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MODERATORS FOR REDDIT have shut down a number of the site’s most popular sections in protest after one of its staff members was dismissed.
Victoria Taylor was a key member of the company’s behind the scenes team and was one of the site’s most visible members.
She was involved in a number of subreddits, but was the point of contact for the site’s Q&A subforum or subreddit r/IAmA, where she would organise sessions with celebrities, public figures and other interesting people like US President Barack Obama, Channing Tatum, Bryan Cranston, and Neil Degrasse Tyson.
Her dismissal means that the moderators for this and similar subreddits are left without the ability to make these interviews happen, including ones that are currently scheduled.
In protest, r/IAmA shut itself down and has been joined by other popular subreddits like r/gaming, r/videos, r/funny, r/music and r/science.
Lack of communication
The other reason for the protest concerns Reddit moderators feeling their contribution to the site, which is unpaid, is undervalued by the company.
A note on the r/music subreddit says that the relationship between the company and moderators had been deteriorating and they lack the support needed to carry out their role efficiently.
Communication and support between admins and moderators has been deteriorating and basic tools such as moderator tools and modmail are sloppy at best, with constant promise for improving never coming. Communication has also been lacking as evidenced by today’s mishandled firing of u/chooter (Victoria Taylor’s username).
And a similar explanation from one of the site’s many moderators in the subredddit r/outoftheloop.
As much as Victoria is loved, this reaction is not all a result of her departure: there is a feeling among many of the moderators of reddit that the admins do not respect the work that is put in by the thousands of unpaid volunteers who maintain the communities of the 9,656 active subreddits, which they feel is expressed by, among other things, the lack of communication between them and the admins, and their disregard of the thousands of mods who keep reddit’s communities going.
Reddit CEO and co-founder Alexis Ohanian responded to the thread saying he will be helping with r/IAmA for the time being.
In a second thread dedicated to Reddit moderators, he apologised for the way the team communicated the change and said the immediate focus was on two main aims: getting the closed subreddits back online and offering greater support to r/IAmA in the short term.
In the long-term, he said they were building tools to help moderators do their jobs more efficiently.
Reddit is one of the most popular sites globally, but has found itself at the centre of controversy. Recently, some users expressed their anger over it banning five subreddits including r/fatpeoplehate as a way of reducing harassment and bullying on the site.
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They were in International airspace although the Brits may lay claim to that as well…..
@Sean Higgins: read the article. Their statement says that they never entered into U.K. airspace.
@Joe: That wasn’t his point.
@Sean Higgins: France Norway Denmark scrambled too but its “just the brits” you’d a problem with??? Grow up
@Philip Mckenna: Grab a history book. Pipe down.
@Philip Mckenna: obviously a piece penned by Boris himself. “Look at my little sausage vladimir and don’t mention Brexit or covid while we inspect it.”
Putin just having the craic lads. Be grand.
Were the planes Typhoons? I misread that as Typhoo. I looked at the box and it said,boil the water,grab a mug,Putin the teabag.
@Larry Betts: there it is folks, the worst joke you will hear today!
@Daniel Wilson:
Ah its definitely not the worst joke… Look at the Government… Now that’s the worst joke you are likely to hear. Larry knows what he’s talking about….. Its called a sense of humour!
@Joe Toner: Lol Joe! Anyway,it was posted yesterday so only qualifies as worst joke from yesterday :-)
@Daniel Wilson: What you “Lyons” for? That joke is just the “PG Tips” of the iceberg
@Rob: It’s because I’m a tea spoonerism. My real name is Barry’s Lett
Not sure why these events are considered newsworthy anymore it’s just a normal drill for both sides
3 days ago a US plane was intercepted by Russians close to its airspace and 2 weeks before that Russian planes were intercepted by the US off the Alaskan coast.
Great practice for them, after all they have to justify the major Defence budgets spent every year.
I am sure a good time was had by all.
https://www.mercurynews.com/us-jets-intercept-russian-military-aircraft-off-alaska-coast
@Diaspora’d: Because it’s a normal drill that can go very wrong very fast. Certainly in the 1980′s, some “normal drills” came close to starting wars. Obviously with the world being a much less confused place and with the clear messages coming from leadership in the USA, UK, Russia and China, that could never happen now.
@Conall: How happy would you be if your heavyweight boxer neighbor decided to conduct “perfectly normal” sparring drills twice a week where he takes a swing at you but doesn’t hit you
Russians flying in to negotiate free trade deal?
@JustMeAgain:
Or perhaps Putin responding to a request from Boris to demonstrate to Scotland why it should remain within the fledgling non EU Internal Market!
They were playing catch the pigeon
@Horses4free:
Dastardly
@patkplc: Muuuuuuuuuutley!
Mr Putin, what’s the plan for today.
Era, fly a plane near the brits airspace for the craic & ruin their lunch.
Old Cold War games, that type of carry on was nearly daily routine before the collapse of the Soviet Union. For quite a while afterwards Russia simply couldn’t afford to play hide and seek with NATO all the time.
This is and has been a regular occurrence and every few months it gets reported s if its new and the Russians are doing something wrong, their not.
The did not “intercept” anything. Fake news. RAF idlers flew two planes near Russian aircraft going about their lawful business in international airspace so as to impress their gullible citizens.
This was clearly a ploy by the United States of America. The Russian Government are innocent of such acts
Russians just testing the air defense radar capabilities. They’ve come close to Ireland on occasion too. Interesting article here https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/ireland-considering-purchase-of-jet-fighters/
Let’s have a jolly jape.
A Spitfire reprieve where ‘democracy’ prevails!
So, if the world isn’t divided into nonsense goodies etc, then just how is the world divided?
What, makes, wars, happen?
What?
@PV Nevin:
Class. Coupled with the nation state, the foundation of the ruling class.
Makes wars happen.
If you are rich and powerful then a country is your bedrock.
Surely you can’t be serious?
@Kenneth Hayden: Dont call me Shirley.
Talk to me Goose..,
Russia so clever try for want start WW3 for over shot down TU-142 uk airspace
@Brian Flavin: On the piss lad???
@Brian Flavin: I see you’re on the gargle again!
@Brian Flavin: ease of on believing what trump says will ya, this old news and normal.
Shot the pleds own Russia and china are the worry and best mates
have your say