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.
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:
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.
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.
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!
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r/mildlyinteresting Rules
No memes. This includes references in titles of your post (e.g. "banana for scale," "potato quality").
Related posts must be in the comments of the original. Posts that acknowledge, "one-up," or relate specifically to another post are not allowed (e.g. "I see your X and raise you Y")
Do not post something that has been submitted to reddit before, even if you were the one who posted it.
Exception: If a post is deleted or removed from /r/mildlyinteresting for breaking the rules less than one hour after being submitted or receives less than 100 upvotes, we allow the submitter to resubmit a fixed version of the post. Posts deleted or removed from other subreddits are not exempt from rule 3.
a. All submissions must be original and non-animated photographs. No gifs, videos, or web sites.
b. All submissions must be original content. If you didn't take the picture, don't post it.
c. Software glitches/errors, overlaid text, arrows, scribbles, and other substantive edits are not allowed, although you may censor personal information per Reddit-wide rules.
d. Albums are not allowed, but side by side photographs (within the same image) are okay if they adhere to the rest of the rules.
No screenshots. We define a screenshot as a screen grab. This means no images of screens, pictures of screens taken with a different device, images that have been partially or fully generated by a computer, or pictures of printed out screenshots. Try /r/screenshots!.
a. Titles must not contain jokes, backstory, or other fluff. That information belongs in a follow-up comment.
b. Titles must exactly describe the content. It should act as a "spoiler" for the image. Specify what your picture shows; do not simply say “I saw this” or something similar. If your title leaves people surprised at the content within, it breaks the rule!
c. Titles must not contain emoticons, emojis, or special characters unless they are absolutely necessary in describing the image.
Moderation Policy
Our moderation policy is accessible here
Posts which break the rules will be removed on sight. This subreddit operates a three-strikes rule on submission bans, if you upload three rule breaking posts you will be banned. As well as instant bans on troll and/or gimmick accounts, shock links, etc. at moderator discretion.
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