Reddit, under Ellen Pao, launches harassment crackdown

[Mulreay]

Social news site Reddit has launched an anti-harassment policy that allows it to ban users who bully others.
In a blogpost, the site - known for its liberal attitude towards free speech and anonymity - said it was "unhappy with harassing behaviour".
Users who believe they are being bullied will be able to email Reddit and report it.
But some users complained that the policy is vague and not in keeping with Reddit's promotion of free speech.
The site announced the changes, for which it has been preparing for six months, in a blogpost on Thursday signed by Reddit co-founder and Executive Chair Alexis Ohanian, interim CEO Ellen Pao, and Jessica Moreno, Reddit's head of community.
"We've seen many conversations devolve into attacks against individuals," the San Francisco company wrote, adding that it is also seeing more and different types of harassment than in the past.
For example, some users are harassing people across platforms and posting links on Reddit to private information on other sites, it said.
It added that it defines harassment as "systematic and/or continued actions to torment or demean someone in a way that would make a reasonable person (1) conclude that Reddit is not a safe platform to express their ideas or participate in the conversation, or (2) fear for their safety or the safety of those around them".
Ellen Pao
Reddit's interim chief executive Ellen Pao - along with two other staffers - introduced the changes

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-32749408
But, in comments posted on the site, users expressed dissatisfaction with the plan.

[evilfantasy]

What set this in motion was users criticizing (sometimes VERY harshly) Ellen Pao over her bogus *censored*-discrimination lawsuit against venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. -Click- Once her extreme liberal attitude came under fire on Reddit she suddenly became the moral police. The problem with that is she/Reddit admins started deleting ONLY the replies and even whole topics that criticized HER. She then followed that up with banning people who spoke out against her.

People are regularly trolled, insulted and "bullied" on Reddit when they have a different opinion (usually a conservative opinion) from the masses. To their credit though the mass majority of regular members usually just laugh it off and/or ignore the trolls. The harassment crackdown is nothing but an official excuse to ban people who criticize the Reddit admins.

[Tan]

And now she is out:

http://www.businessinsider.com/ellen-pao-is-out-at-reddit-2015-7

[evilfantasy]

Not out. Just moved to the side a little.

It's sad but they are probably afraid to fire her.

[BC_Programmer]

It's not like the new CEO is much better. He's said a lot of the exact same things that she did; suddenly the exact same things being said by this guy get responses of "What a reasonable person!"

Many of the changes he has proposed in his AMA for example seem to be geared towards commercialization; he has also said that he intends to monetize more heavily. It would make sense in that respect that he intends to make it impossible to actually delete comments, since that would mean advertising and obvious paid-for 'shilling' by social network marketing folks won't be possible to delete.

It may be related to Victoria being let go as well, if the rumored reason that she refused to do commercialized AMA's is in any way accurate.

It has certainly been a golden age for SubredditDrama, however.

[evilfantasy]

It's not like the new CEO is much better. He's said a lot of the exact same things that she did; suddenly the exact same things being said by this guy get responses of "What a reasonable person!"

I think the immediate acceptance of what he is saying is because he was the CEO who helped Reddit to be what it is (or was). Ellen Pao came along and pretty much took the community in the opposite direction. She was shaping the website into her vision instead of letting the community guide the way.

As for commercialization. Reddit admins can't let the community make that decision. There are shareholders/investors involved and they demand revenue growth or they take their money elsewhere. I'm sure there is a happy medium to be found but it might get a little bumpy trying to get there.