Reddit has brought back its awards system after discontinuing it last year. The company has kept many of the original features while adding new elements, such as a redesigned award button and a leaderboard to highlight top awards for posts and comments.
New Features and Design
The revamped awards system includes a fresh design for awards and a new award button under eligible posts. A leaderboard will now display the top awards earned for a comment or post, aiming to boost user engagement. Reddit has also introduced “gold,” which replaces the previously used coins. Users can purchase gold to give awards, with packages starting at $1.79 for 100 gold and going up to $49.99 for 2,750 gold.
Reddit acknowledges that the golden upvote system, introduced after the discontinuation of the original awards system, was less engaging. Users who had their coin balance removed are being compensated with a number of exclusive awards that they can give out for free. Eligible creators can still use gold to earn money via Reddit’s Contributor Program.
To ensure appropriate use, Reddit has implemented several safeguards. Awards will be disabled in NSFW (Not Safe For Work) subreddits, trauma and addiction support subreddits, and subreddits containing mature content. Users will also have the ability to report awards to prevent misuse, and moderators can remove awards if necessary.
Alongside the reintroduction of the awards system, Reddit has expanded its community rewards program, initially launched in the U.S. last year. This program, which compensates users for valuable contributions, is now available in 35 countries. The expansion aims to further incentivize user participation and improve the quality of content on the platform.
Addressing Spam and Fraud Concerns
Reddit has addressed user concerns about the potential for the Contributor Program to be exploited for spam, fraud, and karma farming. The company noted that it has not seen an increase in such behavior since the system was introduced six months ago. However, some users have expressed confusion about how the revamped awards program functions and are disappointed that features like the ability to “gild” posts by donating a Reddit Premium subscription are not returning.
Reddit’s decision to bring back the awards system follows its first earnings call as a public company earlier this month, where plans to reintroduce the program were discussed. The previous awards system was discontinued last year, along with the ability for users to purchase coins. Instead, Reddit had introduced “Golden Upvotes,” which were purchased directly with cash. However, the company acknowledged that the golden upvote system was not as engaging or expressive as the legacy awards.