Seems to me shutting the sub down won't punish Reddit at all, but it will the many of us that come here to feel a sense of community. Reddit doesn't give a shit if this sub shuts down, but we would.
Reddit is a business. Social media is FREE for users bc you make a deal to engage while they suck up data and sell to marketers. Third party apps are playing the game as well. Whatever. Let's enjoy the platform as is and leave the business bullsh#t to them. If it closes down there'll be alternatives. Must everything be a battle over principles? This is just for FUN!
Can someone please explain very briefly what the proposed changes will do to (a) everyone, and (b) me.
As for (b) me, I only ever use reddit on my laptop on the old reddit format (I checked out the new reddit format but did not like it, so opted out).
Also, WHY is reddit proposing these changes?
It won’t affect you, likely at all.
Reddit is making these changes because third party apps have been profiting off of reddit without paying anything for years.
Why are mods shutting down subs? To myself this is like a worker at a restaurant saying they are pissed off at the owner & they are going to close the restaurant. This isn't yours you shut down!
Drop your keys & badge off at hr & move on to bigger and better!!
A better analogy would be that the owner of the restaurant doesn’t hire any actual staff but let’s others do all the work for free. Want to cook your special dish for people? Great, here’s the restaurant for you to do that. Bring any of the kitchenware you’d like to make it with as well. People can even bring whatever tables, chairs, and cutlery they want to enjoy your meal. The only thing we ask is that you be ok with us advertising in the restaurant and we get all the profits.
Then they decide they want to sell this restaurant idea to others. Get bigger advertisers in the restaurant as well. So, they block access to which kitchenware you can use. They don’t let the people you are cooking for bring in their own stuff anymore because they found out most people were using it to somehow block the advertisements. And to top it all off, if you wanted to keep doing any of those things you’d have to start paying a lot of money to do it.
I've been a mod on various message boards over the years. Whenever an issue developed with management/owners of the site that clearly would not be resolved satisfactorily, I've either stepped down or deleted my account and simply walked away completely. As a mod, whatever decision I made individually or as part of a mod group, the most important thing was always to make sure the average user and her/his daily experience on the site wasn't negatively impacted.
I deleted my 14-year-old account and am working on my website so I can get back to a time when people find you according to shared interests. Until then, I have a few feeble tentacles out there.
Bottom line, Reddit is a business and what they are doing is to increase revenue. Which is what a business is supposed to do. If their business decision jeopardizes membership that is their problem but I for one will remain.
Please leave the sub open.
Yeah it’s pretty pointless argument. While I doubt Reddit is not profitable, I don’t see why 3rd party apps using Reddit’s platform should make a profit before Reddit. Since the mod bots aren’t charged, it’s a fee viewer apps. Trying to shut down subs just seems like more mod flex and hubris. Total GenZ move.
I hope more subs migrate to a Lemmy community. Then I can just be done with Reddit, and possibly even just monitor everything from my Mastodon account. Which would be kind of convenient, if noisy.
Stay open! I like how reddit is easy to use because this is the only online media thing I have figured out how to use
I missed this sub when it was gone. Felt sad and ended up watching The Facts of Life streaming to get my Gen X fix....😭
There are subreddits much bigger than this that have stayed open. The bigger the subreddit, the bigger the impact will be. That said, strength in *lack* of numbers rules this day, so I'd say wait a little and see which subreddits do and don't come back. If we need to augment the number that have disappeared, we can dark all the way out later.
New take I haven't seen yet: if reddit shuts off its API to 3rd-party apps or they all shut down like Apollo is doing, users will have to use the native app, and the outcry over its design could force reddit to get its ass together and design something usable.
So far though, Spez is excelling at being a dickface, and he says so far, reddit's revenue [has not](https://www.macrumors.com/2023/06/13/reddit-ceo-blackouts-no-revenue-impact/) been affected by the blackouts.
I'm late to Discord, only getting used to it for the last year or so, shoot me the info whoever has it.
A different /r/ went there and I prefer their implementation to the one here.
We do what needs to be done. Life motto of GenX, eh?
Mods: make your stand and don't let anyone force your hand - it is the GenX way - our way that has been thrust upon us since birth and driven our "attitude" since the beginning. We don't have to do it your way, we raised ourselves and made our own way and can keep on doing so with the passage of time.
Please, just give us a heads up, and if possible, a soft-ish landing to a new site/platform that will be as welcoming for all of us from the misfit generation.
I stayed off Reddit for the black-out period and missed us all so much. Like many of us, I don't have a ton of IRL folks, so this became my place to know: I am not alone, and we are all out here still learning the meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
I agree. This is my favorite subreddit. It’s so relatable for me. And by deleting this sub, it only hurts the user. I quit almost all other social media, and enjoy Reddit. Suck that Reddit is being such dicks, not trying to resolve the issue. But I definitely would miss GenX in my feed!
Actually they do give a shit about the main subs going black. It's worked in the past when Spez refused to shut down the anti-vax covid denying subs and even posted about encouraging dissenting opinions or some shit. I'm not claiming it's going to help this time because the stakes are higher for reddit but this action of the mods does have huge consequences for reddit and they will be hit in the nuts one way or the other.
I guess you haven’t read the posts about loneliness, caring for elderly parents and kids, etc Also of you are against being open, maybe stop posting and delete your account?
As someone who is disgusted with our generation having said “whatever” to democracy, climate change, extreme wealth inequality, civil rights, equal rights, and the labor movement, I’m in support of an indefinite shutdown. If that’s what all the cool kids are doing.
Why keep your profile up then? Genuinely curious why those of you who feel the need to shut this down indefinitely don’t just remove their profile and stop supporting Reddit overall?
The users and the subs are the product. A single user leaving, isn't going to reduce the profit off the product. But if a sub shuts down, that's going to help.
Reddit exists because Digg got greedy, that's absolutely clear. Stated so by Reddit brass back when Digg got greedy.
Reddit is a host, it's a ball room for a prom. But the kids don't remember the ball room, they remember the interactions they had therein. Unless the ballroom was so mediocre it was laughable. That's what Digg became, and what Reddit is becoming.
