56 votes

Reddit is changing the r/popular algorithm so that more discussion-focused subreddits and posts gain visibility

61 comments

  1. [10]
    Deimos
    (edited )
    Link
    I think this is a really interesting idea, but overall it just continues showing that reddit doesn't seem to have a coherent plan for what they want the site to be. They're changing the "main"...

    I think this is a really interesting idea, but overall it just continues showing that reddit doesn't seem to have a coherent plan for what they want the site to be.

    They're changing the "main" algorithm that builds the most-viewed listing on the site to prioritize discussion, but they've also changed the default view to "card mode" with autoplaying videos/gifs, which prioritizes the opposite. They've changed the default sorting method for users' front pages to "best", which automatically hides posts you've already seen and completely destroys discussions because of that.

    So many things they're doing are working in opposition to each other, instead of all working together towards the same goal.

    56 votes
    1. cain
      Link Parent
      Yeah, reddit's philosophy recently when it comes to design and content seems to be "Throw a bunch of shit at the wall and see what sticks" And as you said in your comment on reddit about this, it...

      Yeah, reddit's philosophy recently when it comes to design and content seems to be "Throw a bunch of shit at the wall and see what sticks"

      And as you said in your comment on reddit about this, it seems to prioritize 'discussion' on reddit but seems like the only discussion on reddit is negative, so it makes the site look negative. Just looking at /r/popular now it looks like of the top ten or so 'discussions' 8 of the 10 I came across are complaining or negative. with the first I'm seeing being from r/unpopularopinions titled 'We get it, females are empowered'

      16 votes
    2. [2]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. Parliament
        Link Parent
        You have to scroll a mile just to see a handful of posts in card view. It's ridiculous.

        You have to scroll a mile just to see a handful of posts in card view. It's ridiculous.

        8 votes
    3. [7]
      AFineAccount
      Link Parent
      I don't think this is so much a move in some incoherent long-term plan. Instead, this is probably a tactic to curtail extremism on smaller subs. I remember a while back spez was talking about how...

      I don't think this is so much a move in some incoherent long-term plan. Instead, this is probably a tactic to curtail extremism on smaller subs.

      I remember a while back spez was talking about how Reddit was trying to combat disinformation campaigns, and in most of his /r/announcement threads, people usually just try to goad him into finally addressing hate on his platform, directly. With this new platform, smaller subs will rise quicker and be exposed to more light. I imagine the Reddit team is hoping that more exposure means less disinformation and hate.

      But at the same time, you're right. I'm already using the app less and less. They may have just committed metaphorical suicide in an attempt to act in the social good. People are going to lose their platform less and less, and they're going to start bleeding money.

      2 votes
      1. [6]
        cfabbro
        Link Parent
        Start bleeding money? They already are and have been for years. They are hundreds of millions of dollars in the VC hole, have 200+ employees with their HQ in the most expensive cost of living city...

        Start bleeding money? They already are and have been for years. They are hundreds of millions of dollars in the VC hole, have 200+ employees with their HQ in the most expensive cost of living city in the US (and no remote workers allowed so have to pay commensurate wages to that area). They are likely prepping for an IPO or hoping to get acquired... and call me cynical but IMO that's the only reason for them "cleaning up" the site by quarantining more hate subreddits and playing with the algorithms. IMO it has absolutely nothing to do with some altruistic feeling of social responsibility or wanting to improve the user experience and absolutely everything to do with money. Their sole goal right now is making the site more appealing to potential buyers, investors and advertisers, nothing else.

        8 votes
        1. [2]
          Deimos
          Link Parent
          They're over 400 employees now, and still continuing to hire a lot, as far as I know.

          They're over 400 employees now, and still continuing to hire a lot, as far as I know.

          7 votes
          1. Amarok
            Link Parent
            Jesus. What Tildes could do with five engineers would effortlessly outclass anything reddit can do with that army. Hiring more help doesn't get you anywhere if you still don't know where the hell...

