Reddit Makes Comments Searchable for the First Time

[MacRumors]

Reddit has announced a new comments search tool that gives users the ability to get search results from replies to original posts – a first for the platform in its 16-year history.

Until now, Reddit users could only retrieve search results for original posts, communities, and individual users, meaning they would have to click on several posts and then scroll through what could sometimes be thousands of comments to find the information they were looking for in a thread.

With the latest changes, however, everything on Reddit is searchable – users, posts, communities, and now comments, allowing redditors to further refine their searches. In a blog post announcing the new function, Reddit offers an example of what this means in practice:

"If someone wants to find a thread about the best locations in London, previously they would have to look through each post in the r/London community, browsing the comments to find it. Now, they can easily see all the different recommendations on the best places for high tea that people have shared in comments."

Alongside the much-requested comments search, Reddit says it has also improved search relevance to help users find results on the platform. Previously, results had to match the user's query almost exactly, but now it's less restrictive, and 100% of a query doesn't have to match the text of a post to return relevant results. In tests, Reddit says its changes led to a 60% increase in results.

As well as less restrictive matching, Reddit is now utilizing global user patterns and post interactions to improve results, so if someone is searching for a topic that a lot of other people are searching for, their results will be sorted to prioritize the newest content or the most popular clicks.

The new search features and improvements are coming in a new look for the search results page on desktop and mobile that's based on user feedback. The changes aim to show content in a simpler design that makes it easier to skim through results and find relevant information.

The ability to comment search is rolling out today on desktop. This feature, along with the other updates, can be accessed by heading to the home feed, clicking within the search bar, and conducting a search.

Article Link: Reddit Makes Comments Searchable for the First Time

 

[Jeven Stobs]

As long as they make it better than MacRumors where when you want to search for a thread it shows you every single comment with the same wording regardless of if it’s in that thread of another, or the other way around. Searching by categories would be nice @MacRumors. When I looked for the community thread about the YouTube PiP shortcut I couldn’t find it, but a billion comments in other threads about it. Not great.

 

[everybodylovesramen]

Basically they’re slowing adding all the assets of Apollo since it’s a superior app to use Reddit.

 

[Marx55]

Reddit interface is awkward.

 

[blairh]

Putting r/all in the lower left was such a terrible decision.

 

[orbital~debris]

Graphic looks liked baked snacks packaging illustration.

 

[mackk]

Does one need 'new reddit' for this feature?

 

[Weaselboy]

As long as they make it better than MacRumors where when you want to search for a thread it shows you every single comment with the same wording regardless of if it’s in that thread of another, or the other way around. Searching by categories would be nice @MacRumors. When I looked for the community thread about the YouTube PiP shortcut I couldn’t find it, but a billion comments in other threads about it. Not great.

If you hit the dropdown in the search panel you can narrow your search like you mentioned. It defaults to everywhere. Shoot me a PM if you need more help with this.

 

[Bawstun]

I find Reddit to be a mostly useless platform. It censors free speech via the upvoting and downvoting mechanism.

For instance, on r/politics. It leans to one side, and any comments - ANY - from another political idealogy and you will instantly receive 50, 100, 200 or more downvotes. And not for trolling, or being malicious, or rude/offensive…it doesn’t matter. Users can downvote you into oblivion.

And then your username is trash. You can’t post threads anymore, any comments you make are hidden and go unseen.

It’s a system that stifles overall conversation, intelligence, interest. It’s creating a bubble where only like-minded opinions are shared in comment threads.

 

[Mr. Rod]

I use Reddit and welcome this change but... how is this related to Apple in any way? ?

 

[suns93]

I find Reddit to be a mostly useless platform. It censors free speech via the upvoting and downvoting mechanism.

For instance, on r/politics. It leans to one side, and any comments - ANY - from another political idealogy and you will instantly receive 50, 100, 200 or more downvotes. And not for trolling, or being malicious, or rude/offensive…it doesn’t matter. Users can downvote you into oblivion.

