As regular Reddit users will know by now, there’s a new Reddit design rolling out. And to be honest, this revamp is well overdue. Reddit’s old layout looks more like a website from the late 2000s.
Along with the visual overhaul, Reddit has introduced a range of new features. And new features means learning where everything is and what it does. So, if you’re feeling a bit lost in the new Reddit, don’t worry, as we’re here to help you find your way around the new-look Reddit.
Why Did Reddit Redesign the Site?
For a site that consistently ranks in the web’s Top 10 most-popular domains on Alexa.com and which boasts more than 540 million monthly visitors, Reddit was curiously underdeveloped.
Profile pages were almost non-existent, offensive subreddits were allowed to run amok, and company-level oversight of the message boards was kept to a minimum.
In many ways, the old site had been left behind. Indeed, before this April 2018’s redesign, not much has changed over the past decade. The site was no longer fit for purpose, neither for users (as a social medium) nor the company (as a data-collecting money maker).
The situation was so bad that Reddit’s CEO, Steve Huffman, called the site a “dystopian Craigslist.” Something clearly had to change.
What’s New in the Reddit Redesign?
Before we delve into the changes which affect you personally, let’s quickly summarize what’s changed from a design standpoint.
Underpinning the entire redesign is ease-of-use. For new users, Reddit’s previous interface was a confusing minefield. The complexity prompted us to write an article recommending the best Reddit apps and sites for newbies. The new version of Reddit is much more accessible.
The old navigation bar is gone; the new design replaces it with a smaller menu in the upper left-hand corner. The menu provides links to your feed, subreddits, and user profiles.
You can now choose between three different ways to display posts on-screen: Classic, Cards (Facebook-esque), and Compact.
Reddit also now uses two different fonts for links. These help users to distinguish whether a link is internal or points outside Reddit. Even Snoo—the Reddit mascot—has been overhauled. It’s rendered in 3D and is shown hopping between planets.
Your New Reddit Profile Page
You will find the most significant changes in the Profile section.
In the old design, user profiles felt like an afterthought. They weren’t customizable and offered barely any information about the people behind them.
Not anymore. User profiles have been transformed into an important part of the Reddit experience. One can assume their importance will continue to grow as Reddit continues to transform into a more “typical” social network.
Navigating Your Profile Page
When you load your Reddit profile for the first time, you’ll see your bio—along with a profile picture and cover image—in the top right-hand corner.
Below the bio box is a More Options link. This is where you set up and customize your profile. More on that shortly.
Further down still you’ll find any Reddit badges you’ve earned.
Lastly, at the top of the window are three new tabs: Overview, Posts, and Comments. The other items which used to be along the top of the old profile page (such as Hidden and Gilded) are in the drop-down menu behind the three horizontal dots.
So, given the increased importance of the new Reddit profiles, it’s worth spending a bit of time to set yours up correctly.
Customizing Your New Reddit Profile
Not all users can yet see the More Options link under their bio which allows them to access the new profile features.
If you cannot see it, don’t worry. Just follow this link (replace your username as appropriate): reddit.com/user/[USERNAME]/about/edit. You will have to agree to the terms of the new page before proceeding.
The profile editing page has three links at the top. The first link, Customize Profile, is self-explanatory. You can optionally set a display name that’s different to your username, add your bio, and upload a profile picture and cover image. To finish the setup process, confirm whether your profile is suitable for under-18s.
The second tab covers privacy and safety. There are two sections which require your attention. The first is Content Visibility. If you want your profile to show up in r/all and be discoverable in /users, tick the checkbox.
Secondly, you can decide if you want the communities you’re most active in to show up on your profile page.
The final tab is Profile Moderation. It’s part of a new feature which allows people to post directly onto your profile page, much like people can on Facebook. The feature became available in mid-2017, though it’s unclear whether it is yet available to all users.
The tab includes some analytics tools, as well as an auto-moderator, a moderation queue, and various display options. Work through the different options to get your page working precisely the way you want it to.
Note: To post to your own profile, choose My Profile in the Post To section when creating a new submission.
Pinning Posts to Your Reddit Profile
There is one other change which you need to know about: the option to “pin” posts to the top of your profile page.
To pin a post, head to your new profile page and click on the Posts tab. Hover your mouse over the submission you want to showcase, and a pin icon should appear in the upper right-hand corner of the card.
What Didn’t Reddit Changed?
At the time of writing, the Reddit Preferences menu still uses the old design. It’s unlikely to be the case for much longer.
When the Preferences menu does eventually receive an upgrade, will we finally be able to kiss goodbye to the Reddit Enhancement Suite? If we’re really lucky, we might even be treated to a better way to search for old posts.
Will You Keep Using the Old Version of Reddit?
Most Redditors appear to be in favor of the changes. On the post announcing the redesign, many of the top comments were positive. Reddit’s board will be hoping the positive sentiment continues; memories of Digg’s redesign and subsequent decline are still fresh in the minds of many users.
Nonetheless, if you’re one of the people who like the old version of the site, you can continue to access it using old.reddit.com. At least for now. It’s unclear for how long the previous design will remain operational.
And, as a last resort, you could always abandon Reddit completely. There are plenty of awesome Reddit alternatives.
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