            Jesus. What Tildes could do with five engineers would effortlessly outclass anything reddit can do with that army. Hiring more help doesn't get you anywhere if you still don't know where the hell you want to go, or how to get there. At least we have a plan. :)

            7 votes
        2. alyaza
          Link Parent
          i feel like that's not cynical at all, lol. reddit has shown absolutely no indication that they give a fuck about any sort of social responsibility, most prominently featured in the fact that they...

          and call me cynical but IMO that's the only reason for them "cleaning up" the site by quarantining more hate subreddits and playing with the algorithms. IMO it has absolutely nothing to do with some altruistic feeling of social responsibility or wanting to improve the user experience and absolutely everything to do with money. Their sole goal right now is making the site more appealing to potential buyers, investors and advertisers, nothing else.

          i feel like that's not cynical at all, lol. reddit has shown absolutely no indication that they give a fuck about any sort of social responsibility, most prominently featured in the fact that they have completely failed to prevent the rise of hate-based, harassment-based, politically radical, and just plain assholish communities on their platform and subsequently have only been pushed to do shit about it by unfavorable media coverage and increasing scrutiny from big boys like the federal government of the US. why would they suddenly gain an altruistic, feel-good, "let's make this place better for all of ourselves" spirit now?

          5 votes
        3. [2]
          AFineAccount
          Link Parent
          That's a really good point. I hadn't considered that they might be thinking of getting acquired. An IPO seems a bit extreme, but either way nobody (or at least, most people) aren't interested in...

          That's a really good point. I hadn't considered that they might be thinking of getting acquired. An IPO seems a bit extreme, but either way nobody (or at least, most people) aren't interested in buying a platform for hate speech.

          3 votes
          1. Deimos
            Link Parent
            Late last year (a couple of months after the most recent $200M funding round), Steve called an IPO inevitable and "the only responsible choice" for reddit. So it's certainly something that they're...

            Late last year (a couple of months after the most recent $200M funding round), Steve called an IPO inevitable and "the only responsible choice" for reddit. So it's certainly something that they're thinking about and planning towards, but I'm sure a full private acquisition is an option too, if anyone is willing to pay the price their investors are looking for.

            Some form of exit has to happen before too long, they've taken $250M from venture capitalists over the last few years, and I'm sure those investors are more than aware that social sites usually can't stay on top for long. They won't want to delay the exit for a long time and risk the site crashing and losing all of its value.

            7 votes
  2. [15]
    Algernon_Asimov
    Link
    I find it quite telling that the measure of success for this new algorithm was that "Logged out users are spending more time on the site because they can find interesting conversations quicker,...

    I find it quite telling that the measure of success for this new algorithm was that "Logged out users are spending more time on the site because they can find interesting conversations quicker, and they’re coming back more often." This is exactly the same thinking that led Facebook to reduce the amount of news articles showing in people's News Feeds.

    They tell us it's about improving the user experience and going back to the site's roots, but it's actually about getting and retaining eyeballs... so those eyeballs can be shown more advertisements. The more people you get looking at your site, and the longer they keep looking at your site, the more opportunities you have to serve ads to them.

    This is just another step in the commercialisation of Reddit.

    23 votes
    1. [10]
      frickindeal
      Link Parent
      Oh yeah, anytime I see see any admin post on reddit now, the first thing I think is "what are they doing now to commercialize/monetize this site that won't benefit users in the slightest." The...

      Oh yeah, anytime I see see any admin post on reddit now, the first thing I think is "what are they doing now to commercialize/monetize this site that won't benefit users in the slightest." The entire reason for the redesign is to push inline ads. People were showing images of their home page filled with ads (like every other post) when the redesign first started rolling out. That's when I got the "old reddit" extension for FF, and blacklisted them on uBlock Origin. I'd rather donate here than see that much crap.

      9 votes
      1. [2]
        Octofox
        Link Parent
        They also do way more tracking on the redesign. Just look at the network tab while using the page and you will see. The page is somehow slow on my 8 thread i7 cpu and pretty much unusable on my...

        They also do way more tracking on the redesign. Just look at the network tab while using the page and you will see. The page is somehow slow on my 8 thread i7 cpu and pretty much unusable on my phone. Takes about 30 seconds to load reddit on mobile.

        7 votes
        1. shaun
          Link Parent
          Yep, both the UI and the network have filled with bloat. The current state of Reddit feels like I'm having to fight a website, as though it's actively working against me. In the past year, I've...

