Reddit has released a new tool that allows users to search comments, as well as a few other search-related functions. According to Tech Crunch, the new feature allows users to search for comments straight from the search bar via a new 'comments' tab, rather than needing to click on several comments to find threads when looking for a specific conversation. According to last year's Reddit surveys, the 'comment search' tool was one of the most requested.
More than 26,000 users used the new feature to look through more than five billion comments while testing it. With this latest update, for the first time in sixteen years everything on Reddit is now searchable – users, posts, communities, and now comments – making Reddit one of the first platforms with this capability," Reddit explained in a blog post.
According to MacRumors, the social networking site has also increased search relevance. Previously, the user's query had to match the results exactly, but now it's less rigorous, and a query doesn't have to match the text 100 per cent of the time to yield relevant results. Reddit claims that its adjustments resulted in a 60% increase in results in tests.
"If someone wants to find a thread about the best locations in London, previously they would have to look through each post in the r/London community, browsing the comments to find it. Now, they can easily see all the different recommendations on the best places for high tea that people have shared in comments," stated Reddit.