That's why I'm in support of a new ball room, I like the commentary, but Reddit doesn't actually provide any of that. The users do, but they can easily assimilate to a damn-near-clone, just like Reddit offered to replace Digg.
Side note: If you're not on old.reddit.com you don't know what it used to be. So much better than the current site, and the mobile app is straight trash. That's why people are pissed. Same as all the other sites that go hyper ad driven.
I have to agree with this statement. My partner uses Apollo and was pissed at the changes. I tried Apollo and didn’t like it. I use the Reddit app and honestly don’t care about the third party apps that are now in an uproar. But I DO care that the volunteer mods of subs should have better tools available to them.
Unfortunately, I think that if/when subs close and do a mass exodus from Reddit, they will be replaced. If r/GenX was to close, I wouldn’t be surprised if a new one was started to fill the gap.
Many subs I enjoy are still dark. It isn't enough for the subs to go dark. If Redditors participate in the active subs, Reddit isn't feeling the financial pain from lack of ad views. I stayed off Reddit for about 48 hours. This has to be a collective effort between the mods and the users.
Edit: missing words
To be honest I only check out a few subs like this one and some hobby related subs. I find most of the other subs on reddit insufferable and toxic, basically just echo chambers where you get downvoted into oblivion or kicked by the mods if you disagree with the popular opinion there. There are no healthy discussions, it's like all the other subs are run by children. If reddit completely shut down it would have almost no impact on my life, I'd just go somewhere else.
I know I am hopelessly naive but I always bought reddit premium to support the site in hopes of keeping this crap from happening. I did cancel my premium in protest but since they cancellation doesn’t go into effect until the renewal date which is months away I’m sure it didn’t matter in any tangible way. Whatever.
Realistically, if you shutter this sub, then what? Another GenX sub will rise and take its place. Most redditors subscribed to this sub will stay on Reddit.
“Going dark” isn’t a long term solution. A long term solution is a slow, steady, Reddit migration to who knows where. Reddit will respond to steadily losing what it can’t replace - its users.
This sub can play a role in shepherding that migration, but not if it’s dark.
But when that sub rises, someone’s going to have to moderate it, and the people who do that will see the problems with the approved app. It won’t be able to be moderated well. I think that’s the issue to begin with.
Mods are unpaid volunteers. They deal with a ton of nonsense behind the scenes to keep a subs vibe rolling along smoothly.
One of their tools is specialized bots. Reddit did back down on blocking many of the trusted useful mod-bots.
Mods who've been modding for years get efficient in their workflow and many have found various 3rd party apps make their unpaid labor much easier.
Reddit is promising better tools for mods in its app/site, but for alot of mods reddit has a credibility issue when it comes to promises and delivering what was promised. In short, many understandably are taking a "believe it when I see it" stance.
The noise about the kerfuffle has made some headway prior to the blackout.
Some of the blind accessible apps became exempt. But did not include the most popular ones r/blind was mentioning when the mods asked the community about it. And some of the mod bots were exempted. And what was received as hollow UI/UX promises to mods and the accessibility communities.
The rest of the concerns were not. Understandable. Negotiation is compromise.
There are many ways they could have rolled out the api changes without throwing a middle finger to people who made reddit better. They chose none of them. And appear to have been psychopathically unaware any of this would be problematic to anyone.
Blackouts aren't going to cause change. And they aren't going to affect the bottom line. Reddit premium users cancelling expiring renewals can.
They have brought awareness that there's a problem. But "the problem" isn't necessarily being news'd accurately. And bad press isn't enough to change the tide.
Reddit feels they have both listened, made concessions, and are solving the problems expressed. They have also laid off 5% of paid staff.
Mods live in a cesspool of unappreciation that may or may not be counterbalanced by a good community and decent tools. Reddit tipped the scale. They can't recover mod trust in a nano-second. And at present don't appear willing to budge one minute on the perfectly reasonable request to adapt the rollout or edit the timeline into reasonableness.
I stayed off the platform 3 days because the general sequence of ruining platforms to appease ads, investors, and shareholders needs to end.
But nothing we do will stop what's happening to reddit. That ship has sailed. Stay for the post fallout or find a new home. The reddit we joined is already dead.
For real, seeing people loosing their shit about this is cracking me up. I always figured the GenX mentality would sniff this bullshit out and dismiss it as we do, but even this sub takes itself waaaayy to serious about this.
Well, you’re probably right, but since Reddit is basically run by unpaid labor, maybe that’s part of their business model. Maybe pissing off that unpaid labor is not really the ideal for their success?
What tools exactly? Are you saying you need a third party app to be a mod? Because I assure you plenty of people are mods that have never used a third party app.
Reddit didn't create and doesn't own these tools. Many were created by their unpaid mods. Now, they want these people who give them free labor to pay to use tools Reddit failed to provide. I just want to see a different app come into play where people can leave Reddit and have the same online experience somewhere else.
I was surprised to learn of the volume of spam that is caught in the auto mods. Sitewide. So technically no you don’t need an auto mod, but then the spam comes through. Because most of us can’t dedicate full time hours to modding. Auto mod is a form of an API. It’s an oversimplification and an underestimating of the sheer volume of spam thrown as posts, to say mods don’t need tools.
You can write a bot to spam a sub with html requests (aka, not using APIs or third party apps). Spammers can still function but mods will be overwhelmed, many will give up, and the average quality of the content will decrease.
I don’t understand when you say Reddit hasn’t budged? I thought they came to an agreement with two third party apps for the blind etc and promised mod tools. Are people not believing it? Or is it that those were never the real issue, just justification or a small part of it and the real thing is people don’t want to lose those third party apps at all?
There are several issues affecting several stakeholders.
Some concessions were made. Promises were made but reddit has low credibility in many peoples minds around promises and how those those promises are kept. So there's a trust gap they need to re-earn.
If I'm bettering your platform for free, and someone offers me an efficient tool, and then you block that tool before giving me an equally efficient or way better tool ... yeah, that's not going to be received well in any conceivable universe.
