Reddit plans to replace it with something new.

Reddit is going to sunset its current coins and awards systems, meaning you won’t be able to buy Reddit Gold for posts you like. However, it is working on a new system for awards.

    • the_itsb (she/her)@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      idk how else to express my appreciation for this except to tell you that I gazed upon it with love and admiration for a good minute, long enough that I made my own self uncomfortable with how happy this goofy picture made me. It feels like a true representation of the casual, homemade, “let’s just try it!” vibe of lemmy. This is beautiful, thank you.

      • brsrklf@compuverse.ukEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        Not to take away from this beautiful piece of art, but it’s a take on “reddit silver”, an equally silly pic of a MSPaint coin that’s used on reddit as a tongue-in-cheek (and free) alternative for reddit gold awards.

        Beyond the simple reason “don’t have money for that right now”, it became especially popular since lots of people wanted to show appreciation for posts without supporting reddit’s model.

  • very_well_lost@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Based on code in the Reddit’s Android app, Reddit appears to be working on a “contributor program” that would let users cash out gold or karma (basically, points you get for posts, comments, or giving awards) they receive into real money.

    So rather than start paying the volunteer moderators that keep their site running, Reddit is going to pay the repost bots and low-effort karma farmers? Surely that will improve the quality of content on the site… /s

  • nodel@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    After they introduced several other awards except gold, the awards completely lost its meaning (and value) in my eyes. I still remember the bliss I felt the day I discovered Apollos “hide awards”-setting.

    • Gsus4@lemmy.oneEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      It wasn’t that bad, gold just signals that the comment is good (intensity), but some of the other awards made explicit the way in which it is good (hue/flavour) e.g. funny, informative, creative, sarcastic…I actually liked the award system (even if I always was a bit suspicious of who was giving them and what their intentions were)

  • Tyler_Zoro@ttrpg.networkEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    I finally figured out what’s going on. Someone at reddit asked, “ChatGPT, what are the 10 most damaging things reddit could do to alienate users and decrease its value?” They then began working on the checklist… they’re up to, what, 5?

    • za_snake_guy@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      For interest’s sake I asked ChatGPT…

      • Implementing heavy-handed censorship: If Reddit were to significantly increase censorship and suppress user-generated content without clear guidelines, it could lead to frustration and a loss of trust among users.
      • Allowing unchecked harassment and hate speech: If Reddit fails to address or take action against harassment, bullying, or hate speech, it could create a toxic environment that drives away users who seek a more inclusive and respectful platform.
      • Manipulating voting and rankings: If Reddit were to manipulate voting algorithms or rankings to favor certain posts or opinions, it would undermine the platform’s integrity and erode user trust in the democratic nature of content discovery.
      • Selling user data without consent: If Reddit were to compromise user privacy by selling personal data to third parties without explicit user consent, it would breach trust and potentially result in a mass exodus of users concerned about their privacy.
      • Implementing excessive and intrusive ads: If Reddit were to inundate the platform with excessive and intrusive advertisements that disrupt the user experience, it could lead to frustration and cause users to seek alternative platforms.
      • Neglecting community feedback and suggestions: If Reddit fails to listen to user feedback and suggestions, and ignores the needs and desires of its community, it could lead to a sense of disconnect and disengagement among users.
      • Engaging in biased or politically motivated moderation: If Reddit’s moderation practices become heavily biased or politically motivated, favoring certain ideologies while suppressing others, it could alienate users who value a fair and impartial platform.
      • Ignoring widespread harassment campaigns: If Reddit were to turn a blind eye to coordinated harassment campaigns or fail to take swift action against them, it would harm the safety and well-being of users, prompting them to seek alternatives.
      • Neglecting transparency in content moderation: If Reddit were to lack transparency in its content moderation practices, such as unclear guidelines or inconsistent enforcement, it would lead to confusion and frustration among users.
      • Disregarding the needs of niche communities: If Reddit were to neglect the needs of smaller, niche communities that rely on the platform for specific interests, it could result in a loss of engagement and diminish the diverse range of discussions.
      • BeanEater@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        1 year ago

        Wow, this is actually incredibly interesting if this is what ChatGPT spat out. Every corporation now thinks “AI is the future” and what you posted is essentially what Reddit has done the last few years. But I doubt they asked for 10 most damaging things. I’m curious what other prompts would put out similar bullet points, say, “what 10 things should I do with my social media company to ensure a successful IPO”

    • Kinglink@lemmy.worldEnglish
      01·
      1 year ago

      To be fair they’re attempting to rehost reddit.net’s content, right?

      Yeah, I’d limit them too.

      Not saying everything reddit is doing is great, but at least that one makes sense.

      If you disagree with reddit, the best thing to do is cut the cord, not to continue using them in other formats. The only reason to use reddit is to tell people about alternatives.

  • ThisIsMyLemmyLogin@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    I’m starting to think Spez is depressed. He probably had visions of being a Billionaire tech bro by now like Zuckerberg and Musk. His only thought these days seems to be how to monetize Reddit, regardless of how he destroys it.

    • barrio_libre@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      If he’d had any insight, he’d have realized Reddit’s structure wasn’t a good vehicle for monetization and gone the way of Wikipedia/Jimmy Wales. He’d be popular and respected now and probably able to extract a decent living from it.

      But his insistence that a square peg be pounded into a round hole will end up with him being neither popular nor respected—and he’ll never sniff that moonshot IPO.

      • bdiddy@lemmy.oneEnglish
        018·
        1 year ago

        I think the advertising it can do is a perfectly reasonable way to monetize…

        Their problem is they want to be some major player and not a “right sized” organization… They want to go public and try to be billionaires and be like elon or zuck, but it’s just not going to be that.

        So in their quest for GREED they’ll destroy the very thing that can make them absolute massive amounts of money. It’s crazy how many mega corps have fallen to the same fate.

        They should welcome 3rd parties and any other means to see reddit and monetize the advertising… Hell they could even try to work streaming deals with NFL and NBA and whatever… Cowboys games live threads alone have caused the entire reddit website to collapse lol.

        SOOO much monetization possibilities in that. And it’s charging billion dollar organizations… not the people that use the service…

        Spez is not a good business man

  • SGG@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    A lot of people are saying this is another reaction from /u/Spez, he doesn’t like that “fuck /u/Spez” posts keep getting all the rewards.

  • BURN@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    Not even just getting rid of it, they’re retroactively removing all awards already given to posts

    • ikidd@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      WTF? Like, I never bothered with the things, but why would they go to the trouble of stripping them out? Somethings weird about that.

      • BURN@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        Sounds like they’re just ripping the code out entirely. It’s absolutely insane. At the very least leaving them on old posts should be the minimum.