Master Reddit

Reddit is an awesome site that brings the coolest things from around the internet and lets you browse through them in one place.

However, it would be nothing without its army of users, who dutifully scour the web for the most interesting stories, funniest photos and most mind-blowing videos - and the best thing is that you can easily become part of this growing social phenomenon. You don't need to sign up and post to Reddit if you don't want to - the site is free for anyone to view. However, if you take the time to leave comments, vote, post and befriend other users, you'll see a whole new side to one of the most popular websites on the internet, and earn Reddit's social currency - otherwise known as karma - into the bargain.
Being able to share things you like with the rest of the world is always fantastic, and Reddit - a place where the cream rises to the top - makes it easy and fun to do.

Step-by-step: Become a Redditor

Make your mark on one of the web's biggest communities

 

Sign up for Reddit

 

To get started, head on over to www.reddit.com. If you want,
you can start browsing straight away, but to get the most from Reddit
you'll need to sign up for a free account. At the top right-hand corner
of the page you'll find a rather small link that says 'Register'. Click this
link to begin the quick and painless registration process. Very little
information is needed to become a member.

Create a new account

Now you'll see a new page where you can create a unique username for your account, and choose a password. You can't change your username later, so choose carefully. You'll need to verify the password and complete a Captcha to prove that you are, in fact, human. Unlike most websites, adding your email address is optional for Reddit. It will only be used if you forget your password.

Explore your account

Be sure to tick ‘Remember me' - that way you won't need to log in every time you use Reddit (if you use a shared computer, ignore this option). Click 'Create account’ to finish the process. You can now select your username to see updates, including any trophies you might have earned by posting particularly interesting links. You can click 'Preferences' to change your options at any time.

Submit a post

Click 'Submit a post' to create a new post on Reddit. You can
choose whether to submit the post as a link to another web page,
or as basic text. Give the post a descriptive title to rack up those
all-important views, add the URL of the page you want to link to, and
choose a relevant subreddit (category). This way, you'll ensure other
likeminded users will find your post.

Vote for a favourite

Kfl Reddit works via a system of ‘karma’. If you like a post, click the up arrow to its left - it'll turn orange to indicate that you have upvoted the post, giving the poster some positive karma for their efforts. If you don't like it, click the opposite arrow, which will turn blue. This system of voting ensures the cream rises to the top, while the worst and most misleading posts are quickly spotted.

Check out comments

Kfl Each post you see within a particular subreddit will include a number of comments made by other users. Just click on the grey ‘x comments' link to find them and start reading. Just like the posts themselves, these comments are ranked by karma, and just like a regular post, you can upvote or downvote comments you like or dislike to affect their ranking.

Add your own comments

You can add your own voice to the conversation using the
box at the top of the comments page, but it's not the only way to
make yourself heard on Reddit - you can also reply to a particular
comment by clicking the small 'reply' link below it. This will result in
your comment being nested underneath. Try not to use too much
formatting in your comments - it's an etiquette no-no.

See much more

Bifl Comments below a certain karma threshold - or outside of the standard loading scope - will be hidden initially. You can choose to display these by clicking the 'load more comments' link at whatever tier of the conversation you're interested in. The link will appear again at the bottom of the page as well, so you'll always have access to further user comments.

Find new subreddits

Kifl The front page is initially restricted to a handful of default subreddits (the name given to Reddit's individual forums). Type a subject into the search box at the top right of the Reddit interface and it'll suggest relevant subreddits that you might be interested in. Select one of these suggestions, then click the 'Subcribe' button to add its posts to your own front page.

Remove defaults

Bail Some of Reddit's default subscriptions are controversial and sometimes annoying - the Atheism subreddit, for example, can be a little much. To remove any topics that don't interest you from your front page feed, click the subreddit's name - either at the top of the main interface or next to one of their posts - then click the 'Unsubscribe' button on the right.

Get a better Reddit

There are some things that Reddit does well, and there are some that it doesn't. To get the best Reddit experience, we recommend running RES, the Reddit Enhancement Suite - it’s a browser plugin that includes some excellent tweaks. Start by visiting the website at www.redditenhancementsuite.com to begin streamlining your experience.

Install the RES plugin

RES doesn't work with Internet Explorer, but if you’re using a different browser you just need to click the large orange button to get instructions on installation. Once the RES plugin is up and running, go back to Reddit and try the first big enhancement: infinite scrolling. Once you reach the bottom of the page, it'll automatically load the next section.

Quick images

One of the key enhancements of RES is the way it handles images. You'll now find a button next to any image post with a small plus sign on it - click this and the image will be displayed within the post itself, rather than taking you away from the page to see it. There’s also a new tab at the top of the page labelled 'View all images', which does exactly what you'd expect.

Filter out posts

Sometimes people post things to Reddit that are a little unsavoury. It's a democratic system - people have free speech - but that doesn't mean you have to deal with all the nasty stuff.
We recommend using RES to filter out the nasties. Hover over the cog icon at the top right of the screen and switch the NSFW filter to ‘On’. Now you can enjoy Reddit, minus the dodgy bits.

Enjoy Reddit!

Now you know how to use Reddit and all the secrets you'll need to make it even more useful. We’re confident you'll have a great time in the world of posts, votes and karma. If you want to be on the cutting edge of the internet, Reddit is the perfect place if you want to keep your finger on the social pulse, or if you just need a new source of lolcats, gifs and other memes.

Change deep settings

Use the cog menu to get to the Settings Sonsole page, and you'll find a whole host of options which let you subtly (or considerably) tweak your overall Reddit experience. Many won’t be obvious until you've used the service for a while, but it's worth spending some time with it to find out what you can change. Click 'Save options' when you're done.