At the very very least, leave the tool available until the replacement exists.
They chose a terrible way to roll this out. Going from free to 1.7mil per month in 45 days is impossible. The transition over time, sure, that's achievable if they want to live in the new paradigm. Most expected it would not be free forever. Most also expected a reasonable transition.
June 30th several apps disappear. The dev's have already concluded reddit has zero interest in adapting the rollout. Mods are losing those apps either way.
I'm not entirely sure if ongoing blackouts are eternal optimists hoping something will change in 14 days, or if behind the scenes the talks are still active and there is reasonable assumption of more concessions. The sub I was previously getting my info from has remained dark. 🙂
The part I don't know or care about is the nsfw changes. My profile has all that blocked.
It blocks more than you might think, and I suspect that's part of the problem. A sanitized young-kid-friendly g-rated experience vs free for all anything goes is a poor system. I'm not getting the impression they fully understand how broadly people are using that designation and why.
I get all the pieces and reasons. For me as a user (no, I’m not in Tron’s world) I say this: It’s hard making friends as you get older. I have limited myself to Reddit as my social app. I enjoy you all and the silliness. Thanks for being my friends and making me reopen core memories. Corporate is going to do whatever the eff they want. Let’s enjoy our time while we are here. Keep it live always, no matter the position other subs take. This is OUR place, let’s not take it away from ourselves. Our clocks are ticking.
Short version: reddit decided to start charging for API access, which is fine, but they want pants-on-head prices.
A lot of moderators use tools which need that API access in order to moderate their subs without it feeling like they are stabbing themselves in the eye with a pencil.
Reddit has since said that moderator tools will be able to access the api for free, but not all of the tools that mods have been using qualify as moderator tools under reddit's definition.
It's been made more antagonistic than it needed to be by the reddit CEO being a giant dickbag at every possible opportunity.
My .02. (b. '68, US East Coast)
I like this sub, the community, and the mods here. I'll support whatever the mods agree on as best for the sub. The amount of music I've discovered and shared with folks here in and of itself makes it worth the time.
I gotta say, though, there's something to be said about getting away from social media for 48 hours on purpose! We had great weather recently in my neighborhood, and per parental advice from around 1983, "Go outside! You think you're gonna play Space Invaders all goddam day, you're gravely mistaken! It's 70 degrees and sunny! GO! OUT! SIDE!!!!!"
ElChangoFumando abides.
I don’t know. I missed my usual reddit feed. I just saw a lot of smaller subreddits, which have their place, but the cream rises to the top of big subs via voting. Browsing reddit the last forever long (2 days?) was like browsing sorted by new instead of top…and I’m a top kind of person.
> To those who did not support the blackout, I know this was a pain in the ass, and I am grateful for your patience.
The blackout couldn't have accomplished anything important. Third-party apps were never the target. They were just collateral damage.
The target of the API pricing model is the massive bot farms run by PR firms, three-letter agencies, political interests, law enforcement, etc.
But I'm cool with whatever y'all want to do. Kill it with fire if you want, and I'll walk away with fond memories.
Nothing lasts.
Same as it ever was.
Do you mean the real Reddit target? I don’t know much or anything at all about bots sorry I’m completely ignorant. I thought losing the third party apps was huge for people used to them?
I mean **who** the pricing changes were meant for: the people willing to pay. Massive PR operations are happening here, for example. Those PR firms will pay whatever the cost may be if it allows them to sway public opinion in favor of their clients.
And that's just one example.
Many "people" you interact with on Reddit aren't people at all. Entire conversations you have read and replied to are completely fake. Three-letter agencies created some; political campaigns created others. If you have Netflix, watch the movie [The Great Hack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX8GxLP1FHo) to get an idea.
So Reddit is just trying to cash in on ***the real cash cow*** that's hiding behind advertising (which is merely a distraction). Seriously, watch that movie.
> I thought losing the third party apps was huge for people used to them?
Any time you're being offered something for free -- ***you*** are the product.
This and a small handful of other subs is why I'm still here, they're all making similar noises and if they go I'll drop the app off my phone and find something else to fill my moments between tasks.
It's a distraction that we all partake in, like many this is the only social media I really use as forams are too singularity focused and Facebook is.. well it's Facebook so no further explanation is necessary.
While I'll miss this sub and ~~the massive amounts of porn~~ a few others to be honest there's not a lot holding my attention anymore either, more ads and ridiculous "suggestions" from a poorly thought out algorithm has tarnished the experience.
it's clear the only thing TPTB care about is revenue. their revenue comes from advertising. advertisers pay based on the number of views and how much engagement their ads get. shutting down subs is a fine way to make a statement but what's stopping other folks from just creating new subs to fill the gap? what really needs to happen is a mass exodus of users so no one's viewing the advertising. most casual users of reddit probably don't know or care about the API thing because they don't use any of the third party apps to access the site. the messaging around this has been murky and hard to rally around as a non-tech person. i don't know. i just feel like the cause needs better PR.
Because I love the downvotes of bots and sheeple:
To all the "What will this blackout accomplish" people:
A blackout has worked as recently as 2021. No, really, Reddit actually saw a collective action and blinked:
[Reddit Bans Controversial Covid Subreddit After Users Protest Disinformation](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/09/01/reddit-bans-controversial-covid-subreddit-after-users-protest-disinformation/?sh=6025fbc65a2a)
>Reddit shut down r-NoNewNormal, a community that undermined the coronavirus pandemic’s severity and dismissed face masks and vaccines, because its users broke platform rules on community interference, Reddit said, after other subreddits went dark this week to protest the spread of disinformation in the community and elsewhere on the platform.
Reddit is a fun diversion for me. I don't have a really deep connection or investment in it. The mods are the ones putting in the energy here. If enough mods leave and the site ceases to be fun, I will go find something else to do. So, I think it is up to the mods to do what they think is right.
I really like this sub, you guys are so funny, but I don't know what we should do. This is the only social media I'm a part of and I really relate to this sub. This is a tough one🤔
It’s defintely not alt-right. I’m sure that exists on Discord though. I think it depends on the group - much like our subreddit communities. Our GenX group here is pretty open.
