We've added a new clause to the HivePosh rules:

Engage on Reddit as a genuine user: regularly post and comment, not just share Hive links. If your only activity is dropping Hive links, you'll receive a warning and may eventually be banned from HivePosh.

This is actually what Reddit wants from its users when it comes to promotion:

It's perfectly fine to be a Redditor with a website, it's not okay to be a website with a Reddit account -- Reddit -> Wiki -> Self-Promotion

So, try to be (or to look at least) a Redditor with a Hive account, if you want to avoid Reddit's filters and a potential ban on Reddit and HivePosh as well.

"Removed by Reddit's filters"

A HivePosher asked me recently:

"Sorry, this post was removed by Reddit’s filters" - I've been getting this warning on all subreddits for a day now. Is there a way to get rid of it? Is there any problem with me creating a new account?

So, why "Removed by Reddit's filters". Because you look like a bot, namely

• you only share Hive links and almost don't engage,
• you share links too frequently,
• you have low karma if you are a new Reddit user.

That can also happen because of the features of your share - if Reddit filters consider your share breaks the rules of the subreddit or Reddit's general rules (sometimes, by mistake). The mods won't even know about the deletion until they check a page in the Mod Tools showing auto-enforced deletions in front of each rule of the subreddit.

A good way to understand what Reddit thinks about you is to check your Contributor Quality Score (CQS). Go to r/WhatIsMyCQS and create a post with the title "What is my CQS".

That's my score:

It's the highest - Reddit loves me. What about you? If your score is low, lowest, or moderate, that means you mostly share links without enough engagement.

If you see "Removed by Reddit's filters" often, you might end up being flagged as a spammer and banned.

Creating a new account after that can be more complicated than on other platforms, as Reddit does its best to prevent spammers from coming back. You can create a new account, build it for a month, and then, as soon as you share a link, you will be banned by Reddit. I don't recommend going to this stage - that can cost you a lot of lost time.

As a bonus: did you know that Reddit creates AI summaries of users? Mods of subreddits where you post can see them by hovering over usernames:

If you only drop links and never engage, Reddit AI will eventually publish negative assumptions about your account, including statements that you only share Hive links with promotional motivation. But, yes, you can change your AI summary if you start building a healthy Reddit account - they update the summary from time to time.

What to do

Engage below your shares - this is the most obvious. But we often don't want to, and there are good reasons for that. For example, many comments below photos consist of 1-2 words of admiration - you can't answer them without looking ridiculous and, actually, spammy. In other cases, you may not have enough expertise to participate in discussions, especially in subreddits with a toxic culture.

But you don't have to engage below your shares. It's probably better to find subreddits that match your interests and hang out there... If you don't feel comfortable about chatting in English, find communities speaking your language.

When it comes to engagement in subreddits, don't stick to only big subs. Big subs don't value people - they have millions of faceless users lurking around; you won't feel wanted there. Smaller subs love their genuine members. Find subreddits that are being built by like-minded people and post/comment there without Hive links.

Add chosen subreddits to favorites to have quick access to them:

Or create a custom feed to sometimes see only posts of chosen subreddits for pure engagement.

Another idea: go to r/NewMods and check what subreddits people recently started building in Mods Weekly Intro Thread. Support ones you like with posts or comments.

Saying this as someone who founded a subreddit and experienced those first 2-3 weeks when you post in your subreddit alone. Every now and then, you think about quitting, and only 4-5 upvotes below your posts warm your frozen heart of a community builder. And you count each post, you count each comment from another Redditor.

Seriously, if you want to enhance your real-life karma - support super young subreddits with engagement - your posts and comments will literally create explosions of good energy. Some subreddit founders will dance out of happiness if you share a photo of your dinner in their subreddit.

But it takes much time...

It does! But this is the price of getting thousands of upvotes for content posted from your noname account. To reach such a broad audience on Instagram, you'll need 2-3 years of work and, probably, financial investments, without a guarantee that you'll eventually succeed.

Of course, HivePosh doesn't require you to spend hours on Reddit daily, but at least try to look like a real Redditor: drop a comment here and there, post photos from your phone - flowers from a park, shoes you want to buy, or ask advice about anything.

I personally think Reddit is the best mainstream social media, and the main reason some people don't feel a connection to it, it is that you need to invest time and effort in finding subreddits matching your interests. While on Instagram, they shove a toxic chewing gum into your mouth on day 1.

As a final thought: an old, well-established account on Reddit is actually an asset with value. You don't know how life will go, you don't know how the Internet will develop. So, care about it. And follow the golden Reddit's rule on self-promotion:

It's perfectly fine to be a Redditor with a website, it's not okay to be a website with a Reddit account -- Reddit -> Wiki -> Self-Promotion

Hope it was helpful. I'll appreciate comments.

The image by @josephvm on pixabay