Hello r/bangtan,

Chapter 2 has been quite the experience, not just for BTS, but as fans we’re also going through something new, exciting and oftentimes quite different. BTS aren’t the only ones getting to know their colors; the sub has grown so much, and we know it continues to do so because of everyone here who considers this place as a community.

We want to make sure that it will remain a welcoming, considerate and healthy community for everyone who wants to be a part of BTS’ journey. That’s why we want to take this opportunity to remind both new and regular users of the sub’s rules and guidelines, so that everyone can experience BTS’ music and their content in a fun and pleasant way.

The mod team would like to address the issue that we have been observing recently becoming more prevalent during new music releases. There has been a sharp uptick of non-constructive negativity, drama, speculative and disrespectful comments in the threads during new releases.

While this was already brought up in a previous [State of the Subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/bangtan/comments/14ib9wu/230625_state_of_the_subreddit_update_on_instagram/), we would like to directly discuss and focus on this issue so we can share our thoughts and hear from the community. We’re hopeful that together we can take action to tackle this and keep r/bangtan a healthy space for all of us.

# r/bangtan is meant to be a place for ARMY to discuss with other fans, enjoy and celebrate BTS and their music

*Do you still remember why you joined this subreddit?*

To a lot of fans r/bangtan is HOME. We want to continue making this a space where ARMY **want** to come to celebrate all the wonderful things BTS gives us, new music, concerts, and everything in between.

While it is and will *always* be okay to not enjoy everything BTS does, this space exists first and foremost for people to connect over their shared love of BTS’ music. And ARMY, better than most, can understand how difficult it can be to enjoy the things we love when we are surrounded by people who constantly demean them.

Of course it’s not reasonable to expect that every ARMY will always sing the praise of everything BTS releases, but every release will appeal to SOME ARMY, and these ARMY deserve a space to discuss and be excited about that one release that doesn’t appeal to most but does it for *them*, without a constant cloud of negativity following them from one thread to the next.

It’s also important to remember that if you feel like something doesn’t bring you joy, it’s okay to skip it. Not enjoying certain releases does not make you any less of a fan, nor does not consuming every piece of BTS content, or not commenting on every release thread. Not having anything nice to say doesn’t mean you have to say something not so nice.

We would also like to remind everyone that whether it’s in this subreddit or on any other social media platform, the things you write online do not exist in a vacuum and can affect not only other ARMY, but also anyone surrounding BTS, as well as the members themselves.

So if you wouldn’t feel comfortable saying it directly to their face, please consider leaving it in the drafts sometimes.

# How can you help? The answer is R E P O R T

When encountering a comment or comment chain that you find upsetting, downvoting it and moving on with your day would be most people’s reaction. Some may find themselves upset enough to decide to reply, and this may very soon devolve into good old fisticuffs.

While we understand these reactions, the most effective way to deal with such comments is to **not engage with them and instead report them immediately to the mod team**. Reporting rule-breaking content helps the mods get to it considerably faster, meaning less ARMY will have to be exposed to it.

So protect a fellow ARMY’s smile by hitting that report button TODAY!*

^^\*(not ^^literally ^^today, ^^please ^^find ^^rule-breaking ^^content ^^first)

**Unsure whether something actually constitutes a rule-breaking comment?** No worries, we’ve got you covered with a quick guide, and remember that ultimately this isn’t an exact science, there is context and nuances to consider, even the mods often need to discuss certain comments between themselves!

#Here are some common types of rule-breaking comments and how to report them

 

1) **Non-constructive negative comments** are negative comments that are unnecessarily rude/hateful and don’t really add value to the discussion. When engaging in a thread, let’s try to be cognizant of how we express our thoughts and engage with other fans.

Example:

> Ew! Won’t give this one a view!

Or

> This song sucks cASSerole!

**How to report this type of comment:** Report > Breaks r/bangtan rules > non-constructive negativity

—-

 

2) **Off-topic negative comments** are a subset of non-constructive negative comments, but which are posted in threads that have nothing to do with the subject matter and do nothing other than to rehash or repeat a negative comment that was already made in the proper dedicated thread.

Examples:

> “We get it, Chimmy! You like crocheting 30 days a month 🙄. Cringe” – in the choreography thread

Or

> “I still can’t believe RJ rhymed cook book with crochet hook, how corny” – in the milestone thread

**How to report this type of comment:** Report > Breaks r/bangtan rules > non-constructive negativity

—-

 

3) **Disrespecting the artist, their work and the people they work with** – exactly what it means. If you’re uncertain on what this rule entails, a good rule of thumb is if you couldn’t say it to their face, maybe you shouldn’t say it in a public forum.

