3 ms·

I don't understand why the users aren't just leaving? Surely the software/infrastructure can't be that hard to replicate, especially on a "subreddit" level? W

by jrm4 3y ago

I don't understand why the users aren't just leaving? Surely the software/infrastructure can't be that hard to replicate, especially on a "subreddit" level? Why don't a few big mods just go this route and tell everyone else?

RhodesianHunter 3y ago
It seems like quite a few are judging by online comments alone. I'd love to get a hold of the real numbers.
wing-_-nuts 3y ago
What gets me is if all the third party apps had banded together and said 'july 1st, we all pivoting to support a new platform', that would have been enough of a network effect to effectively cold start the network effect on whatever they targeted. It would have been dig all over again, and this time reddit would have been in the dust bin.
- waboremo 3y ago
  The coordination required for such would be quite intense. Also fragile, as the third party apps would quickly abandon any roadmap agreed upon if Reddit changed its mind. Maybe it can happen now among the apps that have put their foot down about a complete end, but certainly loses a lot of momentum from those who might have already uninstalled them.
  - jesushax 3y ago
    Isn't this basically how Reddit got popular, when everyone was mad about Digg's UI update so they wanted an alternative?
- avaloneon 3y ago
  This is something I've been investigating. If one had a gateway that spoke Reddit's API, the apps wouldn't even really have to pivot, just change the API base URL. And in theory not even that. As long as the traffic can be redirected to a different server it should still work. In practice, however, at least Apollo has some server-side components so it wouldn't be totally plug-and-play without developer support. Sadly, I'm not sure how to get in touch with the developers/users who may be interested. (I've also heard that someone's working on a Reddit/Lemmy gateway, but I don't know who they are or how far they've gotten.)
jy1 3y ago
Network effect. The mods don't really offer anything. People won't leave for another platform because there's no content/community. It's even hard for an individual subreddit to leave because a single subreddit isn't enough to be self-sustaining.
- Semaphor 3y ago
  > a single subreddit isn't enough to be self-sustaining. They said, on a website that is essentially a single subreddit. Unless you mean financially.
Clent 3y ago
Many have. Many more will. They aren't going to announce it, that's gauche. There is a sentiment of, 'Whelp, was fun while it lasted. Remember, digg, haha. See on the next go around.'
SpicyLemonZest 3y ago
One of the key criticisms from the moderator side of things is that Reddit by itself is not usable; you simply can't moderate a large subreddit effectively using only on-platform tools. So they can't migrate to a Reddit clone which won't have all the third party support that's been built up. Some communities have talked about going to Discord, but that's of course more of a closed platform in most ways.
jesushax 3y ago
After /r/TheDonald was banned, a bunch of right wingers did exactly this by creating TheDonald.win and other sites (including one for /r/TheRedPill), forming the win network. Honestly, the interface was better than Reddit and the site was very active, demonstrating that moving communities off-Reddit is very doable. TheDonald.win went down because the admin saw the light after Jan 6 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/02/05/why-thedonald-moderator-left/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/02/05/why-the...)
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
SanjayMehta 3y ago
> why the users aren't just leaving? People are addicted, especially the mods and power users. They won't go, because they've infested too much in building up their "clout."
dottjt 3y ago
The main reason is not necessarily because of the information presented today, but because of the years upon years of information the platform currently contains. If I want to learn something technical (for example, music production) I'll search in google the thing I want to understand, then add the keyword `reddit`. What the past few days has demonstrated to me, is how much of this information is on Reddit and how helpless I am without it, with all the main subreddits closed. Furthermore, if I want to ask something technical I'll ask it on Reddit, and will almost always get an appropriate response. So it's been reliable for me as well. Also, the fact that I don't need to create another account for a separate platform, just so I can ask a question about a new hobby I've just discovered. It's the fact that it's so centralised that makes it so valuable.
- johnnyanmac 3y ago
  >It's the fact that it's so centralised that makes it so valuable. And as we see yet again in internet history, we see the cost of that comfortability when you put all your eggs in one centralized basket. This isn't the 90's dial-up days; I'd rather create a burner account in 5 minutes and keep my trail scattered across the net than fall into that trap where everything is in one place.