          Yep, both the UI and the network have filled with bloat. The current state of Reddit feels like I'm having to fight a website, as though it's actively working against me. In the past year, I've

          • sinkholed multiple reddit.com subdomains to avoid tracking and whatever they're doing with websockets

          • sinkholed third-party domains to avoid spurious "chat" connections

          • installed Stylus and written styles to get rid of annoying page elements like "try the redesign"

          • opted out of the redesign

          • installed ViolentMonkey and added scripts to restore old user pages, suppress the chat box and icon, etc.

          ...and still I'm doing battle at every turn. When I log out to switch accounts, often the new design will pop up at random, even though every account has it turned off. Much of the redesign, including its login page, simply doesn't function if LocalStorage is disabled in the browser.

          I've used a lot of interfaces over the years, and I've had my share of gripes, but I've never had to resort to so many hacks and workarounds to keep one comfortably usable.

          9 votes
      2. [7]
        Parliament
        Link Parent
        What's your contingency plan if/when they decommission old reddit? I'd love to be able to say I'd stop using the site entirely, but that just seems unrealistic with the number of subreddits I...

        What's your contingency plan if/when they decommission old reddit? I'd love to be able to say I'd stop using the site entirely, but that just seems unrealistic with the number of subreddits I still care about. Especially certain sports, tech, and TV/podcast-specific forums. The biggest advantage reddit has right now is the critical mass to sustain communities on virtually any topic.

        I guess my browsing would shift more towards mobile apps like Apollo to avoid the redesign.

        7 votes
        1. Algernon_Asimov
          Link Parent
          You're looking at it! I have already all but abandoned Reddit, except for two subreddits I moderate and feel responsible for. I now spend most of my social media / internet time on Tildes instead...

          What's your contingency plan if/when they decommission old reddit?

          You're looking at it!

          I have already all but abandoned Reddit, except for two subreddits I moderate and feel responsible for. I now spend most of my social media / internet time on Tildes instead of Reddit.

          (I'm not frickindeal, but I felt like sharing regardless.)

          8 votes
        2. [4]
          starchturrets
          Link Parent
          I’m not the guy you’re talking to, but if reddit ever kills old.reddit.com, despite having outright said it’ll be around for a while, then they would likely also lock down the API like Twitter did.

          I’m not the guy you’re talking to, but if reddit ever kills old.reddit.com, despite having outright said it’ll be around for a while, then they would likely also lock down the API like Twitter did.

          6 votes
          1. cfabbro
            (edited )
            Link Parent
            "It'll be around for a while" doesn't guarantee it will remain usable for long though. The new "original content" feature doesn't work with old.reddit and in fact forces the redesign on you even...

            "It'll be around for a while" doesn't guarantee it will remain usable for long though. The new "original content" feature doesn't work with old.reddit and in fact forces the redesign on you even if you have the redesign disabled as your default in your prefs. And I imagine none of the other new planned features will work with old.reddit either. So while it likely won't get outright shut down "for a while", it's already being deprecated and I suspect it'll basically just stop being usable for most things fairly quickly. And as you said, if/when they do finally shut it down, it's entirely possible they will just kill the API for third party mobile app developers as well. Though I guess that depends on how greedy they plan on being (or are forced in to being by their VC investors).

            5 votes
          2. [2]
            Parliament
            Link Parent
            Thanks for the info. To what extent did Twitter lock their API down, and what would that look like if reddit did the same? I hope they wouldn't make any changes to compromise all the third party...

            Thanks for the info. To what extent did Twitter lock their API down, and what would that look like if reddit did the same? I hope they wouldn't make any changes to compromise all the third party bots and tools that keep the site afloat. If my only choices are the redesign and their official app... ew.

            1 vote
            1. starchturrets
              Link Parent
              A quick search brings up this article: https://9to5mac.com/2018/08/07/twitter-api-change-tweetbot-twitterrific/ I’m guessing that new features won’t be incorporated into the API, much like how...

