Reddit Migration

Things are moving fast again, so this is going to be another quick and dirty post… Reddit is now removing mod teams without any pretense of speaking for mode...

EDIT: GO DM MODS OF YOUR FAVORITE SUBREDDITS AND POLITELY ASK ABOUT MIGRATION!: something as simple as "Hey, I love this community but I no longer use reddit, will you guys be making a community on Kbin or other alternatives? Let me know please, thanks." will work!! We need more voices encouraging migration!

PART 1

PART 2

ModCodeofConduct switching subs to SFW

POST ABOUT MODS FORCIBLY SWITCHING SUBS BACK TO SFW (teddit)

"What the users want" my ass. Reddit doesn't give 2 shits about what the users want.

If you guys wanna do more and get back at reddit, consider using a program that has gathered hundreds of their advertiser emails an emailing them to try and stop them from advertising, there is a email guide inside as well! USE BCC, NOT TO OR IT WILL SHOW ALL THE COMPANIES EVERYONE YOU EMAILED.

edit:

r/interestingasfuck removed as well

r/ThanksIHateit mod team removed

r/self mod team removed

edit 2:
from r/mildlyinteresting. restoration after they saw the backlash or mod team replacement? we dont know quite yet

r/mildlyinteresting update

edit 3: Reddit removed moderators behind the latest protests before restoring a few of them - restored by a different admin than the one that removed them...

#boycottreddit #reddit #spez

Tired of Reddit's recent shenanigans and want to cause them a little bit of pain? Well now, my friends... why not add "request all of the things" to your Reddit exodus?

The link to the appropriate page is here:

https://www.reddit.com/policies/privacy-policy#policy-h2-2

So, why might you want to request a copy of your data?

First, the collection they (eventually) send to you will contain your entire post / comment history, allowing you to (in theory) use that collection to remove all of your posts versus the last 1000 or so of each. There's no guarantee that Reddit won't restore those posts, of course, but at least you tried!

Second, you can scour the data for personally identifiable information (PII.) Your local laws may entitle you to removal of PII, so if you're inclined to purge the Reddit record of information that can identify your OMG real self... that dataset may help.

Third, you'll have a copy of your Reddit history. All those epic ideas will be in your hands, not theirs, safe to share elsewhere as you please. While you may not have the right to revoke the license you gave Reddit by posting there, you can most assuredly re-use your post as you please, wherever else you please.

Fourth, and lastly? If everyone submits data requests, Reddit's team has to spend the time (and money) to pull your data. it might be a small thing, but inundating Reddit with tens of thousands of data requests that they're legally obligated to provide is both wise (for you) and at least a little bit costly (for them.)

Addendum: If you want to make things a little harder (at risk of them not responding) you can use their privacy email versus their form. That way, someone likely has to verify that X request is tied to Y account.

The Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqUiVkDeGk8

My response
I'm... done with this guy. He's trading in his old mindset of not taking the black pill and doing and not giving in to rage and bitterness, andj ust... taking a steaming shit on people.

His attitude is summed up by a comment that.... frankly is the reason I'm not following the man anymore.

'If reddit mods were winning at life they wouldn't be reddit moderators. They literally do it for free.'
Counterpoint: Some people like being helpful for its own sake or knowing that the job has to be done and that a community of like minded people is goodto have even if they're essentially the janitor.

Then this string of comments
'Redditors losing is nothing new'
'Selfishness and losing at life is the very essence of being a redditor.'
'There is a reason people make fun of "redditors"'
'The average reddit user has never stood up to anybody except their mother, who's basement they reside in. I can't say I'm surprised.'
Counterpoint: You do not know these people. Yet you paint a broad brush for the sake of simply pointing, laughing, and going 'HA I'm better than THOSE people HAHAHA look at me!.'

Then there is this gem
'Louis, I think what you should understand is that an awful lot of these critiques of your actions are made by people who are, in some way or another, Jokers. Heath Ledger Jokers, to be exact. What they are trying to do is prove that deep down, everyone is as ugly as they are. They lash out at you because they are convinced that you must be a bad-faith actor in some way, because they can't imagine acting selflessly for a cause that doesn't expressly benefit them. You aren't blind, so why exactly would you ever bother going out of your way to help a blind person? This is the kind of behaviour that a large part of the modern internet condones and actively promotes, especially reddit. Corporations know this, and they encourage this, because they know it is very effective as a what amounts to a digital union-busting measure.'

