50 ‘Cool Guides’ People Shared On This Group That Contain Information They Don’t Teach At School
InterviewOne of my secret pleasures (and feel free to chime in if you’re a geek like me) is looking through various colorful guides and infographics, from what plants are edible in forests to hypothetical explanations on how best to survive the zombie Apocalypse that 2020 promised but never delivered.
The multi-million-member ‘Cool Guides’ community on Reddit is the prime place to go to for (yup, you guessed it!) cool guides. From aesthetically pleasing and very informative ones to quirky and funny ones, you’ll find a bit of everything to keep those noggins of yours learning and yearning for more, dear Pandas.
Bored Panda had a lovely chat with redditor Dadschool, who founded the r/coolguides subreddit way back in 2014 and is still its head moderator to this very day. Having started the sub with no real expectations of forming a community around it, he filled a niche on Reddit that had been empty. "I had a bit of a compulsive habit of saving every guide I came across on Reddit with the idea that I'd somehow reference it when I needed it later. There weren't really any subs for general guides so I made one and uploaded all my guides at once. I think a lot of people have a similar affection for bitesize trivia and hoarding generalist knowledge." You'll find the rest of our interview with the founder below.
Upvote your fave guides as you scroll on down, drop us a comment with your thoughts below, and go and join the r/coolguides subreddit if it’s right up your alley. But a quick note of warning before we begin: this is a community mostly for guides; infographics are in a bit of a grey area.
This post may include affiliate links.
Inequality V. Equality V. Equity V. Justice
Hand Sign Guide For Loud Bars
A More Comprehensive Guide To Symptoms Of Depression
The founder, Dadschool, was very humble about his role in expanding the community. "I can say it is only able to be this size because moderators like @etymologynerd and @robinsparkles18 are as active as they are, and the time they take out of their day to check in," he praised his colleagues. With a leader so supportive, no wonder that the mod r/coolguides mod team stands shoulder to shoulder, come hell or high water.
"The unique thing about Reddit is that subreddits really are independent and are autonomously moderated communities. I think our subscriber ranking is something like 190 across all of Reddit and it's not like there's monetization options after you break 200 or conversations with Reddit corporate. We're the same mod team we were a few years ago, excited that we broke 100k, and checking Reddit throughout the day to make sure no one uploaded the same damn apple guide uploaded 100 times that week," the founder claimed that things are still pretty much as they've always been.
Recognizing A Mentally Abused Brain
How To Get A Scientific Paper For Free
How Paint Can Change A Room
Dadschool revealed that the biggest challenge that he and the other moderators face is reacting in time to remove hateful and troll guides as soon as humanly possible. However, that's not always possible because they all have day jobs; moderating is something that they do during their spare time. "We all are working professionals so it's easy for something to slip by and stay out there for way longer than it should and that's always a total bummer—a total lose/lose for the community."
How To Recognize The Artists Of Paintings
How Masks And Social Distancing Works
Geography Terms
Nowadays, the founder of r/coolguides is a tad more lax about infographics than when he first founded the subreddit. These days, he's more keen to let the community decide what direction it wants to go via upvotes and engagement. He trusts the community. "I see the moderator role as more akin to a landscaper: pruning [troll] posts, removing harmful posts, and moderating for content diversity. Subscribers are much better judges of content quality and validity than moderators and I think it's important to trust them in that role." He added (and this is a feeling that I completely agree with): "I will admit, however, that the majority of guides I enjoy most myself rarely break 50/100 upvotes."
I Think These Simple Points Could Help A Lot.
Just A Little Something For The Upcoming Holiday Season
A Restaurant Guide For How You Want Your Steak Cooked
How about let people eat steak how they like it. The chef can shove the rare steak where the sun don’t shine.
For those of you Pandas who are raring to post a guide on r/coolguides, head moderator Dadschool is all for it: "Go for it!" Just remember to avoid reposts, so have a look through the newest posts. "We do try to maintain some content diversity, so don't upload all ten of your favorite ab workout guides at once. If you have the source, be a buddy and list that too in the comments or title to give credit where it's due!" he gave some advice for newcomers.
Paper Snowflakes
I'm so bad at crafting, mine would probably end up being just confetti :/
I Liked This One
The niqab and the burka should not be legal in our society. First because the face is the way of conveying emotions and covering it it’s dehumanising but specially for security. The other veils should be all legal for adults but not for kids since they cannot consent to them. I am heartbroken each time that I see a 8yo covered like if she needs to be hidden while her brothers run around freely.
Animals With Misleading Names
The University of Bath has some excellent advice on how to create a proper guide that’s useful for your readers. Yes, it's a guide for creating guides: we're officially in meta-territory now.
They suggest that you address the reader directly, rather than in the third person (i.e. ‘you Pandas should upvote this awesome article’ instead of ‘Pandas may upvote this absolutely amazing article at the very bottom of the page’).
