Reddit is testing a new chat feature that allows users to
have real-time conversations with each other within subreddits. Each chat
channel will be dedicated to a certain topic that you will be able to tap into any
time and start off discussions.
In addition to being embedded into subreddits, these chats
will also be accessible from the main Chat tab on the menu bar at the bottom.
Reddit is testing this new feature in select subreddits for
now, and with a limited number of small and medium-sized communities with less
than 100,000 members.
Reddit has had history of experimenting with other chat
elements on its platform several times, including rolling out and taking down community
and in-built chat rooms. The latest integration, according to Reddit, is
different as the company has learnt from its previous experiences with chat
features.
Reddit will be focusing on giving priority to chat moderators
in terms of giving them more control over moderating chats by having access to
personal channels and tools. For instance, moderators will be able to flag and
remove content from chats and decide which users can participate in chats. In the
future, Reddit also plans to enable moderators to implement automod rules in
chat channels and monitor chats more conveniently using a slow mode.
