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Ask HN: Are there alternatives to the subreddits which will go dark next week?

14 points by mg ↗ HN
According to Reddark [1], there are 5 subreddits with over 30 million users each which will go dark next week:

    aww
    gaming
    music
    pics
    todayilearned
Considering how easy it is to run a forum, one would think there must be some alternatives out there on the web?

If find it pretty hard to find those though. Does the HN crowd know some alternatives?

[1]: https://reddark.untone.uk/

15 comments

[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 47.9 ms ] thread
satvikpendem
I've been on https://tildes.net a lot. https://www.themotte.org/ is also interesting.
mg
On Tildes, I can see one alternative: ~music seems similar to r/music.

The Motte seems to be more of a general forum for any topic?

satvikpendem
Ah I misunderstood, you're talking specifically about alternatives to the 5 subreddits you listed? If so, then yeah there might not be any real alternatives, but I've been using tildes just as a reddit replacement overall. Same for The Motte for long form discussion on various topics.
mg
Yes, I meant those 5 specifically.

It would be interesting if there is enough demand for a forum about a topic so that it gets 30 million users and there are absolutely no competitors on the web.

AA-BA-94-2A-56
The Motte is a rationalist/reactionary/alt-right website, so if that's not your cup of tea, I do not recommend joining it.
satvikpendem
Depends on the threads, it's certainly not like 4chan or /r/thedonald or something, but yeah some threads are more right wing, which I don't read. I usually read the other ones.
AA-BA-94-2A-56
It actually is a lot worse than 4chan or /r/thedonald because it is insidious. I used to follow Scott Siskind's (Astral Codex Ten, then Slate Star Codex) blog and participate on some discussions in The Motte. One day, Scott had a mask-off moment and I realised that what he was advocating for was a form of eugenics based on intelligence.

The whole goal of this "Rationalist" movement is to lure in people with well-reasoned but controversial takes (which are often plain wrong), decorated in excellent prose. It is for all intents and purposes, insight-porn that hides the fact that it is actually an alt-right pipeline with a focus on eugenics.

Buyer beware. Get involved in the rationalist movement at your own risk.

satvikpendem
I honestly am not involved in the rationalist community (I don't read Scott generally speaking, unless it shows up on HN as it has before; and is that his real name? I heard about the doxxing incident a while ago, seems like it's overblown as most people really don't care as much as he thinks they do) and based on the threads I've read on The Motte, it really doesn't seem like that. For example I recently read a thread on the Reddit API incident, it was fine. I also looked into some more controversial threads based on your comment such as with transgender, race, etc stuff, the content also seems even-handed based on what I've read. I'm sure there is some unsavory stuff just as in any forum but I just avoid those.
matt_s
Tangent opinion: going dark will do nothing long term. The mods should walk away, remove all moderation bots and let their respective subreddits be over-run with un-moderated garbage that drives everybody away and makes reddit lose ad revenue. Going dark for a couple days isn't going to hurt reddit financially bad enough for them to reverse their API fee plans.

Making a statement online isn't typically terribly effective at causing change.

slamdoors
Reddit will claim the subreddit has been abandoned and institute new mods.

Reddit is moving on without you. It sucks, I know.

matt_s
I don’t have reddit account anymore. I found it pulls me in too much so I deleted everything and just browse ye olde reddit. I’ve been tempted to do that here and other remaining social media accounts. When I step back and think about it, it is such a large amount of time spent.
tcrenshaw
Who will the new mods be? More volunteers? Or will they attempt to find paid moderators?
more_corn
It led to the removal of a Reddit ceo once before…
midnitewarrior
My alternative is taking a break from Reddit for awhile in support of the protest and to remember what life was like before it took all my attention.
easytiger
Go fishing or play golf, would be my genuine advice