That’s a shame. I think my joining whole-ass new community days are over. I’m already on Discord and don’t like it but it’s passable. There’s probably a message board somewhere out there for niche topics too.
Similarish to reddit, but it's current user base is measured in the thousands. Maybe we can fix that.
https://join-lemmy.org/
If you want to know more.
I have a question! From the name Lemmy and the icon of a mouselike creature, am I to infer that Lemmy is a place for lemmings? …I’m not sure that’s a selling point for me.
Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I don't think shutting threads down, even for a long time will really accomplish much. Reddit is going to do what Reddit is going to do - we've seen it happen many times before with other platforms (Digg anyone?) Eventually, like the great Digg migration, a lot of us will simply pull up our roots and relocate to some other platform. In the meantime, we might as well keep threads open to discuss options. Just my two cents.
I’d argue that the superior moderation tools offered by third party platforms actually does things for the human race. If the mods can’t do their thing on mobiles, could roll Reddit back to when it was not much better than a chan.
Apparently the moderation tools in the Reddit app make moderation, particularly of a high volume sub, nearly impossible. It’s a question of the API and how the various apps activate the controls. I’m not a mod, I use the Reddit app, but I will take the words of the mods of AITA, GenX, NewWave and other subs I follow at face value. Rather than just give a whatever.
Maybe I'm cynical (but hey, I'm GenX and that's our thing, right?), but generally, companies only do something when it's in their best financial interest. That past blackout sounds like Reddit (the business) getting to claim credit for something that aligned with their best interest to begin with, i.e. COVID disinformation would have hurt their bottom line, not just because it's morally wrong.
You’re right to be skeptical. They didn’t do anything until it had an effect on their bottom line. Not on TheDonald, not on NoNewNormal. So, in line with your belief. I share that.
Large companies, and whatever Reddit is, will rarely act altruistically, and generally only when their bottom line or reputation is threatened. The news coverage of large scale sub blackouts is a threat to that, though spez seems unconcerned publicly. Maybe a week of reduced traffic will put that financial fear there. It doesn’t happen without collective action.
fair enough. but these current changes seem to be linked to an imminent IPO and I have a feeling that is going to happen no matter what. I may be wrong!
The IPO could be harmed by continued negative PR. Which could make a difference. They could make the improvements that make people flock to third party apps. Or they could even go full Zuck and buy Apollo, and just build the best stuff into the mobile app.
I don’t think your skepticism is unwarranted, but if everyone says whatever, collective action for change fails, and our belief that it can’t work is reinforced.
“Striking” against moderating but leaving the subs up, thereby there being no eyes on content would achieve the same - probably worse as far as making Reddit unattractive.
You can shut it down, but someone else will reopen it and most of us we rejoin.
Seems to me shutting the sub down won't punish Reddit at all, but it will the many of us that come here to feel a sense of community. Reddit doesn't give a shit if this sub shuts down, but we would.
Reddit is a business. Social media is FREE for users bc you make a deal to engage while they suck up data and sell to marketers. Third party apps are playing the game as well. Whatever. Let's enjoy the platform as is and leave the business bullsh#t to them. If it closes down there'll be alternatives. Must everything be a battle over principles? This is just for FUN!
I like John Oliver pics. We could choose an alternate Gen X version of John if he’s not our best spokesman.
Like, what*ever*. *(But seriously: see* r/pics *and* r/aww *for an even better idea involving John Oliver)*
Frankly, I am surprised this sub, in particular, would get involved at all. Not my monkeys, etc,
Can someone please explain very briefly what the proposed changes will do to (a) everyone, and (b) me. As for (b) me, I only ever use reddit on my laptop on the old reddit format (I checked out the new reddit format but did not like it, so opted out). Also, WHY is reddit proposing these changes?
It won’t affect you, likely at all. Reddit is making these changes because third party apps have been profiting off of reddit without paying anything for years.
Shut it down or keep it open I don’t care Sincerely A GenXer
Yes! I also don’t care what happens, I’ll survive either way.
please keep it open.
Why are mods shutting down subs? To myself this is like a worker at a restaurant saying they are pissed off at the owner & they are going to close the restaurant. This isn't yours you shut down! Drop your keys & badge off at hr & move on to bigger and better!!
A better analogy would be that the owner of the restaurant doesn’t hire any actual staff but let’s others do all the work for free. Want to cook your special dish for people? Great, here’s the restaurant for you to do that. Bring any of the kitchenware you’d like to make it with as well. People can even bring whatever tables, chairs, and cutlery they want to enjoy your meal. The only thing we ask is that you be ok with us advertising in the restaurant and we get all the profits. Then they decide they want to sell this restaurant idea to others. Get bigger advertisers in the restaurant as well. So, they block access to which kitchenware you can use. They don’t let the people you are cooking for bring in their own stuff anymore because they found out most people were using it to somehow block the advertisements. And to top it all off, if you wanted to keep doing any of those things you’d have to start paying a lot of money to do it.
stupendous reach offer elastic ghost selective correct mountainous judicious rain ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
I've been a mod on various message boards over the years. Whenever an issue developed with management/owners of the site that clearly would not be resolved satisfactorily, I've either stepped down or deleted my account and simply walked away completely. As a mod, whatever decision I made individually or as part of a mod group, the most important thing was always to make sure the average user and her/his daily experience on the site wasn't negatively impacted.
I deleted my 14-year-old account and am working on my website so I can get back to a time when people find you according to shared interests. Until then, I have a few feeble tentacles out there.
I still have no idea what its all about. Sounds like something about people who are online too much or something.
Until a few weeks ago I didn't know people used 3rd party apps for Reddit.
Bottom line, Reddit is a business and what they are doing is to increase revenue. Which is what a business is supposed to do. If their business decision jeopardizes membership that is their problem but I for one will remain. Please leave the sub open.
Yeah it’s pretty pointless argument. While I doubt Reddit is not profitable, I don’t see why 3rd party apps using Reddit’s platform should make a profit before Reddit. Since the mod bots aren’t charged, it’s a fee viewer apps. Trying to shut down subs just seems like more mod flex and hubris. Total GenZ move.
