r/AskModerators

I'm genuinely terrified of writing code for Automoderator and I know of no way to test the rules to see if they actually work before anything happens in the community itself. I know there are some basic rules in the Reddit help center but I may need more complex rules and I am scared or spending time to learn the code, then write the rule, then find out the rule doesn't work after I spent all that time writing it.

I just need to know if there is anyone else who are struggling or if there is anything I can do to make writing complex Automod rules easier and less stressful.

If a post is deleted because the rules of a subreddit are sort of tongue-and-cheek or not clearly laid out, should you talk to the moderator about it when your post is removed?
For a completely random example, say you're not allowed to post AI content in a subreddit. One subreddit might say:

>Rule 11 - AI Generated Garbage: If you're using AI and trying to pretend it's a real user - you'll be banned.

while a different subreddit might say

>Rule 6 - GenAI is not allowed, but AI Tools are. AI text is allowed in limited cases. You may not post work containing Generative AI elements (Midjourney, Neo, Dall-E, etc.) ...

Now if you posted an artfully generated 90-minute feature film created with generative AI, it clearly wouldn't be allowed in the second option, but the first one, maybe, depends on your definition of "AI garbage".

The specifics don't matter, what I'm wondering is, do you even bring it up with a moderator, or will that cause them to potentially ban you for angering them for even wasting their time? If your post was deleted, how would you bring it up that it fits the rules without them reflexively banning you for a post you thought was fine, but they thought was not?

I got banned in a subreddit. I sent a ban appeal in modmail and explained I genuinely messed up and didn't know the rules. I mentioned how I'm an active member and was just trying to help out, it won't happen again and for them to take it into consideration.

The mod replied "we'll take this into consideration when you appeal in a months time" and then muted me.

I understand if they want to keep me banned but this response to me felt more like an ego trip and abuse of power than actually trying to deal with the situation. It gives me the feeling of "appeal in a month but you still won't be unbanned".

Edit: This isn't about a ban appeal specifically, just if the response is reasonable or I'm just seeing it wrong.

Sometimes I remove content which I think is just there to provoke people, arguments or discussions not done in good faith, but how do other moderators approach this?

Just curious, mainly about how people get to be moderators in a lot of big Subreddits...

As an addition:

• How do you manage to actively moderate in all those subreddits?
• Are you active in all of them as a regular user too?

I'm interested in how the social distance between the highest (top mod) and the standard moderators are and if there are more than those standard two roles.

• How differently talk moderators to other mods compared to the top mod?
• As a moderator (not top mod), would you say your top mod stands behind you even if you make a mistake?
• Are there more ranks between the mods and the top mod? Something like a second in command? A co top mod?
• As a top mod, would you trust your moderators to get full permissions in your subreddit with you temporarily stepping off fully and at a later date find the subreddit in the same or even better shape?

Edit: Changed text to make the last question more clear.

Have you ever had concerns about another moderator’s conduct or decisions? If so, how was it handled within the team? I’m not looking for drama or identifying details, just curious about how moderators deal with these situations internally.

I am on iOS, by the way, but I have a question. Can a Reddit mod change a username for me for political reasons? I don’t care if the new one is auto-generated. Long story short, I have been increasingly getting heat from Redditors (especially in autistic communities) due to the fact that the term Aspie (unbeknownst to me at the time of creating the username, as it was reused from my other social media accounts) has N**i **roots, and I would prefer not to risk losing access to a community or communities over a f*****ing username, especially communities that I otherwise feel safe in. And last time I attempted to make a new account (for mental health related reasons, short-story version of the reason), I got shadow banned, so I don’t think creating a new account is the solution.

I was told I was muted for 3 days but that was over a week ago. Is there a different mod I can ask to look to see what the reason is?

Hello. I’m trying to understand a users account status.

On the sub thread where I’m a mod, I can still see their profile name next to their comments, but the comments aren’t publicly visible and are dark shaded and hidden from the main thread unless I click on them. When I click on them the red box says “removed”although I can still see the comments.When I click on the profile name while in the thread comments, it goes to the blank screen that says suspended by Reddit. Does this mean:

A) They [deleted] their account.
B) They blocked me.
C) Reddit suspended their account.

If it’s A, why can I still see their username on the comment thread even though it’s gone now from the chat thread we had in DMs. In our chat thread, there’s the generic emoji and the username is replaced by [deleted].

If it’s B, if they blocked me would I still be able to see their username and comments on threads as a mod? And, if they blocked me why does it say “suspended by Reddit” when I click on their username still visible in the comments thread of the sub I mod.

If it’s C, why does it show [deleted] next to their still visible one on one chat thread? And if Reddit suspended the account, why can I still see their username and comments on a sub thread even if it’s hidden?

My goal is to understand an account status when it show conflicting information on chat vs a sub thread. Is a Reddit suspension temporary or permanent?

Thanks for your help and input.

I am a part of a subreddit related to a sport. It seems like a community that is very hostile to women. I am constantly harassed and told I am ignorant and don't know anything about the sport. It goes against the subreddit's rule about being respectful. I used to report and reply to these comments, and my replies were taken down almost immediately (within minutes), but the comments I was replying to, which were hostile for no reason, were not deleted.

I reached out to the mods and basically what they said was that more users reported my comments, while the derogatory comments toward me didn't get as much traffic, as I was usually the only one to report them. I explained that just because more people reported my comments doesn't mean by comments were more egregious than the others. In fact, the others specifically called me names, whereas I did not engage in name-calling. The mods just replied by saying they can't address everything in a timely manner (which is a lie since several of my comments were taken down within minutes) and then proceeded to mute me.

It feels like they are allowing women to be harassed and belittled on the platform while policing what is said against the men, especially frequent contributors. They are deciding what to remove based on the number of reports submitted instead of the content of the comment itself. Is there a way to report the mods, or get this issue looked into by someone else at Reddit?

I don't have issues with mods in any of the other subreddits I am in, but these mods in particular don't seem to have an interest in maintaining a safe space for diverse dialogue. They seem okay with the hostile, and sometimes sexist, environment they oversee.

I've run into more flakey, instant, outrageous responses on Reddit in the past 6 months than anytime in the previous 11 years. It's nearly impossible to find a subreddit that hasn't been impacted by some measure.

i havent downloaded anything recently, just logged on and saw that i posted a butt ton of inappropriate shit on inappropriate subreddits, what should i do to secure my account? (u/Mr_UniverseYT)

I've been trying for 30 minutes and can't find logout. I Googled it and that doesn't work. How else do I logout of it?

I know mods get a wide berth because there are always other subreddits and all that, but are there actions that go too far? Like if a mod uses their modmail to insult you is that harassment?

In my specific case the mod literally admits that they didn't like posts I made in other subreddits, including identifying a political opinion they disagreed with, and was referencing that as to why they were permanently banning me for a first time "offense".

I'm fine just leaving the subreddit, so I'm not actually looking to act against anyone here (did some basic reports of the convo just in case it was a pattern or something, but that's all I'm planning on doing), but some of their behavior is just so beyond the pale I'm wondering if there are any limits or if they can just do whatever the hell they want.

Edit: Just to be clear, thanks to the little warning I got posting this, I'm not asking about my ban, or trying to fight it, or anything like that. I'm solely curious as to what the limit of mod behavior is for future reference.

They tricked me into joining a sub so now the mods can see every comment I make in Reddit, even though I have them set to private.