An account is now required to read Reddit comment threads? • Hacker News Board

Re: An account is now required to read Reddit comment threads?

#71

Post by Glyptodon » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 1:58 PM UTC

coldpie wrote: post #44

harimau777 wrote: post #31

It feels to me like social media has been imploding recently. It seems like I am seeing more and more efforts to overtly force people use an app, associate browsing with an account, and link their account with a real world identity (e.g. via phone number). This in turn makes the platforms less useful and more hostile to users and presumably at some point that will cause users to leave the system. It also feels like s…

It's the same thing that happens to all "free"/ad-sponsored/VC-backed services. Unless you're FB or Twitter or YouTube, your ads aren't profitable enough to run your business. The business model is unviable unless you get that big. So you lose a bunch of money until you find a way to monetize or close. This always takes the form of user-hostile anti-features. Currently that's forcing users into your special apps, whe…

I'd caveat this very slightly, as sometimes a business model turns out to be existentially viable, but lacks the kind of scale, revenue, or exponential growth that VCs want to see.

Re: An account is now required to read Reddit comment threads?

#72

Post by hahla » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 1:59 PM UTC

coldpie wrote: post #44

harimau777 wrote: post #31

It feels to me like social media has been imploding recently. It seems like I am seeing more and more efforts to overtly force people use an app, associate browsing with an account, and link their account with a real world identity (e.g. via phone number). This in turn makes the platforms less useful and more hostile to users and presumably at some point that will cause users to leave the system. It also feels like s…

It's the same thing that happens to all "free"/ad-sponsored/VC-backed services. Unless you're FB or Twitter or YouTube, your ads aren't profitable enough to run your business. The business model is unviable unless you get that big. So you lose a bunch of money until you find a way to monetize or close. This always takes the form of user-hostile anti-features. Currently that's forcing users into your special apps, whe…

I just fail to see how old Reddit could not have been a sustainable standalone business. Conde Nast had a huge opportunity once they acquired it as it no longer needed "VC growth" but they failed. I wish I had the opportunity to acquire it for 10-20 million[1].

[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/25/the-1st-thing-alexis-ohanian...

Re: An account is now required to read Reddit comment threads?

#73

Post by coldpie » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 1:59 PM UTC

noir_lord wrote: post #61

msluyter wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I call this the dismal equilibrium . Anything free that provides value is, in brute economic terms, mis-priced. Thus, it tends to degrade due to attempts at monetization until a balance is reached between its inherent value and the pain one must endure to use/access it.

> Anything free that provides value is, in brute economic terms, mis-priced. Damn, that's a good way to put it. I assume value includes non tangibles, otherwise open source wouldn't work.

> otherwise open source wouldn't work

This is more a case of non-open-source software trying to force physical-world business models into a world where physicality has no meaning. Most open source development is paid for by paying for the work to be done. In other words, much open source software is not free; rather, it's already been paid for.

Re: An account is now required to read Reddit comment threads?

#74

Post by dougmwne » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 2:00 PM UTC

kop316 wrote: post #27

CM30 wrote: post #8

Hmm, I just checked myself, and I was able to read comment threads perfectly fine without being logged in, on both a desktop computer and a smartphone. Obviously old.reddit.com doesn't have these issues, but I'm pretty sure the session on smartphone used the new site, and that let me keep reading without any interruptions too. Either way, if Reddit does this, that's it. Not returning to the site. The internet doesn't…

I just pulled up www.reddit.com on Firefox Klar (Android), went to a random thread, and did not encounter it either. Perhaps they are testing it with a subset of users?

Yes, they must be testing it. I have encountered it several times. It always makes me close the tab and do something else. Hope they keep it.

Re: An account is now required to read Reddit comment threads?

#75

Post by aasasd » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 2:01 PM UTC

johnnycab wrote: post #32

paganel wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately the way things are going I can see them getting rid of old.reddit.com and i.reddit.com, at which point I think I'll also stop visiting the website (the mobile website is atrocious and I'm not going to install a dedicated app in order to read a forum).

>I'm not going to install a dedicated app in order to read a forum Apollo (iOS) provides a nice and clean design, as does Joey (Android) which copies the style of the former. Even on the desktop, the experience is smooth and manageable, by using uMatrix and RES, whether you are browsing old.reddit or not. I don't understand the hesitancy in using these enhancements to enrich your user experience.

> Reddit closes comments to non-accounts

> some people stick to third-party apps to evade Reddit's tactics

Guess what goes away next.

(My bet is old.reddit first, because no one supports two versions of a site for the same platform—other than for accessibility.)

Re: An account is now required to read Reddit comment threads?

#76

Post by Proven » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 2:01 PM UTC

That's great.

I generally dislike it, but reluctantly visit from time to time when other search engine results are sparse.

Now I will finally be able to completely ignore it.

Re: An account is now required to read Reddit comment threads?

#77

Post by cies » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 2:03 PM UTC

kevinali1 wrote: post #58

cies wrote: post #33

Time for a new type of social. That FB users do not move for something less slik-polished-and-widely-used is understandible. But I believe a large part of the reddittors is more keen on privacy, openness, ad-free experience, uncensoredness, etc. I like this one: https://github.com/dessalines/lemmy

I think quality of the conversation will always trump "privacy, openness and ad-free". We have to pay for quality. If we're not going to pay with dollar bills, we pay with privacy.

Until you are like in HK and need to organize yourselves for some reason.

> If we're not going to pay with dollar bills, we pay with privacy.

Paying with ads is also possible.

Re: An account is now required to read Reddit comment threads?

#78

Post by AJ007 » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 2:06 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #45

This is classic shortermism. Reddit is, in the short term, driving more external users towards creating user accounts while in the long term removing one of the major value funnels for why they would (i.e. the quality of comments, particularly in certain niche communities/about niche topics). This will give them a short term "bump" at the cost of the site's long term relevance (as it falls down Google's search result…

Are they going to get away with keeping all of their google volume by cloaking the google bot and hiding the content from everyone else? Comments make up the vast majority of Reddit’s unique content. I would guess on a word basis it’s over 99%?

Re: An account is now required to read Reddit comment threads?

#79

Post by CheeseCookie » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 2:07 PM UTC

sithlord wrote: post #66

Someone1234 wrote: post #45

This is classic shortermism. Reddit is, in the short term, driving more external users towards creating user accounts while in the long term removing one of the major value funnels for why they would (i.e. the quality of comments, particularly in certain niche communities/about niche topics). This will give them a short term "bump" at the cost of the site's long term relevance (as it falls down Google's search result…

same thing quora did, which made it hated by the masses.

Oh yeah, I remember browsing it back in the day. A friend touted it as some platform where your questions get answered by experts in that particular field. For a time it was cool - had NASA astronauts, computer scientists, famous politicians. But later it got filled with random no names and their sob stories, motivational self-help nonsense and just embellished factoids from history. It turned into a glorified r/askreddit

Re: An account is now required to read Reddit comment threads?

#80

Post by AJ007 » Fri, Dec 13, 2019, 2:08 PM UTC

mietek wrote: post #65

aloisdg wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

7y with around ~40k karma. I am already leaving a bit more everyday. old.reddit.com is a blessing from the past.

12 year club; charter member; already gone.

What are you using now?

I’ve been an active member of various communities and forums over the years (excluding reddit), and I never actively left one. It was always just a realization I hadn’t been to the site (or really aging myself, BBS) in a year. Most of them where daily habits at one point.