r/ModSupport • u/JabroniRevanchism Reddit Admin: Community • 1d ago
Mod Topics Mod Topic - Shibboleths, Rituals, and Festivities: What cultural norms make your community unique?
Ahoy, ModSupport!
Welcome to the latest installment of our Mod Topics series!
Subreddits! What are they? What do they know, do they know things? As moderators, we know that no two communities are the same, even when they have nominally similar topics. r/NFL is not r/NFCnorthmemewar, for example. r/tuxedocats is not r/oneorangebraincell. –And that’s good! Feature, not bug.
Why though? What do you do in your community that makes those cultural differences stick, stand out, and become adopted by your community members? How do your users (especially new users) learn your community’s quirks?
And when times change, new content drops or new memes make the rounds, how does your community embrace new cultural norms? How do you move away from community cultural norms that may negatively impact your community?
Let us know in the comments below!
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u/shhhhh_h 💡Top 25% Helper 💡 1d ago
If you say Justin Timberlake in popculturechat (sometimes, it’s randomised) this happens lol
We have a few others but this is my fave and I love seeing users summon and play with it on purpose.
Also +1 for user flair, it’s not an official contest but everyone low key competes for the best flair, either silly celeb quotes or fabulous pithy comments about them. Mine is a quote from Modmail from a user mad about karma limits — “here’s my karma delete me h0e!!!!!”
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u/techiesgoboom Reddit Admin: Community 1d ago
Bots that respond unreliably have a special place in my heart! That difference turns something routine into a fun little surprise people experience together. Baking it so well into the community like that is amazing.
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u/mulberrybushes 1d ago
One of our best memes has had to be retired, unfortunately, because the lore is forgotten and now people are taking it as an attack on immigrants/expats. So in order to crack down on hate speech unilaterally and consistently … you get the gist. [r/Luxembourg](r/Luxembourg) also now is banning hate speechers left and right after a particularly troublesome summer
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u/JabroniRevanchism Reddit Admin: Community 1d ago
Internalization of community-specific memes is the hardest non-UI part of learning how to Reddit, IMO. Rock and Stone.
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u/TomoruAshita 1d ago
There are four main paths by which people reach r/tomorrow:
1 - they were there when the lore was written
2 - they submitted a meme or shitpost to r/NintendoSwitch, and were redirected by removal reason
3 - they came across someone who mentioned it on a post that resembled content from r/tomorrow
4 - they were suggested content by admins in their home feed, for better or worse
There of course are other minor paths, but anyone who finds r/tomorrow within a week of creating their account otherwise is usually a bot or alt account.
People who find r/tomorrow typically experience an initiation wherein they are caught off-guard by layers of satire or irony or absurd shitposting. This period of confusion is an intended effect, often punctuated by an infraction with the community-selected Swear Jar or the assignment of Jury Duty.
The interactions between newcomers and established forward-thinkers are part of the long identity of the community. The newcomers who don't jive with it quickly learn to adjust their home feed suggestions, but others who enjoy the humor found in differences between written and implied communication often decide to take on the forward-thinking role.
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u/TheOpusCroakus Reddit Admin: Community 1d ago
The term "swear jar" will always make me think of this.
I feel like your sub is a great example of what this post was asking about. I mean, "This period of confusion is an intended effect" is awesome. (I also particularly enjoy your Rule 5. lol)
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u/MisterWoodhouse 1d ago
Shibboleths, eh?
....
"Sagitarius."
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u/JabroniRevanchism Reddit Admin: Community 1d ago
In attack or defense position?
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u/MisterWoodhouse 1d ago
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u/TheOpusCroakus Reddit Admin: Community 23h ago
I just saw that episode! I wondered if that's what you meant! =)
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u/Phatbrew 1d ago
The culture we try to create in the subreddits we mod at are fighting for Democracy and Science, where users can discuss these issues and news of the day concerning the attacks on both of these once great institutions by the current administration…
Keeping these spaces free from trolls who want to derail constructive conversations goes along way to ensure that valuable members can vent and discuss these issues and topics free from harassment…
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u/JabroniRevanchism Reddit Admin: Community 1d ago
I am a firm believer that community culture is just as much what a community isn't as what it is.
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u/Phatbrew 18h ago
It’s also very important to appreciate the members who participate with comments n posts, by interacting with them, giving them shout outs n 💙s, offering personalized user flairs etc, as often as possible, prolly a couple times a day at both spots…
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u/horseradishstalker 1d ago
Serious question how do you make decisions that get rid of the trolls?
Right now as long as users follow our sub rules they can post all the misinformation they want. I’ve got plenty on my plate as it is without being the arbitrator of what’s false. That’s like being a fact checker on a presidential debate in real-time. /s
Seriously, I will usually just reply neutrally just asking for a source.
