64 votes

Some subreddits could be paywalled, hints Reddit CEO

30 comments

  1. [8]
    MimicSquid
    Link
    So what I'm hearing is that we should expect another wave of new Tildes members in the near future?

    So what I'm hearing is that we should expect another wave of new Tildes members in the near future?

    74 votes
    1. [8]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [5]
        shiruken
        Link Parent
        I'm guessing Reddit won't allow moderators to turn established subreddits into subscription-based ones. This feels like it's targeting creators that currently rely upon platforms such as Patreon,...

        I'm guessing Reddit won't allow moderators to turn established subreddits into subscription-based ones. This feels like it's targeting creators that currently rely upon platforms such as Patreon, Substack, or OnlyFans.

        28 votes
        1. BeanBurrito
          Link Parent
          Until I read the article I thought it meant starting to charge for the subreddits with the most members and traffic. A recipe for a mass exodus. The article stated that this idea would be for new...

          Until I read the article I thought it meant starting to charge for the subreddits with the most members and traffic. A recipe for a mass exodus. The article stated that this idea would be for new subreddits and of a different type.

          9 votes
        2. [3]
          slashtab
          Link Parent
          How will they be able achieve this? Will they change policy on creating new subreddits?

          How will they be able achieve this? Will they change policy on creating new subreddits?

          6 votes
          1. [2]
            Protected
            Link Parent
            They'll probably do what they did last year and arbitrarily remove moderators and take control of whatever subreddits they want. What are you gonna do about it?

            They'll probably do what they did last year and arbitrarily remove moderators and take control of whatever subreddits they want. What are you gonna do about it?

            33 votes
            1. g33kphr33k
              Link Parent
              Delete my posts and watch them reappear as if by magic.

              Delete my posts and watch them reappear as if by magic.

              3 votes
  2. [11]
    AugustusFerdinand
    Link
    They already did this with reddit gold, there were subs that you could only access with it.

    They already did this with reddit gold, there were subs that you could only access with it.

    39 votes
    1. [10]
      TheRTV
      Link Parent
      That was the Megalounges. I got into the first one because I was gifted gold once. Once you're in, you're always in. It wasn't anything special. I imagine a lot of people were there because they...

      That was the Megalounges. I got into the first one because I was gifted gold once. Once you're in, you're always in. It wasn't anything special. I imagine a lot of people were there because they were gifted too.

      19 votes
      1. [2]
        AugustusFerdinand
        Link Parent
        /r/Lounge and the other memes that went with it were just the highest visibility versions. Anyone with gold/premium can create a subreddit (including right now) that only allows others with...

        /r/Lounge and the other memes that went with it were just the highest visibility versions. Anyone with gold/premium can create a subreddit (including right now) that only allows others with gold/premium.

        15 votes
        1. TheRTV
          Link Parent
          Oh right, I forgot about lounge. That one you do get kicked out of when gold runs out.

          Oh right, I forgot about lounge. That one you do get kicked out of when gold runs out.

          6 votes
      2. [6]
        chocobean
        Link Parent
        Haha yea, lounges plural, because of the meta tiers when you're gifted gold in megalounge --> megamega lounge --> mega mega mega etc It was a fun site once upon a time. The Christmas gift...

        Haha yea, lounges plural, because of the meta tiers when you're gifted gold in megalounge --> megamega lounge --> mega mega mega etc

        It was a fun site once upon a time. The Christmas gift exchanges used to be good too

        10 votes
        1. [5]
          TheRTV
          Link Parent
          I loved the secret santa. I was sad that it got shut down. I know a few people started their own, but it wasn't the same

          I loved the secret santa. I was sad that it got shut down. I know a few people started their own, but it wasn't the same

          10 votes
          1. [2]
            chocobean
            Link Parent
            I did it twice, both times was really fun to wrap and put all kinds of little cute things in along with the main gift. The second one I recieved was an old, used compsci textbook, unwrapped in a box 😂

            I did it twice, both times was really fun to wrap and put all kinds of little cute things in along with the main gift. The second one I recieved was an old, used compsci textbook, unwrapped in a box 😂

            12 votes
            1. TheRTV
              Link Parent
              Oof that sucks! I did it for for 7 or 8 years. I got lucky and my gifts ranged from stuff they just got on Amazon to really good, personally made stuff. My favorite part was the reactions from the...

              Oof that sucks!

              I did it for for 7 or 8 years. I got lucky and my gifts ranged from stuff they just got on Amazon to really good, personally made stuff. My favorite part was the reactions from the gifts I sent. I always tried to be thoughtful.

              2 votes
          2. [2]
            Tardigrade
            Link Parent
            I wonder if we'd have enough people on tildes interested to run one? It wouldn't have the same vibes as the old reddit one with the scale of it all and seeing people like Bill Gates involved but...

            I wonder if we'd have enough people on tildes interested to run one? It wouldn't have the same vibes as the old reddit one with the scale of it all and seeing people like Bill Gates involved but it could be fun.

