https://www.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/o18ct9/creating_new_opportunities_for_future_community/
created by singmethesong on 16/06/2021 at 16:05 UTC*
344 upvotes, 126 top-level comments (showing 25)
Hello Mods,
Today we’re ~~claiming eminent domain~~[1] freeing up additional real-estate on Reddit for future community creators.
1: https://i.redd.it/ak5oqjkfij571.gif
After some extensive research[2], we discovered that the majority of successful subreddits on Reddit become active within seven days of being created. Subreddits that do not become active within seven days of being created face a steep uphill battle with little opportunity to grow into a healthy, vibrant community.
2: https://media.giphy.com/media/DHqth0hVQoIzS/giphy.gif
Unfortunately, this means we have a high volume of subreddits that have either (1) never experienced any activity from day one and have always been dormant or (2) experienced a small amount of activity but not enough to sustain themselves and have become ghost towns over time.
These dormant communities can create a negative user experience for Redditors and community creators. Not so fun fact: one of the most common experiences a new community creator faces when trying to create a new community is that the subreddit name is already taken[3].
3: https://media.giphy.com/media/zRwA2JgARLVYgWtfgY/giphy.gif
On **June 22** we will begin to remove these dormant subreddits to free up the namespace for future community creators (note: this entire process could take up to two weeks to complete). We hope that freeing up this namespace will reduce the number of errors redditors experience when trying to create a community, and will give new community creators access to more subreddit names.
A lot - almost a million! If you’re super into random stuff[4], good news! r/RandomStuff will now be available to utilize. Are you a huge Charles Barkley fan[5]? Well today is your lucky day, because r/CharlesBarkley will be up for grabs. Do you think american cheese is the most delicious cheese in the land - does this gif speak to you[6]? If so, consider moderating r/AmericanCheese since that will now be free for redditors to take advantage of. All kidding aside, we’re excited about the amount of new namespace that will be available for community creators to grow and develop.
4: https://i.redd.it/9b6kl3ffvj571.gif
5: https://i.redd.it/memkrh8luj571.gif
6: https://i.redd.it/01e557hztj571.gif
This is a big undertaking that includes some complicated edge cases and we want to thank our Reddit Moderator Council who took the time to chat with us and share valuable feedback on how we can thoughtfully approach this initiative.
Based on their feedback, we have addressed some of the edge cases that might come up during this process to help ensure things go as smoothly as possible (given the size of this operation, there are some edge cases we are unable to address). Please note that prior to taking action on a subreddit, we will remove the moderator and any members from the community, and no new content will be able to be submitted. Any posts made to a removed subreddit will still be accessible via a user's profile page. We have split this into two phases (which will happen back to back) with specific criteria:
There are a number of subreddits out there that helpful redditors (aka good samaritans[7]) are holding down because they contain toxic or potentially hateful words in their subreddit name. These redditors are protecting the proverbial fort so these spaces do not become potential bastions for hate or harassment. We’re incredibly appreciative of these efforts, and we are taking precautions to ensure these subreddits are not removed and up for grabs.
7: https://i.redd.it/kxkpt0h9vi571.gif
Should one of these subreddits slip through the cracks and accidentally get removed and opened up for future use, we have created a way for redditors to notify us of these subreddits in Reddit Help[8]. This form is meant to only serve these good samaritan subreddits that may accidentally get removed through this process. If this happens please fill out the form and select “Good Samaritan Appeals” under “What is your subreddit concern.” Once we’re notified, we’ll make sure to take the appropriate action and safeguard those communities.
8: https://reddit.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360001103212
We understand there are a variety of edge case situations that we’re unable to solve for and some good intentioned subreddits are unfortunately going to get removed (RIP r/thingsjonsnowknows, the king of the north is dead, long live the king).
We also know that some redditors create subreddits that match their username for a variety of reasons. We want to acknowledge these subreddits, and at this time, we will not be removing communities if a subreddit name matches that of the subreddit creator (ex: if u/singmethesong creates r/singmethesong). We will revisit this in the near future and will keep everyone updated on our plans.
We’re in the process of updating our subreddit camper policy as part of our efforts to breathe new life into these communities and make the Reddit Request[9] process easier for users to understand and take advantage of. One of the main things this policy will reflect is changing the criteria to include activity of the subreddit, rather than just the activity of the moderator. Please keep your eyes out for a future post which will share more of these details.
9: https://new.reddit.com/r/redditrequest/
That’s the fact, Jack. Again, thanks to all the mods that provided feedback on this initiative! We’ll stick around and answer questions you may have.
