r/mildlyinteresting • • Jun 23 '23

META What happened to /r/mildlyinteresting?

13.3k Upvotes

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:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Eventually, all moderators were removed and suspended for 7 days, with the vote results deleted and the community set to “archived.”

  4. 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.

  5. 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™.

  6. 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").

  7. 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.

  8. 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 • • 1h ago

In an effort to stop using AI images, my kid's school started using kid art for their fundraisers and events.

Post image
• Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 4h ago

Our apple tree spent all of it's energy making one perfect apple

Post image
17.2k Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 11h ago

This summers loot from below the 7.5 meter board at a natural swimming pond in germany.

Post image
23.0k Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 6h ago

School bus stops partially in oncoming lane. Likely to keep cards from passing

Post image
3.7k Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 6h ago

This country, (Aruba) has a square shaped coin.

Post image
2.0k Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 6h ago

This exclusion fencing to keep a car safe.

Post image
1.6k Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 10h ago

The pumps in this Manila gas station hang down from the canopy.

Post image
3.7k Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 2h ago

I left my cup of black coffee out overnight and came back to find this weird pattern settled on the surface.

Post image
534 Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 19h ago

A rove beetle gave me a rash on my neck a few months ago and now I have a scar that looks like an hourglass

Post image
17.0k Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 7h ago

This Chinese restaurant also sells socks, jewelry, and press on nails.

Post image
801 Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 3h ago

All the layers in the dirt where I'm digging

Post image
278 Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 22h ago

Tire sink in gas station bathroom

Post image
9.5k Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 9h ago

This seagull had a healed over fishing hook/line embedded in its chest

Post image
754 Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 6h ago

Hmm found a double banana

Post image
216 Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 3h ago

This candle is actually lit - the flash somehow cancelled out the flame.

Post image
119 Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 1d ago

My feet look like I should have another toe

Post image
17.8k Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 39m ago

The tiles in the Dennys bathroom look like theres two faces on there, thought it was cool.

Post image
• Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 7h ago

At Amazon, these are the marks left by the drives after 4 years of rotating 90° when packages are put on them. They then take the packages to a chute sending it to it's next destination.

Post image
148 Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 23h ago

Gecko with two tails

Post image
2.4k Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 23h ago

Throw pillow instructions

Post image
1.7k Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 1d ago

Washer fluid refill pump at fuel station

Post image
7.6k Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 5h ago

Cats sleeping like humans

Post image
56 Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 56m ago

My shoe print looks like a small truck

Post image
• Upvotes

r/mildlyinteresting • • 1d ago

Overdone My fortune cookie fortune was a misprint/miscut

Post image
3.3k Upvotes