Reddit is one of the largest social commons on the internet. But, for beginners, it can be daunting. Even for people who have been on the site for a while, its format can be a lot to take in and new features appear periodically. Also, site-wide features often work differently on different subreddits.
One of these characteristics is “style”. Perhaps you have never heard of him. Maybe you’ve seen it on the site but aren’t sure what it is or how to use it. Whatever the case, it’s a simple feature with a sometimes complex implementation.
What is Reddit Flair?
Flair is similar to a tag on other social media platforms. But, because Reddit already has subreddits, flair allows for even more precise posting and navigation.
Those are the two main ways to use style: to better explain the intent of your own posts, and to search Reddit for specific types of posts by others. Just keep in mind that style usages are different within subreddits and you must be within a subreddit or post to a specific subreddit to use it.
How to use Flair in a Reddit post
You can add style to your post by adding one to a subreddit. You can also use the style when posting from the home page or your profile. In the latter case, select the Choose Community at the top left of the post editor. Selecting a community will reveal the style available within that subreddit. However, some communities do not use the style at all.
If the community you’re posting to uses flair, the Instinct The button is near the bottom right below the text field, but above the Save draft Y Mail buttons. There’s even an image of a label on the button to help you find and understand the tool. When you post with style, the style you chose appears as a color-coded label in the title of your post.
How to use Flair to filter posts
If you’re scrolling and see a style on a post you’re interested in, click the button to see only posts tagged with that style. This method is useful because it works from the home page. Just know that clicking a post style button on the home page will take you to the community that post originated from.
If you’re already in a community, you can browse Flair the same way. You can also scroll down until you see the Filter by Style panel in the margins on the right side of the screen. However, this is usually a selection of styles popular in the community at the time, rather than a complete list of all styles available in that community.
Some communities also have Filter by Style in a toolbar at the top of the page. This button contains all the styling used by that community. This is one of the best ways to find what you are looking for sooner.
Is it possible to misuse Flair?
The way Flair works is pretty simple, but the way people or communities use it can be complicated. That can introduce confusion.
Perhaps the best example of this is the r/TrueFilm subreddit. This community is dedicated to “in-depth discussion of the movie”, so the style used in this community is quite specialized. If you’re not familiar with the Reddit terms you need to know, you may need to hang out in the community to understand it better before using it yourself.
Some people will also use a style that at first glance appears to be at odds with the intent of their post, usually to be funny or elicit different kinds of responses. While this might be funny or insightful among more experienced Reddit users, it might be difficult for some to understand. Some communities have a comedy style that prevents this, but not all communities do.
In the end, this aspect of Reddit is governed less by moderators and more by results. If your navigation style allows you to find the type of posts you want to see, you are using it correctly. If your use of styling on your own posts gets the kind of responses you’re trying to get, then you’re using it correctly.
Use Reddit Flair with confidence
At its core, “style” is simply “labeling”. Of course, it works differently on Reddit, but don’t let that scare you into exploring it. Like everything else on the platform, it starts to make sense the deeper you dive into it.
