Reddit is banning mods who refused to reopen subs

Have any of you been following the issue with Reddit getting rid of third party apps?
The mods are complaining that this is taking away their moderating tools many of them are protesting and blacking out subreddits
The mods who are refusing to reopen or having their accounts banned and everyone is freaking out
Personally I think Reddit mods are basically Eric Cartman and a purge is long overdue

https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/5/2...it-private-protest-api-changes-apollo-charges


Here's an article from The Verge to bring people like me up to speed. I had no idea what you were on about before a quick google.

My primary question is, what is "their job" that the mods keep going on about? Who commissioned them to be moderators?

My secondary question is, is it feasible to learn how to use the official Reddit interface to do "their job" instead of relying on third party apps? They seem to be very upset about losing third party apps specifically for the tools these apps carry. It seems strange that using the site's own interface makes the moderating job impossible, or at least impractical.

Another quick google answered my second question. Reddit actually has mod courses to teach you how to be a moderator.

So... They are up in arms because they can't be moderators the easy way anymore? They have to actually learn how to use the real Reddit system?

All these are questions, not statements, because I don't really know how reddit moderating works. I'm hoping someone who does know can answer them.

Moderating a HUGE reddit subforum is not easy...so they use various tools. Especially as mods usually do not get paid. Even though most mods can put in a 12 hour day they get none of the advertising revenue from their popular subforum.

Now Reddit wants to ban the 20k+ self made tools that the Mods are using to moderate the content on their forums. So that everything has to be done manually and the tools that help the visually impared are no longer welcome.

The Administration of Reddit took a hostile, authoritarian stance against the moderators. (Admin is a paid position...but moderators create the content that drives the ad revenue...and moderators don't get paid)

Mods also have a personal relationship with many of their contributors. (AKA regular members) Administrators do not.

So...the various forums took a private vote to see what they wanted to do. "Go dark until they are hurt" was the outcome of the vote. And it definitely has hurt.
Some forums opened up to pornography because that generates zero ad revenue the same as going black.

Admin tried bribery with offering any assistant mod the lead mod role for opening the forum that went dark.

it has not gone well for Reddit. The statistics and metrics show Reddit is in massive trouble for this fight. Ad revenue has plummeted massively.

This morning there was a note/announcement posted that capitulated to the moderators demands.

Butter bar lieutenants need to listen to their E7 Sargent....they may outrank them but it's only in pay and rank....if you want stuff done they are the ONLY one that can make stuff happen. These E7 SGT have a LOT of experience and knowhow of how to get things done...and being a dictator authoritarian who removes all the grease a SGT uses is never a good idea.

More than one LT has died on the battlefield because they crossed the SGT. Just saying....

Ah thank you. That's just the information I was looking for to fill in the gaps.

Shoot, you can't see this. Oh well. Thank you anyway.

From what I've been hearing, the biggest subreddits are run by like maybe 5 mods
This is how subreddits turn into dictatorships
Anytime you have a community of several thousand members, you need a minimum of 15 to 20 mods who will make Democratic decisions and you need an admin who will remove any mods who abuse the position
I've been on Facebook add me in teams for years and that's the way we do it
Some the mods will ban you just for commenting on a subreddit they don't like or just daring to disagree with them.
Reaching out to the mods to ask why you were banned is pointless because they either ignore you or report you for harassment.
Honestly I think Reddit mods have grown too big for their proverbial britches

Ummmm
No.

Being a successful admin/moderator in my past life I can wholesale disagree with you. Yes, unsuccessful moderators of unsuccessful sites might behave as you state....but again the key word is "unsuccessful " .

There's a delicate balance in having authority over a community. Some "Edge Lords" you keep and other ones you toss like 3 day old fish. Of course they come back....they always come back and you toss them again.

But it's that recognizing of popular and engaging content that attracts more viewers that successful moderators and administrators want that sets them apart from the authority seeking idiots who want power for some sort of ego stroke. And these sorts of moderators do not grow on trees. A precious few can be trained to understand but most can't.

Administration is mostly just about maintaining the platform. Keeping software updates up to date and flushing the bots and viruses by watching who is using up the bandwidth.

Owners are usually the problem with most forums. They are often absentee....but when they do show up they either are blessings or curses. When they are too absentee the needed money to hire programmers doesn't come along. Also they can change the rules you are operating under drastically. (Curse)
They can also drive away 70% of your membership in a heartbeat by just not understanding the membership of the forum they own.
Or
In Reddit's case, wanting more revenue by cutting costs.

Reddit has never once assisted the moderators of these subforums by giving them standardized but customizable tools to moderate with. They developed the tools either personally or by hiring tech help to do so. And then the Admin has whined and complained and became autocratic about the results. (Likely due to edicts from above...AKA the owners)

In this day and age of true morality mattering...the cream rises and the "bad boss" gets flushed. Look at how many foodservice establishments suddenly loses the ENTIRE crew operating them. Because people can go anywhere to get employed again. Coffee shops in Nashville TN are discovering that....with a viral walk out happening that really hasn't made the news.

Just saying....

I just can't find any sympathy for them when they act like dictators
Auto banning people just because you commented on a sub they don't like
Banning you just for having a difference of opinion because most subreddits are echo Chambers
No consistency enforcing the rules of the subreddit
Just one example is in true unpopular opinion, I had made a post about how I think TikTok and YouTube prankers should be fined for this orderly conduct and trespassed from every business in town
My post was removed for ,,,"low effort satire"
On the same subreddit, someone posted that it should be legal to punch frankers in the face and that post was allowed

Meaning that you don't understand the difference and don't have the ability to be a successful moderator...much less judge the job they do.

Dictator style moderators create unpopular sites....meaning people don't stay....they go elsewhere. Banning you is why you got a leg up on others who soon will be gone as well. I am a member of another forum and the ONLY reason I stay is to keep in contact with my friend. If my friend gets banned I'm gone too. That's how it works. While I bring substantive posts and interesting content the mods won't get the connection....and that is intentional. (I never shadow my friend's posts)

But if my friend goes....I'm outta there. (I'm not exactly a fan of the subject matter to begin with) And my friend is always on the verge of getting banned.

How many people are like me and my friend? (More than you think) and my friend doesn't have the same opinions as I do...no where near....but if a mod gets upset with what my friend says and bans them....both of us go.

Trolls don't have friends....neither do robots....so banning them is easy and causes no problems or reduction in membership. Clue: don't act like a troll.

Lynx says: Ah thank you (to post #4). That's just the information I was looking for to fill in the gaps.

Shoot, you can't see this. Oh well. Thank you anyway.

.<= I added that .

YOU are welcome....
Lynx? Meh....don't care.

His first post was helpful anyway. =^.^=