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Comment by l33tman | Hacker News Reader

Getting OT, but what is the deal with all the completely different moderation guidelines (that amass to like 20-30 weird rules and exceptions) for every subreddit. I find it almost impossible to participate (except just adding a comment here and there).

For example, I wanted to post a funny Risitas youtube vid I made (you know the Spanish comedian with that laugh...), and couldn't find a single usable "funny" subreddit. Some banned youtube content completely. Some banned "video memes", some banned X and some banned Y... all of them had slightly different guidelines and you immediately got an insta-splurge from a bot-mod if you tried posting. Some required you to prefix every post subject with some code word. I had to give up eventually and post it on some super-small subreddit instead that accepted anything.

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> what is the deal with all the completely different moderation guidelines ... for every subreddit

My sense is that the bigger the userbase, the more it attracts junk, spam, abuse, etc. So, the rules get tightened to combat it. Also, my impression is that the moderation tools are not great, so crude/heavy-handed methods are sometimes all that is available.

I think you found the corollary already: smaller subreddits have less rules and/or less strict enforcement.

I'm not sure a better solution, given the situation. Though I agree it can be discouraging for well-meaning occasional contributors.

The other problem is the moderators themselves. Each subreddit has its own volunteer moderators. It's a thankless job, so who volunteers to do it? Frequently people who shouldn't have that power. So many subs have terrible mods who abuse their power.

It's like a little microcosm of politics (:

"... It is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job."

— Douglas Adams

> (except just adding a comment here and there).

Your comment has been auto removed for not linking your reddit account with a email.

> you know the mexican comedian with that laugh...

He was Spanish, as in Spaniard, from Spain, Europe.

Ah my mistake, unfortunately I can't correct my comment now

I've taken the liberty of s/Mexican/Spanish/ing your comment. I hope that's what you wanted!

No worries. And in fact, sorry if I came out as nitpicky. Not that kind of person usually, but being his fan even before he became internet-famous I felt some urge, strange as it sounds.

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