Calling itself "the front page of the Internet," Reddit is used by 250 million people from over 200 countries, posting approximately five million comments each and every day. For the first time user, posting on Reddit can be very confusing, but it is actually quite simple to do.
Create a Reddit Account
In order to post, you'll first have to make a free account on Reddit.
On the home page, you will see a blue button on the top banner that says "BECOME A REDDITOR." Click on this button, or use the "Want to join? Log in or sign up in seconds" link on the top right.
You will be prompted with a pop-up window to enter your email address.
Once you've entered your address, a pop-up will appear with some popular subreddits you can choose to subscribe to. Reddit recommends you subscribe to at least five communities to get started. You can choose ones you are interested in, or just hit "Next."
Choose your username and enter a password on the next screen. Click on the box to confirm you are not a robot. You may need to complete a reCAPTCHA challenge.
Click "Submit" and you're done.
Post in a Subreddit
Now that you have an account and are signed in, find the "subreddit" where you would like to post. A subreddit is a community in Reddit centered around a specific topic area.
Click on "My Subreddits" in the top-left corner of the screen to choose one of your subscribed communities or navigate to another one where you would like to submit a post.
Once you are in a subreddit, look to the right-hand side of the screen for the "submit a new link" or "submit a new text post" (or similar) buttons.
If you choose to submit a text post, a screen will pop up with fields for the title and optional text. You must enter a title for your post but you do not have to add additional text.
Indicate whether you want to post on your profile or in the subreddit (the default choice) by clicking the appropriate radio button.
Verify that your post adheres to the rules of the subreddit.
If you do not want replies to your post to be sent to your Reddit inbox, uncheck the box in the Options area and submit the reCAPTCHA to verify your post.
If you want to submit a link instead, choose the "Submit Link" option.
Enter the URL in the field provided and provide a title for your post.
Proceed with the same steps as for a text post, like choosing where the post should be published.
If you want to post an image or video, use the "Submit Link" option and drag the file into the box or use the "Choose File" option to select it from your computer.
Follow the Subreddit Rules
Before you post in a subreddit, you should take some time to read posts to get a feel for the community and also review their rules. Depending on the group, there may be very specific policies about what you can and cannot post.
For example, some subreddits focused on academia and research will only allow you to post links from peer-reviewed journals. Other subreddits may strictly limit discussion to certain topics. Look for a listing of rules and policies on the right-hand side of the subreddit home page underneath the Submit Link and Submit Text buttons.
Comment on a Post
To comment on a post in a subreddit, be mindful not to click on the post title in the listing. This may redirect you to the outside link that the user submitted for that post. Instead, click on the comment count (e.g., "258 comments") below the post title.
You will be taken to a new page with the post at the top and comments underneath.
A box will appear just under the post. Type your post inside this box, and hit "save" when you are ready to post it.
If you need help with formatting, there's a "formatting help" link you can click underneath the box that will reveal some markdown tips, like how to use bold or italics.
You can also post a comment to reply to an existing comment on the original post. Just navigate to the comment where you want to reply and click on the small "reply" option underneath the comment.
Subscribe to a Subreddit
If you want to continue to follow the discussion around your posts and others on the topic, it's best to subscribe to that subreddit. You can subscribe to as many subreddits as you'd like.
Look for the subreddit information area on the upper right area of the screen. The area will have the subreddit name, the number of members and a "Subscribe" button.
Click on the "Subscribe" button to join.
To unsubscribe, click on the button again, which will now say "Unsubscribe."
When you return to Reddit after logging out from the site, you can easily find all of your subscribed subreddits by scrolling up to the top of the screen.
Click on the "MY SUBREDDITS" link near the top-left and a drop-down list will appear.
Engage the Internet on Reddit
Once you get used to posting on Reddit, you'll find it's a breeze. With the massive user base and wide variety of topic areas, Reddit can be a valuable source of knowledge and entertainment. Follow the steps above and soon you'll be an enthusiastic member of the "Redditor" community.
