I realize that "best of the web" isn't a hard and fast rule... August 20, 2013 1:36 PM Subscribe
... But how is a reddit thread worthy of an FPP?
I think potomac ave and gjc's comments sum up a good portion of my issues with this from a content perspective.
Because seriously, how is a comment thread that's likely full of mostly made up rage-bait, "i had this one experience therefor one data point is enough to condemn this entire XYZ", and stuff that's just obviously pandering to a specific belief if not "the best of the web", even of the quality i'd expect from a decent FPP?
There's some interesting stuff in there, but i have an issue with linking to any content directly on reddit. It's one thing to link to things you discovered on or because of reddit, but the site itself is arguably as bad as if not worse than 4chan.
So what i'm asking here though, is am i the only one who thinks that a reddit thread doesn't really clear the bar as an FPP? and especially a "share your stories guys! we'll only downvote or call out the ones that don't fit our world view!" type thread?
If you want to read reddit posts, go over to reddit. Threads like this bubble to the top quite frequently. This is kinda my other big issues with this. Part of the reason that i like MeFi over other sites is that they aren't those other sites. Why bring that crap over here?
Am i completely off base here?
I think potomac ave and gjc's comments sum up a good portion of my issues with this from a content perspective.
Because seriously, how is a comment thread that's likely full of mostly made up rage-bait, "i had this one experience therefor one data point is enough to condemn this entire XYZ", and stuff that's just obviously pandering to a specific belief if not "the best of the web", even of the quality i'd expect from a decent FPP?
There's some interesting stuff in there, but i have an issue with linking to any content directly on reddit. It's one thing to link to things you discovered on or because of reddit, but the site itself is arguably as bad as if not worse than 4chan.
So what i'm asking here though, is am i the only one who thinks that a reddit thread doesn't really clear the bar as an FPP? and especially a "share your stories guys! we'll only downvote or call out the ones that don't fit our world view!" type thread?
If you want to read reddit posts, go over to reddit. Threads like this bubble to the top quite frequently. This is kinda my other big issues with this. Part of the reason that i like MeFi over other sites is that they aren't those other sites. Why bring that crap over here?
Am i completely off base here?
There's some interesting stuff in there
That is pretty much why it's worthy of an FPP. Reddit is a toilet, don't get me wrong, but the thread had interesting stuff in it, and I read some of it, and that was that. It wasn't perfect but it was a pleasant enough diversion.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 1:40 PM on August 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
That is pretty much why it's worthy of an FPP. Reddit is a toilet, don't get me wrong, but the thread had interesting stuff in it, and I read some of it, and that was that. It wasn't perfect but it was a pleasant enough diversion.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 1:40 PM on August 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
Basically, reddit is a thing on the internet, and sometimes people think that a piece of what's on it is interesting in a way that merits a post.
This is not to say that I am in love with that post, and I often don't agree so much with the "this is really interesting and post-worthy" angle on reddit-based posts (and sometimes I even delete 'em if they seem like they actionably stink), but that's the case for a lot of stuff, and de gustibus and all that. A bit of a roundup or "look at this interesting/weird/discussable thing" post about content on another site is a normal part of the mix of stuff that's shown up on Mefi over the years.
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:42 PM on August 20, 2013
This is not to say that I am in love with that post, and I often don't agree so much with the "this is really interesting and post-worthy" angle on reddit-based posts (and sometimes I even delete 'em if they seem like they actionably stink), but that's the case for a lot of stuff, and de gustibus and all that. A bit of a roundup or "look at this interesting/weird/discussable thing" post about content on another site is a normal part of the mix of stuff that's shown up on Mefi over the years.
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:42 PM on August 20, 2013
Because sometimes a reddit thread is a damned sight more interesting than some of the other stuff that gets posted here. This one was definitely worth a read.
posted by Decani at 1:54 PM on August 20, 2013 [26 favorites]
posted by Decani at 1:54 PM on August 20, 2013 [26 favorites]
reddit is a toilet, don't get me wrong, but the thread had interesting stuff in it, and I read some of it, and that was that.
reddit?
posted by Foci for Analysis at 1:59 PM on August 20, 2013
reddit?
posted by Foci for Analysis at 1:59 PM on August 20, 2013
... But how is a reddit thread worthy of an FPP?
If it's REALLY interesting.
posted by Artw at 2:06 PM on August 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
If it's REALLY interesting.
posted by Artw at 2:06 PM on August 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
I liked that thread. I don't generally go to reddit myself since it's such a mess so I appreciate when someone finds something there worth reading.
posted by octothorpe at 2:08 PM on August 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 2:08 PM on August 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
Mod note: Nixed a didn't-need-to-be-there link from the post text.
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:15 PM on August 20, 2013
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:15 PM on August 20, 2013
FAMOUS MONSTER: "Reddit is a toilet, don't get me wrong"
But sometimes it is a fascinating Japanese bidet with colored lights, a heated seat and pleasant soundtrack.
posted by boo_radley at 2:15 PM on August 20, 2013 [18 favorites]
But sometimes it is a fascinating Japanese bidet with colored lights, a heated seat and pleasant soundtrack.
posted by boo_radley at 2:15 PM on August 20, 2013 [18 favorites]
People are enjoying that thread, and they can judge the credibility of the content for themselves. I'm not sure reddit posters are all that much less believable than the blustering Slate/AV Club/Atlantic/Jezebel columnists and other random bloggers that get posted here with regularity.
Also, reddit has 70 million unique users a month. It's highly heterogeneous. Linking to one of the many shitty things that happen there is a bit like linking to the story of that Greyhound bus beheading to argue that we shouldn't post anything by Canadians.
posted by dontjumplarry at 2:18 PM on August 20, 2013 [9 favorites]
Also, reddit has 70 million unique users a month. It's highly heterogeneous. Linking to one of the many shitty things that happen there is a bit like linking to the story of that Greyhound bus beheading to argue that we shouldn't post anything by Canadians.
posted by dontjumplarry at 2:18 PM on August 20, 2013 [9 favorites]
MetaFilter: The Plastic.com reddit it's okay to like.
posted by entropicamericana at 2:23 PM on August 20, 2013 [9 favorites]
posted by entropicamericana at 2:23 PM on August 20, 2013 [9 favorites]
Also that thread brought us Greg Nog's awesome comment and I think the ends justify the means.
posted by no regrets, coyote at 2:24 PM on August 20, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by no regrets, coyote at 2:24 PM on August 20, 2013 [6 favorites]
I will admit that greg nogs comment is one of the best things i've ever read on this site, and possibly the entire internet. It's a bit of a tentpole that props up the entire thread, honestly.
"Fiction Bird" being capitalized just about made me pee myself.
posted by emptythought at 2:25 PM on August 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
"Fiction Bird" being capitalized just about made me pee myself.
posted by emptythought at 2:25 PM on August 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
So what i'm asking here though, is am i the only one who thinks that a reddit thread doesn't really clear the bar as an FPP?