            9 votes
            1. TheRTV
              Link Parent
              I'm petty certain the people I'm talking about setup a separate website for theirs. Quick Google search brings this one up https://exchange.throne.com/

              I'm petty certain the people I'm talking about setup a separate website for theirs. Quick Google search brings this one up

              https://exchange.throne.com/

              2 votes
      3. nacho
        Link Parent
        The megalounges were all user-run through bots detecting gilded contributions in each subsequent subreddit. They also came about ages before reddit considered doing the official thing with /r/lounge.

        The megalounges were all user-run through bots detecting gilded contributions in each subsequent subreddit.

        They also came about ages before reddit considered doing the official thing with /r/lounge.

        4 votes
  3. [3]
    Eji1700
    Link
    On the one hand, this is the sort of thing I wouldn't despise if it was done correctly. The "infinitely scale and find every scummy way to make money" practice is just not sustainable, nor healthy...

    On the one hand, this is the sort of thing I wouldn't despise if it was done correctly. The "infinitely scale and find every scummy way to make money" practice is just not sustainable, nor healthy for anyone involved.

    On the other, reddit is already doing all the scummy stuff, and certainly won't be using those funds to actually improve areas that many have complained about for years at this point.

    31 votes
    1. Inanimate
      Link Parent
      Exactly. Paid subreddits could be a great alternative to things like Patreon or Discord servers for some creators, or even be linked to them (like how Spotify can link with Patreon) as a part of a...

      Exactly. Paid subreddits could be a great alternative to things like Patreon or Discord servers for some creators, or even be linked to them (like how Spotify can link with Patreon) as a part of a larger ecosystem. Or, a paid subreddit could position itself like Something Awful, where the price for an account was, in-part, to discourage people from acting like idiots and jerks, and make sure people were actually invested in the community.

      It's not inherently a bad idea, but I am skeptical of how Reddit will implement it. Especially since this wouldn't be in-lieu of "scummy money-making" practices that you speak of, but in addition to them.

      25 votes
    2. Raspcoffee
      Link Parent
      Yeah in a sense, I think the way social media developed was too fast, too open when we knew nothing about how it would affect society in the long term, nor how it would eventually sustain itself....

      Yeah in a sense, I think the way social media developed was too fast, too open when we knew nothing about how it would affect society in the long term, nor how it would eventually sustain itself.

      Hindsight is 20/20 of course, but still. The Internet as we know it is already a zombie walking. And how it'll end up is an open question.

      5 votes
  4. [2]
    PleasantlyAverage
    Link
    So basically they don't want to stay just an advertising platform for adult creators, but also be their distribution channel. Otherwise, I don't see many people wanting to pay for closed subs.

    So basically they don't want to stay just an advertising platform for adult creators, but also be their distribution channel. Otherwise, I don't see many people wanting to pay for closed subs.

    16 votes
    1. tinfoil
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      I hadn't considered adult content, but ya... it could be a competitor to OnlyFans if they set it up correctly. EXCEPT because Reddit is Reddit, it wouldn't have the ...adult... reputation that...

      I hadn't considered adult content, but ya... it could be a competitor to OnlyFans if they set it up correctly. EXCEPT because Reddit is Reddit, it wouldn't have the ...adult... reputation that OnlyFans has so they could monetize other fan genres like OF tries/tried to do.

      10 votes
  5. zoroa
    Link
    Giving Reddit the benefit of the doubt that they don't intend to go scorched earth against their userbase for the second year in a row. I'd assume that "paywalling subreddits" will be less of a...

    Giving Reddit the benefit of the doubt that they don't intend to go scorched earth against their userbase for the second year in a row.

    I'd assume that "paywalling subreddits" will be less of a "you now need a subscription to view r/all" and more of branching Reddit into being a membership platform a la Patreon. In the sense that a subreddit creator who has some marketable content (e.g. a YouTuber, Artist, Writer) could set up a subreddit that pay gates certain posts.

    Discord branched out similarly a couple years ago, and I've since seen a couple examples of creators pushing Discord subscriptions as a core part of their monetization strategy

    Adding subscriptions has the added benefit of outsourcing the development of products users want to pay for to the users. Reducing the pressure on the platform to introduce monetized features that come off as "cringe" and end up drawing ire, an issue that both Discord and Reddit have repeatedly faced.


    If my understanding of what "paywalling a subreddit" means is correct, this feels like it would be such a slam dunk. It's incredibly easy to market as "supporting your favorite redditors", in a way that feels less disingenuous than Reddit's NFTs and more in line to what kind of platform Reddit is.

    16 votes
  6. llehsadam
    Link
    I hope he just means new subreddits that are meant to compete with other platforms like Substack. There is a marketplace for this, Reddit might be the perfect place for a writer (for example) to...

    I hope he just means new subreddits that are meant to compete with other platforms like Substack. There is a marketplace for this, Reddit might be the perfect place for a writer (for example) to grow their community of paid subscribers.

    4 votes
  7. [2]
    Amarok
    Link
    They really are EZBoard 2.0 now. Ads, subscription access, bots, and just generally no oversight at all.

    They really are EZBoard 2.0 now. Ads, subscription access, bots, and just generally no oversight at all.

    2 votes
    1. Hobofarmer
      Link Parent
      That's a name I haven't heard in a long, long time.

      That's a name I haven't heard in a long, long time.

      2 votes