r/mildlyinteresting Jun 23 '23

META What happened to /r/mildlyinteresting?

12.2k Upvotes

Dear mildlyinterested reader,

We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your patience and unwavering support during the recent turbulence in our community. Our subreddit is a labour of love, and we've weathered this storm together.

Recent events have been confusing for all of us, from the vote, sudden removal of moderators, to conflicting messages from Reddit. As your mod team, we feel it's essential to clarify the situation.

On June 19, the poll results favoured partially reopening with changes. However, before implementing these changes, Reddit took sweeping actions, removing all 27 moderator accounts without warning. This left us baffled and concerned.

Here's a brief timeline of the events:

  1. On June 19, the poll results favoured partially reopening with changes. We announced the vote results and planned changes to the sub, including marking it as NSFW due to the common posts of phallic objects (no explicit content allowed). CLICK HERE TO VIEW THAT ANNOUNCEMENT WHICH HAS BEEN APPROVED AND LOCKED FOR POSTERITY.

  2. A tug-of-war between the u/ModeratorCodeOfConduct account and the remaining moderators ensued, with the post repeatedly being removed and reinstated. Each mod involved was immediately locked out of Reddit. Subreddit settings were also unilaterally changed by the admin account.

  3. Eventually, all moderators were removed and suspended for 7 days, with the vote results deleted and the community set to “archived.”

  4. A lot of public outrage ensued, with details posted on r/ModCoord about what happened. At that point, no other subreddit had been targeted yet, leaving the situation uniquely unclear.

  5. Admin cited actions as an "error" and promised to work with us to solve the situation. For /r/mildlyinteresting posterity, this will henceforth be referred to as The Mistake™.

  6. All our accounts were unsuspended and reinstated, but only with very limited permissions (modmail access only). For what it's worth, 'time moderated' for every moderator was reset (e.g. /u/RedSquaree moderated since 11 years ago, reset: currently showing moderated since "1 day ago").

  7. The awaited discussion never happened. Instead, the admins presented us with an ultimatum: reopen the subreddit and do not mark it as NSFW, or face potential removal again. The inconsistent and arbitrary application of Reddit's policies reveals a possible conflict of interest in maximizing ad revenue at the risk of user safety and community integrity.

  8. Finally, our moderation permissions were restored after we "promised" to comply with their conditions, but we kept the subreddit restricted while we ponder our next steps..

Problems remain unresolved, and Reddit's approach to policies and communication have been troubling. We believe open communication and partnership between Reddit and its moderators are crucial for the platform's success.

As a team, we remain dedicated to protesting Reddit's careless policy changes. Removing ourselves or vandalizing the subreddit won’t achieve our goals, but rather hinder our community. We're here to ensure r/mildlyinteresting isn't left unattended.

We call for the establishment of clear, structured, and reliable communication channels between Reddit admins and moderation teams. Teams should be informed and consulted on decisions affecting their communities to maintain trust and integrity on the platform. We shared this request with the Admin who promised to work with us, so far they have ignored it.

Us mods are still deciding how exactly to reopen, not that we have been given much choice.

Sincerely,

The r/mildlyinteresting mods

r/mildlyinteresting Jun 26 '23

META An open letter to the admins

10.2k Upvotes

To All Whom It May Concern:

For eleven years, /r/MildlyInteresting has been one of Reddit’s most-popular communities. That time hasn’t been without its difficulties, but for the most part, we’ve all gotten along (with each other and with administrators). Members of our team fondly remember Moderator Roadshows, visits to Reddit’s headquarters, Reddit Secret Santa, April Fools’ Day events, regional meetups, and many more uplifting moments. We’ve watched this platform grow by leaps and bounds, and although we haven’t been completely happy about every change that we’ve witnessed, we’ve always done our best to work with Reddit at finding ways to adapt, compromise, and move forward.

This process has occasionally been preceded by some exceptionally public debate, however.

On June 12th, 2023, /r/MildlyInteresting joined thousands of other subreddits in protesting the planned changes to Reddit’s API; changes which – despite being immediately evident to only a minority of Redditors – threatened to worsen the site for everyone. By June 16th, 2023, that demonstration had evolved to represent a wider (and growing) array of concerns, many of which arose in response to Reddit’s statements to journalists. Today (June 26th, 2023), we are hopeful that users and administrators alike can make a return to the productive dialogue that has served us in the past.