If I remember correctly, there was an FPP consisting solely of a link to a youtube video of a pug running up some stairs.
What is bar? Where is bar? How is bar formed?
This is not to detract from that FPP at all. That FPP was an excellent use of the internet.
posted by phunniemee at 2:30 PM on August 20, 2013 [7 favorites]
If I remember correctly, there was an FPP consisting solely of a link to a youtube video of a pug running up some stairs.
What is bar? Where is bar? How is bar formed?
This is not to detract from that FPP at all. That FPP was an excellent use of the internet.
posted by phunniemee at 2:30 PM on August 20, 2013 [7 favorites]
So people complain that it's too hard to find to find interesting content on Reddit. So someone finds and shares that interesting content and people complain about that, too.
posted by girlmightlive at 2:31 PM on August 20, 2013 [12 favorites]
posted by girlmightlive at 2:31 PM on August 20, 2013 [12 favorites]
phunniemee: "If I remember correctly, there was an FPP consisting solely of a link to a youtube video of a pug running up some stairs. "
It was no Unicorn Pug in the Garden
posted by zarq at 2:34 PM on August 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
It was no Unicorn Pug in the Garden
posted by zarq at 2:34 PM on August 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
AskReddit is pretty fascinating too. The popular questions get thousands of answers and comments on those answers. It's a pretty big rabbit hole.
posted by smackfu at 2:35 PM on August 20, 2013
posted by smackfu at 2:35 PM on August 20, 2013
NOTHING THAT LEADS TO YOURSELF TO BIRD TRUTH IS BAD
posted by The Whelk at 2:40 PM on August 20, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 2:40 PM on August 20, 2013 [4 favorites]
If it hadn't been for that thread I would be downloading pirated movies at a much slower speed than I am today. Thanks Metafilter!
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 2:51 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 2:51 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
EXCUSE YOU there were four videos.
Lookitemgo
posted by griphus at 2:52 PM on August 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
Lookitemgo
posted by griphus at 2:52 PM on August 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
If I remember correctly, there was an FPP consisting solely of a link to a youtube video of a pug running up some stairs.
SLYTs of cute animals have always been an exception to any sort of rule because, well, cats and little dogs and such and cuteness and (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ
posted by emptythought at 2:54 PM on August 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
SLYTs of cute animals have always been an exception to any sort of rule because, well, cats and little dogs and such and cuteness and (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ
posted by emptythought at 2:54 PM on August 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
FAMOUS MONSTER: "Reddit is a toilet, don't get me wrong..."
Hey, now. That's unfair. People do a lot of good thinking on toilets.
posted by brundlefly at 3:36 PM on August 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
Hey, now. That's unfair. People do a lot of good thinking on toilets.
posted by brundlefly at 3:36 PM on August 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
Linking to one of the many shitty things that happen there is a bit like linking to the story of that Greyhound bus beheading to argue that we shouldn't post anything by Canadians.
And linking to askscience and askhistorians to go "look at how good some of the subsections of this site are content and contributor wise!" is a bit disingenuous too.
A lot of shitty posts and things presented as definitive truth get spewed in askreddit, and it isn't moderated much of at all. I get the "people can judge the veracity of the post for themselves" argument, but i also think that super mixed bag stuff is questionable as content. The various subreddits of the site vary so much they might as well be separate websites with nearly separate communities. Reddit itself is bordering on a hosting platform with a common login for commenting, like tumblr or blogger or something. I realize that by my argument my link was a bad example since i was painting the whole site with a broad brush, but that's one of the reasons i agreed with cortex it should be removed.
That thread is absolutely full of posts like this, this, and especially this one which hits that internet commenter erogenous zone of "lol america is evil" where someone speaks as if their limited experience is some universal truth about their line of work, and is quickly refuted with a "what? that isn't true in my experience" or ten in the replies.
Reddit is worse as a primary source than wikipedia, and when stuff is being presented as "holy fuck look at this raw truth you didn't know" as the crux of the content it comes off as being on about the same level as one of those RE:RE:FWD OMG emails you get from your mum.
I guess you could argue that it's entirely for a laugh and entertainment value, and that the average(or even most) mefites will know better than to take it seriously... But i'm just uncomfortable with the way the reddit thread frames this stuff as some kind of TOP SEKRIT leak of info you'd never have when a lot of it is of super questionable veracity. In the end i'm just a bit uncomfortable with something we're supposed to take as pure entertainment value when in it's original context it was being presented entirely straight faced and serious.
Go ahead and stop me if this sounds like flatulence.
posted by emptythought at 3:38 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
And linking to askscience and askhistorians to go "look at how good some of the subsections of this site are content and contributor wise!" is a bit disingenuous too.
A lot of shitty posts and things presented as definitive truth get spewed in askreddit, and it isn't moderated much of at all. I get the "people can judge the veracity of the post for themselves" argument, but i also think that super mixed bag stuff is questionable as content. The various subreddits of the site vary so much they might as well be separate websites with nearly separate communities. Reddit itself is bordering on a hosting platform with a common login for commenting, like tumblr or blogger or something. I realize that by my argument my link was a bad example since i was painting the whole site with a broad brush, but that's one of the reasons i agreed with cortex it should be removed.
That thread is absolutely full of posts like this, this, and especially this one which hits that internet commenter erogenous zone of "lol america is evil" where someone speaks as if their limited experience is some universal truth about their line of work, and is quickly refuted with a "what? that isn't true in my experience" or ten in the replies.
Reddit is worse as a primary source than wikipedia, and when stuff is being presented as "holy fuck look at this raw truth you didn't know" as the crux of the content it comes off as being on about the same level as one of those RE:RE:FWD OMG emails you get from your mum.
I guess you could argue that it's entirely for a laugh and entertainment value, and that the average(or even most) mefites will know better than to take it seriously... But i'm just uncomfortable with the way the reddit thread frames this stuff as some kind of TOP SEKRIT leak of info you'd never have when a lot of it is of super questionable veracity. In the end i'm just a bit uncomfortable with something we're supposed to take as pure entertainment value when in it's original context it was being presented entirely straight faced and serious.
Go ahead and stop me if this sounds like flatulence.
posted by emptythought at 3:38 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
In the end i'm just a bit uncomfortable with something we're supposed to take as pure entertainment value when in it's original context it was being presented entirely straight faced and serious.
If this was a pure look-at-these-idiots post, it seems likely that it would've been deleted, as it seems like that's a fairly common deletion reason.
posted by box at 3:43 PM on August 20, 2013
If this was a pure look-at-these-idiots post, it seems likely that it would've been deleted, as it seems like that's a fairly common deletion reason.
posted by box at 3:43 PM on August 20, 2013
a bit like linking to the story of that Greyhound bus beheading to argue that we shouldn't post anything by Canadians.
Wait, wait, wait...Canadians are allowed to post here?
posted by yoink at 4:46 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Wait, wait, wait...Canadians are allowed to post here?
posted by yoink at 4:46 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Please, Canadians aren't allowed use of internet. It's in the international law charter.
posted by The Whelk at 5:06 PM on August 20, 2013
posted by The Whelk at 5:06 PM on August 20, 2013
I think potomac ave and gjc's comments sum up a good portion of my issues with this from a content perspective.