Commentary:
White knighting louis's behavior while also describing anyone criticising his methods as inhernetly and intrinsicly 'wrong.'

This is why I am walking away from Rossman. He's inviting this sort of behavior.

I'm no saint. Far from it. I actually agree with several people who have, over the years, screamed at me that I need mental help. My problem is these people are broad brushing for the sake not of commentary and reaching to either help or to give 'tough' love to rock someone out of complacency, but to make themselves feel better because nobody is going to stick up for 'a redditor.'

Replace 'redditor' or 'reddit mod' with other words.

'If black people were winning at life they wouldn't be in this situation. They literally do it for free.'

''Selfishness and losing at life is the very essence of being gay.'
'There is a reason people make fun of "homosexuality".'

Suddenly not so OK is it?

So no. I don't care what points the man might have. Look at the commentary he's inviting with his 'look how shitty and stupid these people are' rhetoric.

I'm out.

Edit:

Official Lemmy Community:

https://lemmy.world/c/syncforlemmy

UNIVERSAL SUBSCRIBE LINK

This should open the community in your instance

There's no point in arguing. No point in fighting. Just walk out the door and never look back.

I, much like basically everyone here, have been avoiding Reddit when possible, and the content here just doesn't hit the same. My fried dopamine receptors were certainly screaming for stimulation early on but now I feel an urge to touch grass and breathe fresh air. What is this? Am I dying? I still hate the angry lightbulb in the sky.

In all seriousness though, I'll admit that I was kind of addicted to Reddit and now I don't want to go near it. Maybe this will turn a new leaf for me. If not here, I'll probably find some other way to satiate my dopamine receptors through more productive means.

Yes, I know browser bookmarks exist. But there must be some native functionality that I keep just not noticing - right?

Reddit is exploding in the most ridiculous way.

Top post is OP asking for upvotes in exchange for buttholes. Second post is OP delivering.

I keep seeing communities on lemmy writing in their bio "not official" or in some way deferring to the reddit community. I also see them writing that they're willing to give up their community to the reddit mods if they ask. It's like the whole place has imposter syndrome.

We're the adults, guys.

We're here. This is our community now. We broke up with that site, and we are making a new one. Run your community the way you think it should be run. Their communities are not any more official than ours. This is our place, not theirs.

We're the adults. We're the mods. We're the community.

Can I just rant a little to you all?

I've tried numerous times to help people from reddit set up an account and get started on Kbin (and lemmy), but 4 out of 5 times people can't seem to grasp the concept of registering an account and starting to use this platform. Even breaking it down into 2 steps, with direct links... They get angry, and then ragequit their attempt in a huff saying how it's too fucking complicated and it will never take off because it's so hard.

Ok, I get that the fediverse is complicated if you think deeply about all the interconnectivity and federation etc, but there is no reason you even have to think about any of it to create an account and get started. Like, at all.

It reminds me so much of my 70/y old mother-in-law not immediately knowing how to work a tv remote and shoving it at me after 1.5 seconds saying "here, I can't figure this out". When in reality all she had to do was press the fucking big red button...

I'm just so frustrated with people's complete lack of ability to help themselves.

Over the last week or so I have noticed that I have a lot more fun engaging in discussions on here as opposed to reddit.

On reddit i always felt like i was shouting into the void and there was nobody listening, which resulted in me becoming a lurker for the last 12 years.

Maybe it's the small size of this community, the lack of karma farmers, that I've finally lost my mind or a little bit of all of the above, but this place just feels like something special. I'm really looking forward to building the fediverse with all of you!

The following is the text copied from the reddit post in the /r/blind sub reddit.

Moderators of r/blind—along with moderators in other communities who use assistive technologies and Reddit users with accessibility expertise—had a Zoom meeting with representatives at Reddit on Friday, June 16, 2023. While the call was promising in that Reddit invited us to be part of continuing dialog and demonstrated some well-conceived accessible designs for Reddit users, we came away with serious concerns which Reddit was either unable or unwilling to address during the meeting.

