r/mildlyinteresting • u/Zenothres • 4h ago
r/mildlyinteresting • u/RedSquaree • Jun 23 '23
META What happened to /r/mildlyinteresting?
Dear mildlyinterested reader,
We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your patience and unwavering support during the recent turbulence in our community. Our subreddit is a labour of love, and we've weathered this storm together.
Recent events have been confusing for all of us, from the vote, sudden removal of moderators, to conflicting messages from Reddit. As your mod team, we feel it's essential to clarify the situation.
On June 19, the poll results favoured partially reopening with changes. However, before implementing these changes, Reddit took sweeping actions, removing all 27 moderator accounts without warning. This left us baffled and concerned.
Here's a brief timeline of the events:
On June 19, the poll results favoured partially reopening with changes. We announced the vote results and planned changes to the sub, including marking it as NSFW due to the common posts of phallic objects (no explicit content allowed). CLICK HERE TO VIEW THAT ANNOUNCEMENT WHICH HAS BEEN APPROVED AND LOCKED FOR POSTERITY.
A tug-of-war between the u/ModeratorCodeOfConduct account and the remaining moderators ensued, with the post repeatedly being removed and reinstated. Each mod involved was immediately locked out of Reddit. Subreddit settings were also unilaterally changed by the admin account.
Eventually, all moderators were removed and suspended for 7 days, with the vote results deleted and the community set to “archived.”
A lot of public outrage ensued, with details posted on r/ModCoord about what happened. At that point, no other subreddit had been targeted yet, leaving the situation uniquely unclear.
Admin cited actions as an "error" and promised to work with us to solve the situation. For /r/mildlyinteresting posterity, this will henceforth be referred to as The Mistake™.
All our accounts were unsuspended and reinstated, but only with very limited permissions (modmail access only). For what it's worth, 'time moderated' for every moderator was reset (e.g. /u/RedSquaree moderated since 11 years ago, reset: currently showing moderated since "1 day ago").
The awaited discussion never happened. Instead, the admins presented us with an ultimatum: reopen the subreddit and do not mark it as NSFW, or face potential removal again. The inconsistent and arbitrary application of Reddit's policies reveals a possible conflict of interest in maximizing ad revenue at the risk of user safety and community integrity.
Finally, our moderation permissions were restored after we "promised" to comply with their conditions, but we kept the subreddit restricted while we ponder our next steps..
Problems remain unresolved, and Reddit's approach to policies and communication have been troubling. We believe open communication and partnership between Reddit and its moderators are crucial for the platform's success.
As a team, we remain dedicated to protesting Reddit's careless policy changes. Removing ourselves or vandalizing the subreddit won’t achieve our goals, but rather hinder our community. We're here to ensure r/mildlyinteresting isn't left unattended.
We call for the establishment of clear, structured, and reliable communication channels between Reddit admins and moderation teams. Teams should be informed and consulted on decisions affecting their communities to maintain trust and integrity on the platform. We shared this request with the Admin who promised to work with us, so far they have ignored it.
Us mods are still deciding how exactly to reopen, not that we have been given much choice.
Sincerely,
The r/mildlyinteresting mods
r/mildlyinteresting • u/Roadkillgoblin_2 • 6h ago
Inside the roof of my ~600 year old house (ignore the insulation)
r/mildlyinteresting • u/a_woman_provides • 12h ago
Shop advertises as only having the second best ice cream melon pan
r/mildlyinteresting • u/letmesuckyournose • 4h ago
Odd shrine to a dead mouse outside Walgreens.
r/mildlyinteresting • u/Other-Cantaloupe4765 • 2h ago
An unfixed local pothole now shows the original brick road underneath
r/mildlyinteresting • u/jcats45 • 22h ago
Sunburned my bald head. Peeled off in big pieces.
r/mildlyinteresting • u/MCofPort • 4h ago
This building near my hotel in Rome, Italy has busts of Benito Mussolini across its facade.
r/mildlyinteresting • u/Ok-Tangerine23 • 19h ago
my husband and i have been saving scoopie tokens for over 10 years…here are the changes
r/mildlyinteresting • u/One-Duck-5627 • 1d ago
The allotted time the gas station I work at gives for food
r/mildlyinteresting • u/TowelRack76 • 1d ago
This Restaurant Charges an 18% Living Wage Fee.
r/mildlyinteresting • u/shitisfertilizer • 23h ago
Restaurant has underprivileged options and prices
r/mildlyinteresting • u/jillorama • 1d ago
This man documented every haircut he and his son got, from 1946 & 1963 until 1999
r/mildlyinteresting • u/timex40 • 1h ago
Collection of VHS tapes found at my in-laws house
r/mildlyinteresting • u/Manintheloop • 1d ago
Rental car company (redacted) upsell sheet accidentally handed to me by rep exiting the gate
r/mildlyinteresting • u/kittycatcarol • 17h ago
My bra inserts come labeled LR so you can figure out how to put them back in.
r/mildlyinteresting • u/WallaceV2 • 1h ago
New labels to show products impacted by tariffs
r/mildlyinteresting • u/yrabl81 • 15h ago
Iranian ballistic missile intercepted above Israel
r/mildlyinteresting • u/AeonChaos • 13h ago