Reddit is removing its current coins and awards system on September 12th. Users will no longer be able to buy awards like Reddit Gold to give to other users’ posts. Reddit says the current awards system is too cluttered and confusing, so they plan to introduce a new simpler system in the coming months that will allow users to reward each other in a more meaningful way. Many users are unhappy about the removal of the awards system without a replacement ready. Some are also frustrated that Reddit is not providing compensation for the coins users have already purchased. While details of the new system are vague, it appears Reddit may allow users to cash out their gold and karma for real money.
It’s nice that they’re giving 2 months of notice. More than the devs got.
wtf this is actually true though 💀💀💀
First, many don’t appreciate the clutter from awards
Yeah, because the only award that ever mattered to most users was gold. They messed that up, and now they’re going to mess up even more.
I used to buy gold sometimes, which was always a waste of money but I could at least justify the $3.99 for the meme or whatever when I really liked somebody’s comment or post, but I never spent a single cent on awards after they implemented the extended rewards system. Those awards were always laughably bad. They even locked some for premium users only. Just absolute clowns running that place.
I think this is just so funny. They took what was simple, made it way too complex, and are now scrapping the whole concept which has been around for a decade because it’s too cluttered because of the complexity they introduced
Not that I really care, because I haven’t returned since RIF shut down.
Back when reddit premium was a thing I was quite happy to sub to that to pay towards costs, and make use of the benefits like X gold to give people per month and increased sub limits etc
Then they messed about with all that and I dropped my sub …
And I haven’t been back since the protests started so 🤷♀️
I never paid every month, but I would definitely gild comments that I thought were good content (or sometimes just funny)
But same, once the extended awards system came into play, it was a huge turnoff
I totally understand why talklittle never incorporated it into RIF because it was so bad lol
Personally I wouldn’t get rid of my primary source of funding without having a ready replacement during a time of financial trouble, but they do them, I guess…
I’ll have some sauerkraut with that schadenfreude please.
This is so stupid how they handled it, yet so on brand for how reddit handles things.
It would be neat for Lemmy to have something like it. It’s a great way to self fund in an engaging way.
There probably needs to be a foundation or something that can distribute funds to instances though to prevent heavy consolidation by way of simple popularity based funding 🤔
Just no. We already have a money raising method https://opencollective.com. This is how you donate to Beehaw and others.
So go donate and stop free loading if you have not already done so. The challenge is of course that free loading is so much fun.
My beef with them is it gives a comment an artificially high “vote” which tends to dominate the discussion (people feel it’s a higher quality comment point), even if the content on its own doesn’t merit it.
From the funding aspect, that makes sense. From a user perspective, I always found Gold (or especially any of the other rewards) quite distracting. Being human, my eye is drawn to the metals along with the judgment that came with it, like this must be a good quality well-received post before even reading it. Often, it was just a joke though or some popular opinion without too much depth. I really hope Lemmy does not incorporate rewards for this reason.
Just gold would be fine I guess. To endorse a comment or post you really like. Any more than that, I’ll pass.
One interesting idea though: Some sort of micro payments system like some of the web systems people have tried. Frankly that is an unsolved problem that still needs a solution.
Reddit’s handling of removing the awards aside I was never a huge fan of the awards system and felt it amplified or legitimized certain posts just by virtue of someone really liking it rather than it necessarily being accurate or especially “good.” I’m far more concerned with the indications that they’re working on a system to turn Karma itself into a system that could be exchanged for value. That’d turn Karma Farming into a legitimate profession.
Since we are talking about Reddit, I will comment based on the topic alone. I’ve got my glasses pulled down my nose to type this reaction. If need be, after acting like a Beehaw user and RTFA, I will alter my reaction.
What the fuck are they thinking?
Good Job, Reddit!