Some subreddits could be paywalled, hints Reddit CEO - 9to5Mac
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Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has hinted that in future some subreddits could be paywalled, as the company seeks to devise...

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has hinted that in future some subreddits could be paywalled, as the company seeks to devise new sources of income.

He suggested that the company might experiment with paywalled subreddits as it looks to monetize new features. “I think the existing, altruistic, free version of Reddit will continue to exist and grow and thrive just the way it has,” Huffman said. “But now we will unlock the door for new use cases, new types of subreddits that can be built that may have exclusive content or private areas, things of that nature.”

This is another move likely to anger Redditors. While the platform is a commercial enterprise, its value derives almost entirely from freely offered user content. That means Redditors feel at least some sense of ownership in a community endeavour, so the company needs to tread carefully when it comes to monetization at user expense.

    • Erasmus@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      6 months ago

      Taking lessons from Elon.

      Maybe they need to charge users a monthly fee and add blue check marks. Lol

    • Art35ian@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      If you stick it out here for long enough, three things will change.

      1. You’ll begin to really like it here. It’s different but it grows on you, and it’s growing with its users.
      2. Your addiction to these noticeboard-type socials will dramatically reduce. There’s something about Lemmy that’s less addictive in a good way.
      3. You’ll eventually go back to Reddit and see it with new eyes, realising just how quickly it’s dying.
      • AVincentInSpace@pawb.socialEnglish
        0·
        6 months ago

        You’ll eventually go back to Reddit and see it with new eyes, realising just how quickly it’s dying.

        I don’t want to ruin the vibe for our newcomers, but… is it? Every subreddit I’ve subscribed to is an order of magnitude more active than all of the equivalent Lemmy communities spread across various instances put together, and from what I’ve read most Redditors remember the API blackouts as “that one time the moderators collectively had a tantrum” and they’re glad it’s over now, if indeed they remember it at all, and mentally group Lemmy in with Linux as that thing enthusiasts won’t shut up about, and yeah, maybe it’s better, for them. For goodness sake, half the content on Lemmy is reposts from Reddit. Don’t get me wrong, I hate spez with the fire of a thousand suns and I can’t wait to see more Redditors make the jump, I can’t help but think that the whole “Reddit is dying” narrative is just copium.

        • Art35ian@lemmy.worldEnglish
          01·
          6 months ago

          Well, I disagree. I didn’t touch Reddit for a year and finally went back about a month ago.

          • THE ADS. Fuck me, the ads now!

          • The corporate plug-ins. I had a legit, verified business comment on my post and then PM me after it.

          • The videos freeze more often than makes me comfortable clicking on them.

          • The pop-up trash now; “follow this”, “click here”, “did you know”, “ICYMI”. The U.I looks like Yahoo’s home page now.

          Is it dying? I don’t know. Is it exhibiting every square inch of desperation, turning the corner from what was once cool, to what is now every pixel monetised and sponsored? Yup!

  • PastryPaul@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    While I look forward to the continuing demise of Reddit, I’m not looking forward to the influx of even more Redditors.

      • Alborlin@lemmy.worldEnglish
        01·
        6 months ago

        I am.looking for more people who does not haate you because you don’t use Linux on Lemmy. Even the community where one can say Linux is not usable for everyday, till it stands on cruches of terminal to do anything and don’t have to get multiple down votes

        • blind3rdeye@lemm.eeEnglish
          0·
          6 months ago

          Hey man, you’re currently posting on lemmy - and bringing up linux totally out of context. Perhaps the problem is not ‘other people’.

          • Alborlin@lemmy.worldEnglish
            01·
            6 months ago

            On lemmybyes Linux is tech no ? Checknit out in any Lemmy community if you say Linux is anything but superior its a NO NO

  • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.worldEnglish
    01·
    6 months ago

    Now the IPO is done Reddit has to continually feed the investors at the expense of the quality of the thing that’s supposed to make money to feed the investors.

    This is gonna be fun.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    01·
    6 months ago

    …

    Wouldn’t the contributors to those subs just make a new one that’s not paywalled?

    Reddit is going to be asking users to pay to generate content on specific subs, but they’re forgetting again that the sub isn’t the important part, it’s the users.

    This would just fracture the biggest subs and destroy the communities.