Why would I dedicate my time to a subreddit that might vanish overnight or might get taken over by the admins? Way back, subreddits were independent forums, and now they're one protest away from being kidnapped.
I moderated one subreddit that was loved by users. It wasn't about anything that is illegal or controversial. The controversy came not from the content, but from how we were running the community -- we were breaking a reddit rule that was in place to prevent spam. I understand why they had that rule and I agree that it probably makes sense for most subreddits, but like any blanket rule: it doesn't perfectly fit every scenario. So, we had our own method of preventing spam and it worked.
The admins didn't care that we had a thriving community, no spam, and they banned the subreddit. They also blocked anyone from ever creating a replacement with the same name (still to this day). So, it definitely does happen. I'm keeping it vague here to maintain my anonymity.
Side note, reddit dropped that rule about 2 years ago so I suppose we could start one up again, but I've lost interest in that topic.
A bunch of subreddit admins took their ball and went home because they didn’t agree with site changes. This is practically the same thing. There was a whole website to track it.
bluetidepro|1 year ago
EDIT: "Vanish" forever. Yes, there have been protests and black outs, but everything I have ever subscribed to did come back.
bonestamp2|1 year ago
The admins didn't care that we had a thriving community, no spam, and they banned the subreddit. They also blocked anyone from ever creating a replacement with the same name (still to this day). So, it definitely does happen. I'm keeping it vague here to maintain my anonymity.
Side note, reddit dropped that rule about 2 years ago so I suppose we could start one up again, but I've lost interest in that topic.
MOARDONGZPLZ|1 year ago
https://blackout.photon-reddit.com/
dpkirchner|1 year ago