              To what extent did Twitter lock their API down,

              A quick search brings up this article: https://9to5mac.com/2018/08/07/twitter-api-change-tweetbot-twitterrific/

              Core functionality like access to your timeline and the ability to post tweets will remain, but several basic features will be limited or removed. Alerts for mentions and direct messages in third-party apps are expected to be delayed, and timeline streaming which populates your timeline with new tweets in real time is expected to go away.

              and what would that look like if reddit did the same?

              I’m guessing that new features won’t be incorporated into the API, much like how old.reddit doesn’t have feature parity with the redesign. Existing features will also be less and less supported on third party apps. Maybe notifications will also be delayed. Maybe they’ll force ads into the feed.

              If my only choices are the redesign and their official app... ew.

              Well, there’s still i.reddit.com...

              3 votes
        3. frickindeal
          Link Parent
          If they lock down the API, I would still go there for two things: my local sports teams, and one subreddit I mod that I happen to like, despite its lack of traffic. Other than that, I could be...

          If they lock down the API, I would still go there for two things: my local sports teams, and one subreddit I mod that I happen to like, despite its lack of traffic. Other than that, I could be done with that site and not miss a whole lot. I already don't use the site much at this point.

          4 votes
    2. [2]
      annadane
      Link Parent
      And there's absolutely no way to effectively call out corporate lies like "improving user experience". If you tell them their idea sucks they'll ignore it and reply to the one person who praised...

      And there's absolutely no way to effectively call out corporate lies like "improving user experience". If you tell them their idea sucks they'll ignore it and reply to the one person who praised the decision to do whatever the thing was.

      7 votes
      1. frickindeal
        Link Parent
        I pushed the stone up that proverbial hill for far too long before realizing exactly that. Valid, good-faith arguments are ignored, but the one guy who sort of seems to maybe agree with what...

        I pushed the stone up that proverbial hill for far too long before realizing exactly that. Valid, good-faith arguments are ignored, but the one guy who sort of seems to maybe agree with what they're doing gets a reply from the admin, usually in the form of a meme or gif. I'm done trying to interact with them when they know their end-goal, and just ignore any criticism at all while claiming "we're getting better."

        5 votes
    3. [2]
      munche
      Link Parent
      "They tell us it's about improving the user experience and going back to the site's roots, but it's actually about getting and retaining eyeballs... " Yeah, so? Are those goals mutually exclusive?...

      "They tell us it's about improving the user experience and going back to the site's roots, but it's actually about getting and retaining eyeballs... "

      Yeah, so? Are those goals mutually exclusive? They are more successful if you're more engaged with the site, you're more engaged if they improve the user experience.

      1 vote
      1. Algernon_Asimov
        Link Parent
        They're not mutually exclusive, but motive matters. If your goal is to improve user experience and only incidentally increase advertising exposure, you'll take a different direction than if your...

        They're not mutually exclusive, but motive matters. If your goal is to improve user experience and only incidentally increase advertising exposure, you'll take a different direction than if your goal is to increase advertising exposure via the method of improving user experience.

        There's a significant number of people who have stated that the redesign is not improving their user experience. This makes one wonder just whose user experience is being improved by these changes. What types of user is Reddit trying to engage and retain?

        5 votes
  3. [5]
    trazac
    Link
    I like the idea of this change, but I'm hesitant to believe it will work. Call me cynical, but I don't think most redditors want any amount of discussion. I'll further posit that most fall prey to...

    I like the idea of this change, but I'm hesitant to believe it will work. Call me cynical, but I don't think most redditors want any amount of discussion. I'll further posit that most fall prey to group think. I know I did for a while when I first joined reddit.

    I think the modality of discussion oriented content involves small groups and is unlike the modality of predominantly image board type content.

    16 votes
    1. [2]
      alyaza
      Link Parent
      i don't think it's especially cynical. reddit's high quality discussions aren't what's building the platform anymore and haven't been for years. they're a nice side addition, but if most redditors...

      Call me cynical, but I don't think most redditors want any amount of discussion

      i don't think it's especially cynical. reddit's high quality discussions aren't what's building the platform anymore and haven't been for years. they're a nice side addition, but if most redditors were interested in high quality discussions, that would presumably not necessitate an algorithmic change in the first place.

