##BANNINGS, SHADOWBANNINGS AND SUSPENSIONS.

###BANNINGS AND SUSPENSIONS.
**Moderators have the power to ban users from their subreddit ONLY.** This means the user can read comments and posts on the subreddit but *can't comment or post to the subreddit themselves.* They can also be "muted" so they can't contact the mods for a period of time.

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**A subreddit ban isn't a site-wide ban, it only applies to _that specific subreddit._**

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Usually this is done when the user continues to break the subreddit's rules and/or is trolling and/or is abusive/threatening.

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Subreddit bans can last from a few hours to indefinitely. Users can appeal the ban by politely contacting the subreddit's moderators but it's up to the mods whether or not they overturn the ban.

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**Administrators can suspend accounts from Reddit – as in _the entire site_ – for several reasons,** including doxxing, spamming, vote manipulation/buying votes, trolling/being abusive and threatening, ban evad

##AWARDS, KARMA, UPVOTES AND DOWNVOTES.

###AWARDS.
Awards are icons which Reddit users can give each other for comments and posts. Some are free, most cost money. Both the person receiving the award and the person giving it earn karma. The [RedditHelp article](https://reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043034132-What-are-awards-and-how-do-I-give-them-) has more information, as does the unofficial r/awards [wiki entry](https://www.reddit.com/r/awards/wiki/awardsinfo/faq).

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###KARMA.
Karma is fake internet points. You don't get anything for having them. You don't win anything for having them.

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When Reddit began as a site to share and discuss news, karma points were used to indicate how trustworthy/accurate a poster was – the more correct/helpful news they shared, the more points they had so you "knew" they could be trusted. That's not necessarily the case any more. (For example: posts with pictures of cute animals get hundreds of thousands of upvotes [as they should] bu

##COMMENTING AND POSTING.
**Comments** can be added by entering text in the "Comment as [username]" text box at the end of unlocked posts.

* Comments can be made either with the "Fancy Pants" (What You See Is What You Get/WYSIWYG) editor or the "Markdown Mode" (add styling yourself with asterisks, underlines, etc) editor.
* Comments can be edited by the original poster (a.k.a. "OP," the person who made the comment).
* Comments can only be deleted (erased) by the original poster and Reddit ADMINS.
* Comments can be removed (hidden) by subreddit MODS and Reddit ADMINS. Moderators *can't* delete/erase comments, only remove/hide them.

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**Follow [RedditHelp's article](https://reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360060422572-How-do-I-post-on-Reddit-) to learn how to post** based on which platform you're using.

* Posts can be made using either the "Fancy Pants" (What You See Is What You Get) editor or the "Markdown Mode" (add styling yourself with asterisks, underlines, etc) editor.
* 

##SUBREDDIT RULES, SIDEBARS AND WIKIS.
Each subreddit has a "sidebar" – a column of information down the right-hand (or left-hand if you change the option) side of the screen on desktop.

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The sidebar normally contains a description of the subreddit, any rules for the subreddit and any other information the moderators wanted to add. There's always a "Message the Moderators" button at the bottom, along with a list of the subreddit's mods.

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**On desktop, both new and old layouts,** the sidebar should always be present.

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**[On the official app](https://www.reddit.com/r/help/comments/5vp9x6/how_to_access_sidebar_on_reddit_app/),** click the ellipses ("…") at the top of the screen, then select the "Community Info" option.

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**[On mobile browser](https://www.reddit.com/r/help/comments/5vp9x6/how_to_access_sidebar_on_reddit_app/)**, click the "**About**" tab next to the "Posts" tab at the top of the screen.

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Some subreddits also have wikis, which – if not

###FINDING SUBREDDITS.
* r/findareddit has a [directory](https://www.reddit.com/r/findareddit/wiki/directory) sorted by subjects (such as art, locations, music, stories, etc) plus instructions on [how to find a subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/findareddit/wiki/howtofindasubreddit) to join!
* Using the [Reddit Search Engine](https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/right-way-search-reddit/) can also help!