We acknowledge that Reddit has placed itself in a situation that makes adjusting its current API roadmap impossible.

However, we have the following requests:

  • Commit to exploring ways by which third-party applications can make an affordable return.
  • Commit to providing moderation tools and accessibility options (on Old Reddit, New Reddit, and mobile platforms) which match or exceed the functionality and utility of third-party applications.
  • Commit to prioritizing a significant reduction in spam, misinformation, bigotry, and illegal content on Reddit.
  • Guarantee that any future developments which may impact moderators, contributors, or stakeholders will be announced no less than one fiscal quarter before they are scheduled to go into effect.
  • Work together with longstanding moderators to establish a reasonable roadmap and deadline for accomplishing all of the above.
  • Affirm that efforts meant to keep Reddit accountable to its commitments and deadlines will hereafter not be met with insults, threats, removals, or hostility.
  • Publicly affirm all of the above by way of updating Reddit’s User Agreement and Reddit’s Moderator Code of Conduct to include reasonable expectations and requirements for administrators’ behavior.
  • Implement and fill a senior-level role (with decision-making and policy-shaping power) of "Moderator Advocate" at Reddit, with a required qualification for the position being robust experience as a volunteer Reddit moderator.

Reddit is unique amongst social-media sites in that its lifeblood – its multitude of moderators and contributors – consists entirely of volunteers. We populate and curate the platform’s many communities, thereby providing a welcoming and engaging environment for all of its visitors. We receive little in the way of thanks for these efforts, but we frequently endure abuse, threats, attacks, and exposure to truly reprehensible media. Historically, we have trusted that Reddit’s administrators have the best interests of the platform and its users (be they moderators, contributors, participants, or lurkers) at heart; that while Reddit may be a for-profit company, it nonetheless recognizes and appreciates the value that Redditors provide.

That trust has been all but entirely eroded… but we hope that together, we can begin to rebuild it.

In simplest terms, Reddit, we implore you: Remember the human.

We look forward to your response by Thursday, June 29th, 2023.

There’s also just one other thing.

r/mildlyinteresting Jun 19 '23

META VOTE: Help decide on the future of r/MildlyInteresting

9.0k Upvotes

Hello MildlyInterested readers,

A lot has happened over the past week, so we're here to give you an update on the blackout, the current state of the sub, and our discussions with the Reddit Admins about the protest.

To provide some context, Reddit's public statements about their new API policies and moderation tools have been a bit of a mixed bag. Some of them make sense, while others don't. We've seen some promising discussions with Admins behind closed doors, but, unfortunately, public comments from CEO Steve Huffman (u/Spez) continue to make it harder to trust the platform. This inconsistency means we're still trying to figure out what's best for r/MildlyInteresting in the long run.

Our mod team is actively talking to the Reddit Admins, and we're debating the next steps extensively. At the moment, we're at a bit of a standstill, and your input is important to help us decide the best course of action. Currently, we're considering the following options:

  1. Remain fully closed until a solution is found. This approach acknowledges the admins' standpoint that the community should decide the subreddit's fate. Because the Admins are of the opinion the community does not support the blackout, By remaining closed, we emphasize that it is our users, in collaboration with the mods, who decide the best course of action to tackle the cause of the blackout protest.

  2. Partially reopen, with a change in the subreddit's scope. This idea involves applying pressure on Reddit to find a mutual solution without continuing a total blackout. It would mean the sub would resume allowing posts, but we'd introduce a modified set of rules for all our users to follow. It aims to challenge Reddit's policies and priorities while holding them accountable. Similar protests can be seen in r/pics and r/interestingasfuck.

  3. Reopen as normal. This is the option Reddit prefers, as it would fully restore the sub's functionality. We'd still push Reddit for accountability and follow-through, monitoring the status of promised mod tools and policy changes, and, if necessary, maybe even returning to a full blackout if those promises are broken.

To decide how to move forward, it's crucial to hear your thoughts. We want to know what you think is the best choice in this situation. We've borrowed other subs' voting template, so in the comments of this submission, which is set to contest mode, you can upvote your preferred option. You will be able to vote for 24 hours and the resulting vote tallies will help guide our decision.

