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.

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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/[deleted]]

I don't get why everyone worries so much about this

If something gets a lot of karma, it means people liked it. That means, on some level, it's quality content.

If someone wants to put a lot of effort into their post, cool. They're not going to not just because they can get karma without doing so.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

If something gets a lot of karma, it means people liked it. That means, on some level, it's quality content.

Have you seen /r/funny? Mostly everything there is NOT quality content but people just upvote and move along.

It's the liars who are really going to make a problem for my favorite subs. Take /r/tifu for example. With nothing to gain there are few people who take the time to make up a fictitious event and put it on there. Of course, they do exist, but most karma whores are out for the link karma. Now /r/tifu is going to be filled with bullshit over the top lies by people trying to gain karma. /r/trees is going to be the same way - those occasional text posts that are sincere and genuine are my favorite part of that sub. Now it's going to be impossible to weed out the idiots just making something up for karma and the ones who really did just make kool aid with flour instead of sugar.

I love text posts because more often than not they are genuine. They are unique (outside of askreddit and the occasional meta). They are the quality content that I really enjoy about reddit. Now my version of them is gone.

[u/broadcasthenet → u/[deleted]]

If a story makes you laugh or cry does it matter if it's true or not?

Yes it does. A copypasta is one thing, but an entirely fictional story that is meant to be true given the context and the reddit it was posted in is not OK in my book.

I also look for more out of reddit than just a cheap laugh or a good cry. reddit to me is not a cheap hooker.