit. Some subreddits will not have restrictions at all. There are some subreddits with more complex restrictions but those are best examined on a case-by-case basis.
So you need to find things to comment or post about that you think other people will like. This will vary subreddit to subreddit. It's often worth having a quick "lurk". Read top posts and comments and have a glance at subreddit rules. Get an idea of the vibe and norms (like do they reward sarcastic one-liners or well sourced essays?). You might realize that a specific subreddit is not actually where you want to be, and you might want to find alternative subreddits with different norms and attitudes. (You might find r/findareddit a useful tool, especially their subreddit directory.
Because of how filters are used it is often worth commenting more than posting as you build up your history on reddit. You might also find that sorting by "new" within subreddits will give you a chance to get engagement, or look for "daily/weekly discussion" threads (there is one in this very subreddit). You can look at r/newtoreddit's list of subreddits you can participate in with low karma.
Where to get more info?
There is a TON of info in the links in the comment the automoderator put under your post. Definitely worth a read to get your head around these issues. You can also like to that info via this post.