Different Shades Of Light
How To Email Well
Guide To Pain Scale
AAH THE BEES WHY ARE THERE BEES OH GOD THEY ARE NINJA BEES RUN!!!!
Load More Replies...I have been at a constant 8 for over 8 years with flare ups of a solid 9 every now and then. I wish they had this diagram in all of my doctors' offices so they would understand how I am feeling.
Yup, have lived between "bees?"And "can't move it hurts too much" for the last 10 years . But it looks like we're finally near a diagnosis
I was same for two years(especially back pain) no diagnosis, a lot of medicine. I am a doctor myself, I tried everything. When medicine is not enough, tried hypnosis etc... At last when I wanted to lose weight I began to eat kotogenic diet. (but a healthy one, olive oil, butter, fish, meat, lots of vegatable...not the one with bacon or sthg) Also eat one spoon black seed. Then in three weeks my pain just vanished. And if I keep low carb, no gluten, I do not have pain anymore. (For 3 years) I hope you will find a cure too. I know it is soooo hard, you even do not want to live sometimes.
Load More Replies...Or nerve damage....But the real bitch is when you have both.
Load More Replies...!0 is just BEFORE unconscious ..for felt pain is greatly reduced after unconsciousness begins
This is the "Lesser Mortal" pain scale... after 40 broken bones, 2 strokes, 2 MRSA infections, 3 closed head injuries and bunches of other crap, I spend my entire life in "8" but have to move around anyway.
Well, this is not very accurate at all. If you're unconscious then you're not feeling pain at all - and having lived with a daily 7 to 9 for more than four years, and having experienced 10 (and maybe 11) on a number of occasions, I can tell you I fervently wished for the bliss of unconsciousness. Edit - I freely admit to crying on occasions, but it wasn't ever at level 7.
I always hated how many patients would just go straight to 10 no matter how you asked them.
Unconscious seems silly as a pain measurement - you're not feeling anything at that point.
Load More Replies...One great description I heard of the 1 to 10 pain scale: "1 is, 'OK, I admit I'm suffering a wee bit.' 10 is the amount of pain you hope is being inflicted this very moment on Hitler's nutsack."
Load More Replies...depends, really. if there's no obvious cause for the pain, they're going to try and stay away from the opiodes these days. or the should. On the other hand, if there's an obvious source- like when I had a broken foot courtesy of an idiot with a luggage trolley on the lightrail- the doctor was like, "how are you still standing?"
Load More Replies...I had just had my hip replaced earlier that day and my nurse scolded me when I said I was at a level 8 for pain. She said if I was truly at a level 8 I wouldn't be able to speak I would be in so much pain. From then on I have always taken my pain level and subtracted 1.5 from that to make medical staff happy.
She was WRONG. I hope you’re feeling much better!
Load More Replies...I suffer chronic pain , and I e never seen anything like this . Not even in my pain teams office !
Yes, they need to start using this sign! I remember after I had surgery and my nerve block had worn off at about 2:00 in the morning, I was between 7 and 8 - I was crying and couldn't move and was also babbling incoherently, trying to get my dad to understand that I needed some pain medication.
It can actually vary enormously. By the type of bee, the venom strength and our own reaction to the sting. I have been stung several times by different bees/wasps and the worst was a bumble bee - sharp intense burning pain, like a needle coated in acid, that spread and took about a day to peak. I got quite a bad local reaction and that was pretty painful for a couple of weeks. One wasp sting was quite minor and barely hurt and the swelling started to go down the same day. So it's hard to quantify to be honest. Hope that helps a bit though.
Load More Replies...you forgot #11, "Heart Attack Level of Pain".... you can hurt so bad it will actually give you a heart attack... yikes
this one is interesting. I get migraines and I would equate that to 8 on average (always tearing up during a migraine anyway - cannot control my right eye) but I have never been given a 10 point pain scale. Always 5.
pro tip - if you tell your doctor your pain level is a 10/10, they might think you're malingering, which is a fancy word for making it up to get drugs.
I guess giving birth was around no 6 on this scale, screaming was also similar to what i would have done if I was chased around by bees.
For me, contractions were an 8but very short (induced) and the actual birth was a 0. For some reason, I got lucky and went numb without an epidural once the baby decided it was time to move towards the exit.
Load More Replies...This should be in every medical facility in every English speaking country in the world, and translated for all the other countries. I am so sick of the "smiley/frowny face" pain scale. Especially for those of us with chronic pain conditions. Sometimes I'm at 47, folks. 10 with a sad face just doesn't come near.
What’s more, you should aim to write concisely. Plainly. Simply. Structure and break up the content to make it easier to read. Give your guide some flow and make it easy for the reader to understand what’s what.
Meanwhile, some of the things that you should avoid are incredibly technical terms in the title and headings. Also, omit useless words and info. Less. Is. More. (Unless you absolutely have to add in those extra words for whatever unavoidable reasons.)
