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Reddit Strike Has Started

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Re: Reddit Strike Has Started

#381

Post by kitsunesoba »

antonjs wrote: post #324
kitsunesoba wrote: post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This would not only be reasonable, it's a model used by other services offering APIs. Spotify which gates API access with a premium subscription comes to mind. That's not interesting to Reddit however, because Reddit wants full control of user experience so they (theoretically) have more opportunities to monetize both users (including premium users) and their data, which probably looks better for a prospective IPO.

I wonder if this could also actually work against reddit's interests. I'm guessing that a lot of the power users / mods have the highest API load, by doing things like taking large mod actions. You'd effectively be charging them more for the privilege of working.

I'd say it's better than shutting mods and power users out of better apps entirely. They could also do things like give mods of subreddits past a certain subscriber/activity threshold free premium to help them mod better.

Re: Reddit Strike Has Started

#382

Post by joeframbach »

_b wrote: post #139

I think a "down-vote everything" strike could be highly successful. As long as enough users participate, it could cripple subs whose moderators didn't choose to participate. And it is fitting. Reddit is trying to charge its users for content and data created for free by its users, so why shouldn't users make that data junk for awhile to make a statement?

Years ago during the maxwellhill r/technology debacle, many users did that, and we're all banned. My first primary account, which today would have been 13 years old, was banned.

Re: Reddit Strike Has Started

#383

Post by iLoveOncall »

mustacheemperor wrote: post #241
iLoveOncall wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Official stats showed that only 3% of moderation actions come from 3rd party apps, this was just a made up argument all along. https://www.reddit.com/r/reddit/comments/145bram/addressing_...

This leaves out a significant share of how moderators use the API, which is for bots and external services that augment moderation without actually doing the moderating. Example, a mod at /r/music remarked last week that they’ve been paying a few bucks a month to host a server for some additional features for years. It’s common to use some automation to summon mods in a discord so someone near a computer can execute…

And if you read the source you will see that all those tools will retain free access to the API...

Re: Reddit Strike Has Started

#384

Post by jachee »

eksapsy wrote: post #361

Strike you say? That's like, as Louis Rossmann on his yt channel wisely said, "I am so angry, so infuriated that you're abusing me, that ..... I WILL... leave for 3 days and then come back for the rest of my life". Like it's literally like saying "hey I need you in my life". Do you know what message that sends? What would you think if your customers would say "hey Im not gonna come for 3 days but I'm coming for the r…

FWIW, Many of the participating subs are going dark indefinitely. And the real APIcalypse will happen in a couple of weeks, when people actually using third party apps literally can’t anymore.

Re: Reddit Strike Has Started

#385

Post by AmericanOP »

mattkevan wrote: post #363
jcims wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reddit is basically successful despite itself. It's wild.

I have a theory, after working for one of the UK’s largest social networks, that no-one who runs a social network understands what made it work or why it continues to work. Therefore they are extremely reluctant to make changes in case they break it (e.g. old twitter), and because they don’t understand it, any large changes they do make are generally negative (new twitter, Reddit). Plus, in my experience , users will…

They wasted half a decade not building promised moderation tools for the people who create value on Reddit.

Instead they were busy running cost/benefit analyses on how aggressive the dark patterns to drive users to the maligned mobile app should be.

Re: Reddit Strike Has Started

#386

Post by dmix »

GenerWork wrote: post #359
istillwritecode wrote: post #330

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I will continue to use reddit.

Same. One thing that I've noticed is that this seems to be a rebellion of power users and not the average Joe, which is why this has gotten so much traction on HN. To the Average Joe, if Apollo shuts down, they'll just download the Reddit app. However, HN users look at the Apollo dev and see themselves, so they're jumping on this out of solidarity. I personally think this will last a few days and then all the default…

At most this comes down to Reddit’s inability to provide a quality mobile app that satisfies the 3rd party app users. The niche ones like disability friendly UIs is likely a different issue that may simply require a different app entirely given the typical product dev demands of most big companies.

The real problem is Reddit mostly sucks at design and UX. https://new.Reddit.com shows it’s not getting better besides search.

