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Forging A Return to Productive Conversation: An Open Letter to Reddit |
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To All Whom It May Concern: |
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For fifteen years, /r/Funny has been one of Reddit’s most-popular |
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communities. That time hasn’t been without its difficulties, but for the |
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most part, we’ve all gotten along (with each other and with |
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administrators). Members of our team fondly remember Moderator |
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Roadshows, visits to Reddit’s headquarters, Reddit Secret Santa, April |
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Fools’ Day events, regional meetups, and many more uplifting moments. |
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We’ve watched this platform grow by leaps and bounds, and although we |
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haven’t been completely happy about every change that we’ve witnessed, |
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we’ve always done our best to work with Reddit at finding ways to adapt, |
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compromise, and move forward. |
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This process has occasionally been preceded by some exceptionally public |
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debate, however. |
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On June 12th, 2023, /r/Funny joined thousands of other subreddits in |
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protesting the planned changes to Reddit’s API; changes which – despite |
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being immediately evident to only a minority of Redditors – threatened |
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to worsen the site for everyone. By June 16th, 2023, that demonstration |
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had evolved to represent a wider (and growing) array of concerns, many |
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of which arose in response to [Reddit’s statements to journalists](https |
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://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/06/16/reddit-ceo-blackout- |
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moderators-steve-huffman/). Today (June 26th, 2023), we are hopeful that |
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users and administrators alike can make a return to the productive |
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dialogue that has served us in the past. |
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We acknowledge that Reddit has placed itself in a situation that makes |
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adjusting its current API roadmap impossible. |
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However, we have the following requests: |
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- Commit to exploring ways by which third-party applications can make an |
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affordable return. - Commit to providing moderation tools and |
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[accessibility options](https://www.reddit.com/r/Blind/comments/14ds81l/ |
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rblinds_meetings_with_reddit_and_the_current/) (on Old Reddit, New |
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Reddit, and mobile platforms) which match or exceed the functionality |
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and utility of third-party applications. - Commit to prioritizing a |
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significant reduction in spam, misinformation, bigotry, and illegal |
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content on Reddit. - Guarantee that any future developments which may |
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impact moderators, contributors, or stakeholders will be announced no |
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less than one fiscal quarter before they are scheduled to go into |
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effect. - Work together with longstanding moderators to establish a |
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reasonable roadmap and deadline for accomplishing all of the above. - |
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Affirm that efforts meant to keep Reddit accountable to its commitments |
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and deadlines will hereafter not be met with insults, threats, removals, |
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or hostility. - Publicly affirm all of the above by way of updating |
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Reddit’s User Agreement and Reddit’s Moderator Code of Conduct to |
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include reasonable expectations and requirements for administrators’ |
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behavior. - Implement and fill a senior-level role (with decision- |
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making and policy-shaping power) of "Moderator Advocate" at Reddit, with |
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a required qualification for the position being robust experience as a |
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volunteer Reddit moderator. |
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Reddit is unique amongst social-media sites in that its lifeblood – its |
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multitude of moderators and contributors – consists entirely of |
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volunteers. We populate and curate the platform’s many communities, |
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thereby providing a welcoming and engaging environment for all of its |
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visitors. We receive little in the way of thanks for these efforts, but |
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we frequently endure abuse, threats, attacks, and exposure to truly |
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reprehensible media. Historically, we have trusted that Reddit’s |
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administrators have the best interests of the platform and its users (be |
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they moderators, contributors, participants, or lurkers) at heart; that |
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while Reddit may be a for-profit company, it nonetheless recognizes and |
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appreciates the value that Redditors provide. |
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That trust has been all but entirely eroded… but we hope that together, |
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we can begin to rebuild it. |
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In simplest terms, Reddit, we implore you: **Remember the human**. |
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We look forward to your response by Thursday, June 29th, 2023. |
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There’s also just [one other thing](https://i.imgur.com/xLmTxcR.jpg). |
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######################################################################## |
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