Reddit User Persona Generator

A Python script that scrapes Reddit user data, analyzes posting patterns, and generates comprehensive user personas with detailed citations.

Features

• Scrapes Reddit user posts and comments using PRAW (Python Reddit API Wrapper)
• Analyzes user behavior patterns, interests, and activity
• Generates detailed user personas with evidence-based characteristics
• Provides citations with direct links to supporting posts/comments
• Outputs comprehensive text-based persona reports

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Reddit API credentials (client ID, client secret)
• Required Python packages (see Installation section)

Installation

1. Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/reddit-persona-generator.git
cd reddit-persona-generator

2. Install required packages:

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Set up Reddit API credentials:
   • Go to https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps
   • Create a new application (script type)
   • Create a .env file in the project root with your credentials:

REDDIT_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id_here
REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret_here
REDDIT_USER_AGENT=PersonaGenerator/1.0

Usage

1. Run the

python reddit_persona_generator.py

2. Enter a Reddit profile URL when prompted:

   • Example: https://www.reddit.com/user/spez
   • Example: https://www.reddit.com/user/username

3. The script will:

   • Scrape the user's recent posts and comments
   • Analyze their activity patterns and interests
   • Generate a comprehensive persona report
   • Save the results to username_persona.txt

Output Format

The generated persona includes:

• Basic Information: Account age, karma, activity statistics
• Interests: Primary subreddits and topics of engagement
• Personality Traits: Behavioral patterns derived from content analysis
• Activity Patterns: Peak activity times and posting frequency
• Expertise Areas: Topics where the user demonstrates knowledge
• Citations: Direct links to posts/comments supporting each characteristic

Example Output Files

The repository includes sample persona files for the provided test users:

• kojied_persona.txt
• Hungry-Move-6603_persona.txt

Technical Details

Data Analysis

• Analyzes posting frequency and timing patterns
• Identifies primary subreddits and topics of interest
• Performs content analysis for personality trait detection
• Tracks karma patterns and engagement levels

Privacy & Ethics

• Only analyzes publicly available Reddit data
• Provides citations to original sources
• Respects Reddit's API terms of service
• Does not store or redistribute user data

Code Structure

persona_generator.py    # Main script
requirements.txt               # Python dependencies
.env                          # API credentials (not included)
README.md                     # This file
sample_outputs/               # Example persona files
├── kojied_persona.txt
└── Hungry-Move-6603_persona.txt
└── spez_persona.txt

Dependencies

• praw - Python Reddit API Wrapper
• python-dotenv - Environment variable management
• textblob - Text processing and sentiment analysis
• requests - HTTP requests
• beautifulsoup4 - HTML parsing (if needed)

API Rate Limits

The script respects Reddit's API rate limits:

• Maximum 100 requests per minute
• Built-in delays between requests
• Graceful error handling for rate limit issues

Testing

Test the script with the provided example URLs:

• https://www.reddit.com/user/kojied/
• https://www.reddit.com/user/Hungry-Move-6603/

Common Issues

1. "Invalid Reddit profile URL" error

   • Ensure the URL follows the format: https://www.reddit.com/user/username
   • Check that the username exists and is public

2. API authentication errors

   • Verify your .env file contains correct credentials
   • Ensure your Reddit app is configured as a "script" type

3. Rate limiting

   • The script includes built-in delays
   • If you hit rate limits, wait a few minutes before retrying

4. Empty or minimal output

   • User may have very few public posts/comments
   • Some users have private profiles or deleted content

Created as part of a data analysis assignment focusing on social media user behavior analysis.