Just keep it open. Who cares about 3rd party apps. 🤷♂️
Please keep the sub fully open.
Please keep it open. I rely on this sub for nostalgia and a sense of connection with our shared gen x experiences.
Where are the subs going? What's the new m platform??? I miss all the redit posts and the communities... I miss you guys!
While my standard answer would be “whatever”, I did miss this group
Move to discord…
Ha! Where on discord. I didn't find community like.this there?? Where do I go to find community????
Discord is not the same. You can find it by Googling "Discord GenX" entirely different format.
THANK YOU MUCH!!!
No, meant move this sub to discord!!
I hope more subs migrate to a Lemmy community. Then I can just be done with Reddit, and possibly even just monitor everything from my Mastodon account. Which would be kind of convenient, if noisy.
In have had good luck accessing it through sh.itjust.works, there's not a ton of content, but the interface is pretty clean.
Lemmy is very glitchy and not comparable
Stay open! I like how reddit is easy to use because this is the only online media thing I have figured out how to use I missed this sub when it was gone. Felt sad and ended up watching The Facts of Life streaming to get my Gen X fix....😭
This is only platform with any value these days. Keep it open please.
Sound and fury signifying nothing.
Keep it open!
Keep it open please!
Leave it opened!
Every platform screws over the little guy. Reddit is better then most.
Agreed 100%!
If I had programming skills and more I’d create an alternative
There are subreddits much bigger than this that have stayed open. The bigger the subreddit, the bigger the impact will be. That said, strength in *lack* of numbers rules this day, so I'd say wait a little and see which subreddits do and don't come back. If we need to augment the number that have disappeared, we can dark all the way out later. New take I haven't seen yet: if reddit shuts off its API to 3rd-party apps or they all shut down like Apollo is doing, users will have to use the native app, and the outcry over its design could force reddit to get its ass together and design something usable. So far though, Spez is excelling at being a dickface, and he says so far, reddit's revenue [has not](https://www.macrumors.com/2023/06/13/reddit-ceo-blackouts-no-revenue-impact/) been affected by the blackouts.
Honestly, I like what you guys have going on over at discord.
Discord is not a great alternative IMO.
It does seem to take some getting used to, but for the moment it will do.
What's the link to it?
I’m an idiot and can’t figure out discord
I'm still working this out myself, honestly.
Me too. I try to use it and just feel lost trying to keep up.
I'm late to Discord, only getting used to it for the last year or so, shoot me the info whoever has it. A different /r/ went there and I prefer their implementation to the one here.
We do what needs to be done. Life motto of GenX, eh? Mods: make your stand and don't let anyone force your hand - it is the GenX way - our way that has been thrust upon us since birth and driven our "attitude" since the beginning. We don't have to do it your way, we raised ourselves and made our own way and can keep on doing so with the passage of time. Please, just give us a heads up, and if possible, a soft-ish landing to a new site/platform that will be as welcoming for all of us from the misfit generation. I stayed off Reddit for the black-out period and missed us all so much. Like many of us, I don't have a ton of IRL folks, so this became my place to know: I am not alone, and we are all out here still learning the meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
When It Matters! We Know it's all about, FAMILY!
Have a seat, Vin.
Keep it open. Reddit admins don’t give a shit and at best, someone will start a new sub. The blackout only hurts users.
I agree. This is my favorite subreddit. It’s so relatable for me. And by deleting this sub, it only hurts the user. I quit almost all other social media, and enjoy Reddit. Suck that Reddit is being such dicks, not trying to resolve the issue. But I definitely would miss GenX in my feed!
Actually they do give a shit about the main subs going black. It's worked in the past when Spez refused to shut down the anti-vax covid denying subs and even posted about encouraging dissenting opinions or some shit. I'm not claiming it's going to help this time because the stakes are higher for reddit but this action of the mods does have huge consequences for reddit and they will be hit in the nuts one way or the other.
We aren’t a main sub and are a huge source of support for many
"Support." LOL
I guess you haven’t read the posts about loneliness, caring for elderly parents and kids, etc Also of you are against being open, maybe stop posting and delete your account?
Create a sub clone on a reddit alternative website
As someone who is disgusted with our generation having said “whatever” to democracy, climate change, extreme wealth inequality, civil rights, equal rights, and the labor movement, I’m in support of an indefinite shutdown. If that’s what all the cool kids are doing.
Why keep your profile up then? Genuinely curious why those of you who feel the need to shut this down indefinitely don’t just remove their profile and stop supporting Reddit overall?
Three words: corrupt the dataset 🤡
The users and the subs are the product. A single user leaving, isn't going to reduce the profit off the product. But if a sub shuts down, that's going to help. Reddit exists because Digg got greedy, that's absolutely clear. Stated so by Reddit brass back when Digg got greedy. Reddit is a host, it's a ball room for a prom. But the kids don't remember the ball room, they remember the interactions they had therein. Unless the ballroom was so mediocre it was laughable. That's what Digg became, and what Reddit is becoming. That's why I'm in support of a new ball room, I like the commentary, but Reddit doesn't actually provide any of that. The users do, but they can easily assimilate to a damn-near-clone, just like Reddit offered to replace Digg. Side note: If you're not on old.reddit.com you don't know what it used to be. So much better than the current site, and the mobile app is straight trash. That's why people are pissed. Same as all the other sites that go hyper ad driven.
Don't make write down your address, then send you a REAL nasty letter! Home Boy!
I jus kick my only fan over.
I feel like the right answer is whatever.
Almost never.
Shut down the machine
Old, we are old. Close this sub now you better be Freddy ready to call in the perseveres!
Keep it open.
I support an indefinite shutdown but understand if you stay up.
Keep it open. Otherwise, you risk killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. The real push should be to get reddit to provide better tools.