Comment by asantos3 at 16/06/2021 at 16:14 UTC
149 upvotes, 5 direct replies
What about subs that are a redirect to another sub? Sometimes people make similar subs and then coordinate and redirect one to another.
Comment by manniefabian at 16/06/2021 at 16:10 UTC
69 upvotes, 2 direct replies
What will happen to test subs, I have 2 private subreddits I use to test CSS and other features on. Will they be removed?
Comment by SpyTec13 at 16/06/2021 at 16:26 UTC
67 upvotes, 1 direct replies
We will not remove subreddits where the community creator has logged onto the site in the last 30 days (5/16/21 - 6/16/21)
You mean the subreddit owner/top mod and not creator here I hope
Comment by [deleted] at 16/06/2021 at 16:14 UTC
52 upvotes, 3 direct replies
[deleted]
Comment by Merari01 at 16/06/2021 at 19:24 UTC
51 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I moderate a subreddit that was the personal subreddit of a dear friend who passed away two years ago.
The subreddit is inactive. This is deliberate. Please allow us to appeal the deletion of this subreddit, we want to keep our memorial.
Comment by bthrvewqd at 16/06/2021 at 16:20 UTC
78 upvotes, 1 direct replies
rip /r/amish
Comment by shiruken at 16/06/2021 at 16:26 UTC
40 upvotes, 1 direct replies
How will this affect private subreddits created for toolbox backups[1]? This criteria in Phase 2 seems to imply that if a mod goes inactive for a month then their entire backup subreddit will be deleted.
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/toolbox/wiki/docs/backup_restore_settings
We will not remove subreddits where the community creator has logged onto the site in the last 30 days (5/16/21 - 6/16/21)
Comment by Halaku at 16/06/2021 at 16:22 UTC
29 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Phase 1: Subreddits that meet both of the following will be removed
Phase 2: Subreddits that meet the following will be removed
For Phase 2, is that "**each** of the following", or **any** of the following"?
Comment by shiruken at 16/06/2021 at 16:16 UTC
30 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Subreddits with 1-100 posts all time
How will this work with the new policy on user-deleted posts[1]?
Comment by RunDNA at 16/06/2021 at 20:15 UTC*
18 upvotes, 3 direct replies
We also know that some redditors create subreddits that match their username for a variety of reasons. We want to acknowledge these subreddits, and at this time, we will not be removing communities if a subreddit name matches that of the subreddit creator (ex: if u/singmethesong creates r/singmethesong)
Lots of username subreddits were created by other people. At one time there was a malicious user creating username subreddits who was loathe to give them up, and in response other good guy redditors tried to pre-empt him by creating the username subreddits themselves and then gladly handing them over to the relevant user when requested.
For example, my personal subreddit, r/RunDNA, was created by the good samaritan u/The1RGood, who handed it over to me with no hassles, and has done that with hundreds of other people as well.
Criteria for identifying username subreddits needs to take account of this.
Comment by reseph at 16/06/2021 at 16:11 UTC*
66 upvotes, 3 direct replies
I'm confused, the Reddit Request process already exists. Why nuke subreddits instead of permitting them to be Reddit Requested and go through that established process? Update the Reddit Request process to accept these scenarios.
Nuking a community that had or has members seems a bit overkill just because they don't meet what you would consider "active" whereas the community may feel otherwise. It feels painful to see that some tight-knit communities are going to be nuked.
Comment by CryptoEngineerObrien at 16/06/2021 at 16:17 UTC
17 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Should one of these subreddits slip through the cracks and accidentally get removed and opened up for future use, we have created a way for redditors to notify us of these subreddits in Reddit Help. This form is meant to only serve these good samaritan subreddits that may accidentally get removed through this process. If this happens please fill out the form and select “Good Samaritan Appeals” under “What is your subreddit concern.” Once we’re notified, we’ll make sure to take the appropriate action and safeguard those communities.
Can we proactively contact support about this to prevent it from happening, or should we only do it after it happens?
Comment by [deleted] at 16/06/2021 at 16:07 UTC*
33 upvotes, 2 direct replies
[deleted]
Comment by SQLwitch at 17/06/2021 at 15:13 UTC*
16 upvotes, 2 direct replies
In /r/SuicideWatch and /r/depression, we have "staging" subs that may not have any posts, but which we use to test settings, and styling, and to maintain in-progress wikis. (Having them in the actual sub even with mods only access created confusion.)
If these were nuked without notice we could lose a *lot* of work and be seriously inconvenienced.
What should we do to keep them safe?