Reddit is currently prioritizing accessibility for users rather than for moderators, and representatives were unwilling to provide timelines by when Reddit’s moderation tools would be accessible for screen reader users. Further, Reddit representatives seemed unaware that blind moderators rely on third-party applications because Reddit’s moderation tools present significant accessibility challenges. They also seemed unaware that the apps which have so far received exemptions from API pricing do not have sufficient moderation functions. u/NTCarver0 explained that blind moderators will be unable to ensure safety for our communities—as well as for Reddit in general—without accessible moderation systems, and asked Reddit representatives how blind moderators were supposed to effectively moderate our communities without them. Reddit representatives deferred the question, stating they would have to take notes and get back with us. A fellow moderator, u/MostlyBlindGamer, also pointed out that blind moderators who are unable to effectively moderate the subreddit and thus will become inactive may be removed at Reddit’s discretion per policy, and that such removal would leave r/Blind with no blind moderators. Reddit representatives also deferred comment on this issue.
Reddit representatives refused to answer questions concerning the formal certifications, accreditations or qualifications of employees tasked with ensuring universal accessibility. These certifications demonstrate that a professional has the knowledge necessary to create universally-accessible software and/or documents. Because Reddit cannot confirm that employees tasked with universal accessibility hold appropriate certifications or that the company will provide for such training and certification, we have concerns that employees do not have the appropriate knowledge to effectively ensure access for all assistive technology users both at present and in the future. Reddit has also indicated there are not currently any employees who work full-time on accessibility. This is a necessity for any organization as large and influential as Reddit.
Reddit representatives had previously disclosed to r/Blind moderators that an accessibility audit had been performed by a third-party company, however they refused to answer questions as to what company performed the audit or how the audit was conducted. Answers to these questions would have allowed us to determine whether the audit was performed by an accredited organization known for credible and thorough work. Reddit also could not answer questions as to what assistive technologies, such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, dictation softwares, etc., were used during the audit. Bluntly, we cannot know the thoroughness or scope of the audit—and therefore the extent to which Reddit is aware of the accessibility barriers present in their website and apps—without this information.
During the previous meeting, Reddit representatives raised a question regarding perceived disparities between the accessibility of the iOS and Android apps, suggesting the audit did not confirm that the accessibility failings in the iOS app are much more severe than those present in the Android app. During the latest meeting, u/MostlyBlindGamer explained that the iOS app has no labels for the ubiquitous and essential upvote and downvote buttons while the Android app does. This question raises the concern that Reddit representatives may not have a full and actionable understanding of the issues at stake or, in fact, the exact accessibility failings in their apps.
Reddit representatives narrowly defined the scope of the latest meeting less than an hour ahead of it, explicitly excluding third-party apps and API pricing from the conversation. They did acknowledge that this made it difficult to adequately prepare for the meeting.
Reddit refused to define the term “accessibility-focused app,” alleging that this was outside  the scope of the meeting. This term is not industry-standard and was instead created when Reddit carved out an exemption in their upcoming API policies for third-party apps used by blind people to access the platform. Without this definition, we are unable to ascertain whether apps that have not been approved but are nevertheless relied upon by community members qualify for an exemption.
Reddit gave no firm commitments as to when accessibility improvements would be rolled out to the website or apps. However, it is obvious that the Reddit website and apps will not be ready for disabled users—and especially moderators—by July 1.

In general, moderators of r/Blind who attended the call came away with mixed impressions. Reddit seems to be somewhat aware of the myriad accessibility barriers present in their applications and website, and the company appears to be laying the groundwork to fix issues which they are aware of. This is excellent news. However, we also feel that Reddit does not know what it does not know, and this lack of knowledge is exasperating, disheartening, and exhausting. We also came away frustrated that Reddit representatives were either unwilling or unable to answer prudent and pertinent questions which would allow us to determine not only how we can best keep our community safe and healthy, but also whether Reddit is truly prepared to commit to ensuring accessibility for all disabled users both now and in the future. Finally, we hope that our concerns—especially those pertaining to moderation—will be addressed expeditiously and satisfactorily, thus assuring that r/Blind can operate effectively well into the future. Despite our concerns, we remain open to continued dialog with Reddit in the hope that it will foster a more accessible platform.

Reddit's CEO Faced Intense Criticism Over Killing a Popular Third-Party App, Apollo. His Response Is What No Leader Should Ever DoThe company's new API access fees are supposed to generate revenue. Instead, they're alienating everyone. Inc.

They did not provide a reason. There was no further dialog. I just got a system message telling me I was removed.

I was also silmultaniously shadow banned from Reddit and my posts and comments stopped showing up. I had created a post complaining about being removed as the moderator (the only moderator for over a decade) of a sub that I built from the ground up and donated literally thousands of volunteer hours to over the last 14 years. It had zero upvotes or downvotes or comments and was not visible as an anon user.

