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A Real, Vibrant Community Constantly Evolves — Stay Open to Change!

It’s like clockwork I tell you! Every few years (or so) an incendiary reddit post does, in fact, catch fire and it’s more or less the same issue: Power.

More specifically, it’s about how that power is used (and to what end(s)):

The list of top moderators has been circulating on the site for the past month, but it went viral towards the end of last week. Though the names of subreddit moderators are publicly available, the image still struck a nerve with redditors like Rootin-tootin_putin, who was one of many that reposted it. The users says they hoped to, “shed a little bit of light on just how monopolised Reddit has become.”

One of the perennial struggles of any large social network lands squarely in the area of community management and moderation; how do these platforms create safe places for every type of member, regardless of engagement?

Robert Allam (aka GallowBoob) holds the title of the most karma points on the site and has been overwhelmed:

“After this, I am personally done with supporting the platform when it doesn’t support us back or doesn’t do enough to safeguard our security,” Allam said.

Building a system that protects the folks who help, literally, build the community, is an important focus that can’t be neglected or de-prioritized.

Yet, it’s also incredibly-important to also realize that the “changing of the guard” is a natural occurrence in pretty much every part of life and we should welcome it with open arms instead of clenched fists.

Change in inevitable but growth is a decision that all of us choose to make. Each redditor can choose, independently, how they want to grow from this type of evolution and some will leave while others will get stronger in their commitment.

Again, this is natural and should be a welcomed challenge (and review!) of the community, the culture that’s been created, and a moment of true reflection for the community at large.

Reddit has survived many, many ups and downs over the years and will continue to grow and scale, regardless of how many community members and moderators leave.

No question about it: I’m still long Reddit.

  1. 2

    I agree that community builders should start evaluating their platforms.

    1. 1

      constantly. the best place isn't always the current place.

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