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> None of the people that spent hours of their lives lovingly contributing to Subreddits ... will make a profit off of Reddit's public listing They'll not make

> None of the people that spent hours of their lives lovingly contributing to Subreddits ... will make a profit off of Reddit's public listing They'll not make money because they're stupid. I have never participated in this kind of scam (this is what I call getting free labor to prop up a private company). But several people seem to love donating free work for private companies.

bugbuddy 3y ago
I am genuinely curious what is different about us posting here?
- screenobobeano 3y ago
  [flagged]
  - throwitaway222 3y ago
    Shhh... you're not supposed to say that or they will make a Facebook login and force it.
- bombcar 3y ago
  dang gets paid, basically That's what it comes down to - this site has a particular purpose, and it is open about it being basically a freebie given out to help Ycombinator; worth whatever hosting + dang costs these days.
  - alex_suzuki 3y ago
    does he?
- harkinian 3y ago
  Nothing. I don't expect something in return for my HN posts, and I don't care what someone does with them. It's not a job.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
strulovich 3y ago
People in tech and the valley like judging things through the eyes of tech capitalism, and basically think that if “you’re good at something, never do it for free”. The truth is that many people don’t view the world through these lens. They just enjoy a hobby and a community. Participating in a forum is a fun experience for many, and I’d guess the average Redditor would be less happy if they bought into the mindset that they must be paid for the writings.
- NoboruWataya 3y ago
  True, but it is slightly galling when someone else is making handsome profits off your free labour. Like, I might happily give up a few hours to coach my child's football team at the weekend. But if someone is charging everyone to come watch the games and keeping the profits for themselves, that would be annoying. Of course, Reddit has always been a for-profit business so arguably people should have known. But the fact that the mechanics of monetisation are deliberately obscured, together with the fact that (as I understand it) Reddit has actually been loss-making for most of its history makes it easy to overlook.
  - harkinian 3y ago
    "Reddit has always been a for-profit business so arguably people should have known" is what I would say. Some people don't mind if their time is being profited from. I understand if some people do mind, but then they shouldn't be spending so much time on Reddit.
golol 3y ago
> If someone profits off me it must mean I am being exploited. This is a fallacy.
- coliveira 3y ago
  You may not realize it, but it is true. You're trying to think about exploitation as a personal perception issue, but it is an entirely economic thing.
  - golol 3y ago
    No nothing about personal perception. It is completely normal and common that someone profits off me while I myself am also happy with the situation. It is called a trade. Every interaction that's not a zero-sum game is two people profiting of each other and being (usually) fine with it.
vehemenz 3y ago
Yes, but also Reddit is giving away free access to a site where anyone in the world can exchange ideas with each other.

bugbuddy 3y ago

I am genuinely curious what is different about us posting here?

screenobobeano 3y ago
[flagged]
- throwitaway222 3y ago
  Shhh... you're not supposed to say that or they will make a Facebook login and force it.
bombcar 3y ago
dang gets paid, basically That's what it comes down to - this site has a particular purpose, and it is open about it being basically a freebie given out to help Ycombinator; worth whatever hosting + dang costs these days.
- alex_suzuki 3y ago
  does he?
harkinian 3y ago
Nothing. I don't expect something in return for my HN posts, and I don't care what someone does with them. It's not a job.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

strulovich 3y ago

People in tech and the valley like judging things through the eyes of tech capitalism, and basically think that if “you’re good at something, never do it for free”. The truth is that many people don’t view the world through these lens. They just enjoy a hobby and a community. Participating in a forum is a fun experience for many, and I’d guess the average Redditor would be less happy if they bought into the mindset that they must be paid for the writings.

NoboruWataya 3y ago
True, but it is slightly galling when someone else is making handsome profits off your free labour. Like, I might happily give up a few hours to coach my child's football team at the weekend. But if someone is charging everyone to come watch the games and keeping the profits for themselves, that would be annoying. Of course, Reddit has always been a for-profit business so arguably people should have known. But the fact that the mechanics of monetisation are deliberately obscured, together with the fact that (as I understand it) Reddit has actually been loss-making for most of its history makes it easy to overlook.
- harkinian 3y ago
  "Reddit has always been a for-profit business so arguably people should have known" is what I would say. Some people don't mind if their time is being profited from. I understand if some people do mind, but then they shouldn't be spending so much time on Reddit.

golol 3y ago

> If someone profits off me it must mean I am being exploited. This is a fallacy.

coliveira 3y ago
You may not realize it, but it is true. You're trying to think about exploitation as a personal perception issue, but it is an entirely economic thing.
- golol 3y ago
  No nothing about personal perception. It is completely normal and common that someone profits off me while I myself am also happy with the situation. It is called a trade. Every interaction that's not a zero-sum game is two people profiting of each other and being (usually) fine with it.

vehemenz 3y ago

Yes, but also Reddit is giving away free access to a site where anyone in the world can exchange ideas with each other.