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These "bots" are spam, pure and simple. By forcing users to visibly name the "service" they want to use in public discussion threads, and the service visibly an

These "bots" are spam, pure and simple. By forcing users to visibly name the "service" they want to use in public discussion threads, and the service visibly answering on the same thread, they are basically forcing the users themselves to advertise the service. But it's still spam. You get tens of mentions of the service on each reddit thread. It would be terribly simple and probably even more userfriendly to just privately message the bot in order to activate its action, and/or much more tech-friendly to have a browser extension to do the same action. I'm quite sure youtube-dl already works with more types of "Reddit videos" than "SaveVideo" ever will, and youtube-dl couldn't care less if Reddit approves of them or not. But, of course, thanks to the apparent power of advertising, any such service that does NOT spam everyone like "SaveVideo" and the rest is condemned to obscurity. Net result is tens of annoying SaveVideo (and their even more spammy competitors) messages in every popular reddit thread. How do you call it when someone posts several messages in every single popular thread with the name of their service? I really don't know why the websites (Twitter, Reddit, etc.) put up with those. Yes, Twitter has Threadunrollers and the like which is basically the same thing. Personally I consider these "business models" to be one of these plagues on the WWW that must be eradicated with prejudice. The other one being websites that just grab files that are otherwise publicly available and put them behind a loginwall/paywall (e.g. Pinterest, Scribd, Manualslib, etc.), then SEO the hell out of it so that the original file becomes much harder to find.

