So the day we knew was coming finally happened and the APIs were closed as promised.

<sad.gif>

More information can be found [here](https://old.reddit.com/r/ModCoord/comments/14kn2fo/call_to_action_renewed_protests_starting_on_july/).
#Did the protests work?

Not to the degree everybody hoped for insofar as the APIs were still cut off and third party apps like Apollo, RIF and accessibility apps were still forced to close. However what they *did* achieve was significant negative press coverage, which has materially affected the perception of Reddit amongst the tech/social media community – Something Reddit did not want with their desire for an IPO in the near future. Traffic to the site has also been hit by sub protests messing up search results on major search engines such as Google.

#Has everyone given up then?

No. Although some subs have returned to normal operation, at the time of this post there are still over 2000 subreddits, including some large default subs (20m+ subscribers), protesting in some form or another; ranging from only allowing pictures of John Oliver to turning on NSFW mode to simply remaining closed as they have from day one of the protests. Major tech industry media is still reporting on these protests as can be seen below:

[ars technica](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/07/fed-up-with-reddit-mods-of-popular-amas-quit-organizing-high-profile-interviews/)

[The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/3/23783065/r-videos-now-only-allows-text-posts-describing-videos)

[Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/reddit-users-say-walking-away-after-apollo-shutdown-2023-7)

And so on…

#Has there been any repercussions?

Yes, a few. Some subs have seen entire moderation teams removed as a result of continued protestations and some moderation teams have quit en masse as a further extension of their protest. How far subs are willing to take it is an individual decision dependent on their risk appetite.

#What is rUK doing, are we carrying on?

Well that depends on you! As you know we’ve been closing every Tuesday for 24hrs as a mild form of continued protest and to show ongoing support for the issues. However now that ‘D-Day’ for the APIs has passed it seems a good time to speak to the users of rUK and find out what your thoughts are moving forwards.

#Is this another fucking poll?

Thankfully no, this thread is just a way for us to gauge all your thoughts on the subject. We want to see how everybody feels so listed below is the range of protest measures that are being put forwards by the /r/ModCoord sub for those who wish to continue showing support. Participation in this thread will be limited to those who have a certain amount of karma on rUK to prevent brigading from user who may attempt to sway discussion in either direction.

1. turning your sub private/restricted

2. stickied post on every submission

3. reduce moderation in your subs, to the bare minimum (illegal/TOS breaking content);

4. mark posts as nsfw if they contain profanity (blasphemy)

5. continue to shut down every Tuesday

Some further options you can consider:

– allow only text posts;

– allow only megathreads, on the main topics of your community;

– require a long tldr for each post

– carry on as normal

Nobody is saying we are going to do those, or that they’re up for consideration, however consider them a jumping off point for discussion.

Let’s hear your thoughts!

by Ask_Me_About_Kevin

8 comments

  1. > As you know we’ve been closing every Tuesday for 24hrs

    This was a very short 24 hours

  3. What’s happened has been a really interesting insight into what people think of Reddit as a site, moderators, 3rd party tools and so on.

    Personally I’m gutted that Baconreader no longer works (although it does if you log off, you can still browse – just not interact). That’s been the biggest direct “impact” to me.

    RES still works. Old Reddit still works. So the ongoing impacts there are in a lack of tools that I don’t directly notice, and various subs being in Private mode (or similar) and so inaccessible. I wanted to research some clothing advice earlier and couldn’t get onto various subs, which sucked, forcing me to prod about elsewhere and maybe miss out on useful info – who knows.

    That’s a tangent though… in terms of the moderators and the site, there’s two schools of thinking:

    * Moderators are power hungry jannies who cave in as soon as their tenuous power is lost. This is true.

    * Moderators are interested individuals who have invested time in cultivating and maintaining a community. This is *also* true.

    Either way, the way Reddit as a site has shown its colours in the last few months is pretty deplorable. The *site* has relied on unpaid moderators to give them communities to monetise, undermining the tools they do that with and replacing them if they shout too loudly out of sync with The Greater Good™.

    I struggle to endorse that.

    Would I miss /r/uk if it was gone? Yes, although maybe something would rise in its place, who knows what that might look like.

    Have social media platforms withered and died? Have I gotten over it? *Also* yes.

    Therefore I figure “Do what you have to do”. The moderators aren’t paid – and we don’t pay either – so if it all burns down then so be it. Reddit is replaceable. I’ll use the sub as long as it’s up, but have no problem if more motivated individuals think it’s best to send a message that Reddit as a site “fucked around” and should therefore “find out”.

  4. Stop moderating the Sub.

    Seems to be the best way to get admin’s attention, and to be honest, you all have better things to do right?

  5. Mods, it’s your sub. Do what you please. Want to turn it into UK stock photos only? Go for it. Want to follow the letter of the Reddit mod rules? Sure. Want to walk away and start something better elsewhere? Your call. Want to hand it over to a feckless pedant who will mod incessantly and remove all posts that even mention another country? Why not.

    As a user I don’t feel like I should have any say in how you carry out your duties/hobby because I’m not paying you.

  6. We should go NSFW like interestingasfuck did.

    It won’t do anything to stop reddit, like any of the other protests, but Tuesdays would be slightly more entertaining.

  7. I think continue with the Tuesdays blackouts, at least it keeps the issue in focus whilst keeping one of the more radical UK subs running.

  8. Reduce moderation to a minimum and remove subreddit-specific rules (‘work to rule’). Let the place become a free-for-all, short of breaking site-wide rules.

Leave a Reply