The users don’t really give a shit about API pricing or understand/care about Reddits steep financial demands. IRL Reddit probably have bankers down their throats for the IPO and Sam Altman/PG/Steve’s VC friends are pushing the AI data goldmine angle. Only the execs know what is really happening behind the scenes but there’s some very clear motivations here they aren’t doing a good job of communicating (possibly out of fear of the super niche r/antiwork type audiences who in reality will whine regardless).

Reddit could do plenty to fix the mobile (and web) issues and buy good will by openly confronting them. Plenty of product and transparency failures here well beyond spez’s Apollo dev conflict taking up the bulk of discourse that mostly only powerusers care about.

Otherwise Reddit is known for having powerusers, mods, and a general anti-authority “we’re making a difference by shitposting on the internet” culture. Especially after their net neutrality protests. It’s only natural for such a thing to turn into a big deal when the poweruser minority gets upset and for the rest there’s a prime opportunity for outrage against [faceless big corporation]. Reddit’s favourite target.

Reddit could much, much more easily placate the regular non-hardcore users by simply being transparent about their very real business demands to make money (esp with LLM) and by very publicly doubling down on making a better mobile app - since clearly they view 3rd party apps as not feasible for their current business plans. So why not fix why people love the 3rd party ones?

But as always big business PR is awful, transparency is downplayed and intentions are obscure as if users are idiots. Etc. Typical big co mediocrity.

Re: Reddit Strike Has Started

#387

Post by sva_ »

It seems that the site broke down and now redirects to a Twitch stream

> Can I watch the website myself!

> Afraid not, our site recently broke down due to the amount of requests, and for the time being we've resorted to livestreaming it. When traffic dies down we'll put it back up.

Re: Reddit Strike Has Started

#388

Post by spiralx »

ben_w wrote: post #76
candiddevmike wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What power? Reddit can just takeover the subs and turn them back on.

And do they want to put in the same effort to curating those communities as the moderators there've just overruled? Communities can thrive or fail depending on who is in charge. (What happened with regard to the mod banning an artist because they thought their art looked like it came from an AI? Last I heard the artist was able to show their workflow but the mod was unwilling to back down…)

Didn't both KotukuInAction and TheDonald get shut down by the sub's original creators due to them going off the rails and then forcibly re-opened by the admins and handed over to new moderators who were happy with the massive growth in a direction the original owner never intended and actively did not want?

Re: Reddit Strike Has Started

#389

Post by coufu »

ChocMontePy wrote: post #358
coufu wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if the API price was reasonable, Reddit only gave 3rd party apps 30 days to prepare. You can’t come up with a decent pricing model, billing infrastructure, and incorporate the logic in your app in that amount of time. It’s just overall very hostile and unreasonable from Reddit leadership. The biggest apps are forced to shut down because if they stay up, the millions of dollars in bills are going to start floodin…

I agree with you that the timeline is tight. Relay For Reddit has just announced their preliminary plan to offer a $2-3 a month paid version. They sound cautiously optimistic and are hoping for some flexibility on the tight timeline. This is in stark contrast to a week ago when they were very doom and gloom.

The doom and gloom honestly is mostly driven by Reddit’s leadership being incompetent. If Reddit leadership reached out and worked things out privately and in a productive manner with 3rd party app developers to create a plan and agree on reasonable timelines, none of this drama would have surfaced at this magnitude. Would people still be pissed at the API charges forcing apps to charge subscription fees? Probably. But you wouldn’t have peoples’ favorite Reddit apps shutting down and creating a much bigger stir as we have today. And I think everyone is in agreement at some level that Reddit deserves some compensation for API usage. But again, this has all been handled very poorly by Reddit leadership.

Re: Reddit Strike Has Started

#390

Post by wpietri »

AmericanOP wrote: post #385
mattkevan wrote: post #363

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a theory, after working for one of the UK’s largest social networks, that no-one who runs a social network understands what made it work or why it continues to work. Therefore they are extremely reluctant to make changes in case they break it (e.g. old twitter), and because they don’t understand it, any large changes they do make are generally negative (new twitter, Reddit). Plus, in my experience , users will…

They wasted half a decade not building promised moderation tools for the people who create value on Reddit. Instead they were busy running cost/benefit analyses on how aggressive the dark patterns to drive users to the maligned mobile app should be.

I still feel bad for whatever web developer had to check in the "this page looks better in the app" banner.
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