Michael Van de Velde’s Post

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 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

Another great example of Cory Doctorow's 'enshitification' process here at Reddit, who are putting up their charges and everyone is leaving. Here is the definition of the enshitification process: "Here is how platforms die: first, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die". Here is his article describing enshitification. https://lnkd.in/e3ixfxbm Here is a good summary of where it applies from John Naughton in the Guardian https://lnkd.in/eU6Ujck2 Here is my article on why some buzzwords are plain irritating, and some are works of genius. Enshitification fits in the genius category. https://lnkd.in/eN9-TAyg https://lnkd.in/eAnqr-r8

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

Just a reminder, there is absolutely a Reddit post about your products. Never forget to check out Reddit for an authentic (usually painful) and consumable review about your company, product and services. Anonymity allows your customers to be totally honest (usually for the worse, it's Reddit after all) if they choose to post something. The casual environment of Reddit allows users to put down the mask of professionalism and get to what pain points they really have in simple terms. Scour the replies too! You'll be able to find people who are there to defend you or more likely (again, this is Reddit we're talking about) others that feel the same way and can articulate their unique experiences with similar problems. As bleak as that can feel, remember there probably a Reddit for your competitor too! Use this as an opportunity to take an intimate peak into their pain points and differentiate yourself from the rest.

🔥 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

The fight between users and social media giants has started!!! On June 13, 2023, thousands of subreddits went private in protest of Reddit's decision to start charging third-party developers for access to its data starting in July. The blackout was organized by the r/ModSupport subreddit, which is a forum for moderators of Reddit communities. The moderators were upset that Reddit was planning to charge them for a service that they had been using for free for years. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman responded to the blackout by saying that the company was simply trying to "be fairly paid" for its API. He also said that Reddit was not planning to make any additional changes to its API policy. However, the moderators were not satisfied with this response and they vowed to continue the blackout until Reddit reversed its decision. The blackout lasted for two days and it had a significant impact on Reddit's traffic. According to data from SimilarWeb, Reddit's daily traffic dropped by 50% during the blackout. The blackout also caused a decline in Reddit's stock price. On June 15, 2023, Reddit announced that it would be delaying the implementation of its new API policy. The company said that it would be working with the moderators to come up with a solution that would be fair to both parties. https://lnkd.in/gn3BvcXV

Why DeSo is offering up to $500,000 to build a decentralized Reddit competitor. Just recently, Reddit changed its API so that many third-party apps will be forced to shut down due to cost. It caused an uproar, and the community protested by staging a blackout for over 48 hours for hundreds of subreddits. At the end of the day, this is yet another example of the flaws with web2 social media. They own your content, social graph, and data. And it's time to break free! If you're interested in building, please take a look at the instructions in the comments below. 👇

In an internal memo sent Monday afternoon to Reddit, Inc. staff, CEO Steve Huffman addressed the recent blowback directed at the company, telling employees to block out the “noise” and that the ongoing blackout of thousands of subreddits will eventually pass. The memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Verge, is in response to popular subreddits going dark this week in protest of the company’s increased API pricing for third-party apps. Some of the most popular Reddit clients say the bill for keeping their apps up and running could cost them millions of dollars a year. More than 8,000 Reddit communities have gone dark in protest, and while many plan to open up again on Wednesday, some have said they’ll stay private indefinitely until Reddit makes changes. Huffman says the blackout hasn’t had “significant revenue impact” and that the company anticipates that many of the subreddits will come back online by Wednesday. “There’s a lot of noise with this one. Among the noisiest we’ve seen. Please know that our teams are on it, and like all blowups on Reddit, this one will pass as well,” the memo reads. “We absolutely must ship what we said we would. The only long term solution is improving our product, and in the short term we have a few upcoming critical mod tool launches we need to nail.” Huffman also warns employees about wearing Reddit items in public, saying the anger directed at the API pricing changes could make them “the object of [users’] frustrations.” #reddit #community #api #pricing #tech https://lnkd.in/g-xE-Q9V

From June 12 to June 14, a massive movement is underway as thousands of Reddit communities, also known as subreddits, are going dark in protest against planned API pricing changes that could potentially eliminate many third-party applications like Apollo. This decision has sparked a heated debate among Reddit's massive user base, totaling hundreds of millions of subscribers. The API pricing changes have faced widespread backlash from Reddit users. In response, Reddit's CEO and co-founder, Steve Huffman, known as u/spez, defended the decision in an "Ask Me Anything" forum. Huffman argued that Reddit needs to become a self-sustaining business and can no longer subsidize commercial entities relying on extensive data use. As a demonstration of their dissatisfaction, nearly 7,000 subreddits, some boasting tens of millions of subscribers, will be going dark, starting on June 12. What do you think about Reddit's new API policy changes? Is the protest by the users justified?