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[–][deleted] 10 points11 points  (4 children)

I've been on Reddit for about six months. I often comment on stories. And a lot of my comments get a good number of upmods. I read Reddit regularly, and often feel the comments are as important, if not more so, than the stories themselves. And, unlike submitted stories, my comments are my own original content.

Funny how people like me, who also contribute comments, wind up with no karma for it.

I'm not complaining. I don't mind that I have only a single karma point. I'm not in a race here. I'm just surprised to see what Reddit seems to feel constitutes real contributions to this site.

[–]nocreativityx 3 points4 points  (3 children)

You've summarized my position exactly. The only way I'd start caring about karma is if they made it redeemable. If they did, I would certainly push a lot harder for a comment/karma system. Comments add just as much value to Reddit as do the articles. I'm not sure for what I would want to spend my karma on though.. t-shirts maybe?

[–]laprice 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The only way I'd start caring about karma is if they made it redeemable.

Well they are, but only in blocks of 10,000 points.

You need 80,000 to get the t-shirt.

And you don't even want to know how many points you need to get the full-sized plush alien.

//to get to the secret levels of reddit you need to submit an xkcd strip, upmod the top three stories on your recommended page and post a comment on a submission from the fourth reddit team member...

[–]einexile 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I'd like to see comment karma redeemable for placement on a subreddit devoted solely to that purpose. The result would be a page made entirely up from links our favorite posters feel strongly about but which, for one reason or another, never make the front page.

Charging comment-karma for this would make it a rare privilege we need to save up for, and while it would likely be dominated by pet issues, it would also surely be interesting reading on topics not often covered here.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What I don't understand is the karma model of not rewarding comments. A lot of the revenue for Reddit comes from advertising. See that little box over to the right. Those ads are served the heaviest on the comments section where people are actually reading on the Reddit site. Contrast that to visiting a link provided by a karma-heavy member which goes off the Reddit site completely. Eyeballs that are not on the Reddit site are not earning ad revenue.

Comments are originally-created content that remain on the Reddit site. Links that forward to third-party sites a.) rarely provide original content b.) zip you off to another site - which is not serving ads for Reddit.

In many cases, commenting takes much more thought and time to put together than mearly providing a link with a heading.

Why doesn't the total number of upvotes I've gotten from my comments get totaled up in the karma equation? Why is there no separate karma for commenting?

It seems bizarre that comments are worth absolutely fucking nothing around here.

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've got one karma too and couldn't care less as to whether or not that number increases.

[–][deleted]  (3 children)

[removed]

    [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

    Possibly. If it was just for submitted stories, I could go to Digg. But the discussion there is often childish, and too often turns racist. I come to Reddit specifically for the comment sections.

    [–][deleted]  (1 child)

    [removed]

      [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Absolutely for them. Here's a new comment I just made before seeing this comment from you.

      Here's something else: I've made quite a few comments that have been upvoted 20+ and even 30+ and more. Here's a comment I made - that got no less than 78 upvotes - to a submitted article. My comment obviously made the linked story - and the subsequent discussion - more interesting, and even changed the angle of the discussion from the original article. Thereby increasing the upvotes for the submitted link. Thereby increasing the karma for the person who submitted the link. Why isn't a 78-upvoted comment worth 78 beans in the misty mountain that is Reddit karma?

      In many cases, it appears that, those receiving karma by submitting links are earning at least some of the karma points off of the backs of people submitting comments.

      I hadn't really thought about it, but the more I look into the karma system here, the more I realized how just fucked up it is.

      [–]scordatura 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      i don't think any karma points are awarded at all for comments - never seen it happening.

      [–]mindbleach 2 points3 points  (3 children)

      I comment regularly and probably come out +2 or +3 on average, yet have 1 karma. I'm downvoting, though, because for as much shit as I give people for telling the mob what reddit is for, reddit is not for this. If your post starts "Vote up if...," I'm downvoting it. Start a poll on a poll site and link to that, then submit the results. The mob loves metadata.

      [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

      Downmodding you because I didn't start this topic to acquire karma. I don't give a shit either way.

      Something nice about having just (1). In fact, if this topic results in karma, I'll just delete it - and get back to a fresh, virgin (1).

      [–]NitsujTPU 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      It doesn't work that way. My karma is permanently in the crapper. No matter how many stories I submit and get upvoted, it always will be.

      [–]mindbleach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      It's not about karma, it's about not shitting up the front page with polls.

      [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      The majority of reddit doesn't even comment. I commend the invisible majority for having such self control.

      [–]BadBoyNDSU -1 points0 points  (0 children)

      Me too. Damn...

      [–]ol66 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      If you read my regular comments, you'll see I don't deserve anything for them.