And then your username is trash. You can’t post threads anymore, any comments you make are hidden and go unseen.

It’s a system that stifles overall conversation, intelligence, interest. It’s creating a bubble where only like-minded opinions are shared in comment threads.

Sure, the larger subs become an echo chamber but that’s just because the majority of people want an echo chamber.

r/politics has 8 million subscribers. Frankly, for minority opinions to only get downvoted by a hundred or two means that there is only a fraction of a fraction of a % that is tilting one way over another.

 

[Lioness~]

I use Reddit and welcome this change but... how is this related to Apple in any way? ?

Maybe because of r/apple r/mac etc. ?
They are good.

I like reddit a lot, mostly because there’s so much in the same place. But using it more or less in periods. Like everything I do online.

 

[erikkfi]

Reddit has finally brought their famously best-in-class search algorithm to comments.

 

[_Spinn_]

If this works as well as regular reddit search this will be useless.

 

[BGPL]

Graphic looks liked baked snacks packaging illustration.

Did someone say baked snacks?

 

[Beyo]

I find Reddit to be a mostly useless platform. It censors free speech via the upvoting and downvoting mechanism.

For instance, on r/politics. It leans to one side, and any comments - ANY - from another political idealogy and you will instantly receive 50, 100, 200 or more downvotes. And not for trolling, or being malicious, or rude/offensive…it doesn’t matter. Users can downvote you into oblivion.

And then your username is trash. You can’t post threads anymore, any comments you make are hidden and go unseen.

It’s a system that stifles overall conversation, intelligence, interest. It’s creating a bubble where only like-minded opinions are shared in comment threads.

Exactly, I had many struggles with idiot moderatos who feel they are powerfull because they can admin a subreddit. For example on cordcutters and youtube and youtubetv moderators must by paid by Google because they can ban you for any critical comment about those platforms.
Even worse I was banned on Olympics because I raised concerns about how participation of transgender figure skater in Beijing can be even legal according to IOC own rules. If you ever go to court and you disagree with verdict you may make an appeal but that appeal are judged by different court. On reddit same as YouTube the same people that banned you made the appeal verdict!
Reddit should be abolished by legislation of US Congress because I am sure that preventing free speech violates at least ammendment to Constitution and if I find motivation I'm going to write to some senators about this, maybe Elisabeth Warren as she was very hostile against giant internet companies which no governing bodies apparently have control of.

 

[Botts85]

I'm going to write to some senators about this, maybe Elisabeth Warren as she was very hostile against giant internet companies which no governing bodies apparently have control of.

Elizabeth Warren isn't an ally on that one. https://elizabethwarren.com/plans/fighting-digital-disinformation

She believes Congress needs to put more controls on speech shared on private platforms.

 

[SenorWhyMe]

Reddit interface is awkward.

same for github so annoying both those apps UI sucks

 

[Botts85]

Reddit interface is awkward.

same for github so annoying both those apps UI sucks

Apollo has a beautiful UI on iPhone and iPad. The developer focuses on Apple first and it shows.
The iPad app also runs great on M1 Macs.

 

[svish]

Welcome change. Glad to see this.

 

[MacBH928]

Guys any site you want to search, go to your favorite search engine and type "site:[website domain here] now type your search query . works 100% of the time.

And why is reddit on a macrumors website?

Basically they’re slowing adding all the assets of Apollo since it’s a superior app to use Reddit.

Its amazing how one guy can make a better app than a whole corporation/organization . Just shows you how the right idea and design can take you so far. And you know...actual usability.

I find Reddit to be a mostly useless platform. It censors free speech via the upvoting and downvoting mechanism.

For instance, on r/politics. It leans to one side, and any comments - ANY - from another political idealogy and you will instantly receive 50, 100, 200 or more downvotes. And not for trolling, or being malicious, or rude/offensive…it doesn’t matter. Users can downvote you into oblivion.