How Untreated Adhd Causes And Traps You In Depression
The History Of Confederate Flags.
In the age of cancel culture, I'm astonished that nobody's gotten to the Dukes of Hazard yet. 🤔
How To Treat People With Dementia
The ‘Cool Guides’ subreddit celebrated its 7th birthday, a magical milestone if there ever was one, just over a week ago on March 20.
Since having been founded in 2014, the community now has nearly 2.1 million members and continues to grow. Despite the vast number of members, the team of moderators remains compact, numbering at just 5 (as far as we can tell from their page on Reddit—there may be more who choose to remain more mysterious and secretive).
Cool Guide Of Words You Can Use Instead Of Very
And please avoid using very twice or more in a row : very very very ...
Types Of Asian Architecture
Tattoo Pain Chart
According to the mods, their online page is for “picture based reference guides for anything and everything. If it seems like something someone might print, physically post, and reference then it is a good link for this sub.”
However, this doesn’t always include infographics. The mods explain that infographics are learning tools, whereas guides are reference tools. Sometimes, the area between the two becomes blurred.
If you do end up posting what the mods deem to be an infographic, they might decide to remove it. “An infographic is more educational in layout and content, finding something specific on an infographic is not as easy because it is designed to inform through more narrative structures. If your guide is more of a visual essay than a structured table or list, then chances are that is an infographic. Sometimes infographics can masquerade as how-to guides.”
How Human Flesh Decomposes
U.S. Flag But Each Star Is Scaled Proportionally To Their State’s Population, In Roughly It’s Geographical Position.
Cool Idea Of How Fresh New Babies See The World
The subreddit also has a no-tolerance policy for any content that’s dangerous, harmful, hurtful, or destructive. It’s supposed to be a wholesome and informative community that adheres to morality, the rules of Reddit, as well as common legal structures.
“Guides depicting harmful, dangerous, or destructive content will be removed. This includes guides describing the creation of dangerous items/materials and/or guides that are designed with the purpose to harm or hurt others do not fit the culture of this sub and will be removed.”
A Simple Spell
For All You Dog Lovers Out There
From The Us Holocaust Museum
So, dear Pandas, which of these guides did you find to be the most useful (or, let's face it, the most intriguing because we all like looking at pretty pictures)? What's the most useful guide you've ever seen in your entire life? Is there a guide for something that you'd do pretty much anything to read through? Share your thoughts with everyone else below.
How To Assert Dominance Over A Waterfall
I hope I never have to come to a point where I would need this information
Activities That Make Your Brain Release Happy Chemicals
How Gerrymandering Works
How To Turn Down An Invite.
First you decline, then be gracious. Wording is very essential and people tend to pay attention to the sentence after the "but". For example "I won't be able to make it, but thank you for considering me" vs "thank you for inviting me, but I can't come". I think the first one sounds better, even if it's essentially the same.
Marginal Tax
Copper Through The Patina Process
Communication 101: As A Ux Researcher, I Study How People Understand Technology, Content, And Messaging For A Living. During This Crisis, Vague Messages Like "Practice Social Distancing" Will Have Far Less Impact Than Concrete, Specific Messages Like "Stay At Home. Get Groceries Once Per Week"
When Coming In Contact With A Bear
How To Pack A Hiking Bag
This is very helpful because I go hiking a lot, next time I will pack this way!
Apples On A Scale From Most Tart To Most Sweet
What To Say To Kids Instead Of “Be Careful!”
Sometimes it is just quicker to say be careful when in/near a dangerous situation.
Biking Or Running In The Dark? Here's How The Drivers See You Based On The Clothes You Wear.
I’ll Never Remember This Mid-Heart Attack But This Is Good To Know
A Quick Guide To Tea!
Sorry... green tea is tea, but the rest of them are types of infusions/tisanes.
Explanation Of The Subtle Differences Between Equality And Equity
In all three scenarios the soccer players are robbed of gate receipts
Five Demands, Not One Less. End Police Brutality
Simple Guide To Staying Healthy
Different Forms Of Color Blindness
How To Make An Amazing Sofa Fort
The Joker
Note: this post originally had 72 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
I really loved this one. Informative and relevant. I would love to read more of these.
thnaks, this was a very informative and interesting post!! more of these, please
You mean, a site consists of mostly left wing political people, and the site accommodates for that? OH NO GUYS BILL GATES IS AFTER OUR PICKLE! BIG SCARY AHHHH
Load More Replies...I really loved this one. Informative and relevant. I would love to read more of these.
thnaks, this was a very informative and interesting post!! more of these, please
You mean, a site consists of mostly left wing political people, and the site accommodates for that? OH NO GUYS BILL GATES IS AFTER OUR PICKLE! BIG SCARY AHHHH
Load More Replies...