r/Atlanta: rules, karma requirements and posting culture
The main subreddit for Atlanta and the metro area: questions, recommendations, traffic, news and photos. Heavily policed by AutoModerator, with no room for promotion.
r/Atlanta - Official Subreddit for the City of Atlanta · Open on Reddit
- Members
- 561k
- Created
- 2008
- New posts a day
- 47.6
- Comments on a typical post
- 21
- New posts removed
- 46%
The short answer
r/Atlanta holds your post for moderator review if your account has less than 10 comment karma or is brand new. Politics posts need 30 net karma earned inside r/Atlanta. Every post takes a flair, titles under 15 characters are removed, and events, meetups, housing and anything for sale are sent elsewhere. Only about half of recent posts stayed up, so expect a wait or a redirect to the Daily Discussion thread.
Who posts here
You need no expertise, only a real Atlanta question or something locals care about. Regulars use local shorthand like ITP, OTP, 285 and the Beltline without explaining it. Questions that have been asked many times, especially about visiting, moving or meeting people, are held and pointed to the FAQ, the search or the Daily Discussion thread.
- Residents asking for recommendations: a restaurant, a contractor, a bar that shows their team.
- Newcomers and visitors planning a move or a trip.
- Locals sharing photos, traffic warnings and news links.
- Long-time residents who answer the questions and correct the details.
Karma and account requirements
What it takes to get a post through in r/Atlanta.
| Karma | Under 10 comment karma and your post is held until a moderator reviews it.Mods' wording: “your account has less than 10 comment karma” |
|---|---|
| Account age | Brand new accounts are held for review. No number of days is given.Mods' wording: “held for moderator review because your account is brand new” |
| Post flair | On every post in our sample. Question is a third of them, then Recommendations. Some flairs, including Events and Meeting People, trigger a hold on their own. |
| Title length | At least 15 characters, or the post is removed automatically.Mods' wording: “the title was too short (under 15 characters)” |
| Politics posts | 30 net karma in r/Atlanta to post and 15 to comment, with the Politics flair, and only politics tied to Atlanta or the metro.Mods' wording: “30 net karma to post” |
| Events | Individual events go to r/ATLevents or the weekly events thread, not a standalone post.Mods' wording: “Individual event posts should go in our sister sub” |
What AutoModerator says
The moderators' bot leaves these messages on posts. They are the closest thing to an official statement of the thresholds.
Your post has been held for moderator review because your account has less than 10 comment karma. A moderator will review your post shortly. If you have questions, message the moderators. Please remember to read the rules to ensure your post is appropriate for /r/Atlanta. Thank you.
Your post has been held for moderator review because it uses the Events flair. Individual event posts should go in our sister sub r/ATLevents, which is dedicated to Atlanta-area events. Posts about major citywide events or breaking news about a large event of community-wide interest may be approved in r/Atlanta at mod discretion. A moderator will review your post shortly. If you have questions, message the moderators.
Hi! We noticed you're posting about visiting, moving, or things to do in Atlanta. Here are some resources: * Visit our FAQs * Check out past visiting Atlanta posts * Check out past moving to Atlanta posts * Check out past things to do posts * Housing questions -> /r/ATLHousing * For events, meetups, and gatherings: browse r/ATLevents If you have specific questions after reviewing these resources, feel free to post in our Daily Discussion thread! A moderator will review your post shortly. If you have questions, message the moderators.
Your post has been held for moderator review because it may contain buying, selling, free, or trading content. Rule 5: No Buying, Selling, Free, or Solicitation - Buying, selling, trading, and free item posts are not permitted in r/Atlanta. A moderator will review your post shortly. If you have questions, message the moderators.
Your post has been held for moderator review because it uses the Meeting People flair. We have some great resources to help you connect with people in Atlanta: * Check out our How to Meet People wiki page * Post in our Daily Discussion Thread * For events, meetups, and gatherings: browse r/ATLevents Posts with specific, unique questions not covered by these resources may be approved. A moderator will review your post shortly. If you have questions, message the moderators.
