RedditReddit is clamping down on the number of popular subreddits that moderators can be involved with, and it comes after the chaos one mod caused with the r/Art subreddit.
At the end of November, the r/Art subreddit was sent into chaos after one moderator chose to ban artist Hayden Clay for posting about prints of his artwork. Clay was banned from the subreddit, other users started protesting the ban, and one moderator locked everything down – removing the rest of the moderators from power.
The Art subreddit has since returned with a brand-new moderation team, who have moved to overturn Clay’s ban, as well as a number of other “unfair bans” that had been handed out previously.
Reddit admins was also needed to unlock the subreddit, and they’ll now be limiting powers for mods who work across a wide range of communities.
Reddit clamping down on number of subreddits that mods can run
On December 3, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman announced to all users that they will be clamping down on the number of popular subreddits that moderators are able to control on their accounts.
“Reddit thrives when its communities are unique. That’s why we empower them to make their own rules (on top of ours) and grow the way they want to. But distinct communities require distinct leaders. A situation where someone moderates an unlimited number of massive communities is not that, which is why we’re making a few changes,” he posted.
“Namely, we’re limiting the number of high-traffic communities any single person can moderate. This is a major shift with a lot of nuance, so we’re not rushing.”
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This move was initially revealed back in September, but only on the r/ModNews subreddit, meaning the wider Reddit community will have missed it.
In that post, they announced that there would be “a moderation limit of a maximum of 5 communities with over 100k visitors.” These changes will start to roll out in January, as some mods will be allowed to move into advisor roles or receive special recognition for their modding work.
Come March, any moderator who is over the five subreddit limit will start to have their power removed, starting with the communities they are least active in.
Reddit is also removing the r/Popular feed, with Huffman saying it “sucks.” They’ll be bringing “better, more relevant and personalized feeds,” in its place.