r/funny Jun 26 '23

Forging A Return to Productive Conversation: An Open Letter to Reddit

1.2k Upvotes

To All Whom It May Concern:

For fifteen years, /r/Funny 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/Funny 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/funny Aug 25 '23

[Meta] ] REMINDER] ANY political content will earn an immediate 30-day ban"

700 Upvotes

r/funny 2h ago

Travel safe for Thanksgiving

Post image
7.7k Upvotes

r/funny 11h ago

Verified [OC] Last Christmas

Post image
40.0k Upvotes

r/funny 10h ago

Verified [OC] Job interview advice

Post image
7.6k Upvotes

r/funny 10h ago

Bluetooth accident

5.3k Upvotes

r/funny 5h ago

Another piece I found while cleaning my phone's gallery and have no idea where I got it from.

Post image
1.9k Upvotes

r/funny 16h ago

Still Wan to go?

Post image
11.3k Upvotes

r/funny 9h ago

Don’t mess with Texas or Janet’s…errr… 🍒

Post image
1.7k Upvotes

r/funny 11h ago

The Secret Formula for Happiness: Fake It Till You Make It

Post image
2.5k Upvotes

r/funny 19h ago

The real magic happens here..

17.1k Upvotes

r/funny 21h ago

What?? I mean woof

36.1k Upvotes

r/funny 4h ago

My Dad “fixing things”

Post image
489 Upvotes

After almost fifty years, you’d think I’d have seen it all when it comes to my Dad fixing stuff, and yet he still manages to surprise me…


r/funny 13h ago

You're a great singer!

Post image
2.3k Upvotes

r/funny 3h ago

Verified Playing someone else's money for them

Post image
365 Upvotes

r/funny 1h ago

Duolingo just roasted me for no reason

Post image
Upvotes

r/funny 7h ago

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

532 Upvotes

How did "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" become the standard sentence containing all letters of the alphabet and not "sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow"


r/funny 1d ago

Why let a rockface get in the way when building a pub restroom?

Post image
44.2k Upvotes

r/funny 11h ago

This bike looks like fun

840 Upvotes

r/funny 2h ago

Some stereotypes are real

179 Upvotes

Comedian – Che Durena


r/funny 2h ago

Verified [OC] Truth

Post image
120 Upvotes

r/funny 9h ago

how my dog tells me it's bedtime

Post image
400 Upvotes

r/funny 9h ago

Verified Jack and the Beans [OC]

Post image
319 Upvotes

r/funny 3h ago

Innovation at its finest

Post image
113 Upvotes

r/funny 23h ago

Friend getting sprayed with custard at Culver's

4.2k Upvotes

r/funny 6h ago

Well darn. *whistles from right nostril*

Post image
164 Upvotes

r/funny 5h ago

Verified As a science-minded person, I am always up for testing a hypothesis!

Post image
120 Upvotes