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###ADMINS VS MODS.
* **Reddit Admin(istrator)s are paid employees of Reddit.com who have total power over the site.**
    * **Reddit ADMINS** can remove and delete content as well as suspend and ban users from the website as a whole. They are the "top rung of the ladder", so to speak.
    * **Administrators** may not be around 24/7/365 but Reddit is literally their job, they're in charge and in control of *everything Reddit-related.*

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* **Mod(erator)s are unpaid volunteers who are in charge _only_ of the subreddit(s) they moderate at.**
    * **Reddit MODS** [CAN](https://mods

###USING YOUR ACCOUNT.
* **You can't change your username once your account is created.** Deleting your account will make the username unusable in future (meaning, you can't recreate it with the exact same spelling; you'd have to make a slightly different username such as "JonDoe" instead of "JohnDoe"). If you decide you don't like your username, your only option to change it is to make a whole new account. More information [here @ RedditHelp](https://reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/204579479-Can-I-change-my-username-).

* **Don't lose access to the email address associated with your Reddit account;** you won't be able to retrieve or change your password. **Always make sure your Reddit account's email address is one you can access! (Also, try to remember your Reddit password.)**

* **Adjust your [User Settings](https://www.reddit.com/settings);** it may be helpful to have subreddits automatically sort by "new", for example.

* **Read up on [Reddit formatting](https://www.reddit.com/wi

#A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO REDDIT.
**THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE GUIDE TO EVERYTHING REDDIT.** This guide is only to point you in the right directions for learning to use the site and understand its terminology. Visit the helpful subreddits linked, visit [RedditHelp](https://reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/) and lurk around to learn more.

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##WHAT IS REDDIT?
Reddit is a message board with more than one hundred thousand (100,000) "sub-forums" – called "subreddits" or "subs" – where registered users can post, comment, upvote, downvote and give each other awards. The site was originally intended to collect and share news/noteworthy items but has grown beyond that.

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Subreddits are denoted with "r/", such as r/nosleep. User accounts are denoted with "u/", such as "u/JDoe101".

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###HELPFUL RESOURCES.
* **[RedditHelp](https://reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/)** is the official "help desk" which includes information on [Account Status](https://reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/categories/360003602632-Accou

#A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO REDDIT.

* **[GETTING STARTED WITH REDDIT.](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoSleepAuthors/comments/10lw4z9/a_beginners_guide_to_reddit/j5zds4w/)**
    * WHAT IS REDDIT?
    * HELPFUL RESOURCES.
    * USING YOUR ACCOUNT.
    * FINDING SUBREDDITS.
    * ADMINS VS MODS.
* **[SUBREDDIT RULES, SIDEBARS AND WIKIS.](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoSleepAuthors/comments/10lw4z9/a_beginners_guide_to_reddit/j5zcyh8/)**
    * HOW TO MESSAGE MODERATORS.
* **[COMMENTING AND POSTING.](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoSleepAuthors/comments/10lw4z9/a_beginners_guide_to_reddit/j5zbt8c/)**
    * CHARACTER VS WORD LIMITS.
    * DELETION VS REMOVAL.
* **[AWARDS, KARMA, UPVOTES AND DOWNVOTES.](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoSleepAuthors/comments/10lw4z9/a_beginners_guide_to_reddit/j5zbdu1/)**
    * AWARDS.
    * KARMA.
    * UPVOTES.
    * DOWNVOTES.
    * VOTE MANIPULATION.
* **[BANNINGS, SHADOWBANNINGS AND SUSPENSIONS.](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoSleepAuthors/comments/10lw4z9/comment/j5zb44l/)**
    * BANNINGS AND SUSPENSIONS.
    * BAN-EVASION.
    * SHADOWBANNING.

&amp;nbsp;

A Beginner's Guide To Reddit