What exactly did they change?
They are going to charge high fees for usage of the APIs so that 3rd party clients and bots are priced out of working.
Fark redesign is now live (2007)
161–170 of 475 posts
Re: Fark redesign is now live (2007)
#162I have a 14yo reddit account, and was a Digg user for years prior to that. While there were scandals like the HDDVD code stuff, ultimately the user-hostile Digg v4 redesign killed it for me- the day they forced it on everyone I never went back. Tonight watching all the subreddits go private is the first time I’ve ever felt like Reddit is the next to die. If anyone from reddit corporate is reading this, understand tha…
As much as I would like to believe that boycotts can work, I'm just too cynical after seeing all those boycotts doing nothing. My old.reddit.com homepage hasn't change much. Missing is r/ProgrammerHumor but r/Programming is there, alongside with r/darksky, r/wallstreetbets etc. All the porn seems to be there too, which might actually move some numbers if gone dark. The only sub which I care and it's gone is r/StableD…
Conversely, most of the active subreddits I am subscribed to have gone dark. My front page is down to a handful of different news/politics subreddits that decided not to take part.
Re: Fark redesign is now live (2007)
#163I have a 14yo reddit account, and was a Digg user for years prior to that. While there were scandals like the HDDVD code stuff, ultimately the user-hostile Digg v4 redesign killed it for me- the day they forced it on everyone I never went back. Tonight watching all the subreddits go private is the first time I’ve ever felt like Reddit is the next to die. If anyone from reddit corporate is reading this, understand tha…
The problem is the business model is terrible. You need to sell ads to survive and the ads ruin the site.
I would say the problem is that the user base are low value users. They're the sort of people who will do a mass protest because one for-profit company wants to charge another for-profit company money. Advertisers don't want to advertise to them, seriously. Any other company with a different user base with that amount of users and traffic would be making a billion a year easily. Probably multiple billions. But Reddit users are low value. There the sort of people if a company tries to engage with them with just be hostile. This means the amount of money Reddit can charge for ads isn't that high. Which means the companies advertising on Reddit are generally on the lower end of the scale or it's just a tiny part of a bigger ad campaign.
So if ad revenue isn't going to do it. Then it needs to be a freemium model with subscriptions. They probably get 25% of their revenue from reddit premium. That also means, charging for the API.
The problem for many of the third party apps is they've also been running a freemium model with very low overheads due to the fact Reddit has been largely funding their freemium model. They've been charging next to nothing for their premium options ($1.50 a month) and they have massive amount of very active users. They're so big that paying a reasonable per API request fee results in a massive bill. A bill they can't pay due to a freemium model and super low fees that don't pay for the freemium users. Third party apps directly compete with Reddit, therefore it's fair they pay Reddit for the resources they use as well as the lost potential of the users they did take. Those paying for premium on an app would probably pay premium on Reddit.
Then comes in the low value users, who are outraged the free toy they have wants to make a profit. "It's too much money" - funny enough Reddit users think they're worthless - was one of the main cries. "This third party app IS REDDIT" - well if they're Reddit they shouldn't need Reddit access. A userbase who resists being monetised. Either they're monetisable or they're not. If they're not the company can't survive. What the Reddit users need/want is a non-profit.
Re: Fark redesign is now live (2007)
#164I don't know if what's happening at Reddit is enough to kill it to be honest. A few subreddits I subscribe to (San Francisco, videos, etc) all went dark, claiming to be doing so "indefinitely". Effectively you cannot access those subreddits even to look at archived things. The Reddit staff/leadership can just decide to un-darken those subs and I'll "cross the picket lines". I suspect most are like me. That's the hone…
Try not to embolden yourself by claiming you're on some sort of virtual picket line after a weak-ass post like this :S.
Re: Fark redesign is now live (2007)
#165User redesigns are the main killers of websites. Consider the following examples: Digg, MySpace, Reddit, Slashdot, Facebook, Dropbox, and Typeform. These projects, among others, ultimately failed due to a misconception that they had a design problem or a desire to keep their design department occupied. Instead of following a clear vision, these projects were sacrificed in an attempt to please all users.
HN should refrain from undergoing any major redesigns and instead focus on making minor adjustments. It is worth noting that some HN users frequently suggest redesigns, believing that it would improve the forum. However, I must emphasize that if HN were to heed all user suggestions, it would risk becoming a desolate space within a few months.
In support of this notion, one could say that a Volvo is akin to a Porsche designed by a committee.
Re: Fark redesign is now live (2007)
#166OSNews was launched in 1997
Re: Fark redesign is now live (2007)
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
Or they can continue their failed attempts at using chatgpt to astroturf a counter-movement, lol: https://i.imgur.com/4e9jO7P.jpg Edit, some context: https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/146wn9s/commen... (spez / reddit ceo is a mod on r/programming, hence it still being up)
> spez / reddit ceo is a mod on r/programming How is it possible that these companies are still run like an immature dorm room shitshow? Are there no separation of duties? The CEO should not have admin access to anything (the very least for security purposes).
spez even infamously abused his admin access to edit another posters comment a while back.
Calling it a dorm room shitshow is an insult to dorm rooms everywhere.
Re: Fark redesign is now live (2007)
#168Earlier quoted context omitted.
While I sincerely hope Reddit feels the pressure and goes back, they have taken a bet in a different landscape as Digg: 1. The vast majority of Reddit users (maybe not the contributors) use the native app. I myself do as well. So this api change doesn’t affect me immediately (of course it does indirectly by restricting moderation and bots). 2. I open Reddit today and it’s different but not inferior. I’d argue the rea…
I wish pg would call up Huffman and try to convince him that this is a bad bet regardless of whether they win. They’ll survive. But no one will love them anymore. I was still a fan of Reddit as a platform till the moment Huffman lied about Apollo’s developer for no reason whatsoever. That goodwill is hard to earn. And although goodwill isn’t convertible to dollars directly, it tends to affect trajectory over the long…
pg would tell him to push through this, get the IPO, cash out, and then leave Reddit to become an angel investor.
Plus, pg would make money off the IPO. It’s a YC company after all.
Re: Fark redesign is now live (2007)
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
For sure. I don't remember Fark, but when Digg went from being a tech-centric site to a despicable spam bucket I do remember everyone fleeing to Reddit. Now that Reddit is trash, I guess all the serious tech people are already here... ?
Here being HN? IMHO it’s not competing with Reddit, at most with a sub or five. It’s also different to the point of just not being a replacement. Redditors are currently mostly looking at Lemmy. Not sure it’s ready for prime time either.
Yeah, I have a direct competitor to lemmy, and I feel like it's even less ready for an influx of users of the magnitude the reddit exodus will be.
Re: Fark redesign is now live (2007)
#170Earlier quoted context omitted.
Or they can continue their failed attempts at using chatgpt to astroturf a counter-movement, lol: https://i.imgur.com/4e9jO7P.jpg Edit, some context: https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/146wn9s/commen... (spez / reddit ceo is a mod on r/programming, hence it still being up)
> spez / reddit ceo is a mod on r/programming How is it possible that these companies are still run like an immature dorm room shitshow? Are there no separation of duties? The CEO should not have admin access to anything (the very least for security purposes).
I guess you brought it right to the point: Reddit has never grown to a company it’s „dorm room shitshow“