Then maybe favourite them or something and move on to another post you find more suitable to your interests
posted by Hoopo at 5:14 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Then maybe favourite them or something and move on to another post you find more suitable to your interests
posted by Hoopo at 5:14 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
My RSS feed shows me that many other sites that should know better have been going ladygaga over one particular item in that Reddit thread... yep, from the 'funeral home insider', while here, we had it mentioned AND we had MeFi's Own ColdChef give a strong and sincere professional counterpoint. And that justified having the post here for me.
I consider it solid evidence to me that when something on Reddit is screaming "LOOK AT ME" to the rest of the Web, MetaFilter does Reddit better than almost anybody.
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:25 PM on August 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
I consider it solid evidence to me that when something on Reddit is screaming "LOOK AT ME" to the rest of the Web, MetaFilter does Reddit better than almost anybody.
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:25 PM on August 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
Yes yes. Favorite those comments. Only do this. Do nothing else. Make another account and favorite them. Then we shall trade our precious favorites in for karma via the secret bbs exchange and rulllllles the reddits yesssss.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:32 PM on August 20, 2013
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:32 PM on August 20, 2013
The fact that bad posts hurt a site is a pretty fundamental concept of a good site. If the overall average quality of posts falls, the site becomes less appealing to both old and potential new users.
For me "You can just scroll past it" isn't a valid reason to allow posts that are not of the quality traditionally expected of this site. Yes I *can* scroll past it, but I'd rather see a good post in its place.
posted by drjimmy11 at 5:50 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
For me "You can just scroll past it" isn't a valid reason to allow posts that are not of the quality traditionally expected of this site. Yes I *can* scroll past it, but I'd rather see a good post in its place.
posted by drjimmy11 at 5:50 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Despite my disparaging comment in there I don't think the thread was that bad. If I did I would have flagged it and moved on.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:57 PM on August 20, 2013
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:57 PM on August 20, 2013
Maybe a single link to Reddit is an enh idea, but the conversation that it spawned here was lively and fun. Which seems to correct the balance.
Like how sometimes prize roses get fertilized with animal manure.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:03 PM on August 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
Like how sometimes prize roses get fertilized with animal manure.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:03 PM on August 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
It's got 81 favourites and 114 comments. Clearly a lot of people here liked it and it he stated discussion.
posted by Hoopo at 6:42 PM on August 20, 2013
posted by Hoopo at 6:42 PM on August 20, 2013
I viewed it as "I sifted through Reddit to find something of mild interest so you don't have to."
posted by tafetta, darling! at 6:48 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by tafetta, darling! at 6:48 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Am i completely off base here?
I disagree with you that a Reddit thread is inherently unworthy of an FPP. The list of sites that simply cannot be part of a successful post under any circumstances is vanishingly small. I agree that many parts of Reddit are problematic; that's why I'm not a member there. And not incidentally, that's why I'm grateful when MetaFilter surfaces the valuable parts for me. If you don't like a particular post, the rule, as always, is FLAG AND MOVE ON.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:49 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
I disagree with you that a Reddit thread is inherently unworthy of an FPP. The list of sites that simply cannot be part of a successful post under any circumstances is vanishingly small. I agree that many parts of Reddit are problematic; that's why I'm not a member there. And not incidentally, that's why I'm grateful when MetaFilter surfaces the valuable parts for me. If you don't like a particular post, the rule, as always, is FLAG AND MOVE ON.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:49 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
So if Fiamo is flag it and move on, then we are going to need a new acronym for favourite it and move on.
That thread is pretty much proof that Metafilter is the anti-reddit.
posted by marienbad at 7:09 PM on August 20, 2013
That thread is pretty much proof that Metafilter is the anti-reddit.
posted by marienbad at 7:09 PM on August 20, 2013
I really really don't get this anti-reddit snobbery at metafilter, or how even the people who defend it do so in a qualified way, like 'yeah much of it is a toilet BUT...'
Obviously reddit is a million times bigger and has a different moderation policy, so it's apples to oranges, but I've had no trouble picking the subreddits I'm interested in and avoiding the likes of violentacres and the other really ugly parts. And I've honestly read just as many insightful, smart and funny comments at reddit as I have at metafilter.
I mean can't there be TWO good sites on the internet that link to stuff? Jesus Christ. Every time I read anti reddit posturing here I spend more time on reddit.
posted by pete_22 at 7:18 PM on August 20, 2013 [11 favorites]
Obviously reddit is a million times bigger and has a different moderation policy, so it's apples to oranges, but I've had no trouble picking the subreddits I'm interested in and avoiding the likes of violentacres and the other really ugly parts. And I've honestly read just as many insightful, smart and funny comments at reddit as I have at metafilter.
I mean can't there be TWO good sites on the internet that link to stuff? Jesus Christ. Every time I read anti reddit posturing here I spend more time on reddit.
posted by pete_22 at 7:18 PM on August 20, 2013 [11 favorites]
Know what I really like about Metafilter? The fact that sometimes, even if the subject of a post is relatively thin, it can start some fascinating discussions. That is what keeps me coming back - not the link subjects, but the conversations Mefites have about them.
That thread may not be the best example of such a thing, but it's a good one. Full body flash suits and fire extinguishers on standby to change light bulbs? Plays requiring water to go against gravity? This is good stuff.
posted by cmyk at 7:55 PM on August 20, 2013
That thread may not be the best example of such a thing, but it's a good one. Full body flash suits and fire extinguishers on standby to change light bulbs? Plays requiring water to go against gravity? This is good stuff.
posted by cmyk at 7:55 PM on August 20, 2013
I will definitely conceded after reading that entire thread that while as material for a post i think it's a bit questionable, the comments that resulted from it are top notch.
posted by emptythought at 8:00 PM on August 20, 2013
posted by emptythought at 8:00 PM on August 20, 2013
but the site itself is arguably as bad as if not worse than 4chan.
Oh man. Reddit really needs to hire some publicists.
Worse than 4chan is really a stretch.
I think people vastly underestimate the size and scope of reddit.
According to Pew, 6% of American adults that use the Internet use reddit and According to reddit they had 71 million unique visitors in May. Surely not all 71 million people are monsters. Some of them may even be on metafilter.
posted by Ad hominem at 8:32 PM on August 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
Oh man. Reddit really needs to hire some publicists.
Worse than 4chan is really a stretch.
I think people vastly underestimate the size and scope of reddit.
According to Pew, 6% of American adults that use the Internet use reddit and According to reddit they had 71 million unique visitors in May. Surely not all 71 million people are monsters. Some of them may even be on metafilter.
posted by Ad hominem at 8:32 PM on August 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
That turned into a good thread despite the source material.
posted by arcticseal at 9:18 PM on August 20, 2013
posted by arcticseal at 9:18 PM on August 20, 2013
I mean can't there be TWO good sites on the internet that link to stuff? Jesus Christ. Every time I read anti reddit posturing here I spend more time on reddit.
