Ask HN: The Reddit strike has begun. Where do we go now? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: The Reddit strike has begun. Where do we go now?

16 pointscgb22320 comments

I realized today I’ve got a few questions around niche hobbies that typically I’d go find a subreddit for to ask.

This ranges from programming in a new framework I’m learning (React Native) to questions around where I can learn more about the cosmos and why we’re here from a physics standpoint, to some health questions around a condition I have.

I’m honestly at a loss on where to look, given Reddit was my go-to.

Where are we all headed for this kind of information these days?

Where is another good place full of active users for niche topics that seems to have a bit of everything?

If there’s no good answer here it kind of feels like Reddit is going to “win” the strike

View on HN

Unfortunately many alternatives are infested with extremists.

I understand why people like the Fediverse, but it is confusing the heck out of potential new users. Least of all because a lot of people promoting it won't even suggest a specific instance nor is there much information out there about exactly who is running many instances and what their agendas are. Telling people it "doesn't matter" just further adds to the confusion.

People want the social-media infrastructure itself to be invisible/boring. But the Fediverse seemingly is too opinionated and surrounded by people with an agenda. It may fail, not because it is bad on paper, but because it just isn't what MANY people want.

I feel like Discord should be pouncing on this blunder by Reddit. Many many subreddits already have Discord “servers” where the most dedicated members socialize.

If I worked there I’d be crunching on the last few features they need to be a credible Reddit replacement, most notably discovery and open-access communities. They already have “discussion” channels with upvoting and threading, but those also need a bit more effort to surpass Reddit threaded comments.

Discord has plenty of downsides - they’ve never allowed 3rd party clients for example - but their apps are good, and bot API access especially for moderation is a cornerstone of their strategy that they’re hopefully unlikely to change especially after this Reddit debacle.

With the usernames, I have lost any trust that Discord would treat the users any better. It is not really a company I would recommend moving towards to.

Not really sure if there is any good alternatives at this moment.

Let’s hope they don’t all come here! ;)

Truly. I appreciate the civil, thoughtful discussion on HN. On Reddit, I've noticed the comment section becomes who can come up with the best quip or the strongest reaction. Here you have leaders in their field, and interesting news. And the UI is minimalist and perfect. What more could you want?

Lol thank you for the warm welcome. I created an account yesterday due to my Reddit withdrawal :D

We’re happy to take in our quota and welcome a few! ;)

I'm giving Lemmy a try.

Of the various features that are missing, as a moderator I think the lack of an automod bot is the most impactful.

> I'm giving Lemmy a try.

Signing up for an account on Lemmy has been chaotic. Registration on the .ml and .world instances have been malfunctioning for more than a week. The situation isn't better on less-than-popular instances, either.

I've been missing niche forums more and more recently and this event makes me realise how much more we need them.

I've actually had to make a Facebook account now to find things.

The past few years we've had a lot of host your own blog options pop up but forum software seems a bit stuck for the non tech person to go and set one up.

PikaPods[1] has a nearly 'one click' install process for Flarum, though it's not on the level of, say, creating a Discord server in terms of ease of use for non-technical people.

The cost to run a small server is less than $2/month.

I have no affiliation w/ pikapods, just a satisfied customer.

1. https://www.pikapods.com/apps

as a forum software, discourse (which flarum appears to be derivative of) is flatly terrible.

It's old but an SMF forum will be way more usable.

Let's all go back to Slashdot.

how do you notice that strike btw? if i go on reddit all of my subreddits look like usual. nothing black.

most recent post on /r/dataengineering fx was 30 minutes ago. on /r/askreddit several posts are "just now".

It's not the 12.6. yet. That's when it's mostly supposed to start.

ah okay, so the title is wrong then

While it’s not June 12th yet here in the states or Europe it’s been June 12th in Asia for a few hours now

Many subreddits started the strike when June 12th started globally

when a subreddit goes private, nothing really happens if you are already subscribed. try visiting one that went private that you are not subscribed to.

I think I read somewhere it was only 48 hours - can you hold on that long?

All of the companion apps are permanently shutting down

Reply on news.ycombinator.com