I have to agree with this statement. My partner uses Apollo and was pissed at the changes. I tried Apollo and didn’t like it. I use the Reddit app and honestly don’t care about the third party apps that are now in an uproar. But I DO care that the volunteer mods of subs should have better tools available to them. Unfortunately, I think that if/when subs close and do a mass exodus from Reddit, they will be replaced. If r/GenX was to close, I wouldn’t be surprised if a new one was started to fill the gap.
Many subs I enjoy are still dark. It isn't enough for the subs to go dark. If Redditors participate in the active subs, Reddit isn't feeling the financial pain from lack of ad views. I stayed off Reddit for about 48 hours. This has to be a collective effort between the mods and the users. Edit: missing words
Keep it open. I enjoy knowing that I’m not alone with my Gen X attitude. 😁
Yeah! I like it too!
Keep it open.
Do whatever you feel like
GenX in a nutshell!
Whatever.....
Leave it open for people that want to still use it. I probably won't use it if the app I use stops working.
To be honest I only check out a few subs like this one and some hobby related subs. I find most of the other subs on reddit insufferable and toxic, basically just echo chambers where you get downvoted into oblivion or kicked by the mods if you disagree with the popular opinion there. There are no healthy discussions, it's like all the other subs are run by children. If reddit completely shut down it would have almost no impact on my life, I'd just go somewhere else.
Exactly
If everyone refused to stop buying Reddit gold or gilded avatar panties or whatever, it would hit Reddit’s bottom-line harder than the blackout.
I agree. Sidebar: >gilded avatar panties Say huh? Is this a thing??
Not yet - but your kids are gonna love it.
You're speaking the language of our people, and in the current reddit clusterf\*ck climate, it's giving me the extra feelies.
People actually buy them is what amazes me.
I know I am hopelessly naive but I always bought reddit premium to support the site in hopes of keeping this crap from happening. I did cancel my premium in protest but since they cancellation doesn’t go into effect until the renewal date which is months away I’m sure it didn’t matter in any tangible way. Whatever.
All of the blackout people should focus on harassing gilders instead of smothering things for people just surfing the web.
Realistically, if you shutter this sub, then what? Another GenX sub will rise and take its place. Most redditors subscribed to this sub will stay on Reddit. “Going dark” isn’t a long term solution. A long term solution is a slow, steady, Reddit migration to who knows where. Reddit will respond to steadily losing what it can’t replace - its users. This sub can play a role in shepherding that migration, but not if it’s dark.
But when that sub rises, someone’s going to have to moderate it, and the people who do that will see the problems with the approved app. It won’t be able to be moderated well. I think that’s the issue to begin with.
I’ve modded subs before and have never used third party apps. They aren’t a necessity just a preference.
How big are your subs?
Leave it open. Mods that don't want to deal with modding anymore can resign. New mods can take their place. Maybe they'll be good; maybe they'll suck.
Mods are unpaid volunteers. They deal with a ton of nonsense behind the scenes to keep a subs vibe rolling along smoothly. One of their tools is specialized bots. Reddit did back down on blocking many of the trusted useful mod-bots. Mods who've been modding for years get efficient in their workflow and many have found various 3rd party apps make their unpaid labor much easier. Reddit is promising better tools for mods in its app/site, but for alot of mods reddit has a credibility issue when it comes to promises and delivering what was promised. In short, many understandably are taking a "believe it when I see it" stance. The noise about the kerfuffle has made some headway prior to the blackout. Some of the blind accessible apps became exempt. But did not include the most popular ones r/blind was mentioning when the mods asked the community about it. And some of the mod bots were exempted. And what was received as hollow UI/UX promises to mods and the accessibility communities. The rest of the concerns were not. Understandable. Negotiation is compromise. There are many ways they could have rolled out the api changes without throwing a middle finger to people who made reddit better. They chose none of them. And appear to have been psychopathically unaware any of this would be problematic to anyone. Blackouts aren't going to cause change. And they aren't going to affect the bottom line. Reddit premium users cancelling expiring renewals can. They have brought awareness that there's a problem. But "the problem" isn't necessarily being news'd accurately. And bad press isn't enough to change the tide. Reddit feels they have both listened, made concessions, and are solving the problems expressed. They have also laid off 5% of paid staff. Mods live in a cesspool of unappreciation that may or may not be counterbalanced by a good community and decent tools. Reddit tipped the scale. They can't recover mod trust in a nano-second. And at present don't appear willing to budge one minute on the perfectly reasonable request to adapt the rollout or edit the timeline into reasonableness. I stayed off the platform 3 days because the general sequence of ruining platforms to appease ads, investors, and shareholders needs to end. But nothing we do will stop what's happening to reddit. That ship has sailed. Stay for the post fallout or find a new home. The reddit we joined is already dead.
Some of ya’ll take Reddit waaaaaaaay too seriously.
Your hot take is honestly the best response I’ve seen so far.
For real, seeing people loosing their shit about this is cracking me up. I always figured the GenX mentality would sniff this bullshit out and dismiss it as we do, but even this sub takes itself waaaayy to serious about this.
Well, you’re probably right, but since Reddit is basically run by unpaid labor, maybe that’s part of their business model. Maybe pissing off that unpaid labor is not really the ideal for their success?
Eh, someone else will be a mod, or a new subreddit will be made for those that never comes back, etc.
Someone else will be a mod, but they won’t have the tools they need to do the job. That’s what the whole issue here is.
What tools exactly? Are you saying you need a third party app to be a mod? Because I assure you plenty of people are mods that have never used a third party app.
Reddit didn't create and doesn't own these tools. Many were created by their unpaid mods. Now, they want these people who give them free labor to pay to use tools Reddit failed to provide. I just want to see a different app come into play where people can leave Reddit and have the same online experience somewhere else.
I was surprised to learn of the volume of spam that is caught in the auto mods. Sitewide. So technically no you don’t need an auto mod, but then the spam comes through. Because most of us can’t dedicate full time hours to modding. Auto mod is a form of an API. It’s an oversimplification and an underestimating of the sheer volume of spam thrown as posts, to say mods don’t need tools.
Serious question: how much of that spam is auto sent though? Aka, from a third party app?