For me, it's not an issue of whether reddit is interesting. I read it all the time. But I think that for posts that become interesting by virtue of its source material being true, the bar is set much, much higher for reddit than some other places (say, metafilter). I have no problem saying that a post might be interesting, while at the same time saying that it should also be vetted carefully before giving it equal attention.
posted by SpacemanStix at 9:37 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
For me, it's not an issue of whether reddit is interesting. I read it all the time. But I think that for posts that become interesting by virtue of its source material being true, the bar is set much, much higher for reddit than some other places (say, metafilter). I have no problem saying that a post might be interesting, while at the same time saying that it should also be vetted carefully before giving it equal attention.
posted by SpacemanStix at 9:37 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
I don't care about reddit FPPs here occasionally. I usually have already seen them anyway. What I 'm finding most amusing about this is that there is a Fark post citing an AOL article about the reddit thread.
I really really don't get this anti-reddit snobbery at metafilter.
Me either but as best as I've been able to tell, the feeling in mutual over there.
posted by fuse theorem at 10:06 PM on August 20, 2013
I really really don't get this anti-reddit snobbery at metafilter.
Me either but as best as I've been able to tell, the feeling in mutual over there.
posted by fuse theorem at 10:06 PM on August 20, 2013
Question: how many metafilter threads have been interesting enough to make the front page of reddit?
Me either but as best as I've been able to tell, the feeling in mutual over there.
I doubt that the vast majority of redditors even know metafilter exists.
posted by empath at 11:01 PM on August 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
Me either but as best as I've been able to tell, the feeling in mutual over there.
I doubt that the vast majority of redditors even know metafilter exists.
posted by empath at 11:01 PM on August 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
I really really don't get this anti-reddit snobbery at metafilter.
Threaded discussion at a place that isn't Usenet and upvoting. 'Nuff said.
posted by MartinWisse at 11:01 PM on August 20, 2013
Threaded discussion at a place that isn't Usenet and upvoting. 'Nuff said.
posted by MartinWisse at 11:01 PM on August 20, 2013
I doubt that the vast majority of redditors even know metafilter exists.
Didn't we used to have reddit vs Mefi trivia battles in London? Does that still happen?
posted by dontjumplarry at 11:16 PM on August 20, 2013
Didn't we used to have reddit vs Mefi trivia battles in London? Does that still happen?
posted by dontjumplarry at 11:16 PM on August 20, 2013
IIRC, that was against the /r/London subreddit. Which has only 19k subscribers making it very small. One of the most subscribed subreddits, /r/funny has about 4.2 million subscribers. That number may be deceptively large, as it is a default subreddit that new users start out subscribed to, but it gives some sense of the size of reddit.
It is so large the idea of a a trivia contest against reddit is somewhat meaningless. It's like a contest against San Fransisco and Oakland combined.
posted by Ad hominem at 11:47 PM on August 20, 2013
It is so large the idea of a a trivia contest against reddit is somewhat meaningless. It's like a contest against San Fransisco and Oakland combined.
posted by Ad hominem at 11:47 PM on August 20, 2013
...how is a reddit thread worthy of an FPP?
[snip]
There's some interesting stuff in there, ...
Reddit has become a synecdoche for the internet. I'm glad to have people put on their waders and extract the worthwhile content from there and elsewhere.
posted by vapidave at 12:06 AM on August 21, 2013
[snip]
There's some interesting stuff in there, ...
Reddit has become a synecdoche for the internet. I'm glad to have people put on their waders and extract the worthwhile content from there and elsewhere.
posted by vapidave at 12:06 AM on August 21, 2013
... But how is a reddit thread worthy of an FPP?
Because it's fascinating?
posted by philip-random at 12:14 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Because it's fascinating?
posted by philip-random at 12:14 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
"According to Pew, 6% of American adults that use the Internet use reddit and According to reddit they had 71 million unique visitors in May. Surely not all 71 million people are monsters. Some of them may even be on metafilter."
That's not a defense of Reddit. I was on Usenet a lot back in the day and if someone said that Usenet was a toilet, I wouldn't disagree. There were (are) awesome places on Usenet and Reddit that are comparable to MeFi, but the whole of either one? Of course not.
Talking about Reddit is, as you are basically saying, talking about the Internet or Web. I have no problem being dismissive of either the Internet or the Web as being a toilet, because Sturgeon's Law really does apply to the Web. What's nice about MetaFilter, is that it gets that percentage down to, say, 70%, which is really quite a big difference.
This being defensive about Reddit is just weird. Maybe back when it made more sense to compare MeFi to Reddit I could understand it. But nowadays it's just weird to be defensive about negatively characterizing the collective nature of 71 million unique visitors. Are people defensive about negatively characterizing Facebook?
The places that aren't Eternally September on the Internet are relatively rare and cultivated and it's a neverending battle to keep it that way. It's a battle that can't be won with a userbase measured in the millions of people.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:01 AM on August 21, 2013 [4 favorites]
That's not a defense of Reddit. I was on Usenet a lot back in the day and if someone said that Usenet was a toilet, I wouldn't disagree. There were (are) awesome places on Usenet and Reddit that are comparable to MeFi, but the whole of either one? Of course not.
Talking about Reddit is, as you are basically saying, talking about the Internet or Web. I have no problem being dismissive of either the Internet or the Web as being a toilet, because Sturgeon's Law really does apply to the Web. What's nice about MetaFilter, is that it gets that percentage down to, say, 70%, which is really quite a big difference.
This being defensive about Reddit is just weird. Maybe back when it made more sense to compare MeFi to Reddit I could understand it. But nowadays it's just weird to be defensive about negatively characterizing the collective nature of 71 million unique visitors. Are people defensive about negatively characterizing Facebook?
The places that aren't Eternally September on the Internet are relatively rare and cultivated and it's a neverending battle to keep it that way. It's a battle that can't be won with a userbase measured in the millions of people.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:01 AM on August 21, 2013 [4 favorites]
Oh, and a corollary of my comment, of course, is that finding something worthy on Reddit of posting to MeFi makes just as much sense now as finding something worthy on the Web of posting. That is to say, of course there are things on Reddit that are worth posting.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:03 AM on August 21, 2013
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:03 AM on August 21, 2013
I really really don't get this anti-reddit snobbery at metafilter.
Not snobbery, I just don't have the patience to wade through all the random crap in Reddit to find the good stuff. The whole point of Metafilter is show the best of the Web and ignore the rest.
posted by octothorpe at 4:47 AM on August 21, 2013
Not snobbery, I just don't have the patience to wade through all the random crap in Reddit to find the good stuff. The whole point of Metafilter is show the best of the Web and ignore the rest.
posted by octothorpe at 4:47 AM on August 21, 2013
Yeah, this is yet another disappointing example of Metafilter not living up to Kavasa's expectations.
and he asks so little of us...
posted by Naberius at 6:26 AM on August 21, 2013
and he asks so little of us...
posted by Naberius at 6:26 AM on August 21, 2013
I doubt that the vast majority of redditors even know metafilter exists.
