How to Really Delete Reddit Posts

Leslie Meredith for TechNewsDaily 2013-05-04 00:28:30 UTC

Even when you're using a fake name on a social media site, your comments can come back to haunt you. Just ask notorious Redditor violentacrez, who was unmasked last fall by Adrian Chen, a reporter for Gawker.

Is it possible to protect your privacy online? Some say no.

"Trying to take something off the Internet is like trying to remove pee from a swimming pool," wrote Redditor steste.

Unlike Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and others, Reddit asks for no personal information to create an account. However, it still records and retains the IP address from which the account was made, which can be enough for law enforcement to help establish a user's identity. And in the case of violentacrez, an ambitious reporter could find his identity through his comments and associations with other Redditors.

Violentacrez, aka Michael Brutsch, became a target for his very offensive posts. Your posts may be just a bit embarrassing — in hindsight.

You can delete a regrettable comment or your entire account on any social media network, but your data can remain on a site's servers indefinitely. Whereas other companies, such as Google, have declined to say how long they keep users' content and associated IP addresses, Reddit is explicit in its new terms of service.

"This means that, by default, the [IP addresses] are not deleted from our servers — ever — and will still be accessible after your account is deleted," states the new privacy policy, which takes effect on May 15. Reddit also keeps copies of the entire site on its servers, which are refreshed every 90 days.

However, Reddit is working on an option that would allow users to completely remove all of their posts when they delete their accounts. In the meantime, here's a workaround for removing old posts for good.

Deleting posts removes them from public view but not from Reddit's servers. Instead, Redditors  should overwrite them.

So, the trick is to go back into your Reddit account and replace old comments that you want to erase with something innocuous, such as "I like turtles."

Image courtesy of Flickr, TORLEY

This article originally published at TechNewsDaily here

Topics: How To, reddit, redditors, Social Media TechNewsDaily is a Mashable publishing partner that is an exciting new and accessible source of technology news and information for non-geeks seeking to learn about the cool gadgets, powerful software and unavoidable technologies of everyday life. This article is reprinted with the publisher's permission.

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Boston Marathon Volunteer Who Helped Injured Shares Story on Reddit

Alex Fitzpatrick2013-04-16 17:07:31 UTC

A Boston Marathon volunteer who claims to have been near ground zero of Monday's deadly explosions has been sharing intimate details of his experience on Reddit under the pseudonym "Zadmxm." Zadmxm's account of the blasts, if authentic, reveals a volunteer whose medical training kicked in during a time of crisis, driving him to assist others while disregarding his own safety.

"We heard and felt two loud pops (think dropping a huge textbook onto a hardwood floor)," wrote Zadmxm, who said he is CPR/AED and first aid certified and was with a friend about one block from the finish line at the time of the explosions. "She thought explosion immediately, I wrote it off as a something falling. A cluster of police near us immediately alerted and started checking their radios. We heard the words two explosions come out of the radios and saw them start sprinting towards the finish line, vaulting barricades on the way."

Zadmxm is refusing to identify himself or give more formal interviews. He offered a photo of his race volunteer identification badge stripped of his name as evidence of his claims (he is not depicted in the above photo).

Zadmxm did, however, reveal he was operating as a general volunteer and not serving in a medical role and that he was a former runner taken out of the sport by a leg injury sustained earlier in life. After the explosions, he said he immediately began helping to direct marathon runners and spectators while also clearing obstacles out of arriving medical vehicles' paths.

"It wound up being three hours of controlled chaos of directing runners, families, spectators, media and constantly clearing the intersection on a moment's notice for what must have been over 100 emergency vehicles," wrote Zadmxm. "When [the Boston Police Department] was fully mobilized, the volunteers were dismissed and I went home with the rest of the teams."

Zadmxm told one Redditor the two explosions "sounded pretty much identical." When asked if he feared additional blasts, he said that "crossed my head" but he "really didn't think of it for long enough."

"To me, the possibility of getting injured is less important than the potential for helping others already injured," he wrote. More than 170 people were injured Monday with three fatalities thus far.

"Things like this will always bring out the heroes in everybody," reflected Zadmxm, who said he quit Reddit last year but returned to "get my thoughts on metaphorical paper so I can look back on this in the future."