Edit: It doesn't seem to me that it would be hard to look at wiki and settings activity as well as posts. I think it's pretty unfair not to.
Comment by TheNewPoetLawyerette at 16/06/2021 at 21:56 UTC
15 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Note on the edgecase subs, esp. subs we hold because they're the same as our username:
I am not the creator of /r/thenewpoetlawyerette. I was gifted the sub by admins after another user created the sub to post libelous and doxxing information. As you have worded this post it indicates that it will get deleted. Is there a way you could check not just the creator's username for matching the sub name but also check the mod list usernames?
Comment by [deleted] at 16/06/2021 at 16:08 UTC
30 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Please note that prior to taking action on a subreddit, we will remove the moderator and any members from the community, and no new content will be able to be submitted.
is there any notification prior to this, and an appeals process for subs that wouldn't be considered "good samaritan?"
please make sure there's an exception in this process for /r/amish
Comment by parrycarry at 16/06/2021 at 23:57 UTC
12 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Are you removing the subs entirely so they need to be created again, or are you simply pushing the reset button and now they can be reddit requested instantly by someone, but they retain the original creation date and creator name? So like, adding millions of subs to r/AvailableSubs?
Comment by db2 at 17/06/2021 at 08:53 UTC
12 upvotes, 2 direct replies
This is one of the dumbest most pointless waste of resources things reddit has done since.. well, not that long ago. Stop doing this useless shit and start actually doing something about the spammers.
This is like reddit forgot how to be reddit and is acting like an AI trying random things to learn how to be a forum. What's next, automatic Twitter integration?
Completely pointless.
Comment by dequeued at 17/06/2021 at 15:58 UTC
12 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Typo subreddits were a significant problem for /r/personalfinance. People would create them as a one-time joke or perhaps the creators were confused themselves.
Then those unmoderated subreddits would get a lot of posts from confused Redditors looking for /r/personalfinance (just one example: /r/personalfinace missing one "n"). Our moderation team went through a lot of effort to request all of the major typo subreddits over the years, redirect them, and now it seems like we are going to lose them all in one day.
/u/lift_ticket83 and /u/singmethesong, is there some solution for this?
Comment by [deleted] at 16/06/2021 at 19:48 UTC
49 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Man, it's only Wednesday and this is the second terrible decision made by the admins this week, without input from actual moderators (your echo chamber you call a Mod Council doesn't count).
What new horrors await us tomorrow and Friday, I wonder?
Comment by screwedbygenes at 16/06/2021 at 21:20 UTC
49 upvotes, 2 direct replies
So, to be clear:
You have enough manpower to sort through these subs and see that they meet your qualifications. You have enough manpower to compile the list of these subs. You have enough manpower to host this little adoption event.
You do not have enough manpower to do the following:
- Notify anyone in advance that you were thinking of taking their specific sub away from them so they could do something to alter the situation.
- Notify any of these subs that they're about to be affected by this *very significant event.*
- Actually publicize a list that you already have to have compiled for any of this event to be in any way coordinated.
- Give mod teams affected by the issues of current top mod vs creator, "edge cases," etc some heads up that they will have to prepare for this *before the cut off date* so they could have prepared and not been caught flatfooted by this announcement.
... You realize how this looks, correct?
Comment by AgentPeggyCarter at 16/06/2021 at 19:31 UTC
12 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Maybe I'm just stupid and don't comprehend this, but say we got a sub within the past few months from /r/redditrequest and haven't had the chance to revive it yet. As someone who didn't create the sub, are we just screwed and have to try to "re-create" the sub again once you nuke it? I waited for *years* to get /r/thedeadzone and have been working on new graphics that I haven't put up yet and an initiative to revive it, but I've been gathering content first. It looks like the original creator is inactive as well.
Comment by chfoo at 16/06/2021 at 18:56 UTC
20 upvotes, 3 direct replies
I understand that the posts are going to be buried to the user's profile, but why can't the subreddit be renamed (with a random number or a "-old" suffix) so we can still browse it? It seems wrong to remove subreddits simply for being unpopular or inactive. They still might contain very good content but fail to meet the criteria for being "active".
Comment by [deleted] at 16/06/2021 at 17:20 UTC
9 upvotes, 1 direct replies
[deleted]
Comment by Overlord_Odin at 17/06/2021 at 00:22 UTC
9 upvotes, 0 direct replies
So just to be clear, the time I spent on /r/suggestions setting it up to be a redirect hub will just be wiped away and I'll have to hope I can claim it again before someone else and set it back up again?
