3 Types Of Reddit Commenters That Drive Me Nuts

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reddit commentsBased on some of my past articles, you may already know that I hail from the online community of Reddit (and so do a couple of my fellow writers). However, as with any online community, there are certain types of users that absolutely drive me nuts. But do I actually do anything about it? Not really.

With that in mind, I typically try to be kind, and furthermore, I try to remember this wise adage that a good friend once told me – “Don’t feed the trolls.” Basically, it’s always a good option to take the high road. However, it’s fine to occasionally vent off-site, right?

So, here’s taking a look at three types of Reddit commenters that drive me up the wall.

Irrelevant Commenters

reddit comments

I don’t understand it, but every once in a while, a commenter will pop up out of the blue with something that only halfway relates to the Reddit post. I’m not quite sure, but this is a character that I dub the “Irrelevant Commenter”.

The Irrelevant Commenter shows up in the strangest of places, and sometimes, he’ll even venture away from Reddit onto other sites, leaving his comments that have virtually nothing to do with the link. Strangely enough, when someone responds to his totally irrelevant comment, he seems to disappear without even an explanation of his actions. But no matter where he is, he always leaves a comment that barely has anything to do with the subject that is being discussed.

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You may actually link to this article that you are reading right now on Reddit, and you may even earn sweet karma for it! However, if the Irrelevant Commenter shows up, he will leave something like, “I just love MakeUseOf – particularly that American writer J. Lockhart. He looks so good in that tie!”

As you can tell, the comment is somewhat connected to the link. Unfortunately though, it provides zilch when it comes to constructively contributing to the conversation. Despite my distaste for the Irrelevant Commenter, I find him just a little more forgivable than the other two.

Grammar Nazis

mean reddit

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m a writer, and yes, I know quite a bit about grammar, proper spelling, and the various other twists and turns that the English language likes to take. I’m certainly not perfect with every single thing that I put on the page (to my editors, I apologize), but I’d like to think that I have passed the stage of being a novice when it comes to writing.

However, with that in mind, even I don’t have a problem with the occasional grammatical error on a Reddit post. The purpose of the site is to share information and ideas with other people – not be online masterpieces of literature. Despite my fear of the English language’s eventual demise, I can usually let it slide when it comes to Reddit (and yes, even Facebook).

Unfortunately though, for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. The action in this case is my flippant attitude towards grammar on Reddit, and the reaction is the guy that likes to pick through even the most important of posts and point out the minor grammar errors that have absolutely nothing to do with the subject at hand. That being said, Grammar Nazis are simply not my favorite Redditors. We’ve got better things to worry about, my friends.

Repost Hall Monitors

mean reddit

The Internet is full of recycled information, so what ends up on your monitor is typically going to end up on another person’s months from now. Heck, it’s even more likely that whatever is currently on your monitor was on someone else’s before even that. People come and go on Reddit, and it’s a given that users are going to repost stuff that they have just discovered.

There are quite a few folks who tend to complain whenever there’s a repost on Reddit, and for some reason, I don’t have an earthly clue as to why. Part of my curiosity stems from this question – are they on Reddit that much so that they know each and every time a link is reposted? C’mon.

Sure, you can check to see if a link has already been submitted using the site’s search function before posting. However, when the last time that same link was posted months ago, it might be okay to bring it back. Beyond that, even the creators of Reddit ask the users not complain about the reposts through the Reddiquette – the law of the land for all things Reddit.

The irony of the matter is that those who are complaining are the ones that are actually in violation of the website’s usage policies. Some of them complain that the “original posters aren’t getting the karma that they deserve”. I say that the Repost Hall Monitors are probably worrying more about the karma than the original poster.

reddit comments

(By the way, you may have noticed that the Reddiquette also says not to complain about complaints about reposts. Good thing we’re not on Reddit, right?)

Conclusion

These are just a few of my pet peeves about Reddit users, and I’m definitely not trying to get all “holier than thou” on you with the three mentioned. However, some people tend to take the site just a little too seriously. That’s all it is, though – a website.

What are some of your pet peeves about Reddit? What other sites have users that drive you nuts?

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22 Comments - Write a Comment

Reply

Dave LeClair

I love the irrelevant commenter lol. He is one of my favorites. 

J. Lockhart

Baha. I like his novelty account. However, it’s those that he mocks that I am not a fan of.

Anonymous

I like chicken

J. Lockhart

You. I actually like you.

Anonymous

Haha, thanks!

Reply

Guest

Reposting weeks after the fact is cool, but I see reposts within the same reddit days after, sometimes the same day. :( It comes and goes, but sometimes it’s just crazy. People need to learn to sort by top comments. And stop caring about karma. Can’t buy a car or nothing with it.

J. Lockhart

Nope. You can’t. But eh. Sometimes people complain about the reposts because of karma… which is kind of silly.

“You stole Soandso’s karma by reposting this!” or something like that.

Reply

steFan

Thank you for this great article Josh!
 
Very helpfull since I have’nt mastered Reddit yet.I completely understand your point of vue.However if i could make a friendly suggestion,,not that I want to go Deepak shopra on you Josh but,,try not to sweat the small stuff,,there’s a good percentage of idiots on the Web and they know next to nothing about respect and ethics in terms of intrusion in peoples communications,,otherwise,, you’ll end up with a coronary incident before 45 my friend..

regards
SteFan
Quebec city,Canada

J. Lockhart

No worries, no worries. But hey, sometimes you have to just say what you think, right? Thanks for reading, steFan!

(I accidentally wrote “Thanks!” as a response to this, but that was meant for another comment.)

GiggityGeek

As a rather jaded and long-term Redditor I followed the timeless Reddit tradition and checked out your other comments. That is all.

J. Lockhart

Alright. You have to tell us how long you’ve been a Redditor.

Reply

Cpaoutsourcing

Very nice blog. 

Aibek

thank you!

J. Lockhart

Thanks!

Reply

Anonymous

What I don’t like about Reddit is that it is –for the most part– filled with far-left loons with their holier-than-though attitudes. 

J. Lockhart

The attitudes. Phew. (Of course, I fear my holier-than-thou attitude might be shining through here.)

Reply

aPleasantPedantsSon

Surely if these people that complain about reposting because an item has been posted previously truly had any brains they might actually realise that once they have actually complained once about any repost then when they make a second complaint about a repost they are doing exactly what they are complaining about and reposting a post that is virtually identical to a post they themselves have previously made and already posted.

It might not be exactly the same as their previous complaint in exactly the same way that the repost they are complaining about is probably not exactly the same as the original post but it is another repost of a complaint

I say to these people “if you’re going to be a Pedant at least be a good Pedant and be Pedantically correct about your Pedanticisms!”

J. Lockhart

I believe “Repost” is the most reposted thing on Reddit.

Reply

J. Lockhart

So logically speaking, you are your own least favorite kind of commenter?

Reply

Irreverent Commentator

Lol, who drew the funny Reddit guy in the caption? He looks like a G-man (and I don’t mean Google). ^_^

He needs a little tinfoil beanie though. (Lol, he could be a Beanie baby)! :D

J. Lockhart

Oh, you…

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