Reddit thread about reddit's evolution and whether hubski could be the next reddit...
Like a few of the others here, this is the post that brought me to Hubski. I've haven't "left" reddit, but I like the content and style here compared to something like /r/truereddit. Lastly, I'd like to say sorry if your site becomes overrun with a migration of redditors. From what I've seen on reddit, size can really affect the quality of popular content.
I think for now, the only people who would migrate from Reddit (like you and I) are those who are actively searching for an alternative. Many like to complain about the quality, but continue browsing Reddit as they have been. It's like the rat in the maze, except in this case the rat can't find its way out.
Hi lunboks, boqeh, CortezVee, joekam, desolateone. Welcome. You are now officially my fellow hubbies :) The question of Reddit's declining quality is a discussion that pops up occasionally on Hubski. Here is one that comes to mind. I'm one of the few that was introduced to aggregators through Hubski itself and have since learned about Reddit so I'm a bit of rare bird. IMHO, Hubski seems to benefit from a world already filled with trolls (like on Reddit). We are aware of them and know their game. There have been a few roll through these halls, but they've gone by without much of a splash because I think people here know to not feed them. And for sure, being a smallish community helps with the cause too. But I'd like to think that, for now, if the content can remain respectable then it will cast a wider net of goodness. Shit that sounds optimistic doesn't it? For my money though, the best tool in the Hubski arsenal is the ignore user feature. I have a feeling that as the site grows it'll be widely incorporated among users.
Right right. I guess the grass being greener is what makes us human. But we aren't there yet. I'd hate to break up before we even have a slow dance. Besides, I haven't shown anyone here a picture of my junk yet....
I would also like to be a hubbie. I joined looking for the similar things being a long time redditor for over 6 years, the site just seems like it's been going downhill. Even though they do have points about the smaller reddits, the format of hubski, following people and topics to build your front page as opposed to subscribing to other reddits is a way more intuitive system of getting to the content that you wish to see.
I would tend to agree with that. For me, I try to think of it in terms of how I interact with people physically. The things I do, for the most part, are based around the friends that I have. I do things because they do things. Which is to say, I follow them. But there are times that I go to an event, like a concert for example, where I'm am among strangers because we have a similar singular interest. And that's totally valid as well. Ultimately though, the brilliance of Hubski is that it breaks down connections to the individual and NOT the group. It is not a common denominator, but rather something that is greater than the sum of it's parts.following people and topics to build your front page as opposed to subscribing to other reddits is a way more intuitive system of getting to the content that you wish to see.
We need to have an optimal mass in which there is enough people to maintain a constant stream of quality content, but not too big to the point of catering to the common user--one who consumes content of mediocre quality. To do this we need people who have good content to share and are looking for a site that is like Reddit in the old days. An exodus would surely ruin this. Hopefully it is avoidable.
Read this all the way through. I feel like kleinbl00 hit the nail on the head. I joined roughly 2 years ago, and even I've noticed the decline in discussion quality in favor of immediately relate-able one sentence comments or GIFs. I've been looking for something that was truer to discussion roots in a similar format, which is why I joined here.
I've only been a member of Reddit since the spring, and it didn't take long to get tired of the same old business as usual. The OC on Reddit can be spectacular, especially on /r/BestOf (especially after the no-default rule), but it's still so few and far between that at times it doesn't seem worth it. Hopefully Hubski will avoid this.
I'm really glad you enjoyed that rule change as much as I did. /r/bestof used to be an absolute chore to moderate, but now it is one of my favorite subreddits, and I actively search for new material to submit as I browse/moderate my other subreddits. We sometimes get a lot of criticism for that decision, but I fervently believe it has changed for the better.The OC on Reddit can be spectacular, especially on /r/BestOf (especially after the no-default rule)
Wait, I thought that rule got rolled back after a test period... Did it get reinstated, or have I just lost my mind?
Here's the thing though, a lot of the smaller subreddits are ghost towns. The few with active participation seem to follow the same curve where they ride nice for awhile, then suddenly blow up and and the quality drops overnight (we all saw this with Bestof, which despite numerous rule changes and still being a decent subreddit, is not nearly as good as it was a year ago) or they're mostly discussion based subreddits which lack a lot of outside content so they same old discussions repeat again and again ( photography and photoshop come to mind.) Slightly larger subreddits which get better content and have good conversation all tend to be more fanboy things (r/Apple and r/Android) and tend to be a bit of a circle jerk (which really is fine, they are by definition fan based subreddits so of course fans are going to be fans) there still tends to be a lot of good info and conversation though. My big problem is that there no longer exist places on reddit to have a more general intelligent conversation. Politics, News, Technology, and any other broad based topic is dominated by the same old tired puns, memes, reposts and ideas. Over and over, post after post. I would love a subreddit were news was submitted, and people had an honest conversation and breakdown on it. I don't want to always be browsing highly specific links.
Perhaps, but at least SNL still produces OC. EDIT: I mean that as a joke, Reddit still has a ton of good content, just a lot more shit to shift through in order to find it.