      14 votes
      1. trazac
        Link Parent
        I think this is an important point to make. It's telling that this style of content has to be further promoted in the first place. I would say that /r/Popular is still pretty new, though, so...

        that would presumably not necessitate an algorithmic change in the first place.

        I think this is an important point to make. It's telling that this style of content has to be further promoted in the first place. I would say that /r/Popular is still pretty new, though, so tweaking the algorithm to help serve different types of content isn't particularly odd.

        2 votes
    2. Wes
      Link Parent
      Sadly, I agree. They've been rewarding low-effort content for years. The voting algorithm has always rewarded quick memes, and the new default layout (as Deimos mentions) also emphasizes large...

      Call me cynical, but I don't think most redditors want any amount of discussion.

      Sadly, I agree. They've been rewarding low-effort content for years. The voting algorithm has always rewarded quick memes, and the new default layout (as Deimos mentions) also emphasizes large images.

      I'd love to see more emphasis put on discussions, but it feels like too late for that. You can't remove milk from tea after pouring.

      4 votes
    3. StellarV
      Link Parent
      Honestly this might backfire and bring in a bunch of trolls and people that derail the discussion since it would be so visible to casual redditors.

      Honestly this might backfire and bring in a bunch of trolls and people that derail the discussion since it would be so visible to casual redditors.

      2 votes
  4. [7]
    Jimmni
    Link
    I've had a reddit account for 10 years, and was on the site for a while before that. I adored early reddit. It was, frankly, an amazing place to be and an amazing thing to be part of. I suspect...

    I've had a reddit account for 10 years, and was on the site for a while before that. I adored early reddit. It was, frankly, an amazing place to be and an amazing thing to be part of. I suspect what I'm about to say is going to be familiar to a lot of users here, as people have presumably come here looking to regain what made that early reddit so great. That said... I'm really starting to dislike reddit. The changes to the interface are bad but not why. In the early days, the comments were full of actual discussions. Interesting, well considered comments. Genuine exchanges of ideas. People respected the opinions of others even when they didn't agree with them.

    The downvote button has always been a "disagree" button, in effect, but now it's like it's been weaponised. Write a comment that goes against the site's or sub's collective view on a matter and you're downvoted into oblivion, even if you're raising interesting points relevant to the discussion. This means there essentially is no discussion, most of the time. There is no challenging of ideas because those challenges just get downvoted too fast to enter the discussion. The us vs them tribalism that is spreading rapidly throughout the world is condensed and concentrated on reddit now. I used to enjoy reading the comments because I'd be reading the thoughts of people clearly smarter than me, who knew more about the topic than I did. And I'd mostly agree with the top rated comments. Now I feel more often like I'm reading a comment written by a troll, yet everyone agrees with them and I'm left wondering how.

    Makes me sad. Makes me wonder how well this is going to go for reddit.

    13 votes
    1. [6]
      Askme_about_penguins
      Link Parent
      I only discovered Reddit 2 years ago . Yet I have the same “I miss old Reddit” sentiment. And I went through the same evolution you described. I wonder how much of this is the site getting worse...

      I only discovered Reddit 2 years ago . Yet I have the same “I miss old Reddit” sentiment. And I went through the same evolution you described.

      I wonder how much of this is the site getting worse (which it definitely has) and how much it's us becoming familiar with the workings of the community and, specially, its faults; to the extent that we now see something rotten in the things we used to like when we first joined.

      Like, when you first join, and you start to slowly, but steadily discover new subreddits, memes, jokes... And everyone seems so funny or like they know what they're talking about. But then, once you've spent a while, you see that 99% of the people there are just repeating the same jokes, memes, puns, subreddits, references and arguments over and over and over. There comes a time where you can even predict the comments you'll receive as replies. That's how extremely unoriginal Reddit can get.

      Plus, you also acquaintance yourself with the overall feelings of the community regarding certain issues. And you just know there's no discussion to be had regarding certain topics, because of the reasons you already mentioned. And, even if you do agree with the general community's opinion, it is very frustrating knowing that other opinions don't stand a chance. And this isn't about politics, necessarily; it applies to absolutely every aspect.

      But of course, you didn't know this when you first joined, that's why you liked it back then.

