Reddit is a world of niche online communities. Here are some of them.
With more than 100,000 active communities, there’s a lot of discussion, and variety, on the network
I recently experienced some nasty troll harassment and bullying on Reddit.
While it made for a difficult week — and my thoughts about Reddit at the time weren’t very positive — I ultimately decided to keep posting on the network.
Why?
- I realized that Reddit is a vast online space and that each subreddit is effectively its own digital fiefdom / community. I experienced stalking / harassment / bullying on one subreddit. But why leave the website as a whole because of one unwelcoming community when there are more than 100,000 others on the social network, many of which I’ve found very friendly and useful?
- I realized that cyberbullying can happen anywhere on the internet — it’s just that anonymity-centric platforms like Reddit make the bullies’ job a lot easier. All you can do is block it, report the trolls, and report the users. But it’s probably fair to say that there’s no online community or space that’s totally safe.
This was admittedly a change of plan.
While I was angry at Reddit’s lackadaisical approach to cyberbullying and continue to think that the network doesn’t do enough to combat it, when I tried to find Reddit alternatives I realized why I have made so much use of the platform: there’s really nothing like it on the internet.
Reddit is a vast amalgamation of online communities and discussion forums that takes the idea of crowdsourcing knowledge and applies it at scale. With Reddit, you’re never more than a few clicks away from finding a group of likeminded individuals to discuss hobbies, interests, or problems with.
Examples:
- /r/noburp is — I believe — the only online community by and for those suffering with retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction (RCD)
- /r/turkishcoffee brings together enthusiasts of my favorite means of preparing coffee
Here are some of the other nooks and crannies of Reddit — some lesser known, some more popular — that I’ve discovered over the years. Member counts, at the time of writing, are in brackets.
/r/pseudonyms (3). For discussing writing under pen names
I’m a big advocate for the idea of publishing under pen names. They have distinctive and useful purposes.
If you’re looking to discuss pseudonym publishing with other writers that have published under a pen name then look no further than /r/pseudonyms with … three members.
/r/selfpublish (65K) and /r/KDP — for discussing self-publishing and Amazon KDP (2.3K)
If you’re looking for a more populous subreddit to discuss the same topic, then /r/selfpublish and /r/KDP (for discussing Amazon KDP) would probably be better options.
If you’d like to know more about more traditional publishing avenues, there is also:
r/podcasting (69K) — for discussing podcasting
If you’re looking to discussing everything related to making podcasts with others that also have one, then check out /r/podcasting. The subreddit’s description says that it exists to discuss podcasting news, how-to guides, gera, and marketing.
There’s also /r/podcast (57.9K) which is more focused on listeners than podcast creators.
/r/podcasts is larger and seems — to me — to serve largely the same purpose. (Subreddit duplication is definitely a phenomenon one will encounter on the network!)
Looking for a great pair of headphones? There’s a subreddit — with more than 132K members — just for this purpose (/r/headphoneadvice)!
For more general discussion about audio equipment, /r/audiophile might be of interest:
/r/podcastguests (3.2K) and /r/PodcastGuestExchange— for finding (or offering yourself as) a podcast guest
If you’re looking for a “I want to be a guest” <-> “I need a guest” exchange forum, then there’s even one on Reddit. check out /r/podcastguests
/r/PodcastGuestExchange serves essentially the same purpose.
/r/AffiliateMarketing (79K) for discussing affiliate marketing
I love Reddit primarily for the fact that it houses a lot of professionally-oriented communities. Yes, really! One of those is /r/affiliatemarketing.
It’s a place to discuss everything related to affiliate marketing, a popular passive income strategy.
/r/editors (76K) and /r/videoediting (199K) for discussing video editing and postproduction
Sometimes subreddits bifurcate into communities by and for experts and those more intended for hobbyists. This is what has happened with Reddit’s main communities for discussing video editing and postproduction.
There’s:
Which is intended for hobbyists and other amateurs.
And /r/editors for those editing video for a living in some professional capacity:
/r/MediumApp (9.3K) for discussing writing on this website!
There are subreddits that function as unofficial user communities and others that are actually run and moderated by the websites/applications that create them.
An example of the former is /r/MediumApp which facilitates discussions from users about Medium.com.
/r/whistleblowers (6K) for discussing whistleblowing
A lot of users like Reddit because the platform makes it easy to stay anonymous. /r/Whistleblowers is an example of a subreddit that you might want to keep a burner account on hand (in Reddit jargon an ‘alt’ account) for participating on.
