Redken: Karma and Feeds for Chats

On IRC it was once normal to reward each other with plus signs: type "word++" and the word gains karma. Redken brings that tradition to Telegram group chats and also posts news feeds, stores quotes and tells Chuck Norris facts. 🐘

It is an open-source bot with a long history and its own flavor: small, niche, made by an enthusiast for like-minded people.

Karma in one line

The bot's main trick is tracking karma. Write a word or a name with "++" to add or "−−" to subtract. You can also reply to someone's message with "++", "−−" or "==", and the karma of that message's author changes.

It works simply and needs no setup. Members decide whom to thank, and the chat gets an informal ranking of helpful people.

• word++ adds karma to a word or a person.
• word−− removes karma.
• A reply with ++ or −− changes the karma of the message author.

What it does besides karma

The author describes Redken as a bot that controls karma, feeds, comics and "etc". The commands in its menu include a few useful ones and a few jokes.

• /quote shows a random saved quote from the chat.
• /stock checks a stock price.
• /info prints details about the current conversation.
• /uptime tells you how long the bot has been running.
• /cn sends a Chuck Norris fact and /excuse gives an excuse for not going to work.
• /help prints the documentation address.

Feeds and reminders

For chats that discuss news, feeds are handy: the bot can watch an address and post new entries straight into the group. There are also reminders, plus a highlight command that forwards messages containing chosen words so you miss nothing.

One extra for job communities: the rhjobs command manages the list of keywords for job posting subscriptions.

Open code and your own copy

Redken runs on the open-source stampython project, released under the GPL-3.0 license. That means you can deploy the bot yourself and tune it for your group instead of relying on the shared instance.

For an ordinary chat it is enough to invite the public bot and see whether members like it. Documentation lives on the author's site, and project news goes to the bot's channel. 🙂

Who will enjoy it

• Technical communities where "++" and "−−" feel natural.
• Friend chats that want a playful points system.
• People who want a simple news feed in a group without a heavy bot.

If you need anti-spam, bans and serious moderation, Redken has a different job. It is about atmosphere and small conveniences, not protection.

What to consider before adding it

The bot reads group messages to notice "++" and commands. So add it only to chats where members agree to that, and do not share confidential information through it. Karma is a game: do not turn it into a reason for quarrels or bullying. ⚠️