What is "Reddiquette," and why does Reddit have its own etiquette guidelines?

Reddiquette is Reddit's long-standing informal code of conduct, a document published by Reddit in its Help Center that articulates the behavioral norms the platform considers healthy and constructive. Unlike the site-wide Content Policy — which is a binding set of rules with enforcement consequences — Reddiquette is explicitly a set of guidelines rather than rules, intended to convey the culture and spirit of good-faith participation rather than to serve as a strict rulebook. It covers a wide range of behaviors: voting principles (upvote content that contributes to the community, not just content you personally agree with; downvote content that is off-topic rather than content you find disagreeable), commenting standards (do not make substance-free comments like "this" or "LOL"; do not announce your vote; do not conduct personal attacks), submission practices (search for duplicates before posting; keep titles factual rather than sensationalized; use proper grammar and spelling), and community norms (do not brigade other communities; do not ask Reddit to act as your personal army against someone). Reddit formalized these guidelines because the platform's design creates conditions where culture can easily fragment or deteriorate. Because subreddits are created and governed by volunteer moderators who each set their own rules, there is no central editorial authority enforcing a uniform tone. Reddiquette provides a baseline shared vocabulary and framework that members of any community can reference when disputes arise. It also serves an onboarding function: newcomers arriving from other social platforms often bring habits — vote brigading, aggressive self-promotion, name-calling — that are normal in those environments but which the Reddit community has historically rejected. Having explicit written guidelines gives experienced users a reference point when welcoming or correcting newcomers, and it gives the platform a documented set of values it can point to when explaining why certain behaviors are unwelcome.