Probably true but the ones who are aware think you're an effete corps of impudent snobs.
posted by fuse theorem at 6:44 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Probably true but the ones who are aware think you're an effete corps of impudent snobs.
posted by fuse theorem at 6:44 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Not a huge Reddit fan myself, but the Pico Horror thread was essentially a link to a Reddit post, and it was one of the better FPPs that we've had in recent memory.
posted by schmod at 7:08 AM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by schmod at 7:08 AM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
i'm a reddit user. i'm there multiple times a day. having said that...
but I've had no trouble picking the subreddits I'm interested in and avoiding the likes of violentacres and the other really ugly parts.
sure - avoiding the really ugly parts isn't difficult if you have a good list of subreddits going in* (although, accidentally stumbling on things like r/starlets is pretty easy...and gross). but, even in the "good" parts there's still some shit to hatchet down. personally, as a woman, i find askreddit really hard to take for more than 4 or 5 questions. there's just this unending drum beat of but i'm a nice guy (feminazi's stole my ice cream) that after a while i have to close it up and walk away.
the parts of reddit that are good are really, really good and i've enjoyed a lot of the files and conversations, but i don't blame anyone for avoiding it. sometimes you don't want to ignore the shit pile in the corridor just to find a place to relax for a few minutes.
* some subreddits i enjoy...
r/ArtisanVideos, r/chemicalreactiongifs, r/DIY, r/howto, r/LifeProTips, r/dataisbeautiful, r/space, r/science, r/BuyItForLife, r/Cooking, r/aww, r/IAmA, r/explainlikeimfive, r/AskHistorians, r/InternetIsBeautiful, r/TrueReddit, r/BeautyDiagrams, r/RedditLaqueristas, adult fans of lego, Republic Of Network
posted by nadawi at 7:17 AM on August 21, 2013 [11 favorites]
but I've had no trouble picking the subreddits I'm interested in and avoiding the likes of violentacres and the other really ugly parts.
sure - avoiding the really ugly parts isn't difficult if you have a good list of subreddits going in* (although, accidentally stumbling on things like r/starlets is pretty easy...and gross). but, even in the "good" parts there's still some shit to hatchet down. personally, as a woman, i find askreddit really hard to take for more than 4 or 5 questions. there's just this unending drum beat of but i'm a nice guy (feminazi's stole my ice cream) that after a while i have to close it up and walk away.
the parts of reddit that are good are really, really good and i've enjoyed a lot of the files and conversations, but i don't blame anyone for avoiding it. sometimes you don't want to ignore the shit pile in the corridor just to find a place to relax for a few minutes.
* some subreddits i enjoy...
r/ArtisanVideos, r/chemicalreactiongifs, r/DIY, r/howto, r/LifeProTips, r/dataisbeautiful, r/space, r/science, r/BuyItForLife, r/Cooking, r/aww, r/IAmA, r/explainlikeimfive, r/AskHistorians, r/InternetIsBeautiful, r/TrueReddit, r/BeautyDiagrams, r/RedditLaqueristas, adult fans of lego, Republic Of Network
posted by nadawi at 7:17 AM on August 21, 2013 [11 favorites]
I really really don't get this anti-reddit snobbery at metafilter . . . Obviously reddit is a million times bigger and has a different moderation policy
I think you hit the nail on the head, there. The most frequent criticisms of Reddit I see here are that it's so big as to be unwieldy and the moderation policy isn't strong enough to weed out the bad apples.
posted by ultraviolet catastrophe at 8:14 AM on August 21, 2013
I think you hit the nail on the head, there. The most frequent criticisms of Reddit I see here are that it's so big as to be unwieldy and the moderation policy isn't strong enough to weed out the bad apples.
posted by ultraviolet catastrophe at 8:14 AM on August 21, 2013
You could use Reddit for years without knowing about Violentacres or creepers. However, once you do, and you know the people that run the place care more about keeping them happy than any of the other stuff, it kind of puts a veneer of yuck on things.
posted by Artw at 8:59 AM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 8:59 AM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
That's not a defense of Reddit. I
You are right. It was a defense of people who use reddit.
posted by Ad hominem at 9:03 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
You are right. It was a defense of people who use reddit.
posted by Ad hominem at 9:03 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
This being defensive about Reddit is just weird. Maybe back when it made more sense to compare MeFi to Reddit I could understand it. But nowadays it's just weird to be defensive about negatively characterizing the collective nature of 71 million unique visitors. Are people defensive about negatively characterizing Facebook?
Ha -- so I say "it's weird that mefites are so nasty about reddit" and you say "it's weird that people find it weird that mefites are so nasty about reddit." Well I find it weird that ... but maybe that's enough levels.
Look, what I'm really reacting to is the comments that just sound like shallow one-upmanship or status signalling. I think that's most of what's going on here. That smug tone of "yeah it's mostly trash but there's an occasional gem."
Now I realize that some people have a serious moral objection to the editorial policy at Reddit, which artw articulates well:
You could use Reddit for years without knowing about Violentacres or creepers. However, once you do, and you know the people that run the place care more about keeping them happy than any of the other stuff, it kind of puts a veneer of yuck on things.
If anyone thinks the fact that reddit (or facebook for that matter) tolerates things like that means they should be in the same category as Stormfront, off-limits for links, then just say so. The mods don't seem to agree and neither do I (and it's not what the OP said), but that's a serious and defensible position that I can respect. It's the drive-by sneering that reflects so badly on the culture here.
Talking about Reddit is, as you are basically saying, talking about the Internet or Web. I have no problem being dismissive of either the Internet or the Web as being a toilet, because Sturgeon's Law really does apply to the Web.
Right, but what's the point of saying it, other than self-aggrandizement? I mean, there's a lot of crap on television, but suppose every time people were talking favorably about a TV show here, someone jumped in to qualify it with "granted it's from television which we all know is a mess/toilet/cesspool" ... wouldn't they sound like kind of a jerk after a while?
posted by pete_22 at 9:34 AM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
Ha -- so I say "it's weird that mefites are so nasty about reddit" and you say "it's weird that people find it weird that mefites are so nasty about reddit." Well I find it weird that ... but maybe that's enough levels.
Look, what I'm really reacting to is the comments that just sound like shallow one-upmanship or status signalling. I think that's most of what's going on here. That smug tone of "yeah it's mostly trash but there's an occasional gem."
Now I realize that some people have a serious moral objection to the editorial policy at Reddit, which artw articulates well:
You could use Reddit for years without knowing about Violentacres or creepers. However, once you do, and you know the people that run the place care more about keeping them happy than any of the other stuff, it kind of puts a veneer of yuck on things.
If anyone thinks the fact that reddit (or facebook for that matter) tolerates things like that means they should be in the same category as Stormfront, off-limits for links, then just say so. The mods don't seem to agree and neither do I (and it's not what the OP said), but that's a serious and defensible position that I can respect. It's the drive-by sneering that reflects so badly on the culture here.