/r/battlestations (2.3M) — for ogling Redditors’ fantastic workstations
If you’re looking for a place to gawk at other internet users’ amazing home office and productivity workstations, then /r/battlestations is the place to do it.
There are smaller subreddits for showing off home offices. But if you’re after volume then this is the place to check out.
/r/technology (10.5M) — General tech new and discussion
Reddit is particularly popular among the millennial and Gen Y crowds and is used wildly in Silicon Valley. This makes it a great place to connect with other internet users that are interested in and knowledgeable about technology.
If you’re looking for a generalist subreddit to start as a tipping off point in your browsing, then check out /r/technology which has more than 10M subscribers.
/r/buildapc (3.8M) — Advice from randoms about building your own computer
When I was thinking about leaving Reddit in its entirety I realized that the platform has overall been more useful than it’s been harmful for me personally.
An example of the kind of great and kind help I’ve received from internet strangers is /r/buildapc
If you’re thinking about building or upgrading your own desktop, then this is a great community in which to ask other Redditors for their input or help.
There’s also:
And if you’re also into Linux there are tons of Linux-related subreddits:
I’m also particularly interested in self-hosted software. It has its own subreddit:
As does everything related to open source:
And if you’re interested in OSINT, there’s a subreddit for that too!
/r/turkishcoffee — for discussing Turkish coffee (251 members)
If you’re into Turkish coffee — a relatively obscure preference even in the coffee world — then there’s even a subreddit just for you!
Check out:
If you’re just into coffee for the buzz, then you can discuss everything about the chemistry of caffeine and caffeine supplementation here:
While you’re at it, these also might be of interest:
If you’re into the GTD methodology there’s:
/r/NewTubers — for rookie YouTubers (214K) and /r/YouTubers (157K) for networking with other YouTubers
If you’re looking for advice about which microphone to use with your new YouTube channel etc then /r/NewTubers is a nice community worth checking out:
/r/booksuggestions (442K) and /r/suggestmeabook (1.5M) for soliciting book recommendations
If you’re looking for your next great read, then these two subreddits — which serve similar purposes — might be of interest.
/r/onions for exploring the dark web (268K)
Fascinated by the dark web and the more hidden side of the internet?
/r/onions is a good starting off point:
TOR has its own subreddit too:
/r/privacy might also be of interest:
And to discuss cybersecurity matters:
Those interested in hacking might also like:
/r/AWSCertifications (32K) members)
If you’re also studying towards an AWS certification, then you probably already know that trying figure out who’s “legit” and what’s paid advertising, when it comes to course providers, can be challenging.
This is where a community forum comes in handy. Check out /r/AWScertifications which is, as the name suggests, populated by posters studying towards their AWS certifications:
/r/AWS exists too:
To discuss other IT certifications, check out:
/r/SEO (162K) — for everything about SEO
SEO is a valuable skillset for many marketers today, particularly those working in digital marketing related roles.
/r/SEO can be a great place to go to to ask SEO questions or solicit recommendations for training providers:
If you’re more interested in discussing marketing from a higher level perspective, then /r/marketing could be worth a subscribe:
For those involved in content marketing, there’s also:
There are also lots of subreddits for particular tools that marketers commonly interface with. For instance:
/r/journalism (42K) and /r/broadcasting (4K) — for learning more about journalism and broadcasting
Once upon a time, I aspired to go into journalism.
/r/journalism is a good watering cooler to discuss everything related to journalism on:
When I think about smaller and lesser known subreddits that are incredibly valuable sources of information, I think about places like /r/broadcasting.
This subreddit is populated by many working broadcast journalism technicians. If you’re interested in going into journalism and want to learn more about how TV/radio is put together, this is a terrific resource.
If you’re specifically interested in investigative journalism, then check out:
/r/documentaries (17.8M) — for fellow documentaries fan
The fact that almost 18 million people have joined this subreddit makes me feel less alone as a non-fiction fan and documentary lover.
If you’re specifically interested in discussing documentaries on Netflix, there’s a much, much smaller splinter subreddit, /r/NetflixDocumentaries (255 members).
/r/ideasfortheadmins (27K) — to send Reddit feature requests and ideas
If you’re interested in helping to make Reddit a better place, then /r/ideasfortheadmins might be of interest:
In this subreddit you can submit ideas for consideration by the admins who run Reddit.
There’s also /r/help if you’re looking for support with functionalities and other user questions.
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