Wednesday, July 17, 2013

New Default Subreddits? omgomgomg

It’s that time again — time to update the default subreddits! For those of you who don’t know, this is the set of subreddits logged-out users and new users see as their front page before they customize their subscriptions. It's been quite a while since we’ve made major changes to that list of subreddits (though we recently added /r/news to fill a gap that was missing), and we figured that it was high time to shake things up a bit on the front page. This is just the first small step in a much longer process for updating the front page, so we hope you all enjoy the new content!

The new list we’ve come up with was based off of a few key factors: traffic to the subreddits, rate of subscriber increase, average number of users online, and number of submissions/comments being posted. We’ve tried our best to make sure that the new additions are fairly “general,” and a few of the new additions are also there to help cover some areas that have never had a home on the front page. With these updates, we hope there will be an appropriate default for many of the most popular topics.

Without further ado, here's the new list, excluding the official defaults of /r/announcements and /r/blog (new additions in bold):

  1. /r/adviceanimals
  2. /r/AskReddit
  3. /r/aww
  4. /r/bestof
  5. /r/books
  6. /r/earthporn
  7. /r/explainlikeimfive
  8. /r/funny
  9. /r/gaming
  10. /r/gifs
  11. /r/IAmA
  12. /r/movies
  13. /r/music
  14. /r/news
  15. /r/pics
  16. /r/science
  17. /r/technology
  18. /r/television
  19. /r/todayilearned
  20. /r/videos
  21. /r/worldnews
  22. /r/wtf
We know many of you will wonder what happened to /r/politics and /r/atheism and why they were removed from the default set. We could give you a canned corporate answer or a diplomatic answer that is carefully crafted for the situation. But since this is reddit, we’re going to try things a bit differently and give you the real answer: they just weren't up to snuff. Now, don't get us wrong, there still ARE good parts about them. Overall, they just haven't continued to grow and evolve like the other subreddits we've decided to add.
This change will largely affect logged-out users and new accounts, so if you already have an account and you've ever subscribed to or unsubscribed from any subreddit you won’t notice any difference from these changes. To update your personal subscription list, just visit the "my subreddits" page at http://www.reddit.com/subreddits/mine

This is just the first step in a larger process, so keep your eyes peeled for some other updates to the default set in the future and be sure to check out our multireddits beta and leave some feedback!

Monday, July 08, 2013

Welcome, Kelly & Gary!

In a sign of reddit's ongoing progress toward "its destiny uninterrupted," we're excited to introduce two new members of team reddit. Please help us in welcoming Kelly and Gary. Team reddit now has twenty-eight employees. Uncoincidently, twenty-eight is the only positive integer that has a unique Kayles nim-value. Think about that.

Kelly Moriarty (/u/iamapillow) - Sales Associate
Helloooooo reddit! My name is Kelly and I am so unbelievably happy to join the reddit team. I’ve been redditing on a number of different usernames over the years, but I decided to become a pillow, so I did.  Now cats are cute and all, but sharks are my one true love. My goal is to create an army of sharks and take over the world, but I’ll settle for helping reddit keep being awesome. Long story short, I was born in Germany, grew up in Connecticut, and I now live NYC. I was working at a marketing agency when I saw this job posting in /r/forhire, figured it couldn't hurt to apply to my dream job, one thing led to another, and here I am!  TL;DR I like sharks and always reddit at work. My favorite subreddits include /r/oldschoolcool and /r/fuckyouimashark

Gary Jense (/u/garyjense) - Business Development, redditgifts  
Hi reddit! I've spent most of my adult life living in Salt Lake City where I studied business at the University of Utah and where I still reside today. I was introduced to the redditgifts team shortly after they relocated here last summer and, after a year's worth of BBQs and one crazy Christmas party, I had the opportunity to join the team full-time. Going forward I'll be managing redditgifts' business development efforts, which largely means I'm responsible for growing the newly launched redditgifts marketplace. Outside of work, I enjoy skateboarding, reading fantasy, and climbing. As a result, my favorite subreddits include /r/skateboarding, /r/climbing, /r/fitness, /r/fantasy, and of course, /r/cocktails.

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Rally to Restore Your Rights on July 4th


The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
                                                                  - Fourth Amendment, U.S. Constitution
Restore the Fourth is a non-partisan, non-violent movement assembling nationwide protests on July 4th 2013 to raise awareness of unconstitutional surveillance methods employed by the U.S. government. We are humbled that this truly grassroots movement was started here on reddit only 23 days ago. reddit and the rest of the individuals, businesses, and organizations in Stop Watching Us coalition demand transparency and meaningful reform to domestic surveillance programs.

On July 4th, join the thousands of people in over 50 cities across the United States who will protest the surveillance methods employed by the U.S. government.

You can learn more and sign up for your local protest at www.restorethefourth.net.

There are also protests going on in Canada and the UK.

If you are concerned about these issues, but unable or not interested in attending a rally (it'll be fun), there are many other ways for you to get involved:

From the StopWatchingUs coalition letter (read full letter)
"As reported, the U.S. government is extracting audio, video, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs that enable analysts to track a person's movements and contacts over time. As a result, the contents of communications of people both abroad and in the U.S. can be swept in without any suspicion of crime or association with a terrorist organization....This dragnet surveillance violates the First and Fourth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, which protect citizens' right to speak and associate anonymously, guard against unreasonable searches and seizures, and protect their right to privacy." 
In addition to all of the individual privacy issues, these secret mass surveillance programs are troubling for online businesses like reddit. The potential that a business can be legally and secretly compelled to violate the privacy of both foriegn and domestic users casts a pall over any U.S.-based site. In turn, this threatens to place U.S.-based internet companies, one of the most dynamic and booming sectors of our economy, at a global disadvantage. Users of any U.S.-based site should expect and demand that their private information is steadfastly protected from government intrusion, as promised by the 4th amendment.

The 4th amendment in spirit was designed explicitly to prevent these types of programs. Secret laws and secret interpretations of laws, like FAA (2008) Section 702 or USA Patriot Act 215 aren't what democracy is about.

This 4th of July - restore your rights.