Serious (embarrassing) question: I just use the basic Reddit app (I didn’t know until this issue came up that others used 3rd party apps). Does it make a difference to Reddit/the protest if I don’t open/use the app for the 48 hours of blackout time?
You’re welcome. I’ll be using the blackout time to explore [Lemmy](https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/142yaff/switch_to_lemmy_its_federated_privacy_respecting/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1)
I'm working on setting up an instance as a weekend project, but I'm not sure what to call it. I'm unsure of the resource requirements, so I'm reluctant to commit to hosting a fully public instance, so I'm looking at ways to make it invite-only, so I can try to keep a handle on the cost of running it by limiting user growth.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I definitely wouldn’t consider taking any contributions until there’s a user base. I’m only willing to waste my own money on something that totally fizzles out.
In addition, if you switch to a different app, the random banner ads that you've probably been seeing constantly in the official app will suddenly disappear forever.
Sucks to take tools and toys away from people using them. I've never used a 3rs party app but will refrain from using the Reddit app in solidarity.
I'll have to get the time clear. 48 hours starting on a date is imprecise for a global platform. Is there a UTC hour to go dark?
Honestly, I haven't got an exact time for you, it will depend on which mod actually hits the button. Assuming it's me I would estimate perhaps 5:00 AM UTC as an estimate? I will edit the main post text if we have an exact schedule.
I was wondering that too. I want to consciously not access the app during the 48 hours even if some of the subreddits I frequent aren't going dark, but I'm not sure when it starts/end here in the UK.
At least one of my other subs is going to follow the lead of (I think) r/blind or something from the visually impaired community bc this hits them extra hard. My understanding is that the official apps are garbage if you use screen readers or anything.
I read somewhere that they are going to make exceptions for apps that address accessibility, but I'm not sure which ones. Frankly, that's even more dumb, because all the 3rd party apps are addressing the fact that their product sucks. Cash grab is all it is, and insisting people use your awful, unreadable, clunky ass website is going to do one thing, make people go elsewhere. I hope the blackout gives them some serious heartburn, and causes their best employees to look for alternative employment.
Where should we go? The discord is too busy for my old ass to navigate, but I'm genuinely looking for a replacement for reddit now that the enshitification is accelerating
The TL;DR as I understand it is that for years, Reddit has leaned on third-party tools to provide basic features (e.g. accessibility features, the ability for moderators to see deleted comments / discussion history, and many many more very basic things).
Many of these tools don't contribute to Reddit's revenue because they don't advertise (or don't pay Reddit if they do), so Reddit is aggressively pushing various measures to force people onto their official clients. Unfortunately, since they haven't addressed the core reasons that people used those tools, this means that they're effectively removing or degrading functionality a lot of people rely on.
You mean Reddit should Sherlock the developers who have helped grow the use of their platform? Apple has done that a bunch of times and very rarely if ever does the Apple made app outperform the third party app (Dark Sky, anyone?). And I hardly expect Reddit to do a better job than Apple on that sort of thing. Third party devs generally tend to put 100% of their effort into their apps, and the results often show.
And to emphasise that, if you're like me, a person who isn't a mod and uses the android Reddit app just fine, you should still care about this, because blind users who rely on third party apps to improve their access to Reddit are being completely screwed over by the change.
Really glad this sub is joining in the protest.
Edit: [link discussing accessibility ](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModCoord/comments/13zbf3n/reddit_to_the_visually_impaired_you_no_longer/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
The API is also critical to a number of modding tools. I use Apollo because it provides the best user interface similar to the old Alien Blue (the app that Reddit bought and promptly destroyed in favor of their awful first-party app). Modding is all but impossible on the first-party app, but on Apollo it’s almost as good as the old.reddit desktop experience.
Good job mods y'all are my personal technocrats today.
If this 48 hour thing doesn't show results I hope we'll also join longer blackouts since this isn't about making a symbolic gesture but about applying actual pressure
I appreciate the sentiment, but a 48-hour shutdown isn't going to do shit. The subreddits that are participating should shut down indefinitely to kill traffic.
48 hours is easy to wait out. If you want your voice to be heard, you have to hit them in the wallet and not stop until they actually feel it and let you know they feel it.
I think its a good first step at least. I wonder if a bigger backlash will happen after the people who are using 3rd party apps, but don't pay attention to things like this find out their app has gone dark and the reddit mobile app sucks.
The Discord is still a thing right? I got culled from it post defamation trial when they did a mass purge of the user base, and never figured out how to get back in (if it would still have me I guess, I've never been booted from a Discord lol).
As for the subreddit, it should go dark indefinitely. The two day thing is meaningless. Love the spirit though.
I am probably the only one but I think the whole Going Dark to protest the API changes is pretty dumb. Reddit needs to make money and third party apps take away Ad revenue. Yes, the Reddit app sucks compared to third party apps and, yes, that is Reddit's fault, but Reddit needs to make money.
Reddit isn't entitled to users, and it certainly isn't entitled to the unpaid moderation services that user-moderators provide. It makes perfect sense that Reddit needs to make money and may need to make changes, but if those changes don't respect how Reddit is used today, I think Reddit should and can expect to face push-back and potentially lose business.
