Substack introduces Reply Rules for creator comment control
9 reported
Substack announced a new feature called Reply Rules on Wednesday, designed to give creators more control over audience responses. The feature allows creators to set specific guidelines for comments on posts, Notes, or Chat, such as requests to eliminate AI slop or profanity, or requiring replies in haiku form. Substack stated that the system learns from user actions, like hiding replies, and automatically filters out comments that do not match the creator’s preferences, while creators can still view and unhide hidden replies. Reply Rules are currently available for all English-language publications. Substack has historically used a decentralized moderation approach where writers police their own communities, with tools like locking posts, deleting comments, and banning users. The new feature may reduce the need for creators to manually review every comment. Substack has faced criticism regarding its content moderation practices, particularly concerning far-right newsletters, with critics arguing its lenient approach allows harmful rhetoric. In the announcement, Substack addressed this by underscoring its commitment to fostering diverse online communities despite the challenges.
What’s reported
Substack announced Reply Rules on Wednesday to give creators control over audience responses.
Creators can set guidelines for comments on posts, Notes, or Chat, such as eliminating AI slop or profanity, or requiring haiku replies.
The system learns from user actions like hiding replies and automatically filters out non-matching comments.
Creators can view and unhide hidden replies if they change their minds.
Reply Rules are available for all English-language publications.
Substack uses a decentralized moderation approach where writers police their own communities.
Creators have tools like locking posts, deleting comments, and banning users.
Substack has faced criticism over content moderation, especially regarding far-right newsletters.
In the announcement, Substack underscored its commitment to fostering diverse online communities.
Sources: TechCrunch
