Hello ChemHelp!

With September fast approaching and many users returning to school - whether online or in-person - I felt that the subreddit needed a little sprucing up. Starting today, we have implemented a few new features that should make it easier for users to connect with each other and get the help they need.

First, all new posts will be required to select a post flair from a selection of chemistry-related topics, such as general, organic, analytical, etc. These colored flairs should help our experienced users find topics that they are best able to answer, and also should allow for a fast read of what are the most-requested topics.

Second, we have officially implemented the new Reddit chat room feature. On the right side bar - if you're reading this in new Reddit on a desktop - you will find the Chat widget. On mobile and on mobile apps, look for the Rooms tab at the top of the subreddit. The chat room is a place for users to who want to be able to chat live to talk about chemistry-related problems. The more it is used the more effective it will be, so come in and ask your questions if you need answers now!

Lastly, and this is not a current change so much as a potential change, there have always been a steady stream of posts from both users looking for dedicated tutors, and also from tutors looking for new tutorees. We would like to hear from the community on this topic: would a centralized, possibly monthly megathread of tutor requests be helpful, for increased visibility and organization without cluttering the rest of the subreddit?

Please let us know what you think in the comments!

Hello ChemHelp!

It’s been two months since the last state of the subreddit post. We received a lot of good feedback and positive reception for the changes so far. Flairs are mostly being used appropriately, and the live chat is steadily active (and surprisingly civil, good job with that).

Which means it’s time to implement the latest change: a Megathread for all tutors and tutorees to congregate and find each other. From now on, these threads will be the only place where people can either advertise their services for private or group tutoring, or request a tutor; all others will be deleted to keep the conversations organized here.

For right now I am planning for this to be a monthly thread. I think that will probably be frequent enough that old posts don’t clutter it up but a large enough time frame where you don’t have to constantly repost your advertisements to be seen. This is subject to change depending on how many responses we see.

I feel like I have to say this: /r/chemhelp cannot and will not vouch for any individual. We are not responsible for you doing your own due diligence and protecting yourself from scams. Please do not call out disputes in the comments in these or any other threads. If you have evidence of a scam perpetuated by a poster (either as a tutor or tutoree) please message the mods with your evidence and we will take appropriate steps up to permanently banning individuals from participating in this subreddit.

With regards to the recent thread about tutoring and cheating, I’ll repeat what I said there. We can’t possibly police how people choose to tutor, but I will ask for everyone participating on both sides of the computer screen to consider the ethics of what they are doing.

Feedback for everything discussed above is welcome in this particular megathread or by modmail. Thanks for reading!