Comments on: Reddit Deceived Me http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/ Chinese, Linguistics, Science, Cultural Observations and whatever else I feel like writing about Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:49:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Mark http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-97796 Mark Mon, 22 Oct 2007 22:08:37 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-97796 I did contact Reddit, but haven't received any sort of reply. I certainly didn't use my account for spam or anything like that, but I suppose someone could have reported me simply because of an opposing view-point. You can see some of my comments via the screenshots linked in the 10/21/2007 update to this post. The real issue, though, is why is Reddit using such a deceptive system? I should at least be alerted when a post of mine is reported. Letting me comment in vain for over a month is indefensible from an ethical standpoint, especially considering that they were earning add revenue from my usage while I was mislead. I did contact Reddit, but haven’t received any sort of reply.

I certainly didn’t use my account for spam or anything like that, but I suppose someone could have reported me simply because of an opposing view-point. You can see some of my comments via the screenshots linked in the 10/21/2007 update to this post.

The real issue, though, is why is Reddit using such a deceptive system? I should at least be alerted when a post of mine is reported. Letting me comment in vain for over a month is indefensible from an ethical standpoint, especially considering that they were earning add revenue from my usage while I was mislead.

]]> By: Gno Wan http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-97640 Gno Wan Mon, 22 Oct 2007 03:12:23 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-97640 Hi GaggedByheAlien, The problem you are running into is that for some reason some people have hit the report link on some of your comments, so you've been tagged as a spammer, and any accounts made from your IP address will also behave this way. The behaviors that you see are the way reddit blocks spammers. If you are not shilling products or doing something spammy in your comments (I can't see them), then you should contact the devs and tell them that you have been improperly tagged as a spammer and ask them to fix your account. spez (one of the folks who runs the site) tends to be very good about fixing this if people use the feedback system, I have seen a number of reports of people who inadvertently got tagged as spammers that he fixed. If they don't respond, I'd try contacting them again, I know they're bust and some of my feedback has been dropped sometimes. Unfortunately some people abuse/misuse the report button, so this comes up sometimes. Anyway, if you use this link you should be able to get your account fixed: http://reddit.com/feedback Hi GaggedByheAlien,

The problem you are running into is that for some reason some people have hit the report link on some of your comments, so you’ve been tagged as a spammer, and any accounts made from your IP address will also behave this way. The behaviors that you see are the way reddit blocks spammers. If you are not shilling products or doing something spammy in your comments (I can’t see them), then you should contact the devs and tell them that you have been improperly tagged as a spammer and ask them to fix your account. spez (one of the folks who runs the site) tends to be very good about fixing this if people use the feedback system, I have seen a number of reports of people who inadvertently got tagged as spammers that he fixed. If they don’t respond, I’d try contacting them again, I know they’re bust and some of my feedback has been dropped sometimes. Unfortunately some people abuse/misuse the report button, so this comes up sometimes. Anyway, if you use this link you should be able to get your account fixed:

http://reddit.com/feedback

]]> By: Mark http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-97535 Mark Sun, 21 Oct 2007 14:59:23 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-97535 As of today, reddit shows all my comments as “deleted”… unless I’m logged in, in which case it looks like nothing’s wrong. This whole business of trying to deceive the user is ridiculous. As of today, reddit shows all my comments as “deleted”… unless I’m logged in, in which case it looks like nothing’s wrong. This whole business of trying to deceive the user is ridiculous.

]]> By: Mark http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96860 Mark Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:13:10 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96860 No, no. It's nothing like that, Range. Comments are visible until they go under -4. Even in that case, they still show up if you go directly to the comment URL. I had been commenting regularly for months before they started being hidden, and they were hidden from other logged-in users. Look at the updates at the end of this post. I mentioned the mysterious return of the comments (and simultaneous mysterious deletion of this reddit story). No, no. It’s nothing like that, Range. Comments are visible until they go under -4. Even in that case, they still show up if you go directly to the comment URL.

I had been commenting regularly for months before they started being hidden, and they were hidden from other logged-in users. Look at the updates at the end of this post. I mentioned the mysterious return of the comments (and simultaneous mysterious deletion of this reddit story).

]]> By: range http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96837 range Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:09:18 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96837 I just checked and I see everything. That's totally strange. Maybe they filter the comments that don't have enough votes for guest users who don't have accounts. Anyways, I'm not surprised. They probably got complaints from someone at some point. Reddit was bought out wasn't it? Aaron Swatz was fired. I just checked and I see everything. That’s totally strange. Maybe they filter the comments that don’t have enough votes for guest users who don’t have accounts. Anyways, I’m not surprised. They probably got complaints from someone at some point. Reddit was bought out wasn’t it? Aaron Swatz was fired.

]]> By: Mark http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96422 Mark Sun, 14 Oct 2007 10:29:58 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96422 I did contact them, but they haven't responded. I'm not really holding out for a answer... I did contact them, but they haven’t responded. I’m not really holding out for a answer…

]]> By: Darin http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96400 Darin Sun, 14 Oct 2007 03:09:47 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96400 Did you contact them about it yet? Did you contact them about it yet?

]]> By: Mark http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96399 Mark Sun, 14 Oct 2007 03:05:29 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96399 No, I didn't. All I can think of is that maybe they're censoring a whole IP block, or maybe a user who disagreed with me reported me rather than just downmodding me. Either way, it's not very honest to let me think I was participating while I was actually being filtered out. No, I didn’t. All I can think of is that maybe they’re censoring a whole IP block, or maybe a user who disagreed with me reported me rather than just downmodding me.

Either way, it’s not very honest to let me think I was participating while I was actually being filtered out.

]]> By: Darin http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96398 Darin Sun, 14 Oct 2007 02:41:05 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96398 Did you say anything that they would want to censor? I can't figure out even why they would have any reason to censor you -- the motive. Did you say anything that they would want to censor? I can’t figure out even why they would have any reason to censor you — the motive.

]]> By: Mark http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96397 Mark Sun, 14 Oct 2007 02:10:46 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2007/reddit-deceived-me/#comment-96397 Darin, I'm convinced it's no bug. I made a new account, called <i>gaggedbythealien</i>, and nothing I've posted under that one show up either. Go to this account and click the permalink of any of the comments under it. They all turn up blank. Then try looking for the comments in the main comments thread... they're invisible. <a href="http://reddit.com/user/gaggedbythealien/" rel="nofollow">http://reddit.com/user/gaggedbythealien/</a> I wonder how many people out there realize Reddit does this kind of covert censorship. Oh and I almost forgot-- don't even bother voting up this story on Reddit. It's probably filtered out, too. Darin, I’m convinced it’s no bug. I made a new account, called gaggedbythealien, and nothing I’ve posted under that one show up either. Go to this account and click the permalink of any of the comments under it. They all turn up blank. Then try looking for the comments in the main comments thread… they’re invisible.

http://reddit.com/user/gaggedbythealien/

I wonder how many people out there realize Reddit does this kind of covert censorship. Oh and I almost forgot– don’t even bother voting up this story on Reddit. It’s probably filtered out, too.

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