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This only works if they find replacement mods ready to set up all the moderation infrastructure again. Mods use a huge amount of 3rd party tooling to automate a

This only works if they find replacement mods ready to set up all the moderation infrastructure again. Mods use a huge amount of 3rd party tooling to automate a lot of the work. If the tooling is turned off or even if the most basic automod configs are deleted when subreddit goes private, then most subs would be overwhelmed by bots and spam within hours if not minutes. That or they'd have to pay people to be moderators and I can't imagine increasing headcount is something they want to do pre IPO.

bredren 3y ago
I am a mod of r/portland. We use a 3rd party chat app and other web applications. We also have custom tuned automod and other software to help out. A lot of the need for these services is because Reddit has failed to provide necessary tools in a timely way forever. For example, our sub has been under brigade since the national news began focusing on it this past administration. The company did nothing for us, not even words of support. The company has spurned volunteer mods long enough they have got whatever’s coming to them. It isn’t just an API people are upset about. Anyway, the software tools for collaboration matter in moderation, but even more so it is a huge amount of work to keep a sub from going off the rails. I’ve seen comments of people thinking it’s mostly power stuff and there are elements of that at play. But it doesn’t work day to day. Big subs that aren’t moderated constantly fall on hard times.
- _blz2 3y ago
  > sub has been brigaded > past administration lol. One trip to Portland is enough to see how disconnected the sub's mods are from the reality.
BeetleB 3y ago
Reddit didn't provide these tools, so clearly they're not concerned with whether good moderation tools exist. The lack of them will not prevent them from restoring the subreddits. Subreddit quality doesn't matter. Most of the popular subreddits are already horrible.

bredren 3y ago

I am a mod of r/portland. We use a 3rd party chat app and other web applications. We also have custom tuned automod and other software to help out. A lot of the need for these services is because Reddit has failed to provide necessary tools in a timely way forever. For example, our sub has been under brigade since the national news began focusing on it this past administration. The company did nothing for us, not even words of support. The company has spurned volunteer mods long enough they have got whatever’s coming to them. It isn’t just an API people are upset about. Anyway, the software tools for collaboration matter in moderation, but even more so it is a huge amount of work to keep a sub from going off the rails. I’ve seen comments of people thinking it’s mostly power stuff and there are elements of that at play. But it doesn’t work day to day. Big subs that aren’t moderated constantly fall on hard times.

_blz2 3y ago
> sub has been brigaded > past administration lol. One trip to Portland is enough to see how disconnected the sub's mods are from the reality.

BeetleB 3y ago

Reddit didn't provide these tools, so clearly they're not concerned with whether good moderation tools exist. The lack of them will not prevent them from restoring the subreddits. Subreddit quality doesn't matter. Most of the popular subreddits are already horrible.