The best subreddits are the ones that cater to niche hobbies and interests. /r/rats, /r/crochet, /r/techsupportgore are the first place ones to come to mind. There is a single topic that can't be that easily deviated from, the communities are small and self-contained, and they don't attract idiot teenage boys.
I agree. I have joined Hub in a the hopes that it is as described; a site of deeper, more challenging discussion of topics. There is still a place for reddit. It lies somewhere between the immediate chuckle and mindless entertainment for the powered down brain. Of course there is still good content, good discussion, and good subreddits (ones I will still browse), but there will be more and more people flocking to it and with that more people to perpetuate the same problems that plaque the larger subs. For more interesting discussion and a chance to really broaden my view of things, I hope Hubski can rise to the occasion and stay organized enough to beat out any competition that may also rise in Reddit's proverbial wake.
Time to break out the pictures of cats with hilarious captions!
Users will have to see a reason to use hubski over reddit. The decline in percieved quality of reddit has greased the wheels for an alternative to blossom, but reaching "middle reddit" levels is no easy task. Building the diverse, invested community will be the biggest hurdle in achieving a "better reddit." To do that, more word if mouth (ironically: reddit) will need to reach the people hubski wants to attract. I use "better reddit" for lack of a better phrase, but really hubski would be taking the better parts of reddit and hopefully leaving the babygate closed to keep a higher quality. Hubski shouldn't just be a new subreddit--or should it?
I just found out and joined this site because of this post and its extremely accurate. There are only a couple subs where i found very interesting discussion (and even then its still getting significantly worse for those wondering r/trueatheism r/christianity r/askhistorians r/politicaldiscussion) i dont really know how this site works yet but i hope il be able to pick it up soon. In truth though i dont mind the gifs and memes, i would just like them to be separate.
I really like that concept. First, it doesn't focus on the community as a whole like reddit does, in which there would inevitably be both good and bad posts. Second, it incites users into posting more content - like Twitter does.
I think another interesting question is how hubski will financially sustain itself if it becomes really popular (whether as the "next reddit" or something completely else)? Is it donations, ads, subscriptions, dynamic membership costs (à la pinboard.in) or something else?
This is something that I have put much thought into. Among the top mechanisms is a subscription for an ad-free version of the site (with some ideas for the ad-version), or dynamic membership cost. However, there are others. I am very leery of advertising. Advertising can respect a user, but it is too common that it doesn't. Networks like The Deck do a great job of respecting users, as an example. The goal of Hubski isn't "to get big". The goal of Hubski is to provide a certain type of experience. That is something that guides my decision-making.
I'm checking this place out as well. Not migrating, I'd say either this place has a ways to come or I have yet to discover all the features. The comment sections are much better and less cluttered... but of course it may just be a matter of time.
The important example to compare with is Google+. A knight in shining armour to take away all Facebook misery and give everyone a better experience. I'm sure Hubski could provide a more pleasent social media for many people, but the problem is conversion. I have been here for 30 minutes and I love it, but Reddit still calls me back. Hubski will most likely always be a very friendly Reddit relative.
I have to admit, that post is what directed me here. I've only been on Reddit for ~8 months (and I do still like it), but I've recently been getting somewhat annoyed with some of the less intelligent things I see on Reddit. After only being on here for about half an hour I'm already impressed. Undoubtedly it'll take a little bit to get used to, but I think I'll come to love hubski very quickly. Thank you to the site creator(s)/admin(s) for setting up this community and thank you to the users for caring about thoughtful content instead of reposts of thoughtless memes!
I've considered it, but there are a few really good things that keep me going back. The smaller subs that I subscribe to (listentous, bookexchange, depthhub, recipes etc) sometimes have great content that's hard to find anywhere else. Also, due to the large user base I can almost always find answers to my more difficult questions (techsupport has helped me on more than one occasion). While I agree that most of reddit is becoming a dumbed down collection of puns, memes, and stupidity, there are still a few things that keep me going back.
Might as well hop on the bandwagon here. I too saw this post and decided to check the site out, and, lo and behold, I like it a lot. I've been becoming bored of Reddit as of late, and while I won't stop going there for now, I can see myself sticking around here. I like the fact it's a small, polite, well informed community and the fact my opinion and posts matter here, as opposed to the great sea of Reddit.
I completely agree with Vince. Reddit no longer has a taste to it, no real content, no real discussion. I've become tired of every single default subreddit and only find something funny in the subreddits that parody the rest of Reddit. /r/Atheism really started ruining it for me to begin with, I'm an atheist as well but I never see any real discussion about atheism in that subreddit, it's more about just trying to prove other beliefs wrong. I loved Reddit while I was at it but it's no longer in my taste.
This is in fact what brought me to Hubski! I'd have to agree, I've only been a reddit member for roughly a year and a half, and I too have noticed this decline. :( Almost all of the subreddits I frequent have deteriorated into mostly pictures. One in particular introduced a self-post only day, and even banned meme pictures in an attempt to encourage more original content and discussion. This did work for a little while, but soon enough, the macros came back.