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> Vast majority of users understand perfectly well that the company needs funding to go on and if it collapses, their online communities will go down with it.

> Vast majority of users understand perfectly well that the company needs funding to go on and if it collapses, their online communities will go down with it. The vast majority of users understand about funding but largely prefer having some ads. That is the price most users are willing to pay. The exact benefit premium membership gives you is hiding ads, which is at the core of the discussion here. And as I said, it accounts for only 3% of what ads make. And again, you underestimate the feeling of participation as "contribution". Particularly for those users willing to "go further". The people that most invest on the community do so because it gives them as much of a feeling of belonging as one of "ownership". No, those feelings don't mean users "like Reddit", much less as a company; people have strong feelings towards "their" particular subreddits.

huhtenberg 3y ago
> The exact benefit premium membership gives you is hiding ads The same can be trivially done with a browser add-on, which is exactly why their premium offering is a nonsensical one. I've been a premium member for several years and I view it strictly as a show of support for what they do, nothing else. If they want the ad revenue, they need to control the delivery. Hence the push for the official app. Lots of people don't like the app, some don't like ads and they are opinionated because Reddit is a part of their routine. So, no, I disagree with you completely that offering a paid option to participate in Reddit on users' own terms will not be in demand.
- genezeta 3y ago
  I guessed you would disagree. It's a bit sad, though, coming here asking "what am I missing?" and then making every effort to discard anything anyone says. Don't mean to antagonize; just think it's sad.
  - huhtenberg 3y ago
    Well, no, I'm not discarding them. I understand the cynicism, but I also hoped that there was some sort of deep reason for making decisions that are clearly not aligned with the interests of their user base. I've been on Reddit since the '10s and if one takes care to curate the sub list, it can be a truly wonderful and pleasant place. Would hate to see it circle down the drain. That's all.

huhtenberg 3y ago

> The exact benefit premium membership gives you is hiding ads The same can be trivially done with a browser add-on, which is exactly why their premium offering is a nonsensical one. I've been a premium member for several years and I view it strictly as a show of support for what they do, nothing else. If they want the ad revenue, they need to control the delivery. Hence the push for the official app. Lots of people don't like the app, some don't like ads and they are opinionated because Reddit is a part of their routine. So, no, I disagree with you completely that offering a paid option to participate in Reddit on users' own terms will not be in demand.

genezeta 3y ago
I guessed you would disagree. It's a bit sad, though, coming here asking "what am I missing?" and then making every effort to discard anything anyone says. Don't mean to antagonize; just think it's sad.
- huhtenberg 3y ago
  Well, no, I'm not discarding them. I understand the cynicism, but I also hoped that there was some sort of deep reason for making decisions that are clearly not aligned with the interests of their user base. I've been on Reddit since the '10s and if one takes care to curate the sub list, it can be a truly wonderful and pleasant place. Would hate to see it circle down the drain. That's all.