Raj Kuwar’s Post

Louis Rossman made a very telling point discussing reddit "going dark" for 2 days: if you want to get the attention of the management at reddit, throwing a tantrum for 2 days isn't going to effect any change. It shows them that they can announce a plan to charge "f**k you" prices to access their API, and that the worst that will happen is that a fraction of the userbase will make noise for a couple of days, then come back and get back to business as usual. They may lose a few hundred thousand eyeballs worth of traffic, but in the grand scheme it won't affect the bottom line that negatively. To get their attention in a meaningful way, there has to be an exodus off of reddit to some other platform that charges more reasonable API access fees. reddit management is banking on their userbases' laziness and inertia to keep things going once the API changes actually take effect. Link here: https://lnkd.in/e6UpGxQA

As someone who has been an active Reddit user for the past four years, the current state of the platform fills me with deep sadness. The widespread blackout of over six thousand subreddits, including many of the beloved and popular communities I have relied on and enjoyed, feels like a sudden and profound loss. These subreddits have been my virtual homes, places where I could seek humor, adorable moments, gaming insights, musical discoveries, and scientific wonders. They were vibrant spaces that provided an escape from the challenges of daily life and a sense of belonging within a diverse community of fellow enthusiasts. To witness the virtual corridors of Reddit unusually quiet and the absence of these once-thriving communities is disheartening. It serves as a stark reminder of the power of collective action and the impact that decisions made by platforms can have on the lives of their users. The dedication and passion of the third-party app developers, like Apollo for Reddit, who have been instrumental in initiating this protest, is commendable. Their decision to stand up against the updated API pricing reflects a genuine concern for the future accessibility and viability of the platform. As I navigate through this time of darkness on Reddit, I can't help but feel a sense of longing for the lively discussions, the shared laughs, and the valuable insights that were once abundant. Each click to refresh the page holds a tinge of hope, hoping to see the return of the communities that have shaped my online experience. In the face of this sadness, it's important to remember the power of community and solidarity. Together, we can amplify our voices and express our concerns, advocating for a resolution that preserves the spirit of inclusivity and openness that has made Reddit a cherished online space. Let us support one another during this challenging time, sharing memories and stories from the communities we hold dear. Reach out to fellow Redditors, engage in conversations, and explore the remaining active subreddits that are still shining their light. Though the current state of Reddit may be dim, let us not lose sight of the resilience and determination that lies within its user base. Together, we can strive for a future where the vibrancy, diversity, and sense of connection are restored to this beloved platform we call home. #reddit #apollo #redditblackout

Reddit, Inc. seems to have forgotten that its core as a community forum is powered by - you guessed it, COMMUNITY! This is an absolute master case in a show of how much impact audience groups have. SO many of the subreddits I'm in are dark today in solidarity, proving it really doesn't take physical protests to show an opposition to practices as the digital world expands to more corners. And Reddit's official app seems to be down as of this AM, which can either be a cover-up or a DDoS. But I digress... Who on that side thought that there would be no backlash after putting API calls behind a massive paywall (not to mention the bad optics around the Apollo commentary - or lack thereof in follow-up), especially when it shuts down and hinders third-party solutions that exist to improve upon poor accessibility and UX? It's already bad form to have either of those in your platform or app in 2023, but why does it always seem to come to this in the first place? Has anyone else thought of how many times users and outside parties/communities need to come to the rescue with their own solutions to fix bugs, create mods/apps/etc. to improve things that should be thought of when developing and launching a project? These are only some of the gripes I have with technology and especially gaming, but it's applicable to everything. Do better.

Addressing the Impact of Reddit's Subreddit Protest! 🚀 Sharing our perspective as a top API management provider on this impactful news article. The recent protest by Reddit's subreddits, resulting in private mode and API changes, sheds light on the significance of robust API strategies. At Crackerjack-IT, we empower businesses with cutting-edge API solutions, ensuring seamless digital experiences and driving innovation. #apimanagement #apisecurity #apiintegration #reddit

Reddit WTF?! Major Reddit communities continue with their blackout indefinitely. If you need to get up to date on this, Reddit announced on June 1st that they would begin charging third-party applications for using Reddit's data and user information, where they would be charged on their usage. Reddit claims that external sites are profiting off their users by showing them advertisements without paying for their data. These upcoming price charges could lead to some of the platform's biggest third-party apps being forced to shut down as it becomes unaffordable to run them. This all has come about due to Reddit's upcoming public listing; until now, the API was free for all. The reaction to all of the above was one of mass protest from the biggest subreddits, where they are in support of developers, saying it would make some of them "ludicrously more expensive for developers to run" Thousands of the biggest subreddits have committed to staying dark, locking their communities without posting content. Imagine if everyone stopped posting on Twitter. YouTube? TikTok and Instaagram? This is what's happening here with Reddit! And it looks like they aren't backing down, with further commitments to stay dark and more communities joining the blackout. If Reddit doesn't back down on the changes they are adamant to bring in, millions of people will be without their favourite communities for good. Without community, Reddit is nothing! #Reditt #RedditAPI #SocialMedia #SocialMarketing #Community