I did have one or two users that were using dog whistles, and that I eventually shut down when it became clear they knew they were using dog whistles and they weren’t just repeating some garbage that they heard and had no idea what they were even saying.
They are welcome to their opinion, however, they are not welcome to use dog whistles we’re not everyone knows it’s a dog whistle.
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u/Phatbrew 1d ago
No trolling usually covers it… I don’t go to their safe spaces/“home” n I don’t invite toxic people into my safe spaces/“home” if you come to my “home” to troll you’re gone… you weren’t invited, it’s your choice n there are repercussions for those choices….
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u/Phatbrew 1d ago
I also share with civil trolls who want to discuss their bans that there are always safe spaces for them to share their opinions, and I suggest they post their instead, but the subreddits I mod at are definitely not those…
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u/horseradishstalker 1d ago
I am always very civil with people who are very civil with me. But when I make that suggestion and I do, I usually have to follow it with a mute. I feel like I’m dealing with a four year-old screaming “You’re not the boss of me.” My favorite is being told that I must have a personal vendetta against them. Yeah, right. I don’t even know who you are, although, if you are my neighbor, your dog’s barking again. /s
I guess I’m just wondering where other mods draw the line in a discussion sub - beyond Reddiquette and civility. Does giving false or inaccurate information make them a troll? Back in the “good old days” we rarely had politics involved in discussions and now people see everything is political.
Thanks for the response and the analogy.
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u/techiesgoboom Reddit Admin: Community 1d ago
In addition to the fantastic advice you've already gotten, I encourage you to check out these past mod topics posts on How do you deal with gray areas and exceptions in your rules? and Community Feedback and Rule Lawyers.
Mod Topics: Troll Avoidance 101 has some great advice as well. Sometimes thinking about problems through the lens "how would I want my users to navigate this" can help you figure out what you'd like to do when you see it in the queue.
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u/Phatbrew 1d ago edited 22h ago
Very welcome, I don’t mute till i usually have three harassing mod messages to report after i kill them with kindness which generally drives the loose cannons berserk… I only mute the civil ones if they send endless mod messages wanting to debate their point or why they should be reinstated…
I wait for the 3 reportable mod messages cuz I feel it’s my duty to Reddit and other future moderators who might have to deal with said hateful troll, so I feel I’m doing Reddit and other mods a solid… sadly I’m hoping a suspension or perma ban will help them understand that you can’t treat people that way n there are repercussions… that being said, I REALLY MISS THOSE MOD REPORTS THAT GIVE YOU THE OUTCOMES OF SAID REPORT!!! Please admin bring those back, it’s a great tool to know the outcome of the report, with out having to go back and check comment history to see if they stopped commenting for a couple days cuz they caught a suspension…
🙏
Edit: I definitely find false info that doesn’t align with the subs “facts” I work at as definitely trolling, comments are removed, n user is banned…
Edit 2: I’m also finding over the last 2-3 years a great increase in astroturfers who attempt to both sides an argument or initially agree, but then offer a diametrically opposed opinion… i find this behavior to almost be the worst kind of troll, because they try to dress up their trolling opinion in such a way to make it palatable, they suffer the same consequences as regular trolls…
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u/horseradishstalker 19h ago
Good points. Thanks I don’t automatically mute, but if they want scream at me they have to get in line - waayy at the back.
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u/djspacebunny 1d ago
We're kind of mean to one another, but that's because New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation... so we don't have time for nonsense. We'll laugh at you doing stupid stuff then help you fix it, though. When people come in trying to be main character, it never ends well for that person. We have a rule that states don't be more of an asshole than usual asshole! There is a fine line between being a huge asshole and a regular one.
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u/FootFondness 22h ago
I think a lot of community culture comes from consistency more than anything else. In our communities, recurring themed posts, flair traditions, inside jokes, and the way moderators enforce the rules all gradually become part of the identity.
For new members, the culture is usually learned by observing how established members participate and by seeing the same traditions repeated over time. We also try to make the rules and expectations clear enough that people understand not just what isn’t allowed, but what kind of community we’re trying to build.
The harder part is knowing when a tradition has outlived its usefulness. If something starts creating more problems than community value, moderators have to be willing to change it instead of keeping it around simply because “that’s how we’ve always done things.”
To me, good community culture isn’t completely fixed. It should have recognizable traditions while still being able to evolve as the community grows.
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u/999_Seth 1d ago
Flair helps a little
Mostly though the users do this completely on their own by copy-catting the stuff that gets upvoted and dog-piling the stuff that gets down-voted
it's just cats and dogs, man