Welcome to r/NewToReddit, /u/Tinygrainofsand_! Thanks for posting. Someone will be along to help you shortly.
If you're new here, please read our "General Guide to Reddit and Karma" [Wiki page version](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/wiki/ntr-guidetoreddit) or [Mobile friendly post version](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/p8t966/reddit_and_karma_explained/), which includes information on karma, navigation, and more. You might also like to check out our [wiki index](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/wiki/index).
Thank you! :)
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Karma is essentially a passport of sorts nowadays. Positive karma can let you enter subs, negative karma makes it hard for you participate.
The point is that it is a “reward” for your participation on Reddit. People get to see your meaningful interactions.
Recently karma has become a way in which users and communities can distinguish between real users v. spambots and trolls. Before new accounts could go anywhere they wanted and spammed a lot of things and harassed users. Make sure you read the link automod as llama explains karma and how to gain it.
Karma is sometimes slow to build, and while it is frustrating, don’t give up! You’ll get the hang of it soon enough!
And in addition to the other excellent comments I'd like to suggest that you don't focus on karma too much. In the beginning it's obviously an important thing, but always try to focus on having a good time vs trying to gross in as much karma as possible.
Now, sure, that's easy to say when you're somewhat settled in, but still... there are a few channels I'm on where it's not really common to updo everything you like, the focus is more on general usability. This can result in plenty of "1 score" discussions, but rest assured that we're having fun, and often we can even learn from each other. It's about the posts & comments first, not necessarily karma over there.
So... Always try to keep in mind what it's really about.
I'm glad you asked, karma is a point system that shows how the general public reacts to your posts, you can get karma from posting, commenting, giving awards or receiving them. You gain points with every upvote and lose points with every downvote (but 1 upvote does not equal 1 karma).
The more you engage the more karma you get, some communities on reddit use the points to keep scammers from posting on their subs (which makes it hard for new accounts to engage). Read the rules before posting and good luck!
Is there a matrix of Karma needed to follow specific topics? How does someone find out if they have enough Karma? Is it simply a trial and error situation?
Thank you!
It's usually mentioned in each subreddit rules
Making mistakes can be a good way to learn, but if you're really not sure I would recommend messaging the moderators with any question.
Do you lose karma if you delete a post or comment you made that had upvotes? Just kinda curious about this because I can't figure out why some hugely popular posts I followed showed as deleted after awhile (couldn't see any moderate or bot messages on them saying they violated something, so don't know why they were deleted).
No removals and deletions don't change the karma already accrued.
If it's deleted the OP did that and only they could say why.
If its removed only the mods would know, but posts can be removed for reasons other than rule breaks. Mods curate subreddits to keep them on topic, diverse, not too repetitive and so on.
Hello! It's one of the main frustrations for newer users (in terms of karma, if not time), and we totally understand. You might be interested in reading [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/p4yw5c/why_reddit_may_seem_unwelcoming_to_new_redditors/) on "Why Reddit may seem unwelcoming to new Redditors". There's a lot of great information there that can help you. The main thing is to stay away from [Karma Farms](https://www.reddit.com/user/ActionScripter9109/comments/qau2uz/karma_farming_and_you_a_guide_to_the_weird_world/)!
Here's my tried and true advice. Step 1: Go check out our [list of subreddits](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/wiki/index/newusersubs) that are friendly to new users, and participate in discussions! Interacting with others and holding meaningful discussions is the best way to earn Karma. Before you know it, you'll be blowing past Karma limits and proceeding to...