      7 votes
      1. [5]
        Jimmni
        Link Parent
        Just be glad you missed the endless fucking pun threads.

        Just be glad you missed the endless fucking pun threads.

        3 votes
        1. cfabbro
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          I love a good pun, but reddit pretty much killed that for me, at least when it comes to seeing them in online comments. p.s. Some of the absolute best puns I have ever heard were by Colin Mochrie...

          I love a good pun, but reddit pretty much killed that for me, at least when it comes to seeing them in online comments.

          p.s. Some of the absolute best puns I have ever heard were by Colin Mochrie in the Weird Newscasters game on Whose Line Is It Anyway?

          Well-known mob hitman Johnny Two-Shoes admitted that he was once hired to kill a cow in a rice field using only two small porcelain figurines. Police reports indicate that this is the only known incident of a Knick-Knack Paddy Whack.

          Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, dead at 53. Over Barcelona today, the famed reindeer was hit by a flock of seagulls and a 747. Eyewitnesses report, that the reindeer in Spain was hit mainly by the plane.

          Famous Playboy Hugh Hefner managed to successfully stop an order of monks from operating a business on his property. The police forced the friars to close down their stall, which was outside the Playboy mansion where they had been selling flowers. Said one friar, well, if it was anyone else we may have gotten away with it, but unfortunately only Hugh can prevent florist friars.

          Colin is the King of puns and clever wordplay.

          5 votes
        2. cain
          Link Parent
          Or the days of spiderman threads.

          Or the days of spiderman threads.

          2 votes
        3. [2]
          Algernon_Asimov
          Link Parent
          The pun threads are still happening now. They're not a phenomenon of the past.

          The pun threads are still happening now. They're not a phenomenon of the past.

          2 votes
          1. Jimmni
            Link Parent
            For a while literally every top comment on every post on reddit (and that's a real literally, not an exaggeration) was a thread of puns. Every post. Every top comment. Every day. It was tiresome....

            For a while literally every top comment on every post on reddit (and that's a real literally, not an exaggeration) was a thread of puns. Every post. Every top comment. Every day. It was tiresome. There may be pun threads now but it's nothing like it used to be.

            3 votes
  5. [5]
    Wren
    Link
    Reddit used to be marketed as "the front page of the Internet". As in, not really its own thing, but an aggregator for cool things from around the Internet. Closer to StumbleUpon than Tumblr. Now...

    Reddit used to be marketed as "the front page of the Internet". As in, not really its own thing, but an aggregator for cool things from around the Internet. Closer to StumbleUpon than Tumblr. Now that niche is kind of empty. The Internet is clustering around a few big sites nowadays with no regard for the explorative spirit there used to be.

    7 votes
    1. [4]
      Octofox
      Link Parent
      You can see with the redesign they really don't want you leaving the website now. there is a tiny little 20x50px spot at the bottom of the post that takes you to the linked post and clicking...

      You can see with the redesign they really don't want you leaving the website now. there is a tiny little 20x50px spot at the bottom of the post that takes you to the linked post and clicking anywhere else on the post including the title which used to take you to the link now takes you to the comments.

      4 votes
      1. [3]
        Parliament
        Link Parent
        One infuriating example of this is v.redd.it. It's so bloated and loads the comment thread if you click a link.

        One infuriating example of this is v.redd.it. It's so bloated and loads the comment thread if you click a link.

        6 votes
        1. alyaza
          Link Parent
          ...to say nothing of the fact that it doesn't really embed anywhere to my knowledge (presumably by design) so for now at least, you have to actively click through anywhere someone links to it...

          ...to say nothing of the fact that it doesn't really embed anywhere to my knowledge (presumably by design) so for now at least, you have to actively click through anywhere someone links to it rather than being able to just play it through embeds (and thus i assume in theory intends to drive clicks and ad revenue from people who might otherwise not use or check reddit).

          6 votes
        2. Octofox
          Link Parent
          I kind of understand the redirect because they don't want people hotlinking but they also make it hard to download and rehost so I have to use youtube-dl to get the content.

          I kind of understand the redirect because they don't want people hotlinking but they also make it hard to download and rehost so I have to use youtube-dl to get the content.

