totally agree with you on (1). no model that isn't advertising has worked so far. but there are other ways and I think we truly owe it to ourselves as a communi

totally agree with you on (1). no model that isn't advertising has worked so far. but there are other ways and I think we truly owe it to ourselves as a community and society to try them. i've spoken to maybe 10 folks who are reddit moderators. every one of them does it for the fun - but if they could be directly rewarded with something more than "internet karma points" - they would take it, and feel good. to your second point - 100% agreement there. I mention the grassroots moderation in another reply on this thread, but the concept of a subreddit and the control of its creation is a very important one to consider. I don't think this problem has been solved, but I have some theories on how it could be done. by making those who start a subreddit having to put a "stake" in the ecosystem after they hit a particular threshold - and having everyone who has a stake be able to vote on their future - seems like a reasonable way to do it.