diff --git a/r2/r2/controllers/api.py b/r2/r2/controllers/api.py
index 7557dccff..9f52475d3 100755
--- a/r2/r2/controllers/api.py
+++ b/r2/r2/controllers/api.py
@@ -1368,6 +1368,7 @@ class ApiController(RedditController):
                    title = VLength("title", max_length = 100),
                    header_title = VLength("header-title", max_length = 500),
                    domain = VCnameDomain("domain"),
+                   public_description = VMarkdown("public_description", max_length = 500),
                    description = VMarkdown("description", max_length = 5120),
                    lang = VLang("lang"),
                    over_18 = VBoolean('over_18'),
@@ -1393,7 +1394,7 @@ class ApiController(RedditController):
                   if k in ('name', 'title', 'domain', 'description', 'over_18',
                            'show_media', 'show_cname_sidebar', 'type', 'link_type', 'lang',
                            "css_on_cname", "header_title", 
-                           'allow_top'))
+                           'allow_top', 'public_description'))
 
         #if a user is banned, return rate-limit errors
         if c.user._spam:
@@ -1419,6 +1420,7 @@ class ApiController(RedditController):
         elif form.has_errors('domain', errors.BAD_CNAME, errors.USED_CNAME):
             form.find('#example_domain').hide()
         elif (form.has_errors(('type', 'link_type'), errors.INVALID_OPTION) or
+              form.has_errors('public_description', errors.TOO_LONG) or
               form.has_errors('description', errors.TOO_LONG)):
             pass
 
diff --git a/r2/r2/lib/jsontemplates.py b/r2/r2/lib/jsontemplates.py
index 808d5cc41..4b75396c4 100755
--- a/r2/r2/lib/jsontemplates.py
+++ b/r2/r2/lib/jsontemplates.py
@@ -212,6 +212,7 @@ class SubredditJsonTemplate(ThingJsonTemplate):
                                                 url          = "path",
                                                 over18       = "over_18",
                                                 description  = "description",
+                                                public_description = "public_description",
                                                 display_name = "name",
                                                 header_img   = "header",
                                                 header_size  = "header_size",
diff --git a/r2/r2/models/modaction.py b/r2/r2/models/modaction.py
index 06b357da6..4410338a1 100644
--- a/r2/r2/models/modaction.py
+++ b/r2/r2/models/modaction.py
@@ -69,7 +69,8 @@ class ModAction(tdb_cassandra.UuidThing, Printable):
                      'remove_self': _('removed self'),
                      # editsettings
                      'title': _('title'),
-                     'description': _('description'),
+                     'public_description': _('description'),
+                     'description': _('sidebar'),
                      'lang': _('language'),
                      'type': _('type'),
                      'link_type': _('link type'),
diff --git a/r2/r2/models/subreddit.py b/r2/r2/models/subreddit.py
index 7b07c8f1e..be3d57af5 100644
--- a/r2/r2/models/subreddit.py
+++ b/r2/r2/models/subreddit.py
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ class Subreddit(Thing, Printable):
                      header_size = None,
                      header_title = "",
                      allow_top = False, # overridden in "_new"
+                     public_description = '',
                      description = '',
                      images = {},
                      reported = 0,
@@ -388,7 +389,11 @@ class Subreddit(Thing, Printable):
 
             #will seem less horrible when add_props is in pages.py
             from r2.lib.pages import UserText
-            item.usertext = UserText(item, item.description, target=target)
+            item.description_usertext = UserText(item, item.description, target=target)
+            if item.public_description or item.description:
+                item.public_description_usertext = UserText(item, item.public_description or item.description, target=target)
+            else:
+                item.public_description_usertext = None
 
 
         Printable.add_props(user, wrapped)
diff --git a/r2/r2/templates/createsubreddit.html b/r2/r2/templates/createsubreddit.html
index 3f89e1d86..a82ee6820 100644
--- a/r2/r2/templates/createsubreddit.html
+++ b/r2/r2/templates/createsubreddit.html
@@ -66,7 +66,16 @@
   </%utils:line_field>
 
   <%utils:line_field title="${_('description')}" css_class="usertext"
-                     description="${_('500 characters max.  Make them count.')}">
+                     description="${_('publicly describe your subreddit for all to see. 500 characters max.')}">
+    %if thing.site and thing.site.public_description:
+     ${UserText(None, text=thing.site.public_description or "", editable=True, creating=True, name="public_description", have_form=False)}
+    %else:
+     ${UserText(None, text="", creating=True, name="public_description", have_form=False)}
+    %endif
+  </%utils:line_field>
+
+  <%utils:line_field title="${_('sidebar')}" css_class="usertext"
+                     description="${_('shown in the sidebar of your subreddit. 5120 characters max.')}">
     %if thing.site and thing.site.description:
      ${UserText(None, text = thing.site.description or "", editable = True, creating = True, name="description", have_form = False)}
     %else:
diff --git a/r2/r2/templates/subreddit.compact b/r2/r2/templates/subreddit.compact
index 10f3e6b6a..5b70cbab1 100644
--- a/r2/r2/templates/subreddit.compact
+++ b/r2/r2/templates/subreddit.compact
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
                   reverse = thing.subscriber)}
   </div>
   <div class="entry ${like_cls}">
-    %if thing.description:
+    %if thing.public_description or thing.description:
       <a href="javascript:void(0)" class="expando-button collapsed button">
           Aa
       </a>
@@ -55,10 +55,10 @@
     <p class="tagline">
       ${tagline()}
     </p>
-  %if thing.description:
+  %if thing.public_description_usertext:
     <div class="expando" style="display:none">
       <div class="description">
-        ${thing.usertext}
+        ${thing.public_description_usertext}
       </div>
     </div>
   %endif
diff --git a/r2/r2/templates/subreddit.html b/r2/r2/templates/subreddit.html
index ee0ecbf3d..b4a3e2dc3 100644
--- a/r2/r2/templates/subreddit.html
+++ b/r2/r2/templates/subreddit.html
@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@
   ${self.admintagline()}
   %endif
 </p>
-%if thing.description:
+%if thing.public_description_usertext:
   <div class="description">
-    ${thing.usertext}
+    ${thing.public_description_usertext}
   </div>
 %endif
 <p class="tagline">
diff --git a/r2/r2/templates/subreddit.xml b/r2/r2/templates/subreddit.xml
index fa7578d4d..26df978d8 100644
--- a/r2/r2/templates/subreddit.xml
+++ b/r2/r2/templates/subreddit.xml
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@
   <guid>${thing.path}</guid>
   <dc:date>${thing._date.isoformat()}</dc:date>
   <description>
-    %if thing.description:
-      ${thing.description}
+    %if thing.public_description:
+      ${thing.public_description}
     %endif
     &lt;a href="${thing.path}"&gt;[link]&lt;/a&gt;
   </description>
diff --git a/r2/r2/templates/subredditinfobar.html b/r2/r2/templates/subredditinfobar.html
index 4194a43c6..187d56e17 100644
--- a/r2/r2/templates/subredditinfobar.html
+++ b/r2/r2/templates/subredditinfobar.html
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@
   %endif
 
   %if thing.sr.description:
-    ${thing.sr.usertext}
+    ${thing.sr.description_usertext}
   %endif
 
   <div class="bottom">