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The Reddit blackout will continue

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Re: The Reddit blackout will continue

#81

Post by frankacter »

abhibeckert wrote: post #49
est wrote: post #11

Could the 3rd-party apps allow users to config API keys? That would distribute the cost.

The cost is something like $500 per user per year. People just aren't going to pay that much.

This is not accurate.

From the data presented, in aggregate, >90% fall well within the free tier of usage (100 API calls per minute for OAuth logged in client). The majority of the remaining fall into a $1/month tier [1].

Certainly there are some outliers that exceed those ranges and unfortunately the majority of the spotlight seems to be on the smallest of the populace.

It is also worth noting that app developers can (and should) better optimize their apps to reduce calls to API (bundling, caching, etc) which will help to reduce the number of calls required overall to take that cost down. Many apps do this already.

[1]https://www.reddit.com/r/reddit/comments/145bram/addressing_...

Re: The Reddit blackout will continue

#82

Post by ypiratex »

reso wrote: post #71

Is there something counter-intuitive about reddit that makes it hard to monetize? That's the core issue. Reddit still makes barely $1/user/month while instagram makes $35. Cutting off the 3rd party apps is a cost-cutting move, not a revenue-generating move. Why haven't they managed to find more revenue? I'm loath to say it but Huffman has had a decade to solve this and hasn't. Might be time for new leadership with ne…

They don't serve ads through the api.

Re: The Reddit blackout will continue

#85

Post by paganel »

jampa wrote: post #22

It’s impressive how their CEO keeps shooting himself in the foot on this one, he could compromise a bit by at least expanding the deadline on the pricing changes, but instead he decides to provoke and double down. The leaked internal memo, which is obvious that would leak (after all it is a 2,000 person company) is a clear provocation: > We do anticipate many of them will come back by Wednesday, as many have said as…

> It’s impressive how their CEO keeps shooting himself in the foot on this one

You don't negotiate with blackmailers, because this is what this is now, blackmail. If things continue like this I give it 5 to 7 days until reddit the company forcefully removes these mods.

Re: The Reddit blackout will continue

#86

Post by worrycue »

KnobbleMcKnees wrote: post #18
lil-lugger wrote: post #8

Can anyone explain how much pressure and where it comes from for the “raise revenue at all costs” pre-IPO. Is it common for other companies to shoot themselves in the foot by layoffs and policy changes that alienate users? Just feels like no one was smart enough to say “we can try and raise revenue by doing this, but we could lose everything” - maybe companies just constantly forget how defiant and fickle the interne…

It's purely a numbers game. If the amount of revenue you'll achieve from less users gives you a more positive multi year outlook financially then losing the users is "worth it", especially if those users fall into cohorts that are less financially valuable. Unfortunately that includes people who take part in blackouts as they correlate highly with people who e.g. run adblockers, use third party apps, etc.

> less financially valuable

Don’t think the moderators who moderate your forums everyday for free should be included in that category …

Re: The Reddit blackout will continue

#87

Post by baconmania »

xwdv wrote: post #47
jampa wrote: post #22

It’s impressive how their CEO keeps shooting himself in the foot on this one, he could compromise a bit by at least expanding the deadline on the pricing changes, but instead he decides to provoke and double down. The leaked internal memo, which is obvious that would leak (after all it is a 2,000 person company) is a clear provocation: > We do anticipate many of them will come back by Wednesday, as many have said as…

If the CEO backs down then he’s weak. He needs to publish a hard hitting memo that chastises third party app developers for not creating more sustainable businesses. If Reddit cannot meet it’s revenue goals it will shut down, period.

Assuming you're serious, I'm curious why you think Reddit's CEO shouldn't be chastised under that same category. Selling ads next to user-generated content, rent seeking with demands of extortionate API fees to serve that content, relying on unpaid volunteers to operate the site, proudly shipping terrible first-party UX, all while providing zero additional value sure doesn’t sound like a sustainable business. But maybe it’s the `hard hitting memo` obstinacy of a CEO that seems the biggest feature here?

Re: The Reddit blackout will continue

#88

Post by krislei »

hax0ron3 wrote: post #44
Whatarethese wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe finding a subreddits that fits with your interests and try not to argue and start fights while breaking the rules the mods set. Thats kind of the whole point of micro communities...

The problem is that among the kind of people who are willing to be Reddit mods, insane authoritarians are hugely over-represented. Sure, I can find some small subreddits where sane people are mods. That does not mean that I cannot express my loathing of the typical big subreddit mod.

You might be mistaking the causality here. You are implying that typical big subreddit has authoritarian mods, but it might the opposite - subreddits grow larger and stay popular because of strict moderation.

Re: The Reddit blackout will continue

#89

Post by abashore »

seydor wrote: post #83

Reddit's moderators are holding people hostage. This just shows how the small group of powerhungry mods acts. I hope reddit finds a solution that serves its users who provide the content.

A lot of those mods held polls in their communities and among their peers before going dark. I don't think the large subreddits are getting unilaterally shut down.
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