In the end, I decided to rip the bandaid off and killed my 16.5 year account. I was one of the early supporters of Reddit (user #7758) and had left Digg for good in May of 2007 after the AAC controversy. They showed their authoritarian side in that moment and I knew Digg had reached their high water mark.

Reddit is at that moment now. They won't be dead tomorrow. They won't be dead next week. However, it will also never be the same, and it's only downhill from here.

Much like Digg. Much like Myspace. I am sure there will be a blurb a few years from now as an addendum in some business journal how Reddit sold to a third party for an undisclosed sum and some Skittles...

The future is the Fediverse and I'm glad I was forced to remove my Reddit crutch and dive in full force.

Edit 1: The messages are starting to come in faster than I can reply. Thanks for all the well wishes!

Edit 2: I'll also add, that I was never going to re-open the sub because I knew Reddit wasn't going to yield. Thus, I was prepared for the outcome. I did hope to string them along for a bit longer and waste resources, but you can't win them all.

Mods made a poll to ask whether to extend the blackout or re-open. After accusations of brigading, mods created a second, more secure poll. The option to extend the blackout wins by a 18% margin. However, the top mod changes his mind, unilaterally decides that the sub should open, and threatens the rest of the mods with contacting the admins to reopen and depose them if they follow through the results of the vote.

Okay, finally I am confident that I got them all!

Here's what I did

First, I got a torrent client set up, and went to

https://academictorrents.com/details/c398a571976c78d346c325bd75c47b82edf6124e/tech&filelist=1

It turns out that you can just download individual subs from the torrent instead of the whole thing. I know exactly which ones I first commented on, it was a small list and the subs themselves were pretty small too at the time. So downloading just those subs from the torrent was pretty speedy and easy.

After that I came up with a quick script (based on the example scripts by the pushshift team's github) at https://github.com/Watchful1/PushshiftDumps to parse and find my comments and spit out the comment ids into a text file.

Next, I modifed the super useful script at https://github.com/luphoria/reddit-migration one last time to accept a list of comment ids in a text file (instead of asking reddit for them), and then had it overwrite them all.

Looks like I won't be needing that GDPR archive after all, thanks for nuttin reddit!!

Hat-tip: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36038684

Waiting for one sub to go public so I can finish erasing my content, then I can delete knowing I didn't leave a single thing behind.

Edit: Here are the patches btw.

For reddit-migration: https://kbin.social/m/DataDumps/t/65055/reddit-migration-patch

And for the pushshift scripts: https://kbin.social/m/DataDumps/t/65054/pushdump-patch

So I've seen a few posts regarding news outlets calling the protests a failure, and I don't really think that's the case. The protests have clearly made an impact, especially if the Reddit CEO is willing to oust MODS to reopen subreddits. I truly believe that something has been jump started here on Lemmy, Kbin, and all of the fediverse. What happened on Reddit has simply pushed those already on the fence, or looking for other social media platforms to jump ship. I truly believe the impact is greater than what the media and Reddit in general want us to believe. Something has started here on the fediverse that simply cannot be stopped, all we can do is inform others and show why it's the future of aggregated news boards and social media.

Reddit used to be a great platform to discuss some topic and get different points of few in a friendly but factual manner. However, slowly it seems like the platform has become a lot more like Facebook, where it's been invaded by toxic people that are constantly looking for opportunities to shit and hate on others.

The change has been gradual so I really didn't notice it creep up on me. It's become super evident now having used Kbin and others for a week or so where people generally seem to be more friendly again and willing to actually discuss things in a usually civil way.

The difference is stark too. Today I replied to a comment saying that I hope things turn out better for them and wound up in a weird comment chain about how people were apparently insensitive for wanting to get a basic haircut that they for some reason couldn't afford themselves. Meanwhile, Kbin and the Fediverse feels like a refreshing place to actually converse with people once you get past the clunk and figure it out.

I think Reddit may well have reached that main stream social media saturation point where it very objectively now sucks. It happened originally with the internet itself thanks to the rise of the smartphone and this is just another iteration of it. I feel like Spez might as well get that bag at this point because they've ruined what used to be the platform people went to for social media without the bullshit, without algorithms to drive "engagement" and to avoid the toxic culture that has prevailed.

Thanks for reading my rant.