As some subreddits continue blackouts to protest Reddit’s plans to charge high prices for its API, Reddit has informed the moderators of those subreddits that it has plans to replace resistant moderation teams to keep spaces “open and accessible to users.”

Edit, there seems to be conflicting reporting on this issue:

While the company does “respect the community’s right to protest” and pledges that it won’t force communities to reopen, Reddit also suggests there’s no need for that.

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/15/23762501/reddit-ceo-steve-huffman-interview-protests-blackout

  • MeowdyPardner@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    2 years ago

    What the hell lmao, literally 2 posts down on my feed is the Verge article from today which states:

    While the company does “respect the community’s right to protest” and pledges that it won’t force communities to reopen, Reddit also suggests there’s no need for that; more than 80 percent of the top 5,000 communities by daily active users are now open

    ???

    https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/15/23762501/reddit-ceo-steve-huffman-interview-protests-blackout

    • Rodsterlings_cig@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      2 years ago

      In the npr article spez states that only 3% of redditors use third party apps, implying they are insignificant, but later states how if they switch to the official app that the financial benefit would be significant. Huh?!

      • BlackCoffee@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        2 years ago

        It cannot be understated how much Spez fudged up in that AMA.

        Effectively saying that the 3rd party apps are profitable while the “real” product is not is literally mind boggling.

        If it is really 3% that uses 3rd party apps that means than that 3% can generate enough revenue for 3rd party developers to be profitable than the 97% of the “official users” who are for some reason not profitable for Reddit.

        It would be insanity actually and just hilarious.

        • SoupOfTheDay@kbin.social
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          8
          ·
          2 years ago

          Spez is lying out of his ass in that AMA. “Reddit isn’t profitable”. Bitch! You’re telling your VCs are fine propping you up for almost 20 years without returns? I smell bullshit.

    • 42triangles@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      2 years ago

      The “key facts” thing linked in the article is hilarious…

      As of Thursday, June 15, more than 80% of our top 5,000 communities (by DAU) are open), and we expect this to continue. …

      • r/nottheonion is asking users to vote, including a fun option that encourages people to take Tuesdays off

      they voted to keep it closed.

      Which makes this article even more interesting: they want to give users the possibility of voting mods out to put an end to the strike; and I genuinely hope that that backfires.

      Especially because it’s unclear how they’d give users the ability to vote on that, without it ending in a shitshow, considering the size of the platform…

    • highdrojin@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      2 years ago

      But what percentage of the top 100 communities? I don’t actually know that answer, but top 5000 doesn’t really tell me anything about the quality of the subs that are open right now.

      • kinyutaka@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        2 years ago

        80% of the top 5000 communities tells me that 1000 communities remain closed. That’s a lot.

        /r/StarTrek is one of them.

    • towerful@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      2 years ago

      It’s not forcing a sub to open.
      It’s removing mods that are squatting on a sub or vandalising a sub, as per described in the mod guidelines.
      Whether the new mods that Reddit instates open the sub or not is up to the new mods.

      They can say the first and do the second. The mods they instate will open the sub.