zlacker

Disappointing. Sad to see such a wonderful app likely meet its end. This is to be expected when you pin your existence on the good graces of a for-profit company.

Reddit wants IPO. Badly. They want to show potential investors that they're solvent. To this end, as Google did nearly two decades ago, they will monetize every inch of their user base and application -- that includes access to their data.

But Reddit is on thin ice -- as MySpace, Digg, del.icio.us all found out and as Twitter is finding out.

Why? Reddit doesn't have any asset of intrinsic value. Reddit don't have sought after intellectual property. Reddit doesn't produce any goods. Reddit's value is the community and the data they bring. When they antagonize the community, they are antagonizing what is keeping the lights on for them.

>>digdig+(OP)
I think there is also value to the general online/web community, in keeping the reddit community on reddit.

>>jiscar+Ht
Reddit is too big for there to be a “Reddit community”… any other online community (like HN) is probably already full of people who also frequent Reddit.

>>digdig+(OP)
And that community voluntarily performs most of the moderation for free. I believe they would have to start paying moderators if the cost to use the platform rises substantially. It would no longer feel like a community and instead feel like working for free for a big corporation. Twitter was barely profitable when Musk bought it partially because of the cost of thousands of moderators.