https://lnkd.in/eSyUmaQm Reddit says it won’t overrule mods and force subreddits back open We just spoke to Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, and he’s not backing down. He seems to think third-party apps were a mistake. But Reddit is also pledging that it will respect the subreddit blackout where thousands of subreddits are currently staying dark. “We are not shutting down discussions or unilaterally reopening communities,” reads a line from a “Reddit API Fact Sheet” that the company shared with The Verge. RelatedReddit CEO Steve Huffman: Reddit ‘was never designed to support third-party apps’In our interview, Huffman told us that he sees Reddit as a “democratic living organism created by its users.”“Every once in a while in cities, there’s a protest. And I think that’s what we’re seeing exactly right now. We, even in disagreement, we appreciate that users can care enough to protest on Reddit can protest on Reddit and then our platform is really resilient enough to survive these things,” he told my colleague Jay Peters.“Dissent, debate, and discussions are foundational parts of Reddit. We respect our communities’ ability to protest as long as mods follow our Moderator Code of Conduct,” reads another part of the fact sheet...

Reddit blackout: Subreddits to go private on Monday Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Apollo is a popular Reddit browser at the heart of the protestBy Tom GerkenTechnology reporterThousands of Reddit communities will be inaccessible on Monday in protest at how the site is being run.Reddit is introducing controversial charges to developers of third-party apps, which are used to browse the social media platform.But this has resulted in a backlash, with moderators of some of the biggest subreddits making their communities private for 48 hours in protest.Almost 3,500 subreddits will be inaccessible as a result.A subreddit is the name given to a forum within the Reddit platform - effectively a community of people who gather to discuss a particular interest. Reddit users - or Redditors - will typically join a variety of subreddits, rather than following individual users on other platforms, and see posts from these communities in their feed.Reddit, unlike other social media sites, relies heavily on community moderation.As well as a few paid administrators, the website uses tens of thousands of unpaid moderators -known as mods - to keep the website functional.These mods may spend one or two hours per day ensuring that their subreddit does not get filled with off-topic comment...

You know Reddit? A place where everyone posts anything he wants to, from videos, photos, cinema news, sports news, any news, sharing personal experience or asking advice because they don't have any. Dive into anything, that's the motto. There are also posts on #science and programming there, but there aren't many comments or posts there, compared with everyday stuff. #Mathematics had even less posts. So it's like LinkedIn but without purpose, purpose of building network and growing professionally (it hardly is, but it seems a good short description). And there is a blackout there because of the new access fees for users. Moderators protested against plans for platform to charge third-party developers for access to Reddit's data. Right, Reddit is going on strike. It was initially supposed to last 48 hours and now will continue, many threads will continue to be in blackout. Many volunteer moderators will maintain blackout indefinitely, though probably not everyone. Reddit Inc. says they pay themselves and need to monetise. See more on this here https://lnkd.in/eABGT-k6 Do you think Reddit should charge money for that, or charge money at all? Are actions of moderators justified? That madd me think about one thing, among other things. Everything that people do can be done in Internet now. Searching for a job, communicating, working, now there are strikes on a website. What's next? Will life in Internet substitute real life?

The continuing tensions at #Reddit is an object lesson on the importance of understanding and respecting the community. Moderators and users alike (including our very own Eugene Teplitsky) have protested decisions by Reddit, Inc.'s CEO to drastically raise the price of API access, thereby killing the third-party app ecosystem. This move, framed as a bid to stop app developers from leeching value from Reddit's "hard-earned content" feels more like an authoritarian dictatorship that disregards the community that fuels this content to begin with. The interesting part? Many subreddit users voted to go private in response to the CEO's actions - only to be threatened by Reddit admins that their moderator teams will be replaced and forcibly made to reopen if they do not comply. This begs the question: who truly holds the power in a platform where user-generated #content is the core value? There's a lesson here for all platforms: respect the users. They are not just numbers or potential ad impressions. They are the value. Ignoring their needs and contributions could have severe repercussions. This mess is doing more than scare away advertisers and kill shareholder value: it pushes more people towards decentralized platforms like #Mastodon and other #ActivityPub-supporting social tools, where user agency and respect for community choice are at the heart of their design. The future of social platforms may very well lie in this direction, and I encourage everyone to keep an eye on these developments. Anyone in my network already a part of the #Fediverse? Let's connect (I'm at https://lnkd.in/e9uFky4W)!