"I saw people do incredible things, runners finishing one of the hardest races out there and then going and donating blood, turning around and helping coordinate our efforts, bomb squad guys rushing straight into an explosive situation," he added. "Every last person who did something good today is, in my mind, a hero for going so far above and beyond what they'd signed up to do."

Image via John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

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Reddit User Compiles All the News About Boston Marathon Explosions

Stan Schroeder2013-04-15 20:25:18 UTC

One of the largest online communities, Reddit, is often a great source of breaking news, and right now it's proving it with a story on the Boston marathon explosions.

In one of the top stories on Reddit at the moment, a redditor has started compiling all the news about the explosions that occurred at the marathon, leaving many runners and spectators injured and some dead.

With hundreds of comments, some apparently from people from Boston, and with Reddit's comment voting system pushing the most important info to the top, the story has quickly grown one of the best places to find info about the explosions.

"I'm here, present at Newbury Street. The initial panic has died down, but the volunteers are running wild and sirens are still going. I have seen ~10 ambulances drive by in the last few minutes," wrote one highly voted commenter.

"Another possible incendiary device at UMass Library. Get it out on social media that people should get away from the area as soon as possible," wrote another, apparently citing a police scanner.

The story is still developing, so you should take anything you see from unconfirmed sources with scrutiny. Still, Reddit has once again proved it can be a valuable source of info in times of crisis.

Image via John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

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How to Host a Successful Reddit AMA

Ryan Holiday2013-03-25 19:27:16 UTC

Ryan Holiday is the bestselling author of Trust Me I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator, and a PR strategist for brands and writers. He gives monthly book recommendations at RyanHoliday.net.

What was once a fascinating yet relatively obscure subsection on a fledgling social news site is now one of the most coveted interview spots in our media world. Properly done, the Reddit AMA (short for "Ask Me Anything") can generate hundreds of thousands of impressions and drive fans into a frenzy. It can reinvigorate an established persona or hoist a completely obscure or unusual person into the Internet spotlight.

What is an AMA? It's a thread of questions within Reddit, hosted by an interesting person who declares "I Am [Person X], Ask Me Anything." The Reddit community responds with the type of honest, earnest and provoking questions that would rarely show up in your typical media interview. Anyone can participate, from the host to the casual Reddit user to the fans who simply upvote questions.

People from all kinds of backgrounds are trying their hands at AMAs. In the last several months alone President Obama, Bill Gates, Al Gore, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Snoop Lion, Tony Hawk, Dan Rather, astronauts currently in orbit, Playboy models, Iranian presidential candidates and Dwight from The Office have all taken turns in the AMA spotlight.

After Gerard Butler’s AMA on March 18, the actor was so moved by the experience, he uploaded a video thanking Reddit for the opportunity, calling the process “one of the most fun, inspiring interviews he ever did.” (And that video consequently made it to the No. 1 spot on the Reddit homepage, and earned more than 674,000 YouTube views.)

The AMA has quickly become a powerful and appealing tool for a host of A-list figures — chiefly because it's unlike any other form of media.

The AMA has quickly become a powerful and appealing tool for a host of A-list figures — chiefly because it's unlike any other form of media.

But how does the Reddit AMA really work? What makes it successful? And what is it like to host one?

Now that I have actually completed an AMA of my own and advised several clients and friends on theirs, I feel qualified to share insight about the unique Reddit experience. Perhaps most importantly, I can also advise your brand how to share in the experience (and access the massive audience).

Let’s explore this new medium and what makes it tick — why some AMAs are fascinating, organic conversations that spike book sales, promote movies, help political causes and spread messages. And why others, well, flop.

First off, the Reddit AMA suffers from the classic Wikipedia problem: Even though Reddit may seem simple for Internet natives, for others, it can appear pretty intimidating. To wit, I doubt that Larry King did his AMA without significant help (a few years ago he didn't know how to use the Internet). But in reality, Reddit is actually quite simple.

So, how does one actually go about getting an AMA? Technically, anyone can post — just start a thread on the forum and see if Redditors care to learn more. But the best way is to plan ahead and talk to the people in charge.

