[batmenace]

IPO doesn't have to mean ads, though. There are other ways to monetize a user base and to generate money based off of a 'community'. They're just ways that require more time, more concerted effort and planning to execute.

[CivBase]

Many platforms have recently shown how you can monitize an audience without ads. It's weird to me that Reddit hasn't pursued something like that.

Discord and Twitch have a funding model that would probably work great for Reddit. Allow users to pay a small fee to upgrade their subscription to a subreddit - maybe $1.50/mo per sub or $15/mo for all subs. The upgrade includes access to special emojis for the sub, a special flair or re-colored username, and no ads on the upgraded sub. A portion of the money would go towards funding moderation for the sub, and Reddit could pocket the rest.

[PhoenixReborn]

The irony is that Reddit already has this feature, but that goes to show how poorly they market it. They also sell NFT avatars (though cleverly, not describing them as NFTs in the UI)

[Semaphor]

> A portion of the money would go towards funding moderation for the sub

That creates bad incentives, though. A streamer I mod for once suggested something similar, I told them I’d quit modding in that case. If it’s a job, it stops being a hobby.

[Nexxxeh]

Not sure if you're joking, because that is hilarious, but they do offer that sort of thing. Reddit Premium (née Reddit Gold iirc).

https://www.reddit.com/premium

They don't revenue share with moderators though, because as far as Reddit is concerned, fuck moderators.

[Zak]

Reddit has offered a premium subscription for years, though it's not specific to subreddits. It gives the user a customizable avatar, removes ads, and enhances a couple UI features.

https://www.reddit.com/premium

[CamelCaseName]

They had this!! It was called PowerUps.

Then they killed it.

[skinnymuch]

Nearly everyone who cares at all as a user or creator hates how Twitch makes money. They take 50% of gift subs and yesterday banned some ads, etc.

I’m unsure why Twitch would keep squeezing every dollar in insane ways unless their funding model isn’t working either.

[makestuff]

Do discord and twitch actually make money though? Consumers are tired of subscriptions so I bet that would be a hard sell. They tried premium features with the gold and stuff but I don't think it every really caught on.

[nemothekid]

>Twitch have a funding model that would probably work great for Reddit.

Twitch's model works great for creators but not for Twitch and as a result Twitch has been working hard to force their creators to run more ads.

[JohnMakin]

Twitch is ad driven though.

[moneywoes]

Discord doesn’t charge for per sub access does it?

[lkrubner]

"More time" would equal "lower ROI" unless there is some magic inflection point that would cause a dramatic upward leap in gross margins. Gross margins, in this case, is mostly cost-per-user-acquisition. But "this new social network is amazing, I love it, and you should join" mostly happens when social networks are new, young, and small. It would be difficult to bring back the days of triple digit growth for a network the size of Reddit.

[djbusby]

So, impossible.

[Xelbair]

so they give lower ROI.

therefore they don't exist after IPO.

[Workaccount2]

As a shareholder I don't want "instead of ads we have", I want "On top of ads we have"

[_v7gu]

On top of ads, you can have a dead website :^)