https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/3bw39q/why_has_riama_been_set_to_private/
created by chickenmagic on 02/07/2015 at 17:02 UTC
20933 upvotes, 26 top-level comments (showing 25)
I was just about to comment in a thread, then my comment disappeared and I ended up with the "private subreddit" page.
Does this happen often with r/Iama? There's some message about administrative reconstruction.
Comment by [deleted] at 02/07/2015 at 19:15 UTC
1739 upvotes, 1 direct replies
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Comment by ValentynaLoves at 02/07/2015 at 18:50 UTC
1664 upvotes, 1 direct replies
It's a bit bitter for me to say but if the reddit admins want to screw up the most revenue generating sub maybe the mods should just let it die. Don't pick up what someone was being paid to do for free.
Comment by [deleted] at 02/07/2015 at 18:57 UTC
1733 upvotes, 2 direct replies
The hell reddit?
What is happening to this site?
Comment by THIS-IS-REDDIT at 02/07/2015 at 17:15 UTC
673 upvotes, 4 direct replies
I came here with the same question. The message on /r/iama currently says:
a message from the moderators of /r/IAmA
Due to internal administration reorganization at reddit, /r/IAmA has temporarily been made private by the moderators. We will be using this time to restructure our process for AMAs. If you have any concerns, please contact reddit at: press@reddit.com or contact@reddit.com
According to Twitter (including @edfrenkel, who was in the middle of an AMA) the subreddit suddenly was turned to private.
Comment by Itsapocalypse at 02/07/2015 at 17:58 UTC*
842 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Just so we're clear.. this is definitely the decision of the admins and not victoria herself, right? That seems like the only justifiable reason she would be out of the company, by her own volition
EDIT: Not her choice, that much seems clear
Comment by [deleted] at 02/07/2015 at 18:52 UTC
440 upvotes, 1 direct replies
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Comment by tattoolemky at 02/07/2015 at 18:45 UTC
347 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I can actually see a lot of people being extremely pissed off with their decision. A hell of a lot of celebs came to reddit for Q & A sessions which in turn garners a lot of publicity. This decision is completely nonsensical & will harm reddits credibility.
Comment by [deleted] at 02/07/2015 at 19:19 UTC
134 upvotes, 2 direct replies
So why was Victoria let go?
Comment by faikwansuen at 02/07/2015 at 18:28 UTC
363 upvotes, 2 direct replies
I'm very out of the loop, who was Victoria? I've seen people thanking her and saying she does a great job in AMAs that I've read, but who is she and how did she make it all work? Did she physically travel to people or the other way around? How does she convey feelings and words into text so well? Was she paid by reddit? ect.
Comment by damididit at 02/07/2015 at 18:17 UTC*
302 upvotes, 3 direct replies
I finally posted an AMA in the sub a couple hours ago, only to find it set to private and my post deleted within the hour. I was super worried that they'd banned me or something. Sucks that all this happens the day I finally decide to stop lurking and post!!
EDIT: Following a couple folks' suggestions, I've posted in /r/casualiama Ask me questions here!
Comment by karmanaut at 02/07/2015 at 17:23 UTC*
6333 upvotes, 48 direct replies
Today, we learned that Victoria was unexpectedly let go from her position with Reddt. We all had the rug ripped out from under us and feel betrayed.
Before doing that, the admins really should have at least talked to us (and all the other subs that host AMAs, like /r/Books, /r/Science, /r/Music, etc.) (Edit: not to suggest that we expect to know about Reddit's inner workings. Just that there should have been a transition in place or something worked out to ensure that Victoria's duties would be adequately handled, which they are not) We had a number of AMAs scheduled for today that Victoria was supposed to help with, and they are all left absolutely high and dry (hence taking IAMA private to figure out the situation) She was still willing to help them today (before the sub was shut down, of course) even without being paid or required to do so. Just a sign of how much she is committed to what she does.
The admins didn't realize how much we rely on Victoria. Part of it is proof, of course: we know it's legitimate when she's sitting right there next to the person and can make them provide proof. We've had situations where agents or others have tried to do an AMA as their client, and Victoria shut that shit down immediately. We can't do that anymore.
Part of it is also that Victoria is an essential lifeline of communication. When something goes wrong in an AMA, we can call and get it fixed *immediately*. Otherwise, we have to resort to desperately try messaging the person via Reddit (and they may not know to check their messages or even to look for these notifications). Sometimes we have to resort to shit like this[1] (now with a screenshot[2] because I can't link to that anymore for you) where we have to nuke an entire submission just so that the person is aware of the problem.
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1zg3b8/gabe_newell_ama_100_pm_pst/cftfbio
2: http://i.imgur.com/UtV7fvg.png
Part of it is also organization. The vast majority of scheduling requests go through her and she ensures that we have all of the standard information that we need ahead of time (date, time, proof, description, etc.) and makes it easier for the teams that set up AMAs on both ends. She ensures that things will go well and that the person understands what /r/IAMA is and what is expected of them. Without her filling this role, we will be utterly overwhelmed. We might need to scrap the calendar altogether, or somehow limit AMAs from those that would need help with the process.
We have been really blindsided by all of this. As a result, we will need to go through our processes and see what can be done without her.
Comment by [deleted] at 02/07/2015 at 18:00 UTC
100 upvotes, 3 direct replies
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Comment by [deleted] at 02/07/2015 at 18:43 UTC
26 upvotes, 1 direct replies
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Comment by Maddie_N at 02/07/2015 at 19:17 UTC
85 upvotes, 1 direct replies
/r/IAMA is basically the only sub I ever go on. Victoria did some amazing work and I wish her the best in the future. There isn't another person like her out there.
Comment by [deleted] at 02/07/2015 at 19:00 UTC
26 upvotes, 1 direct replies
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Comment by [deleted] at 02/07/2015 at 18:03 UTC
76 upvotes, 2 direct replies
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Comment by Brym at 02/07/2015 at 17:35 UTC
388 upvotes, 5 direct replies
Conspiracy theory time: Although from the Iama moderators' perspective this has nothing to do with the Jackson AMA, in fact the Jackson people pressured the Reddit admins after the Jackson AMA to fire someone responsible or else face exposure and Jackson-mobilized protests as a racist haven, and Victoria was the sacrificial lamb.
Comment by [deleted] at 02/07/2015 at 18:55 UTC
30 upvotes, 1 direct replies
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Comment by krazay88 at 02/07/2015 at 17:58 UTC
25 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Wat, why
Who?
But why?
Comment by townout at 02/07/2015 at 18:12 UTC
12 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Does anyone have the info on how firing someone occurs at reddit? Was Victoria a part of an /r/iama "division" and do those actually exist for [the larger] subreddits?
Comment by Metatron58 at 02/07/2015 at 18:53 UTC
19 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I sincerely hope this had nothing to do with the Jesse Jackson AMA.
Comment by [deleted] at 02/07/2015 at 18:03 UTC
27 upvotes, 2 direct replies
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Comment by jimk2009steel at 02/07/2015 at 18:59 UTC
49 upvotes, 1 direct replies
ONE MORE REASON TO GO TO VOAT!!!!!
Comment by [deleted] at 02/07/2015 at 18:56 UTC
41 upvotes, 3 direct replies
I find it absolutely astonishing that you cannot apparently hold an AMA anymore without an admin.. Talk about killing what the spirit of r/IAMA was.. This more than anything tells me the reddit everyone loved is now dead...
Comment by [deleted] at 02/07/2015 at 19:15 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
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