ecmascript 5y ago
If you work for reddit you should disclose that.
- AshamedCaptain 5y ago
  tl;dr use the damn youtube-dl. You still get your videos downloaded, you don't spam people who is discussing in the same thread, and Reddit "gods" can't do anything to block you. If you don't want to download a python script to your machine (why?), then use any of the million youtube-dl-wrapping websites online or one of the hundred browser extensions. I'm 99% sure "SaveVideo" is just wrapping youtube-dl anyway.
  - Clewza313 5y ago
    Wait, youtube-dl works with Reddit/imgur/redgifs hosted videos? I thought it was for, y'know, YouTube.
    - itsrajju 5y ago
      It did start with just youtube, yes. But in today's day and age it supports a large amount of sites. [1] [1]: https://ytdl-org.github.io/youtube-dl/supportedsites.html https://ytdl-org.github.io/youtube-dl/supportedsites.html
    - jwitthuhn 5y ago
      I believe it was originally just youtube, but it has support for a whole lot of services now including reddit, twitter, and much more. Looking at the file names here should give you a pretty good idea of what is supported. https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl/tree/master/youtube_dl/extractor https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl/tree/master/youtube_d...
    - AshamedCaptain 5y ago
      Yes. This is precisely what I am complaining about when I said that the SaveVideo spam means every other service that does not spam in the same way gets relegated to obscurity. Practically every downloader program/extension/service works with these videos...
  - nhinck 5y ago
    Because my machine is a phone
    - zodiakzz 5y ago
      It's a bit of hassle but youtube-dl runs on Termux for Android.
    - doix 5y ago
      Use a 3rd party client. On android, "Reddit is fun" and "RedReader" support downloading videos. Possibly others exist, but those are the only ones I've tried. I suspect iOS has some options as well.
jsbdk 5y ago
If users continuously spam "SaveVideo" on every thread, what Reddit should've done is implement a "download video" button. Yes, I know you're a troll. Just saying.
- AshamedCaptain 5y ago
  Sorry but you are the namecaller here, and wrong to begin with. I couldnt agree more regarding the download button in reddit itself. Its the spamy services I have a problem with.
  - jsbdk 5y ago
    That's not the services' fault, and there is now a void of a service that people found useful.
    - AshamedCaptain 5y ago
      The _spam_ part is their fault. There is a million ways to offer this service that do not involve spamming every other user of the platform, but of course, by the power of advertising, the "spamming" ways are the most popular.
pseudo0 5y ago
Doesn't the bot respond with a link to the saved video, which other users can then download without having to call the bot again? Whenever I've seen that bot or similar ones in a thread, the top one gets upvoted and duplicates get downvoted to the point of being hidden. This seems like the upvote/downvote system working as intended.
- AshamedCaptain 5y ago
  No, not really. Open _any_ video thread from the frontpage from yesterday and you will find multiple references to savevideo, getvideobot, downloadvideo, etc. All of them are different, competing bots participating in this spam race. Not to mention websites where there is no karma or equivalent (e.g. Twitter) and you just can't skip the spam to threadunroller or videodownloader or whatever.
  - foobar33333 5y ago
    Clearly all of these bots show there is a serious flaw with reddit that you can not just download videos like you could with the old external video service links that reddit used to be filled with. Especially ironic considering most of reddit videos are downloaded and reposted from tiktok.
  - pseudo0 5y ago
    Top video result from the last week - https://old.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/ogu570/the_traitor/ https://old.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/ogu570/the_traitor/ One bot with +70 that's somewhat visible, a couple just barely above the "load more comments" filter with +3. #2 result - https://old.reddit.com/r/nextfuckinglevel/comments/ofl4jt/i_etched_a_squid_into_a_chef_knife/ https://old.reddit.com/r/nextfuckinglevel/comments/ofl4jt/i_... No bots without clicking to load more comments. Really though it's the fault of Reddit (or Twitter, ...) for deliberately disabling users' ability to right-click and download videos like normal. This is entirely a self-inflicted problem.
    - AshamedCaptain 5y ago
      Even on the link you just shared I already see 3 messages, without expanding any link. u/getvideobot u/RedditMP4Bot u/redditmp4bot When I expand for comments, I basically see _all_ of the bots mentioned.
throwawayswede 5y ago
Reddit is literally NOTHING (absolutely nothing, zero zilch nada, is None) without the people that use it and without the content from other website they submit. Don't get me wrong, reddit is very useful and nice. I absolutely hate Reddit the company but I still find some subs super interesting and useful. Remember, this has nothing to do with Reddit the company it self. Reddit the company it self is absolute garbage. The idea that they feel entitled enough to tell people who made the bulk of it what they should want (new design, block mobile browse, push app, and now ban download bots) is a comical. People who work for reddit are wasting their talents, that is if they have any. I'm sure engineering wise there are talented people there, but business/design wise I'm almost certain that their value is abysmal. Reddit management is just a combination of entitled, dumb, and inexperienced. Reddit's end is going to be like another 9gag site. At least 9gag acknowledges what they really are, but Reddit pretends as if they're fucking archive.org while they're 4chan's inferior brother but they just don't know it. Seriously, trash company. Reddit the company and their management/strategy/design team should be a case taught in class. An exemplary case for Garbage-zero-valued-high-horse tech companies.

ecmascript 5y ago

If you work for reddit you should disclose that.

AshamedCaptain 5y ago
tl;dr use the damn youtube-dl. You still get your videos downloaded, you don't spam people who is discussing in the same thread, and Reddit "gods" can't do anything to block you. If you don't want to download a python script to your machine (why?), then use any of the million youtube-dl-wrapping websites online or one of the hundred browser extensions. I'm 99% sure "SaveVideo" is just wrapping youtube-dl anyway.
- Clewza313 5y ago
  Wait, youtube-dl works with Reddit/imgur/redgifs hosted videos? I thought it was for, y'know, YouTube.
  - itsrajju 5y ago
    It did start with just youtube, yes. But in today's day and age it supports a large amount of sites. [1] [1]: https://ytdl-org.github.io/youtube-dl/supportedsites.html https://ytdl-org.github.io/youtube-dl/supportedsites.html
  - jwitthuhn 5y ago
    I believe it was originally just youtube, but it has support for a whole lot of services now including reddit, twitter, and much more. Looking at the file names here should give you a pretty good idea of what is supported. https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl/tree/master/youtube_dl/extractor https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl/tree/master/youtube_d...
  - AshamedCaptain 5y ago
    Yes. This is precisely what I am complaining about when I said that the SaveVideo spam means every other service that does not spam in the same way gets relegated to obscurity. Practically every downloader program/extension/service works with these videos...
- nhinck 5y ago
  Because my machine is a phone
  - zodiakzz 5y ago
    It's a bit of hassle but youtube-dl runs on Termux for Android.
  - doix 5y ago
    Use a 3rd party client. On android, "Reddit is fun" and "RedReader" support downloading videos. Possibly others exist, but those are the only ones I've tried. I suspect iOS has some options as well.

