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Reddit Challenge

 Welcome back to the Bistro.


 I've decided to tackle the Reddit challenge to help me dive back into the sprawling Reddit community. Here we go: 

Part 1: Finding Spaces

  • Find a subreddit related to your academic or professional interests
    • r/dataisbeautiful
  • Find a subreddit related to a personal hobby
    • r/sourdough
  • Find a subreddit that surprises you (something you didn’t expect to exist)
    • r/seasonalfabricbirds
    • Found as I was looking for a birdwatching subreddit. Just wow.
  • Find a subreddit with very strict rules
    • r/kitchenconfidential
    • 11 detailed rules posted right as you come to the subreddit. All about the anecdotes and trials that folks in the food and beverage industry deal with in hospitality.
  • Find a subreddit with very minimal rules
    • r/culinary
    • Pretty straightforward. Keep it about food, and keep it positive.


Part 2: Deep Dive on a Subreddit

  • Identify one rule that shapes what can be posted in a specific subreddit
    • On r/books, there's a rule that is very particular about what separates it from others in its niche. It states: "What's that book called?" Posts are not allowed. Post instead to r/whatsthatbook or r/tipofmytongue. 
  • Find an example of a post that follows the rules well
    • https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/comments/1trw2fx/opinions_on_first_loaf/
    • Amateur baker attaches the link to the recipe with his pictures, alongside his own process and small changes in the process when making the bread. Tags as their first sourdough ever and asks for advice. All rules followed in r/sourdough!
  • Find an example of a post that breaks the rules (or gets called out)
    • https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1tqwt1k/lets_be_honest_about_authors_work_even_if_they/
    • This one, although it wasn't removed by moderators, is called out by users as rage-baiting, and for its wording as being uncivil, and, as the rules state, not assuming good faith. The OP's post is regarding not immediately revering authors even though they've passed. This discussion has been brought up elsewhere- especially amongst musicians.


Part 3: Understanding What Gets Attention

  • Find a highly upvoted post and describe why it might be popular
The first Bond game in decades is getting a lot of buzz in the gaming community right now, and this OP noticed that the same face model used in the Kingdom Come: Deliverance series is also used in the new Bond title, 007: First Light. The OP's humor about the medieval RPG being the Action-Adventure Narrative Game's prequel drew many users to upvote. It prompted discussion about the voice actor being Irish, even though Bond is famously British.

  • Find a post with very few upvotes and reflect on why
    • https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1tqv61g/what_game_would_you_like_a_dlcexpansion_for/
    • This post had 75 upvotes but 256 comments and multiple threads. Based on the discussion, it's not that anyone disliked the topic of expansions for older games; the OP framed it as a question to prompt discussion rather than as a post that would elicit only reactions.
  • Compare “Hot” vs. “New” in one subreddit
    • I hold my level 1 sommelier certificate and still act as a FOH manager and maitre d' part-time, so I felt obligated to join r/wine
      • The "Hot" was relatively recent posts (over the past 2 days) and were just posts of expensive, rare, older vintages, and popular wines. They typically had more traction (upvotes/comments/activity) than the posts in the "New" section.
      • The "New" were the absolute most recent posts (sometimes including some of the posts that overlapped in the "Hot" Category) and were less of the reactionary posts from just pictures of idiosyncratic wines and more of just questions about wines like: 




Part 4: Light Participation


  • Upvote or downvote at least 5 posts. How did you choose? How did it feel?
    • Etna Rosso on r/wine. My wife and I love the Sicilian reds. It's like an even fancier/deeper Oregon Pinot Noir. 
                                                         

    • Golden Pothos Tower spotted on r/houseplants. Liked for a lovely tower of the plant and an additional upvote incentive for the dog cameo. We love our houseplants and pups at home.
                                                          
    • Another upvote on r/houseplants. The post had an entire section of 'Thai Constellation' Monstera that are becoming easier to find. I found my most successful Thai Constellation at a Walmart in the clearance section, and it's rescued! Love that they're becoming more accessible. Beautiful and easy to take care of.

    • Joined r/grilling and love seeing the residual Memorial Day flexes. Ribeye was BOGO at Winn Dixie (and they're quality!), so I'll be matching this soon: 

    • Joined r/charleston. I just got married there in March, and we are still obsessed. Immediately upvote this photographer's gallery-worthy photos of Angel's Oak, Rainbow Row, and some other staple landmarks in the city:
  • Leave one thoughtful comment:
                                                

                       

  • Reply to another commenter:


Part 5: Platform Awareness (Bonus Round)

  • Figure out what karma is and how it works: 
    • Reddit's reputation monitoring amongst users; some subreddits permit more privileges if you have higher karma. I just started upvoting and only have one post from a year ago with minimal engagement, so my karma is 2. You lose karma from downvotes on a post.
  • Notice how anonymity affects how people communicate:
    • Users are definitely honest, and folks in these niche subreddits I've explored today don't hold back their respective 'nerdiness' in these topics. The passion for these interests is evident, and it strengthens communities. That's evident in the r/kitchenconfidential and r/books subreddits. 
    • The downfall of users' anonymity is that people are, at times, scathing to OP users if the post prompts discussion. The culture is generally better than the comment sections on YouTube or Facebook, but the severity and level of criticism vary depending on the subreddit. 

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