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It's interesting, and quite concerning, that Reddit has cemented its position as a key repository of useful information on just about everything just as its dri

It's interesting, and quite concerning, that Reddit has cemented its position as a key repository of useful information on just about everything just as its drive towards monetisation really kicks into gear. It's concerning because, as part of that monetisation strategy, Reddit is becoming increasingly walled off and anti-user. I am sure I am only one of many long-time Redditors who have vowed to stop using the site completely once old.reddit.com goes, and it's only a matter of time. It's probable that a huge amount of useful information will soon become much more difficult to access, and/or diluted by stealth advertising, as Reddit looks to aggressively monetise its position. I'm interested to see if a credible alternative emerges and if there is any effort to move some of the existing useful data off the platform.

Mezzie 5y ago
It's very interesting to me as somebody's who's been making and burning Reddit accounts since before the Digg implosion. 15 years ago, I trusted what I saw on Reddit when it came to things like products: If I came across a post on the best can openers, I had some certainty that people were just sharing their opinions on can openers. Now I don't trust a single damn thing I see on that site.
- saddestcatever 5y ago
  Do you have a better site or resource you now go to for queries like can opener opinions? Yes, Reddit isn't perfect, but I've been hard pressed to find better options.
  - Mezzie 5y ago
    Depends on what I'm looking for. If it's something small (under like 20 bucks for me, substitute whatever for your comfort level), I don't even bother. I just go to Target and pick up the 2nd or 3rd cheapest whatever. Now if it's a bigger ticket item, it gets dicey, because then the best strategy, in my experience, has been to determine what about said item really matters to you and then find a group of people who share that and ask their opinion. The problem with this is that those people have the best information, but also very exacting standards and aren't very sympathetic to arguments like "But I don't HAVE hundreds of dollars for a coffee maker." Honestly, more and more in the past few years consumer products and services in the world has just been like a race to 'get something past me' and I've just started making my own stuff, buying vintage, or borrowing because I'm tired of being sold crap.
    - h0l0cube 5y ago
      Australians have www.choice.com.au that use a subscription model to monetize rigorous product comparisons for big ticket items. I'm not sure what the options are in other countries. Obviously there are special purpose publications like DPReview and Anandtech
      - Mezzie 5y ago
        Consumer Reports is the big one here. I find things like CR or choice really good if your needs align with the standard consumer's. One example is I'd probably recommend you look at office chair recs from them if you were a male between the 20th and 80th percentile in height (or a female in the male ranges) and weight who only uses the computer for work. If you were like me, a woman who's 5'3" with the legs of somebody 5'1" who sits at the computer for hours, those recommendations wouldn't work. (They also wouldn't work for Yao Ming).
  - gatonegro 5y ago
    Not really what you're asking for, but I saw this[0] a while back and it's made me actually think about can openers a bit now. You might find it interesting, too. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_mLxyIXpSY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_mLxyIXpSY
    - Mezzie 5y ago
      lol that video was what started my can opener hunt. Also that YT is why I now have a microwave and a toaster on my 'things to hunt down' list.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - safog 5y ago
    I just default trust Wirecutter for everything these days. I know they might not be optimal - there's probably a better alternative for my specific usecase if I spent the time on it but I'd rather just let them make the decision on trivial things.
    - jdgoesmarching 5y ago
      I can’t trust a review site that uses affiliate links, which is even more of a joke now that it’s paywalled.
  - colordrops 5y ago
    The only real option is to spend more time, cross reference against many sites and forums, and use your intuition as to which comments and reviews are authentic. Also pay attention to negative reviews.
  - some-guy 5y ago
    I've been doing $PRODUCT_NAME + "Wirecutter" for many items. I haven't had a bad suggestion by NYT yet if there's a Wirecutter review for it. If that fails, I do the Google + "reddit" search, but I have to look through a few posts to see if there's general consensus among accounts.
    - rexf 5y ago
      Too bad wirecutter is very hit or miss. I have definitely bought their recommendations and regretted it. Searching for query + reddit is an OK means of looking for recommendations What would be nice is a store (like amazon or target) that only sold reputable items. I'm not looking for 3rd party marketplace (like walmart or amazon offers). Maybe costco (brick & mortar) offers this curated selection, but even costco's products are hit or miss.
- flatiron 5y ago
  Yeah I have a 6 month timer on Reddit accounts because I tend to post on topics in my home town and my close hobbies and I’m afraid of being doxxed. At least in HN I just talk about programming languages and stuff so I keep my account. I also use reddits account name generator. I think that also helps that my name there wasn’t thought up by me. Least a little level of abstraction.
floatingeye 5y ago
Can I ask what the important differences of old.reddit.com are?
- Lascaille 5y ago
  Just use it and see for yourself. It's almost a 100% different user experience.
- Retr0id 5y ago
  It's a bit like comparing HN UX to Twitter UX (but with the same actual content)
mcntsh 5y ago
Has anyone here actually tried the "<search query> reddit" search lately? Click on a reddit link and it takes you to a page that forces you to open it in an app. This has made me stop using reddit completely.
- qkls 5y ago
  Maybe you're a part of an a/b test? Reddit has always worked fine in the browser for me.