What you can post
| Post type | Subreddit setting | Share of recent posts |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Allowed | 64% |
| Link | Allowed | 13% |
| Image | Allowed | 22% |
| Video | Not allowed | <1% |
| Poll | Not allowed | 0% |
Post flairs in use
- Question 33%
- Recommendations 11%
- Pictures 6%
- News 5%
- Visiting Atlanta 5%
- Food & Drink 5%
- Traffic 4%
- Daily Discussion 4%
- Politics 4%
- Sports 4%
What happens to a new post
Where the most recent posts ended up. Sample size: 400.
- Stayed up53%
- Removed by Reddit's filters18%
- Held by AutoModerator27%
- Removed by moderators1%
- Deleted by the author1%
Reddit counts a removal by the subreddit's own AutoModerator rules as a moderator removal, so that share is not all human. Held by AutoModerator means the post is waiting in the mod queue.
The rules, in the mods' words
- 1
Racism/Homophobia/Name Calling/Attacks
No racism, homophobia, transphobia, or general attacks on others. No name calling, doxing, or harassment. We're mostly all adults, act like it!
- 2
Spamming
Spam is a hard word to define. In addition to the obvious case of posting the same or similar content repeatedly, you can also follow the 1:10 rule. If more than 1/10th of your posts are from the same source then you are probably considered a spammer. If you only post links and don't participate in discussion you are probably considered a spammer. If you post and our community downvotes your comments consistently then you are probably considered a spammer.
- 3
Missing Persons/Pets and Lost/Stolen Property
Missing Persons posts are only permitted when accompanied by information from either a local law enforcement bureau or a reputable local news source. Lost/Stolen property posts are generally not permitted. Posts about missing pets are sometimes permitted as long as they include details about the animal including location, description, and ideally a photo, but no personal info such as a phone number or email address.
- 4
Not Atlanta/Metro Centric
Before posting you should ask yourself, "Does my post belong in /r/Atlanta?" Does the topic have to do with the city or metropolitan area? Example of a good post: Where can I find the best BBQ in the city? - belongs in /r/Atlanta * \* *make sure to search first to avoid reposting questions* Examples of a bad post: Valdosta Teacher Arrested For Conduct Violation - Belongs in /r/Valdosta or /r/Georgia What are the best headphones for studio mixing? - Belongs in /r/wearethemusicmakers
- 5
Stay On Topic
Comments must be related to the topic at hand. Discussion of moderation actions in comments is not permitted. If your comment is off-topic, please utilize the daily discussion thread.
- 6
No Trolling
Trolls make a deliberately offensive or provocative online post with the aim of upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from them. This is not allowed on /r/atlanta.
- 7
No Low Quality Posts, Rants, or Memes
Low quality content, rants, complaints, so-called "shitposts", and other content with little or no substantive value is welcome in the Daily Discussion thread only. Memes are not allowed and should be posted in /r/atlantacirclejerk instead.
- 8
No Referral Codes or Urls That Benefit OP
This is a complicated rule but easy to enforce. If you are posting a url that has a referral code unique to you or that could benefit a unique account it will be removed. A good example of this would be an Uber referral code where the original poster gets $5 credit for having users sign up using a url + referral code. Even if there's no direct benefit we are taking the stance of not allowing these to be posted here.
- 9
No Buying, Selling, Advertising, or Promotion (including Pet Adoptions)
You may not buy or sell anything (including both goods and services) or offer to do so. This includes advertising and promotion of commercial businesses and pet adoptions/fostering. You may not promote or suggest any business that you have a financial interest in or are employed by. Offering goods or services with no consideration is sometimes permitted at the discretion of the moderators. If you're looking to rent/sublet an apartment or house, try r/ATLHousing.
- 10
Use Politics Post Flair, Only Atlanta-Related Politics
Please flair political posts with the "Politics" flair. In addition, only political posts with direct ties to the city of Atlanta or the surrounding metro area will be allowed. Posts with statewide or national relevance are best suited for other subs, e.g. /r/gapol or /r/politics.
- 11
No Surveys/Forms/Research Studies
Surveys, forms, and research studies are not allowed in /r/atlanta. This includes anything that requests or solicits personal information.
