4 ms·

My ideal reddit alternative is spending less time on my computer and more time on in-person interactions. We can look for and/or build Reddit substitutes, but

My ideal reddit alternative is spending less time on my computer and more time on in-person interactions. We can look for and/or build Reddit substitutes, but just my 2c, this is a fine prompt to question not just the instantiation but the concept itself.

fasterik 3y ago
They serve different purposes. You might not be able to find even one person in your local area who shares your specific niche interests, but on the internet you can find hundreds or thousands of the most engaged and knowledgeable people on any given topic. Online forums also serve as a repository of knowledge that you can search through and learn from.
0zemp3c 3y ago
THIS! most of the political/activist/policy-driven discussions on reddit have no impact on the real world and lots of energy is just dissipated into typing that goes in to a db and no further case in point...most local subs are mobilized against NIMBYs...but NIMBYs tend to voice their concerns at City Council meetings (where it matters), not on the internet...guess who wins? reddit just takes the energy out of activism and dissipates it
- johnnyanmac 3y ago
  While I agree, I certainly don't go on reddit expecting political change. It's at best good for awareness, but you can't be stuck on that first step. To talk about media, hobbies, and maybe even to foster professional skills. I feel those were the most valuable communities.
karaterobot 3y ago
I agree with everything you say, except this being the right prompt to talk about that. It's not really answering the question OP is asking.
- setgree 3y ago
  by "this" i meant all the kerfuffle around Reddit's API rates
zerkten 3y ago
You can't have in-person conversations when the community is supporting someone with a rare disease. However, many conversations don't fit into this class, and some would be better happening in-person. All of these things are true, so you still need Reddit alternatives.
ilyt 3y ago
Niche hobbies are not that easy to find local groups for.
johnnyanmac 3y ago
I've spent 6 years trying to find a proper reddit alternative and coincidentally 6 years in my local area trying to find ANY local friend group for interests I have. I have better luck online. Heck, I had better luck in mobile game guilds. And the pandemic honestly made things even worse, worse in a way that has longer term effects than I ever predicted. I can have a whole multi-post rant about the fall of social hubs, the futility of Meetups, and simply the difficulties of a late 20's male trying to find a friend group their age, but that's probably too tangential for a post asking about online communities.
- setgree 3y ago
  I feel for you man. I live in Brooklyn where I can meet all the weirdos I want (though the fact that we're so spread out makes having a 'community' hard sometimes). So I get why Reddit and its ilk would seem like the best available option. But if at all possible, I think moving to where your people are is going to scratch the itch more holistically. This person has been thinking hard about this: https://twitter.com/Prigoose https://twitter.com/Prigoose, https://prigoose.substack.com/ https://prigoose.substack.com/
  - johnnyanmac 3y ago
    That's the strange thing of it all. I'm not necessarily in Los Angeles proper, but I'm in a suburb and am fine driving downtown. There theoretically shouldn't be a better place to find some 20's people interested in various geek/tech content. I'm sure the groups are there, but I'm not sure where to look. The only better place in theory is up north in Silicon Valley. But I'm not sure if I want to move and drastically up my cost of living in the process.
    - standyro 3y ago
      I'm also in LA ~ can connect you with some interesting folks! Agreed that there's not great resources for local discovery, beyond Discord groups and Meetups (which sort of died during the pandemic)
    - 3y ago
nathansherburn 3y ago
Amen. I stopped using Reddit when their new website got released a few years back. Not for any ideological reason, just because their new anti-user patterns killed my enjoyment there. I've never been happier having stopped using it!

fasterik 3y ago

They serve different purposes. You might not be able to find even one person in your local area who shares your specific niche interests, but on the internet you can find hundreds or thousands of the most engaged and knowledgeable people on any given topic. Online forums also serve as a repository of knowledge that you can search through and learn from.

0zemp3c 3y ago

THIS! most of the political/activist/policy-driven discussions on reddit have no impact on the real world and lots of energy is just dissipated into typing that goes in to a db and no further case in point...most local subs are mobilized against NIMBYs...but NIMBYs tend to voice their concerns at City Council meetings (where it matters), not on the internet...guess who wins? reddit just takes the energy out of activism and dissipates it

johnnyanmac 3y ago
While I agree, I certainly don't go on reddit expecting political change. It's at best good for awareness, but you can't be stuck on that first step. To talk about media, hobbies, and maybe even to foster professional skills. I feel those were the most valuable communities.

karaterobot 3y ago

I agree with everything you say, except this being the right prompt to talk about that. It's not really answering the question OP is asking.

setgree 3y ago
by "this" i meant all the kerfuffle around Reddit's API rates

zerkten 3y ago

You can't have in-person conversations when the community is supporting someone with a rare disease. However, many conversations don't fit into this class, and some would be better happening in-person. All of these things are true, so you still need Reddit alternatives.

ilyt 3y ago

Niche hobbies are not that easy to find local groups for.

johnnyanmac 3y ago

I've spent 6 years trying to find a proper reddit alternative and coincidentally 6 years in my local area trying to find ANY local friend group for interests I have. I have better luck online. Heck, I had better luck in mobile game guilds. And the pandemic honestly made things even worse, worse in a way that has longer term effects than I ever predicted. I can have a whole multi-post rant about the fall of social hubs, the futility of Meetups, and simply the difficulties of a late 20's male trying to find a friend group their age, but that's probably too tangential for a post asking about online communities.

setgree 3y ago
I feel for you man. I live in Brooklyn where I can meet all the weirdos I want (though the fact that we're so spread out makes having a 'community' hard sometimes). So I get why Reddit and its ilk would seem like the best available option. But if at all possible, I think moving to where your people are is going to scratch the itch more holistically. This person has been thinking hard about this: https://twitter.com/Prigoose https://twitter.com/Prigoose, https://prigoose.substack.com/ https://prigoose.substack.com/
- johnnyanmac 3y ago
  That's the strange thing of it all. I'm not necessarily in Los Angeles proper, but I'm in a suburb and am fine driving downtown. There theoretically shouldn't be a better place to find some 20's people interested in various geek/tech content. I'm sure the groups are there, but I'm not sure where to look. The only better place in theory is up north in Silicon Valley. But I'm not sure if I want to move and drastically up my cost of living in the process.
  - standyro 3y ago
    I'm also in LA ~ can connect you with some interesting folks! Agreed that there's not great resources for local discovery, beyond Discord groups and Meetups (which sort of died during the pandemic)
  - 3y ago

nathansherburn 3y ago

Amen. I stopped using Reddit when their new website got released a few years back. Not for any ideological reason, just because their new anti-user patterns killed my enjoyment there. I've never been happier having stopped using it!