Talking about Reddit is, as you are basically saying, talking about the Internet or Web. I have no problem being dismissive of either the Internet or the Web as being a toilet, because Sturgeon's Law really does apply to the Web.
Right, but what's the point of saying it, other than self-aggrandizement? I mean, there's a lot of crap on television, but suppose every time people were talking favorably about a TV show here, someone jumped in to qualify it with "granted it's from television which we all know is a mess/toilet/cesspool" ... wouldn't they sound like kind of a jerk after a while?
posted by pete_22 at 9:34 AM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
I've stood up for Reddit in the past, so I won't drag out my tired arguments again here, but I too am weary of the sneering at the whole dad-gum site. It would be like judging all of MetaFilter by "Can I eat it?" or relationship AskMe posts or by the longboat MeTa threads, both of which grate on my nerves, yet I somehow ignore them and manage to be an active participant on the site.
AskReddit is a guilty pleasure of mine for whiling away long hours at work, but if every "STORY TIME!!" post started showing up here, I'd probably grumble. This post, however , doesn't bother me at all.
Also, for what it's worth I don't get the love for GregNog's comment, but hey, I'm glad it made someone happy. It's always nice when something fun makes people smile.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 9:51 AM on August 21, 2013 [3 favorites]
AskReddit is a guilty pleasure of mine for whiling away long hours at work, but if every "STORY TIME!!" post started showing up here, I'd probably grumble. This post, however , doesn't bother me at all.
Also, for what it's worth I don't get the love for GregNog's comment, but hey, I'm glad it made someone happy. It's always nice when something fun makes people smile.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 9:51 AM on August 21, 2013 [3 favorites]
"granted it's from television which we all know is a mess/toilet/cesspool" ... wouldn't they sound like kind of a jerk after a while?
Is this something I'd need a television to understand is an injoke for a reason.
posted by zamboni at 9:53 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Is this something I'd need a television to understand is an injoke for a reason.
posted by zamboni at 9:53 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
If anyone thinks the fact that reddit (or facebook for that matter) tolerates things like that means they should be in the same category as Stormfront, off-limits for links, then just say so.
Reddit does not "tolerate" creeper, it encourages, validates and supports creepers. They gave Violentacres a trophy for services to creepitude, FFS.
I do not believe it should be off limits because of that, but it's still gross.
posted by Artw at 10:01 AM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
Reddit does not "tolerate" creeper, it encourages, validates and supports creepers. They gave Violentacres a trophy for services to creepitude, FFS.
I do not believe it should be off limits because of that, but it's still gross.
posted by Artw at 10:01 AM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
(I find the Stormfront comparison somewhat unhelpful, FWIW.)
posted by Artw at 10:01 AM on August 21, 2013
posted by Artw at 10:01 AM on August 21, 2013
Reddit is super gross in my opinion. It typifies the absolute worst of the Internet, where rape jokes and racist comments are upvoted not even because Redditors believe in that stuff, but as some kind of grimly determined "payback" for uppity marginalized people. This is supported by the site's editorial policy, so I don't give them pageviews and if I could wave my magic wand no one else would either.
That being said, I'm also perfectly able to skip over Reddit posts here so personally I don't have a problem with the site occasionally appearing under the guise of "best of the web".
posted by jess at 10:02 AM on August 21, 2013 [4 favorites]
That being said, I'm also perfectly able to skip over Reddit posts here so personally I don't have a problem with the site occasionally appearing under the guise of "best of the web".
posted by jess at 10:02 AM on August 21, 2013 [4 favorites]
Question: how many metafilter threads have been interesting enough to make the front page of reddit?
I would put money on scarabic's "how to dispose of a body" answer having been on reddit in some way, shape, or form.
Possibly unattributed. Actually, make that likely unattributed.
posted by Hoopo at 10:10 AM on August 21, 2013
I would put money on scarabic's "how to dispose of a body" answer having been on reddit in some way, shape, or form.
Possibly unattributed. Actually, make that likely unattributed.
posted by Hoopo at 10:10 AM on August 21, 2013
You mean the same editorial policy that supports /r/gaybros and /r/blackladies and even /r/shitreddisays
You can be sure there are people somewhere arguing that those subs are the worst of the web.
For better or worse, the admins and owners of reddit choose to treat it as infrastructure. The same policies that protect subreddits we don't approve of protect subreddits that we do approve of.
Sure, Nobody has to go to reddit. But people who choose to go there are there for many other reasons than the now banned violentacrez and I don't feel it is fair to tar all the subreddits with the same brush because they all happen to use reddit.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:17 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
You can be sure there are people somewhere arguing that those subs are the worst of the web.
For better or worse, the admins and owners of reddit choose to treat it as infrastructure. The same policies that protect subreddits we don't approve of protect subreddits that we do approve of.
Sure, Nobody has to go to reddit. But people who choose to go there are there for many other reasons than the now banned violentacrez and I don't feel it is fair to tar all the subreddits with the same brush because they all happen to use reddit.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:17 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
You mean the same editorial policy that supports /r/gaybros and /r/blackladies and even /r/shitreddisays
Pretty sure none of those guys got prizes or special treatment.
posted by Artw at 10:20 AM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
Pretty sure none of those guys got prizes or special treatment.
posted by Artw at 10:20 AM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
I don't know what prizes or trohpies violentacrez got beyond the standard trophies that everyone gets. If he was voted user of the day or something that has more to do with the idiots that do exist within the userbase than the admins. I think the answer would be to organize and vote someone you do think is a good example as user of the day.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:25 AM on August 21, 2013
posted by Ad hominem at 10:25 AM on August 21, 2013
i'm just uncomfortable with the way the reddit thread frames this stuff as some kind of TOP SEKRIT leak of info you'd never have when a lot of it is of super questionable veracity
I don't think the thread frames it that way any more than anything else on the internet does. Hell, a lot of AskMetafilter answers are of super questionable veracity.
It's a collection of anecdotes by people using fake names. Some by bitter people. You take it with a grain of salt and choose what you want to believe, like anything else. I don't know why a Reddit thread would be subject to more scrutiny in this sense than any other interview or blog post that gets posted here.
posted by Hoopo at 10:27 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
I don't think the thread frames it that way any more than anything else on the internet does. Hell, a lot of AskMetafilter answers are of super questionable veracity.
It's a collection of anecdotes by people using fake names. Some by bitter people. You take it with a grain of salt and choose what you want to believe, like anything else. I don't know why a Reddit thread would be subject to more scrutiny in this sense than any other interview or blog post that gets posted here.
posted by Hoopo at 10:27 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Question: how many metafilter threads have been interesting enough to make the front page of reddit?
