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I have a feeling that Reddit, with its focus on growth of the user base, is just going to play to the lowest common denominator. As soon as it is filled with w

I have a feeling that Reddit, with its focus on growth of the user base, is just going to play to the lowest common denominator. As soon as it is filled with what amounts to user curated network TV levels of content and the banal advertising mindset that goes with it, it will become Just Another News Aggregator and will not inspire the level of engagement it has enjoyed until now. Reddit doesn't have a sticky network effect. The content decays. People can easily jump ship. I don't understand why they are obsessed with raw 'ratings' numbers anyway. Part of what makes their user base valuable is that they are self-segmented -- it is the small, focused communities. Also that they are used to hopping off site then back again to re-engage. They are missing a huge opportunity, not to merely get more people in the door, but figure out how to serve the valuable communities that already exist there. If they keep staring at that bone in the water and open their mouths to grab it, they will lose the tasty morsel they could currently be enjoying. What they really need is some people that know how to target ads effectively to small valuable clients and some technologists with the chops to help them make a profit from that valuable connection making. Some deep experts from Google's Adwords team, for example. And they need to make the whole process above board and transparent so the userbase doesn't feel like they are being used secretly. Reddit and their commercial offerings should feel like a partner for users, a valuable available resource, not a slimy shill machine. I think that's possible to do but it is going to take a hell of a lot more finesse and openness than they've shown recently.

johrn 11y ago
> they will lose the tasty morsel they could currently be enjoying. That tasty morsel of hardcore racism, rabid misogyny and all sorts of other fun hate groups, and the people that defend them because anyone should be allowed to say anything they want? I don't understand why so many people think that getting rid of these groups is going to suddenly implode all the thousands of smaller, more focused communities that you mention.
- clavalle 11y ago
  I don't mind if they get rid of the hate groups but you have to be careful -- hate is a very plastic term. If people feel like their self formed communities might come under some sort of 'distaste' police, they might just pack up and go somewhere else. Most people aren't afraid that they'll go after subreddits that are blatantly racist, they are afraid that is just the opening salvo. They are afraid that the whole place and discussions are going to end up being monitored, shaped, and censored to benefit the Reddit corporate image. And what good is a discussion board where discussions must be approved for mass consumption or worse, shaped for mass consumption? You might say, 'that wouldn't happen' and it probably wouldn't but the leadership has not been very open about what they are doing and where they draw the line so people fill the unknown with the worst case. They need a policy of containment, not eradication except in the most egregious circumstances or where the content is actually illegal. What they do need is better tools to wall them off and detect brigaiding so that kind of business, where the hate spills out, can be nipped in the bud.
  - johrn 11y ago
    I guess that might be something to worry about if it starts to happen. But I think it's a pretty poor argument to say "well if they ban racism, what's next?"
    - arprocter 11y ago
      It's interesting to see what is announced tomorrow. A lot of people in this thread are mentioning the default subs - how is a mod of a sub with 8 million subscribers supposed to make sure every single thing posted isn't 'offensive'?
      - clavalle 11y ago
        Yeah. I'd classify it as a Very Hard Problem.
    - clavalle 11y ago
      Well, it's not just racism, even at this point, is it? It's an odd hodgepodge. Another reason why it is probably worrying people more than it probably should.

johrn 11y ago

> they will lose the tasty morsel they could currently be enjoying. That tasty morsel of hardcore racism, rabid misogyny and all sorts of other fun hate groups, and the people that defend them because anyone should be allowed to say anything they want? I don't understand why so many people think that getting rid of these groups is going to suddenly implode all the thousands of smaller, more focused communities that you mention.

clavalle 11y ago
I don't mind if they get rid of the hate groups but you have to be careful -- hate is a very plastic term. If people feel like their self formed communities might come under some sort of 'distaste' police, they might just pack up and go somewhere else. Most people aren't afraid that they'll go after subreddits that are blatantly racist, they are afraid that is just the opening salvo. They are afraid that the whole place and discussions are going to end up being monitored, shaped, and censored to benefit the Reddit corporate image. And what good is a discussion board where discussions must be approved for mass consumption or worse, shaped for mass consumption? You might say, 'that wouldn't happen' and it probably wouldn't but the leadership has not been very open about what they are doing and where they draw the line so people fill the unknown with the worst case. They need a policy of containment, not eradication except in the most egregious circumstances or where the content is actually illegal. What they do need is better tools to wall them off and detect brigaiding so that kind of business, where the hate spills out, can be nipped in the bud.
- johrn 11y ago
  I guess that might be something to worry about if it starts to happen. But I think it's a pretty poor argument to say "well if they ban racism, what's next?"
  - arprocter 11y ago
    It's interesting to see what is announced tomorrow. A lot of people in this thread are mentioning the default subs - how is a mod of a sub with 8 million subscribers supposed to make sure every single thing posted isn't 'offensive'?
    - clavalle 11y ago
      Yeah. I'd classify it as a Very Hard Problem.
  - clavalle 11y ago
    Well, it's not just racism, even at this point, is it? It's an odd hodgepodge. Another reason why it is probably worrying people more than it probably should.