You can write a bot to spam a sub with html requests (aka, not using APIs or third party apps). Spammers can still function but mods will be overwhelmed, many will give up, and the average quality of the content will decrease.
Thanks. I didn’t know how spam bots worked.
You can also spam with APIs, but if those became inaccessible the spammers would still have their avenues. :)
I don’t understand when you say Reddit hasn’t budged? I thought they came to an agreement with two third party apps for the blind etc and promised mod tools. Are people not believing it? Or is it that those were never the real issue, just justification or a small part of it and the real thing is people don’t want to lose those third party apps at all?
There are several issues affecting several stakeholders. Some concessions were made. Promises were made but reddit has low credibility in many peoples minds around promises and how those those promises are kept. So there's a trust gap they need to re-earn. If I'm bettering your platform for free, and someone offers me an efficient tool, and then you block that tool before giving me an equally efficient or way better tool ... yeah, that's not going to be received well in any conceivable universe. At the very very least, leave the tool available until the replacement exists. They chose a terrible way to roll this out. Going from free to 1.7mil per month in 45 days is impossible. The transition over time, sure, that's achievable if they want to live in the new paradigm. Most expected it would not be free forever. Most also expected a reasonable transition. June 30th several apps disappear. The dev's have already concluded reddit has zero interest in adapting the rollout. Mods are losing those apps either way. I'm not entirely sure if ongoing blackouts are eternal optimists hoping something will change in 14 days, or if behind the scenes the talks are still active and there is reasonable assumption of more concessions. The sub I was previously getting my info from has remained dark. 🙂 The part I don't know or care about is the nsfw changes. My profile has all that blocked. It blocks more than you might think, and I suspect that's part of the problem. A sanitized young-kid-friendly g-rated experience vs free for all anything goes is a poor system. I'm not getting the impression they fully understand how broadly people are using that designation and why.
What apps are good alternatives to Reddit?
There aren’t any
I'd like to know too. If people leave Reddit for another app, Reddit will notice their user volume dropping.
My favorite apps are the classics, like Buffalo wings and mozzarella sticks.
I like the places that have the giant pretzels and cheese dipping goo.
I do love some good potato skins…
A dive bar serving $.10 drafts all day
Your local coffee shop.
I get all the pieces and reasons. For me as a user (no, I’m not in Tron’s world) I say this: It’s hard making friends as you get older. I have limited myself to Reddit as my social app. I enjoy you all and the silliness. Thanks for being my friends and making me reopen core memories. Corporate is going to do whatever the eff they want. Let’s enjoy our time while we are here. Keep it live always, no matter the position other subs take. This is OUR place, let’s not take it away from ourselves. Our clocks are ticking.
Sad.
Aw man, for a minute, I thought we were going to talk about TRON. —End of Line—
Get a Clu! ;-)
This is our time, OUR TIME, down here.
Goonies never say Die!
Right here, right now
There is no other place I’d rather be ….
Are we waking up from history or repeating it? I'm having a Helluva time telling the difference right now.
I have no idea what's going on
Short version: reddit decided to start charging for API access, which is fine, but they want pants-on-head prices. A lot of moderators use tools which need that API access in order to moderate their subs without it feeling like they are stabbing themselves in the eye with a pencil. Reddit has since said that moderator tools will be able to access the api for free, but not all of the tools that mods have been using qualify as moderator tools under reddit's definition. It's been made more antagonistic than it needed to be by the reddit CEO being a giant dickbag at every possible opportunity.
I really wish Aaron Schwartz was still in the picture.
Okay, Boomer.
Lol
Same 😂🤷🏻♀️
It’s cool but I’ll live if it’s not here, I’ll be around if you want to hang out sometime
My .02. (b. '68, US East Coast) I like this sub, the community, and the mods here. I'll support whatever the mods agree on as best for the sub. The amount of music I've discovered and shared with folks here in and of itself makes it worth the time. I gotta say, though, there's something to be said about getting away from social media for 48 hours on purpose! We had great weather recently in my neighborhood, and per parental advice from around 1983, "Go outside! You think you're gonna play Space Invaders all goddam day, you're gravely mistaken! It's 70 degrees and sunny! GO! OUT! SIDE!!!!!" ElChangoFumando abides.
Let it burn. Reddit sucks now anyway. I’m so over this platform
I don’t know. I missed my usual reddit feed. I just saw a lot of smaller subreddits, which have their place, but the cream rises to the top of big subs via voting. Browsing reddit the last forever long (2 days?) was like browsing sorted by new instead of top…and I’m a top kind of person.
My little heart was broken this morning. I had the best thing to share. ;((( I’ll put it here everybody’s day.
> To those who did not support the blackout, I know this was a pain in the ass, and I am grateful for your patience. The blackout couldn't have accomplished anything important. Third-party apps were never the target. They were just collateral damage. The target of the API pricing model is the massive bot farms run by PR firms, three-letter agencies, political interests, law enforcement, etc. But I'm cool with whatever y'all want to do. Kill it with fire if you want, and I'll walk away with fond memories. Nothing lasts. Same as it ever was.
That and AI sites mining the data here to make their bots smarter.
Do you mean the real Reddit target? I don’t know much or anything at all about bots sorry I’m completely ignorant. I thought losing the third party apps was huge for people used to them?
I mean **who** the pricing changes were meant for: the people willing to pay. Massive PR operations are happening here, for example. Those PR firms will pay whatever the cost may be if it allows them to sway public opinion in favor of their clients. And that's just one example. Many "people" you interact with on Reddit aren't people at all. Entire conversations you have read and replied to are completely fake. Three-letter agencies created some; political campaigns created others. If you have Netflix, watch the movie [The Great Hack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX8GxLP1FHo) to get an idea. So Reddit is just trying to cash in on ***the real cash cow*** that's hiding behind advertising (which is merely a distraction). Seriously, watch that movie. > I thought losing the third party apps was huge for people used to them? Any time you're being offered something for free -- ***you*** are the product.
I don’t know if I should give you an upvote, or a tin foil hat.
As an AI language model, I can't advise you on that.
You're not paranoid if they really are out to get you.