Mezzie 5y ago

It's very interesting to me as somebody's who's been making and burning Reddit accounts since before the Digg implosion. 15 years ago, I trusted what I saw on Reddit when it came to things like products: If I came across a post on the best can openers, I had some certainty that people were just sharing their opinions on can openers. Now I don't trust a single damn thing I see on that site.

saddestcatever 5y ago
Do you have a better site or resource you now go to for queries like can opener opinions? Yes, Reddit isn't perfect, but I've been hard pressed to find better options.
- Mezzie 5y ago
  Depends on what I'm looking for. If it's something small (under like 20 bucks for me, substitute whatever for your comfort level), I don't even bother. I just go to Target and pick up the 2nd or 3rd cheapest whatever. Now if it's a bigger ticket item, it gets dicey, because then the best strategy, in my experience, has been to determine what about said item really matters to you and then find a group of people who share that and ask their opinion. The problem with this is that those people have the best information, but also very exacting standards and aren't very sympathetic to arguments like "But I don't HAVE hundreds of dollars for a coffee maker." Honestly, more and more in the past few years consumer products and services in the world has just been like a race to 'get something past me' and I've just started making my own stuff, buying vintage, or borrowing because I'm tired of being sold crap.
  - h0l0cube 5y ago
    Australians have www.choice.com.au that use a subscription model to monetize rigorous product comparisons for big ticket items. I'm not sure what the options are in other countries. Obviously there are special purpose publications like DPReview and Anandtech
    - Mezzie 5y ago
      Consumer Reports is the big one here. I find things like CR or choice really good if your needs align with the standard consumer's. One example is I'd probably recommend you look at office chair recs from them if you were a male between the 20th and 80th percentile in height (or a female in the male ranges) and weight who only uses the computer for work. If you were like me, a woman who's 5'3" with the legs of somebody 5'1" who sits at the computer for hours, those recommendations wouldn't work. (They also wouldn't work for Yao Ming).
- gatonegro 5y ago
  Not really what you're asking for, but I saw this[0] a while back and it's made me actually think about can openers a bit now. You might find it interesting, too. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_mLxyIXpSY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_mLxyIXpSY
  - Mezzie 5y ago
    lol that video was what started my can opener hunt. Also that YT is why I now have a microwave and a toaster on my 'things to hunt down' list.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- safog 5y ago
  I just default trust Wirecutter for everything these days. I know they might not be optimal - there's probably a better alternative for my specific usecase if I spent the time on it but I'd rather just let them make the decision on trivial things.
  - jdgoesmarching 5y ago
    I can’t trust a review site that uses affiliate links, which is even more of a joke now that it’s paywalled.
- colordrops 5y ago
  The only real option is to spend more time, cross reference against many sites and forums, and use your intuition as to which comments and reviews are authentic. Also pay attention to negative reviews.
- some-guy 5y ago
  I've been doing $PRODUCT_NAME + "Wirecutter" for many items. I haven't had a bad suggestion by NYT yet if there's a Wirecutter review for it. If that fails, I do the Google + "reddit" search, but I have to look through a few posts to see if there's general consensus among accounts.
  - rexf 5y ago
    Too bad wirecutter is very hit or miss. I have definitely bought their recommendations and regretted it. Searching for query + reddit is an OK means of looking for recommendations What would be nice is a store (like amazon or target) that only sold reputable items. I'm not looking for 3rd party marketplace (like walmart or amazon offers). Maybe costco (brick & mortar) offers this curated selection, but even costco's products are hit or miss.
flatiron 5y ago
Yeah I have a 6 month timer on Reddit accounts because I tend to post on topics in my home town and my close hobbies and I’m afraid of being doxxed. At least in HN I just talk about programming languages and stuff so I keep my account. I also use reddits account name generator. I think that also helps that my name there wasn’t thought up by me. Least a little level of abstraction.

floatingeye 5y ago

Can I ask what the important differences of old.reddit.com are?

Lascaille 5y ago
Just use it and see for yourself. It's almost a 100% different user experience.
Retr0id 5y ago
It's a bit like comparing HN UX to Twitter UX (but with the same actual content)

mcntsh 5y ago

Has anyone here actually tried the "<search query> reddit" search lately? Click on a reddit link and it takes you to a page that forces you to open it in an app. This has made me stop using reddit completely.

qkls 5y ago
Maybe you're a part of an a/b test? Reddit has always worked fine in the browser for me.