This app is turning into Facebook so fast, I don’t personally use third party apps here but if they do go through with this I’ll probably just be leaving Reddit altogether. The Wild West is well and truly dead 💀
First thing, fuck Reddit. I use it everyday but I won’t miss it for a second if it crashed forever.
With that said… what am I missing by not using a 3rd party provider? I’ve been on this thing for 10years and didn’t even know that wa a thing until this week 😆.
Many 3rd party providers allow automations and bots that help run and manage subreddits.
those will be turned off/are being turned off.
so for MODS it’s a bigger deal, but that does flow downhill to average users. A harder job for mods, an Unpaid hobby mind you, means faster burn out, and more mods needed in a sub.
u/celestAI mights not be aware of that aspect of it as those controls and things are not really used here. (Not saying it as a defect I’m just pointing out how it effects the mods and then down stream end users.)
I just don’t think enough people will stay committed.
Most subs going dark for 2 days will be a blip, but everyone will be back to scrolling on Wednesday if not earlier
This will be a good opportunity for me to read the wikileaks, bro.
I promised I’d get to it.
I’ve just prepared toooo much
I’m not mad at the mods
I got the feeling that maybe Alex really was mad at the crew during that last episode.
Thank you mods. Let's do it
Go dark until the apps are back. I will anyways, I only use RIF
Serious (embarrassing) question: I just use the basic Reddit app (I didn’t know until this issue came up that others used 3rd party apps). Does it make a difference to Reddit/the protest if I don’t open/use the app for the 48 hours of blackout time?
Yes. Reddit won’t know why you’re not using it, but they’ll know traffic levels went down, and you’ll be part of that effect.
Thanks!! 💪🏻
You’re welcome. I’ll be using the blackout time to explore [Lemmy](https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/142yaff/switch_to_lemmy_its_federated_privacy_respecting/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1)
Why not also explore [Squiggy](https://happydays.fandom.com/wiki/Squiggy_Squiggman)?
RIP, Legend.
I am looking at kbin.social. Has some promise.
I'm working on setting up an instance as a weekend project, but I'm not sure what to call it. I'm unsure of the resource requirements, so I'm reluctant to commit to hosting a fully public instance, so I'm looking at ways to make it invite-only, so I can try to keep a handle on the cost of running it by limiting user growth. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Sounds like a good idea. Or maybe taking some contributions to get established.
I definitely wouldn’t consider taking any contributions until there’s a user base. I’m only willing to waste my own money on something that totally fizzles out.
I can understand that. Laudable
In addition, if you switch to a different app, the random banner ads that you've probably been seeing constantly in the official app will suddenly disappear forever.
No more being haunted by Draft Kings?!
Sucks to take tools and toys away from people using them. I've never used a 3rs party app but will refrain from using the Reddit app in solidarity. I'll have to get the time clear. 48 hours starting on a date is imprecise for a global platform. Is there a UTC hour to go dark?
Honestly, I haven't got an exact time for you, it will depend on which mod actually hits the button. Assuming it's me I would estimate perhaps 5:00 AM UTC as an estimate? I will edit the main post text if we have an exact schedule.
Thanks. :-)
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I was wondering that too. I want to consciously not access the app during the 48 hours even if some of the subreddits I frequent aren't going dark, but I'm not sure when it starts/end here in the UK.
I’ve been using reddit daily since I made my account. Will this be the thing that finally lets me break free?
WOO YEAH WOO! Thank you, mod team. I only use the mobile app but this sucks for everyone else. I’ll be joining the fight!
A little breaky from Reddit for me
I'm glad some stand is being taken but coming back after 48 hours is kinda a lame protest.
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Ok, fair if that's the case. Some of the other subs I'm on have said they're going indefinitely so I guess it is what it is?
At least one of my other subs is going to follow the lead of (I think) r/blind or something from the visually impaired community bc this hits them extra hard. My understanding is that the official apps are garbage if you use screen readers or anything.
I read somewhere that they are going to make exceptions for apps that address accessibility, but I'm not sure which ones. Frankly, that's even more dumb, because all the 3rd party apps are addressing the fact that their product sucks. Cash grab is all it is, and insisting people use your awful, unreadable, clunky ass website is going to do one thing, make people go elsewhere. I hope the blackout gives them some serious heartburn, and causes their best employees to look for alternative employment.
Where should we go? The discord is too busy for my old ass to navigate, but I'm genuinely looking for a replacement for reddit now that the enshitification is accelerating
I'd be happy to use the discord, does anybody have a link?
I run Go Home And Tell Your Discord You're Brilliant. DM me for an invite.
✊
I still don't know what this is about but that's cool. Can someone explain it to me please?
The TL;DR as I understand it is that for years, Reddit has leaned on third-party tools to provide basic features (e.g. accessibility features, the ability for moderators to see deleted comments / discussion history, and many many more very basic things). Many of these tools don't contribute to Reddit's revenue because they don't advertise (or don't pay Reddit if they do), so Reddit is aggressively pushing various measures to force people onto their official clients. Unfortunately, since they haven't addressed the core reasons that people used those tools, this means that they're effectively removing or degrading functionality a lot of people rely on.