Pick a time and date and schedule your AMA with Reddit’s moderators in advance (all it takes is a private message). You can get placed on Reddit's “upcoming AMA” sidebar, which is seen by almost 3 million subscribers. In other words, don't make an amateur mistake and “surprise” Reddit with your AMA. Get maximum exposure by planning ahead.

Of course, the most compelling part of an AMA is the headline. This is how celebs (and interesting weirdos) let Reddit know who they are, what they do and why users should be interested. But you have to be concise: 30 words or less.

Don’t these examples make you want to click?

I am Astronaut Chris Hadfield, currently orbiting planet Earth.

I am Wayne Brady, Emmy winner and Grammy nominated actor and singer – AMA.

I am Peter Moore, the longest held hostage in Iraq, kept captive for over 2.5 years. AMA.

I am Benjaman Kyle, an amnesiac who woke up with no memories in 2004. AMA.

We are two men who spent 42 years in prison for crimes we did not commit. AMA.

I spent 17 months in a 3rd world country jail because of a YouTube video I made. AMA.

I am Stoya, adult performer and generally naked lady. AMA.

I am Daryl Davis, "Black Man Who Befriended KKK Members" AMA.

I am South Korean Singer, Rapper, Composer, Dancer and Creator of Gangnam Style PSY. AMA.

The best AMAs put equal consideration into the body of the post, too. Rightfully, the hosts never assume Reddit knows anything about who they are or what they do. Therefore, hint at topics you're qualified to talk about, and detail what you want to talk about. Links to your work can generate higher quantity and quality of questions.

Be sure to prepare. When I did my AMA, I tried to anticipate the most frequently asked questions and generated a few replies ahead of time. Keep in mind that the first few questions you answer are likely to be the the most upvoted, and therefore, seen by the most number of people. (This isn’t cheating; it’s thinking ahead.)

Once that’s done, all that’s left is to step into the ring. When I first posted the link, questions piled up fast, about one every minute. After the AMA hit the front page, that number jumped to 3-5 per minute.

Don't feel that you have to answer every single question. However, you’ll get in trouble if you’re dodgy, as Rachel Maddow discovered, when she declined to answer most of the more political questions on her AMA.

All the attention from an AMA feels flattering, if not addictive, even to the most jaded celebrities and public figures. Media interviews can be inherently gratifying — after all, a journalist has researched a subject and wants his or her thoughts. But multiply that by the power of 1.6 million listeners, factor in a completely open and safe environment, and you have the Reddit AMA.

Strict promotion is never the reason to do an AMA — Woody Harrelson experienced backlash when he pushed his movie too hard. But coordinating your Reddit appearance with a launch or a release is clearly the strategy behind many AMAs. A book release, a new product, a business launch or an announcement can actually help prompt people to think of questions.

But keep in mind, this isn’t The Tonight Show. It’s far better to view the AMA as a chance to participate in a vibrant community, rather than a sales pitch. Prepare yourself for all types of questions, the operative word being “anything.” As Neil deGrasse Tyson told me, Reddit is “a raging community of people with boundless curiosity.”

By all means, link to your product. Answer questions about it. Talk about it. But be prepared for that boundless curiosity and don’t fight it. Reddit loves to explore tangents and unexpected directions. You, as the interviewee, are powerless to control the direction of these tangents. Often that means the conversation will steer away from what you're promoting. And attempts to fight that usually don’t go well.

One of the most popular questions during my AMA asked how much American Apparel pays its models. That has nothing to do with me, nothing to do with my book, and in my opinion, is pretty boring. But the community wanted to talk about it, so they did.

Finally, Reddit AMA participants should heed this tip from Reddit CEO Yishan Wong: “Ask people what other famous/awesome/cool person you know that they would like to see an AMA from, take a top-voted couple answers and convince that person to do an AMA, too.”

You’d think an AMA hosted by the president of the United States would be the pinnacle for the medium. But I’m not sure that it is. The Reddit AMA is still very much a trend on its ascendency. Many people still have no idea that this rich tool and gratifying experience even exists.

But when you look at the Reddit AMA leaderboard, the quality and quantity of upcoming names is getting better every day.

In the words of Gerard Butler, the Reddit AMA “made me think about my own life and where I am at and where I came from.”

Image composit via iStockphoto, tumpikuja

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