- 12
Events Go In The Weekly Events Thread
All events should go to the weekly events thread on /r/atlanta.
- 13
No Crowdfunding, Donations, or other Solicitation
Crowdfunding sites are blacklisted reddit-wide due to the potential for abuse. Crowdfunding and solicitation of donations via payment services (e.g. Venmo or PayPal) are not allowed as well. While we are sure there are many legitimate worthy causes out there, unforunately, the admins and moderators cannot vet them, so we cannot allow them.
- 14
Don't Post Articles Behind a Paywall / Original Sources Only
Do not post articles that are behind a paywall, as the majority of our readers won't be able to view them. Do not post shortened, archived, or paywall bypass links. Don't post blog articles or other copied/unoriginal content.
These are the rules as archived in January 2025. Rules change. Check the sidebar before you post.
The culture
r/Atlanta is a city help desk with a news feed attached. About a third of posts are flaired Question and another tenth Recommendations: where to get afternoon tea, who customizes motorcycles, which bar shows a team's games. Threads are active, with a median of about 20 comments.
The posts that reach the top are different. They are photos and shared moments: one image that sums up the whole city's morning, a traffic jam on a weekday afternoon, gas prices, a strange gathering in a park. Local news links on transit, the Beltline and policing also do well. Traffic has its own flair and never goes away as a topic.
Moderation is heavy and mostly automatic. AutoModerator held 27% of posts in our sample and Reddit's filters took another 18%. Whole topics are routed away: events to r/ATLevents, housing to r/ATLHousing, jobs to r/atljobs, memes to a separate subreddit, rants to the Daily Discussion. Politics is fenced off. It is limited to Atlanta stories and to accounts with karma earned in the subreddit, and protest and ICE reports are kept in a weekly megathread.
What lands
- A photo locals recognise instantly, with a short dry caption.
- Traffic warnings and complaints posted while the jam is still happening.
- Local news links with the original headline, especially transit and Beltline stories.
- Specific recommendation requests with an area, a budget and what you have already looked at.
- Something you made about the city, like a map explaining how neighborhoods got their names.
What gets removed or ignored
- Anything bought, sold, offered free or promoted, including a business you own or work for.
- Surveys, forms and research studies.
- Standalone event posts, meetup requests and housing searches, which are held and redirected.
- State or national politics. A statewide gas tax story was removed by moderators after it had already drawn a large thread.
- Paywalled articles, shortened links, blog posts, crowdfunding and referral codes.
The unwritten rules
- Search before you ask. Common visiting and moving questions get an automatic reply pointing to the FAQ and past threads.
- If in doubt, use the Daily Discussion thread. Moderators send small questions there with a stock comment.
- Say where in the metro you are. Answers for Decatur, Buckhead and Henry County are not the same.
- Expect to be corrected on details. Ask for high tea and someone will tell you that you mean afternoon tea.
- Do not recommend your own business in a comment. The rule covers suggesting it, not only advertising it.
Self-promotion
The rules ban buying, selling, advertising and promotion outright, and add that you may not promote or suggest any business you have a financial interest in or work for. Referral codes, crowdfunding and surveys are banned too, and the spam rule uses a one in ten test for posts from the same source. In practice AutoModerator holds posts that look like buying or selling before anyone sees them. The only opening is a recommendation thread where other people name you. Naming yourself breaks the rule.
How people write here
- Typical post length
- 57 words
- Typical title length
- 8 words
- Titles phrased as a question
- 25%
- Typical comment length
- 18 words
- Comments that include a link
- 8%
- Posts that carry a flair
- 100%
When people post
- 0:00 UTC, 24
- 1:00 UTC, 20
- 2:00 UTC, 16
- 3:00 UTC, 11
- 4:00 UTC, 8
- 5:00 UTC, 10
- 6:00 UTC, 2
- 7:00 UTC, 4
- 8:00 UTC, 3
- 9:00 UTC, 12
- 10:00 UTC, 3
- 11:00 UTC, 7
- 12:00 UTC, 21
- 13:00 UTC, 24
- 14:00 UTC, 18
- 15:00 UTC, 25
- 16:00 UTC, 33
- 17:00 UTC, 21
- 18:00 UTC, 32
- 19:00 UTC, 28
- 20:00 UTC, 26
- 21:00 UTC, 17
- 22:00 UTC, 14
- 23:00 UTC, 21
New posts by hour of day, UTC.