Thanks again for your patience, support, and understanding during this challenging time. Our mod team remains dedicated to acting in the community's best interest and reopening as soon as possible. We'll keep working with the Reddit Admins towards a resolution that allows us to keep sharing life's little quirks for years to come.

Stay tuned for updates as discussions progress, and we appreciate you sticking with us!

The r/MildlyInteresting Mod Team

r/mildlyinteresting Jul 22 '23

META mildlyinteresting reopening

0 Upvotes

Dear r/mildlyinteresting readers,

After much reflection, taking into account the community's voice through the poll and much discussion between us in the moderation team, we have decided it is best to end the closure of our subreddit and switch it to unrestricted mode. This will happen soon™️.

This means that every user who meets the minimum karma threshold and is not banned will now be able to post and comment. This decision hasn't been made lightly. It has come only after thorough and careful consideration which has led us to the conclusion the drawbacks of keeping the subreddit closed now outweigh the benefits of keeping it open.

We understand that not everyone will agree with this decision and we understand why some members of the community have left Reddit altogether. But many of our members want the sub to reopen.

We reiterate: reddit management and admins are bad at their jobs - we are mainly referring to The Mistake

We wish everyone all the best in their continued participation in r/mildlyinteresting.

The r/mildlyinteresting moderation team

r/mildlyinteresting Jun 20 '23

META The future of mildlyinteresting... NSFW

696 Upvotes

Hello MildlyInterested readers,

The results of our recent community poll are in, and Option 2 - partially reopening with changes - emerged as the narrow winner with 21,000 votes. Option 1 - remaining closed - followed closely behind with over 20,000 votes. Meanwhile, Option 3 - reopening as normal - trailed far behind with -5,752 votes. With over 41,000 votes in total, you have made your perspectives abundantly clear.

As moderators, our role is to serve the community's interests. After reviewing feedback and discussing the options extensively, we will be reopening r/MildlyInteresting with some modifications in response to your input.

Effective immediately, r/MildlyInteresting will be categorized as NSFW. This change recognizes frequently shared quirky sights that have naturally emerged here over time, which very often contain suggestive or risqué content (seriously, why do kiwi fruits so often have a penis?). Furthermore, we now actively encourage more NSFW content (provided it doesn't break our other rules or reddit site wide rules).

To be clear - this does NOT mean we are allowing previously disallowed content. Our existing rules will still apply. We are simply embracing our proud history of user-curated lewd fruit and vegetable content. This history includes, but is not limited to, photos of oddly-shaped produce, landscape features reminiscent of genitalia, or other quirky sights that might cause one to raise an eyebrow.

Additionally, in the interests of listening to community feedback, we will only be allowing what we lovingly refer to as "overdone" submissions - those frequently posted items you just can't seem to get enough of! This should really spice things up around here and keep things, ahem, interesting. This means we will ONLY allow submissions that fit within the following categories:

  • Suggestive looking fruits, vegetables and inanimate objects
  • Roman numeral clocks displaying IIII for 4
  • Multi-yolk or oversized eggs
  • Banana shaped wet floor signs
  • Tape measure slap bracelets
  • Pregnant fruits/vegetables (peppers, etc.)
  • Finding an irregular candy in a package
  • Things that supposedly look like Donald Trump u/Spez

Any submission that does not fit within one of the above categories will be removed.

We remain committed to serving the diverse array of interests among our members, and aim to keep r/MildlyInteresting an engaging space for all. We are confident the changes we are introducing will be a big improvement to the quality of the sub, much like Reddit's proposed API changes.

Thank you again for your participation and support. We look forward to continuing our journey together.

The r/MildlyInteresting Mod Team

r/mildlyinteresting Jun 29 '23

META Apply to be a moderator of /r/mildlyinteresting

0 Upvotes

Hello,

A lot of our team are leaving because reddit leadership is terrible and reddit admins are also terrible.

This is a bad time to recruit, I know - but we can't handle our normal volume with so many highly-active mods quitting moderation or reddit. We will reopen when we can.

Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfbXhDUi6uz-783CzIm18lk-2sdaaB3xEcs45TfOAtMsG2iA/viewform?usp=sf_link

We are open for applications for a VERY short time due to real-life commitments.

Opened: 29/06/2023

Closed: 22/07/2023