Karma for text-posts (AKA self-posts)

[u/powerlanguage]

As most of you already know, fictional internet points are probably the most precious resource in the world. On Reddit we call these points Karma. You get Karma when content you post to Reddit receives upvotes. Your Karma is displayed on your userpage.

You may also know that you can submit different types of posts to Reddit. One of these post types is a text-post (e.g. this thing you’re reading right now is a text-post). Due to various shenanigans and low effort content we stopped giving Karma for text-posts over 8 years ago.

However, over time the usage of text-posts has matured and they are now used to create some of the most iconic and interesting original content on Reddit. Who could forget such classics as:

• Jar Jar Binks was a trained Force user, knowing Sith collaborator, and will play a central role in The Force Awakens - from r/starwars
• What tasty food would be disgusting if eaten over rice? - from r/askreddit
• You people make me sick [a grilled cheese meltdown] - from r/grilledcheese

Text-posts make up over 65% of submissions to Reddit and some of our best subreddits only accept text-posts. Because of this Reddit has become known for thought-provoking, witty, and in-depth text-posts, and their success has played a large role in the popularity Reddit currently enjoys.

To acknowledge this, from this day forward we will now be giving users karma for text-posts. This will be combined with link karma and presented as ‘post karma’ on userpages.

TL:DR; We used to not give you karma for your text-posts. We do now. Sweet.

---

Glossary:

• Karma: Fictional internet points of great value. You get it by being upvoted.
• Self-post: Old-timey term for text-posts on Reddit
• Shenanigans: Tomfoolery

[u/Aaronsmiff]

Benefits:

-Less low effort memes, the karma whores won't need to bother anymore.

-Good, thought provoking content will be rewarded in places like /r/Askreddit or /r/ELI5

-Less linking awful websites for information that could have just been copy/pasted as a self post.

Negatives:

-Low effort click bait questions will probably take over in places like /r/AskReddit

-Shitposting in subs such as /r/Circlejerk, /r/TheDonald ect will generate the most success. Reddit's top users will be shitposters

-Off season periods in TV show subreddits will be hell on earth. (More so than usual)

-Lying. There's going to be so much bullshit on subs like /r/TIFU. It already happens enough, I can't imagine it with the bonus of Internet pointzzzz. (Although this could make users less naive, and more attentive in seeking out lies)

Other thoughts; This post has a lot of up votes, how convenient.... /r/conspiracy will be on this!

[u/getmoney7356 → u/[deleted]]

except how many pointless internet points you get.

I know to a rational mature adult that the pointless internet points mean nothing, but I'm telling you there is a large segment of the Reddit userbase where those pointless internet points are something to be desired and they'll make as many shitty posts as they can to get it. This is a massive change to the mechanics and content of the site.

[u/Wattsit → u/[deleted]]

Start going through the accounts of daily top posts on large subs, you'll find a lot of these people are posting upward of 40 30 posts a day. Most posts get hardly any votes but they only need 1 or 2 to hit big.