Examples:

> Bam’s bark hurts my ears! His vet needs to be fired!!!

Or

> After how dirty they’ve done him, I really hope Min Holly leaves MinTS!

**How to report this type of comment:** Report > Breaks r/bangtan rules > Drama or Bashing

—-

 

4) **Speculative comments about the members’ character/personality** are comments that speculate about aspects of the members’ personal lives (romantic shipping, dating, finances, emotional/mental state, health, etc.) and sometimes either insinuate things about and/or openly insult their character.

Examples:

> Isn’t Mang basically an out of control chocolate hoarder since they released the song “CHO-COCO IS LYF”?

Or

> This is clear to me now that Koya *really* despises outdoor Koalas since the song mentions climbing trees is boring

**How to report this type of comment:** two possibilities here

* The comment speculates about their private life or mental/physical health : Report > Breaks r/bangtan rules > Rumor/Invades BTS Privacy/Private Life Speculation

* The comment is offensive toward a member’s personality or character : Report > Breaks r/bangtan rules > Drama or Bashing

—-

 

5) **Being rude to other fans that may have different opinions** whether directly replying to them or shading them in a separate comment.

Examples:

> Do the Vans in here even have ears?

Or

> Can you stop pretending they can’t do wrong and admit this song sucks!

(These usually go hand in hand with the downvoting of all the comments from people that truly liked the release or simply had nothing negative to say.)

**How to report this type of comment:** Report > Breaks r/bangtan rules > Not Very Nice or Civil

—-

 

6) **Bringing in Drama** or drawing attention to what is happening on other parts of reddit or other social media platforms

Examples:

> It’s so refreshing that I can say I hate the song here! They’re being so dramatic and unhinged on Barkstagram!

Or

> Over on Woolster, the RJ solos are making a petition to pressure the company into releasing mohair ponchos for his birthday! They say he’s being mistreated cause he’s the only one without a proper concert ponchos release.

**How to report this type of comment:** Report > Breaks r/bangtan rules > Drama or Bashing

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# Some things you can do to help us

* It is natural to want to share our thoughts and engage with fans who have similar opinions as ours. But before commenting, please **remember that this space must remain welcoming for fans who want to celebrate and be mindful of how you express your opinions**.

* **Consider if your words are constructive or not**. Be mindful of your tone, intent and if you have something negative to say, consider if it adds any value to the conversation.

* **Know that it’s okay to not keep engaging or participate further when you already know you won’t be satisfied**. We know that there will be times when you don’t enjoy or agree with content or music. While your feelings are valid, it’s okay to skip threads about content you can’t feel excited about. Missing out on one music video or performance won’t make you lose whatever you have with BTS or this community.

* **Hit the report button** If you see any comments which fall under the above categories or break any of the sub rules, please report them. Your reports really help us keep tabs on the threads, especially since it is not possible for the team to comb through thousands of comments spanning multiple threads.

# Action plan for future releases

* Whether you are new to the sub or have been here awhile, if you haven’t read the sub [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/bangtan/wiki/rules/) please check them out. Comments/Posts that go against sub rules may be removed.

* Negative comments not relevant to a particular thread may be removed.

* Repeat violations of sub rules may lead to a ban. If you need clarification on why your comment was removed please send modmail. Complaining in the thread and reposting the already removed comment may be considered a repeat offense.

# Team work makes the dream work

Please note that there may be times when we implement rules which may cause some of your interactions, comments, and posts to be removed. It is never our intention to single out or invalidate a user, an opinion, or an experience. We only try to remind the community that we have [guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/bangtan/wiki/rules/) in place, and we hope you can remember to respect that enough to remain civil while you engage with this community.

If you feel like this space just continues to be different from what you need, there are other subs and other platforms for you to engage with as well. But we hope that should you want to stay in this community, you would want to help us continue to make it grow and move forward.

This subreddit has been built by many passionate ARMY over the years and we are keen on preserving its ethos of being a safe space for ARMY to interact and share their love of BTS. We need to remember what is the essence of this community, what this space’s *raison d’etre* was and remains, and be considerate of others that are here to peacefully discuss and enjoy the music.

—-

So… *Do you still remember why you joined this subreddit?*

Despite all our differences, please don’t forget that the one thing that brings us all together is that we are all **[ARMY](https://i.imgur.com/5WmyKIs.jpg)**.

by lisafancypants