Substack announced on Wednesday a new feature called Reply Rules. The feature gives creators greater control over how their audiences can respond. Creators can establish specific guidelines for comments on their posts, in Notes, or in Chat. These guidelines might include requests to eliminate AI slop or profanity, or something silly like only requiring replies in haiku form.
System Learns From Hidden Replies And Filters Automatically
Substack explains that the system learns from users’ actions, such as when they hide replies. The system will automatically filter out comments that do not match the creator’s preferences. Creators maintain visibility over these hidden replies and have the option to unhide them if they change their minds. Currently, Reply Rules are available for all English-language publications.
Feature Builds On Decentralized Moderation Approach
Substack has always used a decentralized moderation approach where writers are responsible for policing their own communities. Creators have access to tools such as locking posts or threads to prevent additional comments, comment deletion, and the ability to ban or suspend users when necessary. The new feature may reduce the need for creators to sift through every comment manually.
Platform Acknowledges Difficult Trade-Offs In Moderation
Substack has faced criticism regarding its content moderation practices, especially regarding far-right newsletters. Critics argue that the platform’s more lenient approach allows harmful rhetoric to thrive. In today’s announcement, Substack seemed to address this and underscored its commitment to fostering diverse online communities. “Since its founding, Substack has sought to create the best possible conditions for cultures of many varieties to flourish online. Achieving this often involves difficult trade-offs, but alongside our core model — where we only earn when writers, artists, journalists, musicians, and others earn — we’ve managed to carve out a unique path relative to other platforms,” the company said.
Other Recent Updates Include Recording Studio And TV App
This year, Substack has rolled out several updates to its platform. These include a built-in recording studio for creators to pre-record and publish videos. Substack also launched a TV app for subscribers to watch video posts and livestreams on their living room screens. TechCrunch has covered the platform’s previous moderation challenges. Substack’s announcement provides additional details on Reply Rules.
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