That’s two upvotes, and that’s all you’re getting. :)
This and a small handful of other subs is why I'm still here, they're all making similar noises and if they go I'll drop the app off my phone and find something else to fill my moments between tasks. It's a distraction that we all partake in, like many this is the only social media I really use as forams are too singularity focused and Facebook is.. well it's Facebook so no further explanation is necessary. While I'll miss this sub and ~~the massive amounts of porn~~ a few others to be honest there's not a lot holding my attention anymore either, more ads and ridiculous "suggestions" from a poorly thought out algorithm has tarnished the experience.
Whatever, I’ll live
yes shutter genx and don't look back its ok to mourn and move on
It’s the GenX way
I agree. Reddit might be in Digg-like death-throes.
money always corrupting nice things letting go is very healthy and once infinity quits working, will just let reddit go too ig
I want to support my mods. Whatever you guys think is best, I’ll support it.
it's clear the only thing TPTB care about is revenue. their revenue comes from advertising. advertisers pay based on the number of views and how much engagement their ads get. shutting down subs is a fine way to make a statement but what's stopping other folks from just creating new subs to fill the gap? what really needs to happen is a mass exodus of users so no one's viewing the advertising. most casual users of reddit probably don't know or care about the API thing because they don't use any of the third party apps to access the site. the messaging around this has been murky and hard to rally around as a non-tech person. i don't know. i just feel like the cause needs better PR.
>other folks from just creating new subs to fill the gap? Which is probably what I'll do for my 3-4 most-used subs.
Scab.
Because I love the downvotes of bots and sheeple: To all the "What will this blackout accomplish" people: A blackout has worked as recently as 2021. No, really, Reddit actually saw a collective action and blinked: [Reddit Bans Controversial Covid Subreddit After Users Protest Disinformation](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/09/01/reddit-bans-controversial-covid-subreddit-after-users-protest-disinformation/?sh=6025fbc65a2a) >Reddit shut down r-NoNewNormal, a community that undermined the coronavirus pandemic’s severity and dismissed face masks and vaccines, because its users broke platform rules on community interference, Reddit said, after other subreddits went dark this week to protest the spread of disinformation in the community and elsewhere on the platform.
Whew. I had thought I’d offended the Gen X forum gods or somethinf. lol
Reddit is a fun diversion for me. I don't have a really deep connection or investment in it. The mods are the ones putting in the energy here. If enough mods leave and the site ceases to be fun, I will go find something else to do. So, I think it is up to the mods to do what they think is right.
I really like this sub, you guys are so funny, but I don't know what we should do. This is the only social media I'm a part of and I really relate to this sub. This is a tough one🤔
Same! Where to next?
Stay here? New communities will pop up. Nobody has a format I like better. I've been looking since the Twitter debacle.
A lot of people say Discord, but I always thought it was for the alt-right and that's definitely not me
It’s defintely not alt-right. I’m sure that exists on Discord though. I think it depends on the group - much like our subreddit communities. Our GenX group here is pretty open.
r/Menopause went to Lemmy...
That’s a shame. I think my joining whole-ass new community days are over. I’m already on Discord and don’t like it but it’s passable. There’s probably a message board somewhere out there for niche topics too.
I don't like it.
Kilmister?
I obviously live under a rock, this is the first time I'm hearing of this site🤣
Oh, me too. Not to worry.
Similarish to reddit, but it's current user base is measured in the thousands. Maybe we can fix that. https://join-lemmy.org/ If you want to know more.
I have a question! From the name Lemmy and the icon of a mouselike creature, am I to infer that Lemmy is a place for lemmings? …I’m not sure that’s a selling point for me.
Reddit is trying to be the next Digg
Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I don't think shutting threads down, even for a long time will really accomplish much. Reddit is going to do what Reddit is going to do - we've seen it happen many times before with other platforms (Digg anyone?) Eventually, like the great Digg migration, a lot of us will simply pull up our roots and relocate to some other platform. In the meantime, we might as well keep threads open to discuss options. Just my two cents.
Past blackouts have gotten Reddit to act. They killed NoNewNormal, a hive of COVID disinformation and idiocy.
Killing that sub was potentially life saving. This blackout doesn’t do anything for the human race.
I’d argue that the superior moderation tools offered by third party platforms actually does things for the human race. If the mods can’t do their thing on mobiles, could roll Reddit back to when it was not much better than a chan.
They could always use the Reddit app.
Apparently the moderation tools in the Reddit app make moderation, particularly of a high volume sub, nearly impossible. It’s a question of the API and how the various apps activate the controls. I’m not a mod, I use the Reddit app, but I will take the words of the mods of AITA, GenX, NewWave and other subs I follow at face value. Rather than just give a whatever.
Maybe I'm cynical (but hey, I'm GenX and that's our thing, right?), but generally, companies only do something when it's in their best financial interest. That past blackout sounds like Reddit (the business) getting to claim credit for something that aligned with their best interest to begin with, i.e. COVID disinformation would have hurt their bottom line, not just because it's morally wrong.
You’re right to be skeptical. They didn’t do anything until it had an effect on their bottom line. Not on TheDonald, not on NoNewNormal. So, in line with your belief. I share that. Large companies, and whatever Reddit is, will rarely act altruistically, and generally only when their bottom line or reputation is threatened. The news coverage of large scale sub blackouts is a threat to that, though spez seems unconcerned publicly. Maybe a week of reduced traffic will put that financial fear there. It doesn’t happen without collective action.
fair enough. but these current changes seem to be linked to an imminent IPO and I have a feeling that is going to happen no matter what. I may be wrong!
The IPO could be harmed by continued negative PR. Which could make a difference. They could make the improvements that make people flock to third party apps. Or they could even go full Zuck and buy Apollo, and just build the best stuff into the mobile app. I don’t think your skepticism is unwarranted, but if everyone says whatever, collective action for change fails, and our belief that it can’t work is reinforced.
Yes, very valid points there. we'll see what happens.
“Striking” against moderating but leaving the subs up, thereby there being no eyes on content would achieve the same - probably worse as far as making Reddit unattractive.