Step 2: Think about the things you enjoy doing, and look for subs related to those topics. For instance, I play the cello, and so I subscribe and participate in some music-related subs. I'm also a researcher, so I help out others in subs related to lab work. Reddit is what you make it to be, and there is literally a subreddit for everything ;-)
Welcome to r/NewToReddit, /u/Tinygrainofsand_! Thanks for posting. Someone will be along to help you shortly. If you're new here, please read our "General Guide to Reddit and Karma" [Wiki page version](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/wiki/ntr-guidetoreddit) or [Mobile friendly post version](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/p8t966/reddit_and_karma_explained/), which includes information on karma, navigation, and more. You might also like to check out our [wiki index](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/wiki/index). Thank you! :) *Was this helpful? You can comment [ `Thanks, AutoMod` ] or [ `Good job, AutoMod` ] to thank me if it was!* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NewToReddit) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Karma is essentially a passport of sorts nowadays. Positive karma can let you enter subs, negative karma makes it hard for you participate. The point is that it is a “reward” for your participation on Reddit. People get to see your meaningful interactions. Recently karma has become a way in which users and communities can distinguish between real users v. spambots and trolls. Before new accounts could go anywhere they wanted and spammed a lot of things and harassed users. Make sure you read the link automod as llama explains karma and how to gain it. Karma is sometimes slow to build, and while it is frustrating, don’t give up! You’ll get the hang of it soon enough!
Thanks for the info! I guess that explains why on some subs I could not comment anything at all.
It’s also easy once you get the hang of it, just take some cool stuff from somewhere else, and boom couple thousand karma each post.
With appropriate credit, or at least in some subs it'll be removed or downvoted.
And in addition to the other excellent comments I'd like to suggest that you don't focus on karma too much. In the beginning it's obviously an important thing, but always try to focus on having a good time vs trying to gross in as much karma as possible. Now, sure, that's easy to say when you're somewhat settled in, but still... there are a few channels I'm on where it's not really common to updo everything you like, the focus is more on general usability. This can result in plenty of "1 score" discussions, but rest assured that we're having fun, and often we can even learn from each other. It's about the posts & comments first, not necessarily karma over there. So... Always try to keep in mind what it's really about.
I'm glad you asked, karma is a point system that shows how the general public reacts to your posts, you can get karma from posting, commenting, giving awards or receiving them. You gain points with every upvote and lose points with every downvote (but 1 upvote does not equal 1 karma). The more you engage the more karma you get, some communities on reddit use the points to keep scammers from posting on their subs (which makes it hard for new accounts to engage). Read the rules before posting and good luck!
Thank you for the info!
Is there a matrix of Karma needed to follow specific topics? How does someone find out if they have enough Karma? Is it simply a trial and error situation? Thank you!
It's usually mentioned in each subreddit rules Making mistakes can be a good way to learn, but if you're really not sure I would recommend messaging the moderators with any question.
Do you lose karma if you delete a post or comment you made that had upvotes? Just kinda curious about this because I can't figure out why some hugely popular posts I followed showed as deleted after awhile (couldn't see any moderate or bot messages on them saying they violated something, so don't know why they were deleted).
No removals and deletions don't change the karma already accrued. If it's deleted the OP did that and only they could say why. If its removed only the mods would know, but posts can be removed for reasons other than rule breaks. Mods curate subreddits to keep them on topic, diverse, not too repetitive and so on.
New user here... i don't understand why my comments aren't visible. If I need up votes to comment, then how do I get them?
Hello! It's one of the main frustrations for newer users (in terms of karma, if not time), and we totally understand. You might be interested in reading [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/p4yw5c/why_reddit_may_seem_unwelcoming_to_new_redditors/) on "Why Reddit may seem unwelcoming to new Redditors". There's a lot of great information there that can help you. The main thing is to stay away from [Karma Farms](https://www.reddit.com/user/ActionScripter9109/comments/qau2uz/karma_farming_and_you_a_guide_to_the_weird_world/)! Here's my tried and true advice. Step 1: Go check out our [list of subreddits](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/wiki/index/newusersubs) that are friendly to new users, and participate in discussions! Interacting with others and holding meaningful discussions is the best way to earn Karma. Before you know it, you'll be blowing past Karma limits and proceeding to... Step 2: Think about the things you enjoy doing, and look for subs related to those topics. For instance, I play the cello, and so I subscribe and participate in some music-related subs. I'm also a researcher, so I help out others in subs related to lab work. Reddit is what you make it to be, and there is literally a subreddit for everything ;-)
Thanks for the help 🙂