Reddit is a community forum founded by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian in 2005. Today, it is one of the most popular websites, with millions of visitors and thousands of active communities. It ranks #19 globally with 1.30 billion total monthly visits.
In this article, we will explain everything about karma on Reddit, including how you can earn some.
What is Reddit karma score?
As per the Reddit FAQ page, karma score resonates with how much good you have done for the Reddit community — in short, karma is your credit score on Reddit. You can also think of it as Facebook’s equivalent of Likes. However, unlike Facebook, where you can show appreciation towards the post by clicking on either the conventional Like button or new Reactions, Reddit has a singular upvote or downvote option.
You can see the karma score below the profile name.
Also read: How to deactivate/delete your Reddit account?
How does Reddit calculate the karma score?
For beginners, it is simple — the more upvotes you get, the more karma score you have. However, the actual algorithm of how karma works is known only to Reddit.
What does karma do and why should you strive to earn more karma?
Karma score works like the reward points — the more you have, the more you can spend. But instead of spending, Reddit karma score allows you to post comments and links, ask questions, and start a thread on the platform.
If you do not have enough karma points, you cannot start a thread or ask questions. When you have a low karma score, the questions you might want to ask or have already asked will be removed by the Reddit moderator bot with the above message displayed on your screen.
So, if you want a deeper engagement on Reddit, try increasing your karma score.
Benefits of karma
A high karma score has some benefits. Here are some of them:
- Reputation: Having more karma on Reddit will increase your reputation on the platform. It also shows that you are active on the platform and are not merely a troll account.
- Awards: You can use the karma to give awards to fellow Redditors for an exceptional and informative post or comment. This will boost their account and motivate them to post more such content.
- Access: A high karma score works like a charm when you want to access certain subreddits, as these subreddits require a minimum karma score. Usually, this is done to counter trolls and spammers.
- Influence: Your voice has more weight when you have tons of karma. With more karma, you can make a bigger impact with your votes or downvotes.
How to get Karma on Reddit?
There are various ways by which you can increase your karma score; some of them are mentioned below.
- Be nice to people: Even if you want to criticise the person, always be polite and state the facts. Provide sources and tell them how they can improve the post. Do not argue unnecessarily, and listen to others’ views.
- Engage within the community: Join a community and engage by commenting and upvoting. This is the easiest way to earn karma, at least initially. Ask questions, post a joke or two and appreciate people.
- Join popular Subreddits: Subreddits are the communities where millions of people hang out to express views. You can join any of the thousands of Subreddits of your choice and then comment and upvote to gain karma points.
- Discuss the relevant topics: Be aware of the world’s happenings and then put your views. Remember, not all the events will be worth posting, and some events will be more emotional than others. P
- Follow the rules of the community: Before engaging within a community, always read the rules first to avoid getting downvoted. Also, read the Reddit content guidelines to get an overall idea.
- Do not troll: Trolling is considered offensive on almost every platform, and Reddit is no exception. Don’t post rude and offensive content that can spoil the mood of the subreddit.
- Use pictures and videos: These increase the aesthetical value of your post and will bring you more upvotes. Pictures and videos raise the profile of the post and make it more engaging.
Types of karma
On Reddit, you can earn four types of karma:
- Post karma: This is simple. You earn karma by posting on various subreddits. It starts with one karma per post. Certain posts you make will earn appreciation through upvotes or awards, while others may tank. The former will earn you more karma, while the latter may only give you one karma if you’re lucky.
- Comment karma: You can earn this karma by commenting on people’s posts. Similar to the above, comment karma also starts with one per comment. As the comment receives awards and appreciation, it will receive more karma.
- Awards karma: You can always earn more karma by giving awards to people on Reddit. Awards can be bought with the karma you earn; specific awards earn you karma.
- Awards receiving karma: Similarly, you can receive karma if someone else gives you an award. You will have to publish exceptional content or comment to earn an award.