I check the referrer logs daily; Mefi posts and Asks get mentioned on a regular basis on various subreddits, yeah. For all the individual bits of acrimony between the sites in either direction, there's a lot of folks who use both and cross-pollenate good stuff when appropriate. If we're gonna get pedantic about "front page", it bears noting how fundamentally different the mechanics of reddit's and mefi's front pages are, but I'm not sure that's an ox we're actually goring at this point so I won't write a book about it here.
I would put money on scarabic's "how to dispose of a body" answer having been on reddit in some way, shape, or form.
Oh, good lord, scarabic's body-dumping answer is a regular feature, usually unattributed, yes. I've seen it posted a whole bunch of times, it's like a magical drydock for upboats.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:55 AM on August 21, 2013 [5 favorites]
I check the referrer logs daily; Mefi posts and Asks get mentioned on a regular basis on various subreddits, yeah. For all the individual bits of acrimony between the sites in either direction, there's a lot of folks who use both and cross-pollenate good stuff when appropriate. If we're gonna get pedantic about "front page", it bears noting how fundamentally different the mechanics of reddit's and mefi's front pages are, but I'm not sure that's an ox we're actually goring at this point so I won't write a book about it here.
I would put money on scarabic's "how to dispose of a body" answer having been on reddit in some way, shape, or form.
Oh, good lord, scarabic's body-dumping answer is a regular feature, usually unattributed, yes. I've seen it posted a whole bunch of times, it's like a magical drydock for upboats.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:55 AM on August 21, 2013 [5 favorites]
Artw: "Metafilter.com on Reddit"
Which leads me to this incredibly active sub-reddit.
posted by brundlefly at 12:53 PM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
Which leads me to this incredibly active sub-reddit.
posted by brundlefly at 12:53 PM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
nadawi: "there's just this unending drum beat of but i'm a nice guy (feminazi's stole my ice cream) "
Wow. That video is great.
posted by brundlefly at 12:59 PM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Wow. That video is great.
posted by brundlefly at 12:59 PM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
"r/chemicalreactiongifs,"
Wow, I didn't even know there was such a thing and now I won't be able to live without it.
posted by Mitheral at 1:51 PM on August 21, 2013 [3 favorites]
Wow, I didn't even know there was such a thing and now I won't be able to live without it.
posted by Mitheral at 1:51 PM on August 21, 2013 [3 favorites]
Reddit is super gross in my opinion. It typifies the absolute worst of the Internet, where rape jokes and racist comments are upvoted
Many of the reddit communities I spend time in are far more progressive on trans, race and gender issues than Metafilter. And they aren't small niches, but enormous, sprawling subsites.
The fact that you sort of overlook the existence of vibrant, thriving communities of trans people, LGB people, PoCs and people with disabilities over on reddit probably says more about you than it does about that site.
posted by dontjumplarry at 7:30 PM on August 21, 2013 [3 favorites]
Many of the reddit communities I spend time in are far more progressive on trans, race and gender issues than Metafilter. And they aren't small niches, but enormous, sprawling subsites.
The fact that you sort of overlook the existence of vibrant, thriving communities of trans people, LGB people, PoCs and people with disabilities over on reddit probably says more about you than it does about that site.
posted by dontjumplarry at 7:30 PM on August 21, 2013 [3 favorites]
Huh. Places I would not have expected to be a terrible community: Goodreads.
posted by Artw at 7:51 PM on August 21, 2013
posted by Artw at 7:51 PM on August 21, 2013
The worst of Reddit, as picked by Reddit.
posted by Artw at 7:57 PM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 7:57 PM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
Just to be clear, you lost me at "but the site itself is arguably as bad as if not worse than 4chan."
It typifies the absolute worst of the Internet, where rape jokes and racist comments are upvoted [...]
I think this is getting slightly better.
I also have the same problem with this reasoning there are I do when people say things like, "Metafilter doesn't do X well." Some people on metafilter might not do something well, but to condemn or praise the whole site on the actions of a few is silly.
I am a member of both sites, but I can honestly say I have a harder time with reddit. This said, I call out the racist, sexist, bigoted comments I see there. I am the same name there as here, so go troll my comments if you like (mostly I am an idiot there). You will see some not insignificant number of deleted comments where my comment reads something like, "You're a racist dickhead" or some such.
I call out a lot of the "OP is a faggot" comments. I think some if these are not intended as homophobic, and I have even gotten PMs back that say things like, "Dude, relax, I'm fucking gay!"
This just goes to say, I don't think it's fair to color a whole site by even the majority of its users. If there is a gem there it's worth a link. I have no opinion on this particular link in question, I just hate the idea of banning the site in general.
posted by cjorgensen at 8:03 PM on August 21, 2013
It typifies the absolute worst of the Internet, where rape jokes and racist comments are upvoted [...]
I think this is getting slightly better.
I also have the same problem with this reasoning there are I do when people say things like, "Metafilter doesn't do X well." Some people on metafilter might not do something well, but to condemn or praise the whole site on the actions of a few is silly.
I am a member of both sites, but I can honestly say I have a harder time with reddit. This said, I call out the racist, sexist, bigoted comments I see there. I am the same name there as here, so go troll my comments if you like (mostly I am an idiot there). You will see some not insignificant number of deleted comments where my comment reads something like, "You're a racist dickhead" or some such.
I call out a lot of the "OP is a faggot" comments. I think some if these are not intended as homophobic, and I have even gotten PMs back that say things like, "Dude, relax, I'm fucking gay!"
This just goes to say, I don't think it's fair to color a whole site by even the majority of its users. If there is a gem there it's worth a link. I have no opinion on this particular link in question, I just hate the idea of banning the site in general.
posted by cjorgensen at 8:03 PM on August 21, 2013
Which leads me to this incredibly active sub-reddit.
AAAAAAAAA.
I read Reddit sometimes. I am dismissive about it sometimes. I am never sneery about it. However, to me it's sort of like broccoli. I don't much care for it and it's possible I haven't tried it in a certain way but there's enough other stuff to eat that I am 100% okay with never eating it again but would not turn my nose up at it if it were offered most of the time. People who hassle me to try it a bunch of different ways seem to me to be saying "Well if you were a different sort of person you'd like it" which is entirely true but then the follow up seems to be "So why don't you try to be different, then?" and my confused response is "Why?"
The continual low-level pressure to not be dismissive of Reddit is actually part of why I don't like it. Not to be contrary but because there seems to be some presumption that there's something wrong, myopic or shortsighted about people who just sort of don't care for it. Like it's for everyone. It's not for everyone. It's a remarkably flexible platform on which a lot of stuff happens and it's a neat little experiment in certain moderation styles and approaches. On that level it's fascinating. But not enough for me to spend almost any of my limited attention on, and that should be okay.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:16 PM on August 21, 2013 [22 favorites]
AAAAAAAAA.
I read Reddit sometimes. I am dismissive about it sometimes. I am never sneery about it. However, to me it's sort of like broccoli. I don't much care for it and it's possible I haven't tried it in a certain way but there's enough other stuff to eat that I am 100% okay with never eating it again but would not turn my nose up at it if it were offered most of the time. People who hassle me to try it a bunch of different ways seem to me to be saying "Well if you were a different sort of person you'd like it" which is entirely true but then the follow up seems to be "So why don't you try to be different, then?" and my confused response is "Why?"