          3 votes
  6. [3]
    tunneljumper
    Link
    This has me thinking back to old reddit (like before-subreddits-were-a-thing old) and I start to wonder, I'd be interested to see some data on the average age of accounts now vs. average age from,...

    This has me thinking back to old reddit (like before-subreddits-were-a-thing old) and I start to wonder, I'd be interested to see some data on the average age of accounts now vs. average age from, say, five years ago i.e. how many people from older versions of reddit are sticking around for the newer versions.

    6 votes
    1. [2]
      StellarV
      Link Parent
      I'm not sure how accurate that would be. I've gone through a few accounts over the years.

      I'm not sure how accurate that would be. I've gone through a few accounts over the years.

      6 votes
      1. tunneljumper
        Link Parent
        True, I've done the same thing, but I don't know how common that is though.

        True, I've done the same thing, but I don't know how common that is though.

        2 votes
  7. witchbitch
    Link
    I will say that I think this change is generally good, because the issue is that many newer users have never really SEEN the old reddit and so their view on its culture is shaped by how they...

    I will say that I think this change is generally good, because the issue is that many newer users have never really SEEN the old reddit and so their view on its culture is shaped by how they perceive it, and their view on the culture SHAPES the culture. It's a very cyclical situation but that's how populations work. This may help prevent issues of bot predomination.

    4 votes
  8. [4]
    cain
    Link
    I have never really used /r/popular so I might have to take a look. Over the past year or so I've pretty much only used /r/all as the home feed is actual garbage IMO and I never seem to be happy...

    I have never really used /r/popular so I might have to take a look.

    Over the past year or so I've pretty much only used /r/all as the home feed is actual garbage IMO and I never seem to be happy when I see my home feed and how it's sorted, I wish they'd fix that before /r/popular.

    If /r/popular looks good I might have to switch that to my default browsing experience.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. cain
        Link Parent
        Yeah and if I could change default back to hot I would, best is absolutely not 'best' . . . at the moment a post that's a few hours old on /r/redesign with 4 points is in the top 5 of my home...

        Yeah and if I could change default back to hot I would, best is absolutely not 'best' . . . at the moment a post that's a few hours old on /r/redesign with 4 points is in the top 5 of my home feed.

        I could bookmark /hot i know but I'd really rather not.

        1 vote
    2. [2]
      Askme_about_penguins
      Link Parent
      I can't stand r/all. I need to limit my feed to a few hand picked subreddits that offer content I'm actually interested in. My home page works just fine. Maybe try using old.reddit.com? Or going...

      I can't stand r/all. I need to limit my feed to a few hand picked subreddits that offer content I'm actually interested in. My home page works just fine. Maybe try using old.reddit.com? Or going into preferences and disable “use the redesign as the default experience”?

      2 votes
      1. cain
        Link Parent
        No I actually like the redesign it has nothing to do with that. I rarely go anywhere besides the subreddit I moderate so its not really about the content I want to see I guess. I use r/all when...

        No I actually like the redesign it has nothing to do with that. I rarely go anywhere besides the subreddit I moderate so its not really about the content I want to see I guess. I use r/all when I'm looking for fluff, which is pretty rare these days. I just can't handle what content shows up on my home feed and how after you see the link it no longer appears on the home feed.

        2 votes
  9. [2]
    joelthelion
    Link
    I went to https://old.reddit.com/r/popular/ to check it out. I can't say I'm impressed. I can see why people would spend more time on that stuff: it's more controversial, somewhat deeper. But...

    I went to https://old.reddit.com/r/popular/ to check it out.

    I can't say I'm impressed. I can see why people would spend more time on that stuff: it's more controversial, somewhat deeper. But still not close to what I'd call quality.

    3 votes
    1. alyaza
      Link Parent
      i'd like to assume it'll gradually get "better" at what it's trying to do (or at least more comprehensive as they refine it) but i'm sure that sooner or later someone will find out how to game the...

      i'd like to assume it'll gradually get "better" at what it's trying to do (or at least more comprehensive as they refine it) but i'm sure that sooner or later someone will find out how to game the system to get lower quality content by whatever algorithms they're using now and it'll gradually turn into a war of attrition between people trying to find holes in the system and the admins trying to refine the algorithms so things like that don't happen, so i'm not entirely confident in that assumption.