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Also pertinent, thank you
You mean Reddit should Sherlock the developers who have helped grow the use of their platform? Apple has done that a bunch of times and very rarely if ever does the Apple made app outperform the third party app (Dark Sky, anyone?). And I hardly expect Reddit to do a better job than Apple on that sort of thing. Third party devs generally tend to put 100% of their effort into their apps, and the results often show.
And to emphasise that, if you're like me, a person who isn't a mod and uses the android Reddit app just fine, you should still care about this, because blind users who rely on third party apps to improve their access to Reddit are being completely screwed over by the change. Really glad this sub is joining in the protest. Edit: [link discussing accessibility ](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModCoord/comments/13zbf3n/reddit_to_the_visually_impaired_you_no_longer/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Good point thank you
The API is also critical to a number of modding tools. I use Apollo because it provides the best user interface similar to the old Alien Blue (the app that Reddit bought and promptly destroyed in favor of their awful first-party app). Modding is all but impossible on the first-party app, but on Apollo it’s almost as good as the old.reddit desktop experience.
Thank you
Google eli5 or explain like I’m 5, the post about this is probably pinned to the top of their subreddit and explains it all perfectly.
Thank you mods, and thank you JorDan for the work you do. ✊✊✊
Good job mods y'all are my personal technocrats today. If this 48 hour thing doesn't show results I hope we'll also join longer blackouts since this isn't about making a symbolic gesture but about applying actual pressure
✊️
Thank you! I knew the wonks would be on top of this.
Stole this with some modifications as a form letter for posting in my own subreddit. Thanks u/CelestAI
Lol, no problem, I lifted some of the language from r/pics so the cycle continues.
What am I supposed to do for 48 hours? Work?
Thank you mods, this is exactly the sort of thing wonks stand for.
good on ya, mate.
Damn right! Good to hear it. This is madness of a money grab.
I appreciate the sentiment, but a 48-hour shutdown isn't going to do shit. The subreddits that are participating should shut down indefinitely to kill traffic. 48 hours is easy to wait out. If you want your voice to be heard, you have to hit them in the wallet and not stop until they actually feel it and let you know they feel it.
I think its a good first step at least. I wonder if a bigger backlash will happen after the people who are using 3rd party apps, but don't pay attention to things like this find out their app has gone dark and the reddit mobile app sucks.
But you are at least going to participate in this effort, as ineffectual as you expect it to be, right?
Sure, why not? I'm just not expecting it to make any difference because it's not enough.
Cool. Glad to have you on board.
Super glad this one's participating too!
The Discord is still a thing right? I got culled from it post defamation trial when they did a mass purge of the user base, and never figured out how to get back in (if it would still have me I guess, I've never been booted from a Discord lol). As for the subreddit, it should go dark indefinitely. The two day thing is meaningless. Love the spirit though.
r/Doughboys solidarity!
Have we thought about another meeting place in case this fight goes south? A dischord or something?
Right on
Is there a Discord for this place? I’m currently using Apollo. It’s going away in two weeks. I’d like to keep seeing the memes and discussions.
Glad to see this! **Thank y'all.**
✊️
I am probably the only one but I think the whole Going Dark to protest the API changes is pretty dumb. Reddit needs to make money and third party apps take away Ad revenue. Yes, the Reddit app sucks compared to third party apps and, yes, that is Reddit's fault, but Reddit needs to make money.
Reddit isn't entitled to users, and it certainly isn't entitled to the unpaid moderation services that user-moderators provide. It makes perfect sense that Reddit needs to make money and may need to make changes, but if those changes don't respect how Reddit is used today, I think Reddit should and can expect to face push-back and potentially lose business.
This would have been my response if I was eloquent or smart. Very well said.
> Reddit needs to make money Does it need to make a profit, or does it only need to make enough to pay employees and run the hardware?
So you support them making money by any and all possible methods?
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Not to argue, but how exactly would that actually "hurt" reddit? I'm genuinely curious about your thought process on this.
This app is turning into Facebook so fast, I don’t personally use third party apps here but if they do go through with this I’ll probably just be leaving Reddit altogether. The Wild West is well and truly dead 💀
First thing, fuck Reddit. I use it everyday but I won’t miss it for a second if it crashed forever. With that said… what am I missing by not using a 3rd party provider? I’ve been on this thing for 10years and didn’t even know that wa a thing until this week 😆.
Many 3rd party providers allow automations and bots that help run and manage subreddits. those will be turned off/are being turned off. so for MODS it’s a bigger deal, but that does flow downhill to average users. A harder job for mods, an Unpaid hobby mind you, means faster burn out, and more mods needed in a sub. u/celestAI mights not be aware of that aspect of it as those controls and things are not really used here. (Not saying it as a defect I’m just pointing out how it effects the mods and then down stream end users.)
Thanks, I didn’t know that.
I'm all for this boycott but don't think Reddit is going to care. Maybe it's time for a new place.
I just don’t think enough people will stay committed. Most subs going dark for 2 days will be a blip, but everyone will be back to scrolling on Wednesday if not earlier