[Subreddit status update] The aftermath of u/spez’s AMA, reddit’s and r/NBASpurs plans for the foreseeable future

First of all, thanks for being patient with us. Our decision to shut the subreddit down for 48 hours was positively received (93% upvoted) by the community save for a couple of redditors.
I’ve devoted a good chunk of my time to write this update to keep you informed before shite goes down, so I hope you’ll read this post in its entirety.

###How the AMA went###

Steve Huffman or spez is reddit’s current CEO and he held a disasterclass of an AMA yesterday. He ignored the users’ most popular and upvoted concerns and cherry-picked from the lot, answering a whopping total of 14 questions.

[He slandered Apollo’s developer yet again, claiming Christian was two-faced with his communication privately and publicly](https://www.reddit.com/r/reddit/comments/145bram/addressing_the_community_about_changes_to_our_api/jnk45rr) but could not come up with any evidence. Steve then proceeded to [lie about working with other third-party app developers](https://www.reddit.com/r/reddit/comments/145bram/addressing_the_community_about_changes_to_our_api/jnk8m0z/?context=3) when in truth, [they](https://www.reddit.com/r/reddit/comments/145bram/addressing_the_community_about_changes_to_our_api/jnk2q0e) [were](https://www.reddit.com/r/reddit/comments/145bram/addressing_the_community_about_changes_to_our_api/jnk2pp3/) [repeatedly](https://www.reddit.com/r/reddit/comments/145bram/addressing_the_community_about_changes_to_our_api/jnk73rb) IGNORED, like robocalls and Nigerian princes.

[He also inadvertently revealed he was using canned responses, forgetting to remove the “A:” prepend after replying to a blind user… only to edit it afterwards.](https://www.reddit.com/r/reddit/comments/145bram/addressing_the_community_about_changes_to_our_api/jnkccq7) [However! Make no mistake, this is a huge improvement over editing other users’ comments by modifying their database entries.](https://www.reddit.com/r/announcements/comments/5frg1n/tifu_by_editing_some_comments_and_creating_an) We all start somewhere :’)

The AMA promised a whole lot of nothing that isn’t immediately available to any of us, and the plan to charge outrageous prices for API access is running full steam ahead, like the Spurs’ race for seis.

###r/NBASpurs moderation, bots and you###

With their API pricing model, this subreddit’s game and post-game thread bot will be affected, particularly the box scores.

The free tier allows 100 or 10 queries per minute depending on authentication access. The bot is used by half of existing team subreddits to my knowledge, but might be decommissioned or heavily modified to stay within the free tier limits. Reducing the API call rate will render the feature useless as box scores in essence, provide real-time data, else they don’t offer any substantial value to anyone.

Quoting the post Steve wrote, developers can contact reddit through a support ticket if their bots require access to the Data API above the free limits, but bigger developers have been ignored for months and months on end, so it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that they will get a free upgrade to a different tier. If push comes to shove, we’ll replace it with another bot that creates game threads only, sans any other details.

Other bots that I’m currently developing will not be affected by the API pricing changes, but I’m on the fence whether it’s worth it at this stage. I’m seriously thinking about quitting after the 30th. I know I just returned to publicly moderating this community, but this is not the reddit I’ve grown up and fell in love with. I’m 31 and I’ve been here since I was 15. I’ve seen how the site’s quality went down year by year. By the time the IPO comes around, reddit will just be like any other social media website.

u/SquandasNutCheese is also undecided at this point, and may leave if things go terribly awry.

There’s also a possibility that Reddit admins might step in, remove the active mod team and replace it with users who align more with their interests. That being said, I can promise another WFSN surprise if they walk back on the changes, so you better support this protest because you’re in for a real treat.

###How you can support the protest better, by order of magnitude/effectiveness###

* [Cancel Reddit premium](https://www.reddit.com/settings/premium), even if you’ve never paid for it, as a big fuck you to the establishment.
* Stay off Reddit by blocking *.reddit.com from your router, VPN, firewall or browser. You can also set up apps like [Forest](https://www.forestapp.cc) to keep you off it for a set amount of time. Be productive in real life. Meet new people through Bumble BFF, Meetup, Tinder, Hinge, Grindr, Raya, Ashley Madison… The world is your oyster.
* Uninstall the official Reddit app on [Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.reddit.frontpage) or [iOS](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/reddit/id1064216828). Your storage space is running low, I heard. Give it the App/Play Store rating it deserves, which is a rotten egg.
* Uninstall all third-party apps. Remember them teats covered with basketball stickers? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