The regulars
The accounts that showed up most in our sample. Worth reading before you post: they set the tone, and they are usually the first to reply.
Most active posters
- u/raltlanta9 posts
- u/NPU-F4 posts
Most active commenters
- u/menace-of-pentacles7 comments
- u/wookiebath5 comments
- u/violet__violet4 comments
- u/NSAinATL4 comments
- u/catforbrains4 comments
Top keywords
The words and phrases that show up far more often here than in other communities, from recent posts in r/Atlanta.
- atlanta 78 posts
- atl 23 posts
- metro atlanta 13 posts
- metro 17 posts
- random daily 9 posts
- offending comments 9 posts
- mind atlanta 9 posts
- midtown 9 posts
- interest metro 9 posts
- howtomeetpeople 9 posts
- events meetups 9 posts
- daily discussion 9 posts
- atlevents 9 posts
- atlanta random 9 posts
- atlanta links 9 posts
- atlanta discord 9 posts
- decatur 8 posts
- recommendations 31 posts
- city 23 posts
- local events 9 posts
- georgia 13 posts
- area 25 posts
- beltline 6 posts
- prohibited 9 posts
- park 11 posts
- town 13 posts
- commenting 9 posts
- moderators 9 posts
- events 17 posts
- parking 10 posts
- discussion september 5 posts
- goods 10 posts
- places 16 posts
- aquarium 5 posts
- sandy springs 4 posts
- peachtree 4 posts
- dunwoody 4 posts
- discussion october 4 posts
- atlanta city 4 posts
- atlanta area 4 posts
Posts that did well
- Everyone in Atlanta this morning.8.4k upvotes · 450 comments · Pictures
- 1:30pm on a Wednesday afternoon1.8k upvotes · 613 comments · Traffic
- Gas in Buckhead…1.8k upvotes · 502 comments · Pictures
- cult in piedmont park 😂1.5k upvotes · 342 comments · News
- Shout out to our guy in enemy territory at Lambeau1.4k upvotes · 53 comments · Sports
- Missing gatech student safely found1.3k upvotes · 43 comments · Crime/Police
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium among venues that refused to let Macklemore perform: report1.2k upvotes · 212 comments · Politics
- AUC students march in justice for Nolan Wells rally on Thursday evening1.1k upvotes · 124 comments · Crime/Police
Common questions
How much karma do you need to post in r/Atlanta?
10 comment karma to post without being held. Below that, AutoModerator holds the post for a moderator to review, and it does the same for brand new accounts. Politics and ICE Watch threads have a higher bar: 30 net karma earned in r/Atlanta to post and 15 to comment.
Can I promote my business in r/Atlanta?
No. The rules prohibit buying, selling, advertising and promotion, and say you may not promote or even suggest a business you own, work for or have a financial interest in. Posts that look commercial are held automatically. Referral links, crowdfunding and surveys are also banned.
Where do I post an event in Atlanta on Reddit?
In r/ATLevents or in the weekly events thread on r/Atlanta. A post with the Events flair in r/Atlanta is held for review, and only major citywide events or breaking news about a large event may be approved, at the moderators' discretion.
Why is my r/Atlanta post held for review?
The published triggers are less than 10 comment karma, a brand new account, the Events, Meeting People or Protests flair, and content that looks like buying, selling, giving away or pet rehoming. Posts about visiting, moving or housing also get an automatic reply pointing to the FAQ and other subreddits. In our sample AutoModerator held about 27% of posts.
Data as of October 4, 2026. Numbers come from public Reddit data (the Arctic Shift archive and GummySearch) sampled on this date. Removal share counts posts taken down by moderators, AutoModerator or Reddit's own filters. Banner and icon belong to the community. Moderators change rules without notice, so treat the sidebar as the final word.