by jrm4 3y ago

RhodesianHunter 3y ago

It seems like quite a few are judging by online comments alone. I'd love to get a hold of the real numbers.

wing-_-nuts 3y ago

What gets me is if all the third party apps had banded together and said 'july 1st, we all pivoting to support a new platform', that would have been enough of a network effect to effectively cold start the network effect on whatever they targeted. It would have been dig all over again, and this time reddit would have been in the dust bin.

waboremo 3y ago
The coordination required for such would be quite intense. Also fragile, as the third party apps would quickly abandon any roadmap agreed upon if Reddit changed its mind. Maybe it can happen now among the apps that have put their foot down about a complete end, but certainly loses a lot of momentum from those who might have already uninstalled them.
- jesushax 3y ago
  Isn't this basically how Reddit got popular, when everyone was mad about Digg's UI update so they wanted an alternative?
avaloneon 3y ago
This is something I've been investigating. If one had a gateway that spoke Reddit's API, the apps wouldn't even really have to pivot, just change the API base URL. And in theory not even that. As long as the traffic can be redirected to a different server it should still work. In practice, however, at least Apollo has some server-side components so it wouldn't be totally plug-and-play without developer support. Sadly, I'm not sure how to get in touch with the developers/users who may be interested. (I've also heard that someone's working on a Reddit/Lemmy gateway, but I don't know who they are or how far they've gotten.)

jy1 3y ago

Network effect. The mods don't really offer anything. People won't leave for another platform because there's no content/community. It's even hard for an individual subreddit to leave because a single subreddit isn't enough to be self-sustaining.

Semaphor 3y ago
> a single subreddit isn't enough to be self-sustaining. They said, on a website that is essentially a single subreddit. Unless you mean financially.

Clent 3y ago

Many have. Many more will. They aren't going to announce it, that's gauche. There is a sentiment of, 'Whelp, was fun while it lasted. Remember, digg, haha. See on the next go around.'

SpicyLemonZest 3y ago

One of the key criticisms from the moderator side of things is that Reddit by itself is not usable; you simply can't moderate a large subreddit effectively using only on-platform tools. So they can't migrate to a Reddit clone which won't have all the third party support that's been built up. Some communities have talked about going to Discord, but that's of course more of a closed platform in most ways.

jesushax 3y ago

After /r/TheDonald was banned, a bunch of right wingers did exactly this by creating TheDonald.win and other sites (including one for /r/TheRedPill), forming the win network. Honestly, the interface was better than Reddit and the site was very active, demonstrating that moving communities off-Reddit is very doable. TheDonald.win went down because the admin saw the light after Jan 6 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/02/05/why-thedonald-moderator-left/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/02/05/why-the...)

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

SanjayMehta 3y ago

> why the users aren't just leaving? People are addicted, especially the mods and power users. They won't go, because they've infested too much in building up their "clout."

dottjt 3y ago

The main reason is not necessarily because of the information presented today, but because of the years upon years of information the platform currently contains. If I want to learn something technical (for example, music production) I'll search in google the thing I want to understand, then add the keyword `reddit`. What the past few days has demonstrated to me, is how much of this information is on Reddit and how helpless I am without it, with all the main subreddits closed. Furthermore, if I want to ask something technical I'll ask it on Reddit, and will almost always get an appropriate response. So it's been reliable for me as well. Also, the fact that I don't need to create another account for a separate platform, just so I can ask a question about a new hobby I've just discovered. It's the fact that it's so centralised that makes it so valuable.

johnnyanmac 3y ago
>It's the fact that it's so centralised that makes it so valuable. And as we see yet again in internet history, we see the cost of that comfortability when you put all your eggs in one centralized basket. This isn't the 90's dial-up days; I'd rather create a burner account in 5 minutes and keep my trail scattered across the net than fall into that trap where everything is in one place.