And then your username is trash. You can’t post threads anymore, any comments you make are hidden and go unseen.

It’s a system that stifles overall conversation, intelligence, interest. It’s creating a bubble where only like-minded opinions are shared in comment threads.

1) I agree how downvoting puts your contribution down

2) The site is designed with "community upvotes" to be pushed further up, thats how you get the better posts than spam and troll posts. Unfortunately, your criticism of the system is the disadvantage.

3) People downvoting you is part of democracy, everyone has the right to express and speak. When people want to live in an echo chamber and refuse to listen to the other side, this action by them is part of democracy. Which literally translates to "The People's Rule" its whatever the people want (or majority of people).

4) As for creating a bubble, it depends on the subreddit(section) of reddit. Each one is administered in a different manner. Also everyone is free to open their own subreddit (also for free!) to create a more "intelligent" conversation space where both sides or as many sides can express their opinion.

That being said, Reddit has a lot of great communities and a lot of people helped me and shared great news, tips, and helpful information. Its a great place to hang out except for some reddits that have extremely strict and unfriendly rules.

 

[Bawstun]

Guys any site you want to search, go to your favorite search engine and type "site:[website domain here] now type your search query . works 100% of the time.

And why is reddit on a macrumors website?



Its amazing how one guy can make a better app than a whole corporation/organization . Just shows you how the right idea and design can take you so far. And you know...actual usability.



1) I agree how downvoting puts your contribution down

2) The site is designed with "community upvotes" to be pushed further up, thats how you get the better posts than spam and troll posts. Unfortunately, your criticism of the system is the disadvantage.

3) People downvoting you is part of democracy, everyone has the right to express and speak. When people want to live in an echo chamber and refuse to listen to the other side, this action by them is part of democracy. Which literally translates to "The People's Rule" its whatever the people want (or majority of people).

4) As for creating a bubble, it depends on the subreddit(section) of reddit. Each one is administered in a different manner. Also everyone is free to open their own subreddit (also for free!) to create a more "intelligent" conversation space where both sides or as many sides can express their opinion.

That being said, Reddit has a lot of great communities and a lot of people helped me and shared great news, tips, and helpful information. Its a great place to hang out except for some reddits that have extremely strict and unfriendly rules.

Except #3 ISN’T Democratic at all, outside of the concept of a “majority” of downvotes. They’re creating an echo chamber by downvoting opinions or thoughts that they don’t want to hear. And I’m not even talking about political subreddits, it’s across the entire platform. If you enter a thread with any dissenting opinion or discourse from the OP, you risk losing 200+ karma in one swoop. Just from one sentence or two. Even if it isn’t warranted, it doesn’t even matter.

It’s gotten to the point where I just browse Reddit. I never comment or communicate, I’ve lost too many usernames. From 5,000+ karma to -200 karma in one or two days, from…having thoughts.

Reddit will never get off the ground with their current system because it stifles conversation and actually promotes being quiet, as in my case and what I can only assume are thousands of others…

 

[MacBH928]

Except #3 ISN’T Democratic at all, outside of the concept of a “majority” of downvotes. They’re creating an echo chamber by downvoting opinions or thoughts that they don’t want to hear. And I’m not even talking about political subreddits, it’s across the entire platform. If you enter a thread with any dissenting opinion or discourse from the OP, you risk losing 200+ karma in one swoop. Just from one sentence or two. Even if it isn’t warranted, it doesn’t even matter.

It’s gotten to the point where I just browse Reddit. I never comment or communicate, I’ve lost too many usernames. From 5,000+ karma to -200 karma in one or two days, from…having thoughts.

Reddit will never get off the ground with their current system because it stifles conversation and actually promotes being quiet, as in my case and what I can only assume are thousands of others…

but thats the people not the Reddit employees hence why I say its democracy, its what the people want to downvote or upvote. Reddit themselves are not doing the censoring for the most part