      1 vote
  10. [4]
    MonkeyFeathers
    Link
    Is anyone using "popular"? Most of the time I'm on the home page and occasionally on /r/all. I just checked /r/popular for the first time ever and it seems to be about half the top posts from...

    Is anyone using "popular"? Most of the time I'm on the home page and occasionally on /r/all.

    I just checked /r/popular for the first time ever and it seems to be about half the top posts from /r/ireland and quite a few repeats from other Irish subs. Changing it to "everywhere" improves things, mainly because it's less monotonous, but I don't see a huge difference between it and /r/all.

    2 votes
    1. [2]
      Deimos
      Link Parent
      Popular is the default view for logged-out users. It's by far the most used view of the site overall, and represents what a lot of people think "reddit" is, because they don't necessarily even...

      Popular is the default view for logged-out users. It's by far the most used view of the site overall, and represents what a lot of people think "reddit" is, because they don't necessarily even realize there are subreddits or that you can subscribe to anything if you register.

      11 votes
      1. MonkeyFeathers
        Link Parent
        I had no idea, thanks for explaining that. One difference I noticed just now is that r/popular while logged in and out is different. The logged in view is a country specific version of r/popular,...

        I had no idea, thanks for explaining that. One difference I noticed just now is that r/popular while logged in and out is different. The logged in view is a country specific version of r/popular, while logged out you get everything. In the US it even allows you to focus on a state when logged it.

        4 votes
    2. Archimedes
      Link Parent
      I personally use a heavily filtered /r/all where I blacklist the subs I don't want to see.

      I personally use a heavily filtered /r/all where I blacklist the subs I don't want to see.

      3 votes
  11. gibby
    Link
    Reddit is anti-discussion by nature of the way voting works. Another issue with Reddit that I would like to see Tildes address is the hierarchical post structure in topics. Seems to me that simply...

    Reddit is anti-discussion by nature of the way voting works.

    Another issue with Reddit that I would like to see Tildes address is the hierarchical post structure in topics. Seems to me that simply showing all posts as top level is superior as it puts every post on equal footing wrt visibility.

    1 vote
  12. [5]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. nothis
      Link Parent
      They probably don't want to share real numbers, I can kinda understand. They could have labeled 0 and percentages, though.

      They probably don't want to share real numbers, I can kinda understand. They could have labeled 0 and percentages, though.

      6 votes
    2. MonkeyFeathers
      Link Parent
      Deeply. "Here's some science graphs. Look at them, don't they look scientific?" I can sort of guess what's they're showing, but it's fairly pointless to include it in the post.

      Deeply. "Here's some science graphs. Look at them, don't they look scientific?"
      I can sort of guess what's they're showing, but it's fairly pointless to include it in the post.

      3 votes
    3. [2]
      Algernon_Asimov
      Link Parent
      But then people might expect values on those graphs. What value is being measured by the height of the bars in that histogram? What scale is the y-axis measured in? And how significant is the...

      And then proceeds to explain the axes and labels... Put the names on the graph if you're gonna explain them anyways.

      But then people might expect values on those graphs. What value is being measured by the height of the bars in that histogram? What scale is the y-axis measured in? And how significant is the difference between the heights in each group? I suspect there's a reason they don't want people seeing that aspect of the data.

      1 vote
      1. [2]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. Algernon_Asimov
          Link Parent
          But, as I said, adding labels would lead to an expectation of seeing values as well. People will accept a graph with no identifying information because it's consistent. But a graph with partial...

          But, as I said, adding labels would lead to an expectation of seeing values as well. People will accept a graph with no identifying information because it's consistent. But a graph with partial identifying information is inconsistent and makes it more obvious that someone is hiding something.

          Even the percentages would reveal something. What if the highest percentage on that histogram is only 10%? That would tell us that this change is being made on the basis of an algorithm which provides no significant change to the existing algorithm.

          There's a reason there are no labels or values on that graph. I don't know what it is. I only know that, when people hide something, there's a reason they don't want everyone seeing it.

          2 votes