**If you can’t help but visit reddit during the blackout because doomscrolling is your favourite pastime and you’re maidenless**

* Do not post, comment on or upvote/downvote Reddit posts. I hear it can cause [eye cancer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_neoplasm). And cancer, is straight up a bloody turrible time.
* Install any of the third-party apps like [Apollo](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apollo-for-reddit/id979274575), [RIF](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andrewshu.android.reddit), [Sync](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.laurencedawson.reddit_sync), [Boost](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rubenmayayo.reddi), [Relay](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=reddit.news) and others. Discover what superior reddit browsing experience is like and lament the loss of a great product after the 30th.
* Browse old.reddit.com with ad-blocking software like [uBlock Origin](https://ublockorigin.com) turned on. Nostalgia brings frisson. And frisson… makes you orgasm. [I have the science to prove it.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4107937/)

###Elsewhere on reddit###

* r/AskHistorians has a very good bit on API access which I reckon is [mandatory reading.](https://reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/142w159) It goes into detail how admins have promised minimal disruption; moderation support but did not or could not follow up on, and at times even reneged on. They all know how to dance the moonwalk, alright.

* u/Dall0o created [Reddark](https://reddark.untone.uk) to show the status of all subreddits who committed to the blackout. I suggest you bookmark it so you can watch them shutter without visiting Reddit. It’s like watching the US vote for either Biden or Trump, but spicier because the internet does spicy best.

* 160/3588 subreddits have gone dark already as of writing, notably r/TIHI and r/wellthatsucks. r/TropicalWeather has decided to shut down indefinitely and will be a Discord-only community from here on. Huge communities such as r/music will follow suit, as well as r/videos, and the list is growing by the hour. Strength in numbers! Sincerely, Warriors fans.

###Outside reddit###

* The Verge is covering the blackout period [here](https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/8/23754780/reddit-api-updates-changes-news-announcements), because we’re the frontpage of the internet, baby!

* As we’ve been advertising since the beginning of time, the discord server will be up and running until a massive EMP disables all of Earth’s internet infrastructure: http://discord.gg/NBASpurs

* Here’s my [Twitter list](https://twitter.com/i/lists/1667514821204426752) that aggregates all tweets from official channels, Spurs players and former ones, coaches, prolific beat writers and other reputable sources, with the exception of Jabari Young and Uncle Dennis. I included Kawhi in case the Moriah Mills of his life pops up and spills the secrets of the universe. And how can I forget our favourite Spur, **** *****!

* [A list of podcasts to lend your ears to.](https://blog.feedspot.com/san_antonio_spurs_podcasts) Remember, I never said they were any good or up-to-date.

* [RSS feeds](https://blog.feedspot.com/san_antonio_spurs_rss_feeds) for Spurs fans 40 years old and above. How’s them knees and back?

###I want to delete my account. I have had it with these mother-fucking snakes on this mother-fucking plane!###

* Request and save your data first by [submitting a GDPR or CCPA request.](https://www.reddit.com/settings/data-request) Prepare for an absolute cringefest as you walk through memory lane.
* Delete your post history using [Redact](https://redact.dev/download) or [Power Delete Suite](https://github.com/j0be/PowerDeleteSuite) so the FBI doesn’t come knocking on your door.
* [Delete your account.](https://www.reddit.com/prefs/deactivate) If I learn you’ve returned using a different username… I see you Math Pro. I know you still want to be my husband, but girl’s in a relationship with an American-Japanese guy called Hitachi. Nicole is also spoken for. Sorry, bud, but not sorry.

###The future of the subreddit###

We don’t have any recommendations for a reddit alternative yet as we haven’t tested any of moderators and users proffered (Lemmy, Mastodon, kbin social), but let us know if it interests you. You can also browse r/RedditAlternatives only to [find out that admins banned one of the newly established subreddits detailing how to move to kbin.](https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditAlternatives/comments/145lqsp/reddit_bans_subreddit_detailing_how_to_move_to/) Shocking development, amirite?

Finally, you can vote to extend the blackout or re-open the subreddit through [Strawpoll](https://strawpoll.com/polls/e7ZJGpWwYy3). All moderators prefer to the idea of extending the blackout until the Mod Council, third-party developers and reddit come to an agreement that will be honoured to a T, but this community belongs to everyone who’s participated in it, old or new. I’m counting on you to vote WISELY.

##Go Spurs Go! Por Vida!##

With love, xx, till the butter flies