The continual low-level pressure to not be dismissive of Reddit is actually part of why I don't like it. Not to be contrary but because there seems to be some presumption that there's something wrong, myopic or shortsighted about people who just sort of don't care for it. Like it's for everyone. It's not for everyone. It's a remarkably flexible platform on which a lot of stuff happens and it's a neat little experiment in certain moderation styles and approaches. On that level it's fascinating. But not enough for me to spend almost any of my limited attention on, and that should be okay.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:16 PM on August 21, 2013 [22 favorites]
Like it's for everyone. It's not for everyone.
NOTHING on the Internet is "for everyone". 90% of the people actively using any "must use" web entity (Reddit, Facebook, Twitter) should NOT be. I think of Metafilter as one of the few places where that 'you're in the wrong place' symdrome is under 50%...
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:24 PM on August 21, 2013
NOTHING on the Internet is "for everyone". 90% of the people actively using any "must use" web entity (Reddit, Facebook, Twitter) should NOT be. I think of Metafilter as one of the few places where that 'you're in the wrong place' symdrome is under 50%...
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:24 PM on August 21, 2013
This guy is also mad at reddit because he made a coffee clock and he co-workers threw it out.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:08 PM on August 21, 2013
posted by Ad hominem at 10:08 PM on August 21, 2013
If you want more of the worst of reddit than just one AskReddit thread, please note that there is a whole subreddit for it: /r/worstof .
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 5:04 AM on August 22, 2013
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 5:04 AM on August 22, 2013
The fact that you sort of overlook the existence of vibrant, thriving communities of trans people, LGB people, PoCs and people with disabilities over on reddit probably says more about you than it does about that site.
First of all, the "says more about you" line is completely crap basically always. It's just a really cheap jab that masquerades as making a serious point or being really damning without really needing to be supported by much of anything.
Second, the shitty parts of reddit are MUCH larger than the nonshitty parts. You can make the "everyone is autosubscribed to the large subs" argument a lot of the time, but look at how many comments a post gets in the large subs, and how many votes those get.
You're also ignoring how many large communities of supposed progressives on there(like for example, /r/ainbow and the entire anti trans riff that essentially created that sub) are full of shitty posts, or consistently full of shit on specific issues.
This morning(it seems to have been deleted? which is quite unusual) there was an askreddit thread being ~so brave~ asking why the martin/zimmerman case was a big deal, but a "hate crime" where 3 black kids killed a white kid in australia hadn't gotten any attention. It was an absolute rabbit hole of weird racist persecution complexes and affirmative action destroying society, etc etc. Totally innocuous threads about an interesting picture or video will end up attracting a post or several with some totally left field "europeans will regret this "multiculturalism" and letting a bunch of third world scum move in to their country in a few years, the next generation will wonder why they ever thought this was ok"
The sexism has been covered above. That is will trod ground.
There may be some small-medium sized subs that are very progressive communities, but they require heavy moderation and many masquerade as being progressive while actually being run by complete weird right wing wacko types(/r/feminism for example) or just have a huge problem with the moderators not wanting to be heavy handed enough to kick out the assholes. An important point though is that the "good" subs are absolutely dwarfed by the large ones. Their posts may get 30 comments, posts in /r/askreddit and the other "major" subs can get 4-5 figures of comments.
To play your own game, i think it says more about you that you chose to have selective myopia about the bad parts of reddit by looking at the tiny good. This isn't a block of cheese you can slide the couple spots of mold off of. You'd be left with one of those little cheese cubes they give you as a sample on a toothpick at the grocery if you tried that.
I think the issue jessamyn is rubbing up against is that a lot of people get the feeling that when someone says reddit is for "everyone", they mean that with a big ass * on the end saying that unless you want to stay in a little walled garden, you'll really feel like it isn't for you if you're not a straight white cis dude who thinks rape jokes and "oww my balls" type humor are funny. It's a 20 year old white dudes website, kinda like vice magazine is a late 20s angry white dude publication.
I was gonna write a much longer post on this, but i feel like i'm hobbyhorsing at this point so i'll give it a rest.
posted by emptythought at 12:23 PM on August 22, 2013 [6 favorites]
First of all, the "says more about you" line is completely crap basically always. It's just a really cheap jab that masquerades as making a serious point or being really damning without really needing to be supported by much of anything.
Second, the shitty parts of reddit are MUCH larger than the nonshitty parts. You can make the "everyone is autosubscribed to the large subs" argument a lot of the time, but look at how many comments a post gets in the large subs, and how many votes those get.
You're also ignoring how many large communities of supposed progressives on there(like for example, /r/ainbow and the entire anti trans riff that essentially created that sub) are full of shitty posts, or consistently full of shit on specific issues.
This morning(it seems to have been deleted? which is quite unusual) there was an askreddit thread being ~so brave~ asking why the martin/zimmerman case was a big deal, but a "hate crime" where 3 black kids killed a white kid in australia hadn't gotten any attention. It was an absolute rabbit hole of weird racist persecution complexes and affirmative action destroying society, etc etc. Totally innocuous threads about an interesting picture or video will end up attracting a post or several with some totally left field "europeans will regret this "multiculturalism" and letting a bunch of third world scum move in to their country in a few years, the next generation will wonder why they ever thought this was ok"
The sexism has been covered above. That is will trod ground.
There may be some small-medium sized subs that are very progressive communities, but they require heavy moderation and many masquerade as being progressive while actually being run by complete weird right wing wacko types(/r/feminism for example) or just have a huge problem with the moderators not wanting to be heavy handed enough to kick out the assholes. An important point though is that the "good" subs are absolutely dwarfed by the large ones. Their posts may get 30 comments, posts in /r/askreddit and the other "major" subs can get 4-5 figures of comments.
To play your own game, i think it says more about you that you chose to have selective myopia about the bad parts of reddit by looking at the tiny good. This isn't a block of cheese you can slide the couple spots of mold off of. You'd be left with one of those little cheese cubes they give you as a sample on a toothpick at the grocery if you tried that.
I think the issue jessamyn is rubbing up against is that a lot of people get the feeling that when someone says reddit is for "everyone", they mean that with a big ass * on the end saying that unless you want to stay in a little walled garden, you'll really feel like it isn't for you if you're not a straight white cis dude who thinks rape jokes and "oww my balls" type humor are funny. It's a 20 year old white dudes website, kinda like vice magazine is a late 20s angry white dude publication.
I was gonna write a much longer post on this, but i feel like i'm hobbyhorsing at this point so i'll give it a rest.
posted by emptythought at 12:23 PM on August 22, 2013 [6 favorites]
If we allow Reddit posts, we should link to Shit Reddit Says in the FPP of each one.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 9:41 PM on August 26, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 9:41 PM on August 26, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by GuyZero at 1:38 PM on August 20, 2013 [3 favorites]