Mirza Ahmed Hassan’s Post

Reddit says Mods need to be stewards of their communities and reopen. Mods say they are fulfilling their duties by protesting changes that they believe go against the interests of their communities. A few things to consider: ➡️ Reddit’s content is produced and moderated by users. That gives users a sense of ownership and care for the space. ➡️ Reddit is a business with roadmaps, revenue and expenses. ➡️ Each side needs the other, but it falls on Reddit to regulate the negotiation. Is that fair or do large user-generated social platforms need special rules? ➡️ Technically users agreed to a TOS, rules and guidelines when they signed up. What happens when it comes time to enforce them? (Reddit has proposed removal of the Mods that are causing the blackouts) ➡️ Is Reddit banking on monopoly power to weather the storm knowing that users don’t really have anywhere to run? Or are they telling the truth when saying it’s a small amount of users with outsized powers?

Reddit vs Developer community Reddit blackout for the next 2 days - you might already know that 1000s of big subreddits are going dark/inactive/private in protest against Reddit API pricing changes. And you can feel the impact, Reddit looks like an empty space within less than 24 hours of the protest. Who is right or wrong can be a debatable discussion for another day, but what's not debatable is - "Poor handling of the situation by the Reddit founder u/spez and Reddit community team". While it is so typical of Reddit (**coughs** and many redditors) to be controversial, this event is much more than just a controversy. Definitely not the one where you can say - any publicity is good publicity. This is bad, for Reddit. It was only about Reddit pricing change until u/spez held the AMA (which sort of reminded me of recent Bajaj Finance MD - Sanjiv Bajaj's video, only worse). This example will be taught in developer advocacy and community management 101 - "Listen to your community" #developer #community #management #reddit #blackout #bajajfinance #sanjivbajaj

The Reddit blackout protest is showing how important user-generated content is.   8,000 subreddits with millions and millions of followers have gone dark to protest changes to Reddit's API pricing, which is putting some third-party developers out of business.   Now, imagine you're someone looking for tips on how to beat the new Zelda game.   Without Reddit and the communities producing UGC, you will most likely have to rely on publisher-generated content created by a small group of individuals, most likely a gaming website. This means you are getting less information, with a less authentic feel and higher bias.   UGC enables users to pool knowledge, build credibility and is the foundation on which online communities are built. Without it, they simply can't function. As the protests continue, it will be interesting to see how the content tap being turned off and the changes to the API pricing affect Reddit's business/brand reputation over the next few weeks.   https://lnkd.in/eXMT9fCg   #reddit #ugc #technews #usergeneratedcontent #redditprotests

My 2 cents on what's happening at Reddit, Inc. right now... If you've noticed, most major subreddits have been made private for over a day now. Why? Reddit wants to start charging third parties for using its data. Two other points of note: 1. It is believed that just 5 mods control most of the largest subreddits. If those 5 people choose to take their ball and go home, it's going to be a bloodbath for Reddit's user base. 2. This protest might just be a 48-hour one. If that's the case, I'm not sure if it would have a huge impact. My thoughts: As a platform, Reddit relies on UGC to survive. Users haven't been able to access anything for over a day and eventually they'll start searching for alternatives. Do they exist? Who knows. Remember when Tumblr banned porn? That traffic moved elsewhere. Who says it won't happen here too? Now the takeaway: If I had to share one piece of advice for anyone building communities for their brands - The moment you lose track of what your audience wants, be prepared for armageddon. #reddit #community #socialmediamarketing #digitalmarketing #marketing

THE REDDIT BLACKOUT SHOWS NO SIGNS OF STOPPING! A widespread Reddit blackout affecting some of the site’s largest communities has continued into its third day with no signs of stopping, as a number of groups on the site vowed to remain closed off indefinitely to protest changes to the platform’s data policies. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 6,000 subreddits remained inaccessible and in private mode after what began as a two-day voluntary shutdown. The blackout includes popular forums such as r/aww, r/videos and r/music, each of which claims more than 25 million subscribers on the platform. The extended protest highlights the commitment of some users, moderators and developers to a long-term standoff with Reddit’s management over a decision to begin charging steep fees for third-party data access to its platform. #reddit #blackout #business #tech

🔥 The Reddit Blackout: A Battle for Freedom and Profit 🔥 🚫 Redditors take a stand! Thousands of subreddits go dark to protest against Reddit's new money-making policies, turning a temporary blackout into a fierce standoff. It's a clash between the platform's indispensable moderators and CEO Steve Huffman. 📢 The trigger? Reddit's decision to charge third-party developers for access to its data, starting in July. This move has sparked outrage among app developers and moderators who fear the loss of their beloved Reddit experience. 💥 But the protest doesn't end there. A hacker group threatens to release 80GB of stolen data unless Reddit pays a hefty ransom and reverses the controversial policy. The tension is escalating! 🌍 Don't dismiss this as irrelevant if you don't use Reddit. The way social media platforms operate is changing rapidly. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok—all grappling with profitability. The era of "you are the product" might be coming to an end. Brace yourself for a transformed online experience. 🔄 Read the full article to uncover the fascinating battle for control and profit on Reddit. The future of social media awaits! 👉https://lnkd.in/dT2R53EB #RedditBlackout #SocialMediaRevolution #FreedomVsProfit

Reddit's biggest currency is it's user generated content, to the point that GAI models are being trained on it for evolved efficiency and improved experience. To monetize APIs as it looks for an IPO in the second half of 2023 can go sideways

Reddit is down today. Both in spirit through the dark protesting subreddits (8000+, 2.7B combined user count as of writing, and climbing) and technically as live subs' users bombard them and intermittently break Reddit, Inc.'s servers. Christian Selig and the other third-party developers are unambiguously the good guys here, the Tony Starks to Reddit CEO Steve Huffman (aka Spez) Obadiah Stane. Or maybe Justin Hammer, time will tell. The whole new API pricing policy, the way it was rolled out, and the absolute cluster of a comms strategy around it are a master class in how not to communicate with users and value add volunteers (VOLUNTEERS!) as a platform. As a passionate moderator of the Top 1% subreddit and an ardent long-time Apollo app user, I'm dreading the long-term direction this management indicates, both technically, and business-wise. With Reddit's upcoming (LONG rumoured!) IPO, Spez's intractability here may backfire. Potential investors may well be put off by such instability and disrespect for community needs and demands. If your company is planning on IPOing and its entire value for users is driven by well-moderated and spam-free UGC, this is a nightmare, and advertisers should also take note at reach and content quality too. This is an indicator of the users generating content demanding a sort of compensation for being the product. In the balance between monetization and community trust, Reddit seems to be leaning heavily toward the former. Let's hope they don't topple over. #community #reddit #RedditBlackout #TechEthics #UserRights #CommunityFirst #IPOWatch #MarvelMetaphors

Reddit API policy protest: I understand the concerns of developers who are worried about the new API policy. The policy would make it much more expensive for them to create and maintain third-party tools, which could ultimately hurt the Reddit community. I also understand Reddit's need to ensure the long-term health of the company. However, I believe that there are other ways to achieve this goal that do not involve charging developers for API access. I hope that Reddit will reconsider its API policy and find a way to make it more affordable for developers. This would be in the best interests of both the Reddit community and the developers who create tools that make Reddit a better place.