jsbdk 5y ago

If users continuously spam "SaveVideo" on every thread, what Reddit should've done is implement a "download video" button. Yes, I know you're a troll. Just saying.

AshamedCaptain 5y ago
Sorry but you are the namecaller here, and wrong to begin with. I couldnt agree more regarding the download button in reddit itself. Its the spamy services I have a problem with.
- jsbdk 5y ago
  That's not the services' fault, and there is now a void of a service that people found useful.
  - AshamedCaptain 5y ago
    The _spam_ part is their fault. There is a million ways to offer this service that do not involve spamming every other user of the platform, but of course, by the power of advertising, the "spamming" ways are the most popular.

pseudo0 5y ago

Doesn't the bot respond with a link to the saved video, which other users can then download without having to call the bot again? Whenever I've seen that bot or similar ones in a thread, the top one gets upvoted and duplicates get downvoted to the point of being hidden. This seems like the upvote/downvote system working as intended.

AshamedCaptain 5y ago
No, not really. Open _any_ video thread from the frontpage from yesterday and you will find multiple references to savevideo, getvideobot, downloadvideo, etc. All of them are different, competing bots participating in this spam race. Not to mention websites where there is no karma or equivalent (e.g. Twitter) and you just can't skip the spam to threadunroller or videodownloader or whatever.
- foobar33333 5y ago
  Clearly all of these bots show there is a serious flaw with reddit that you can not just download videos like you could with the old external video service links that reddit used to be filled with. Especially ironic considering most of reddit videos are downloaded and reposted from tiktok.
- pseudo0 5y ago
  Top video result from the last week - https://old.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/ogu570/the_traitor/ https://old.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/ogu570/the_traitor/ One bot with +70 that's somewhat visible, a couple just barely above the "load more comments" filter with +3. #2 result - https://old.reddit.com/r/nextfuckinglevel/comments/ofl4jt/i_etched_a_squid_into_a_chef_knife/ https://old.reddit.com/r/nextfuckinglevel/comments/ofl4jt/i_... No bots without clicking to load more comments. Really though it's the fault of Reddit (or Twitter, ...) for deliberately disabling users' ability to right-click and download videos like normal. This is entirely a self-inflicted problem.
  - AshamedCaptain 5y ago
    Even on the link you just shared I already see 3 messages, without expanding any link. u/getvideobot u/RedditMP4Bot u/redditmp4bot When I expand for comments, I basically see _all_ of the bots mentioned.

throwawayswede 5y ago

Reddit is literally NOTHING (absolutely nothing, zero zilch nada, is None) without the people that use it and without the content from other website they submit. Don't get me wrong, reddit is very useful and nice. I absolutely hate Reddit the company but I still find some subs super interesting and useful. Remember, this has nothing to do with Reddit the company it self. Reddit the company it self is absolute garbage. The idea that they feel entitled enough to tell people who made the bulk of it what they should want (new design, block mobile browse, push app, and now ban download bots) is a comical. People who work for reddit are wasting their talents, that is if they have any. I'm sure engineering wise there are talented people there, but business/design wise I'm almost certain that their value is abysmal. Reddit management is just a combination of entitled, dumb, and inexperienced. Reddit's end is going to be like another 9gag site. At least 9gag acknowledges what they really are, but Reddit pretends as if they're fucking archive.org while they're 4chan's inferior brother but they just don't know it. Seriously, trash company. Reddit the company and their management/strategy/design team should be a case taught in class. An exemplary case for Garbage-zero-valued-high-horse tech companies.