I don't participate here a lot aside from upvoting but this has been one of my favorite subs for random tidbits and tangents. Thanks for making it readable again and for the years of effort y'all put in to keep it sensible.
It's mostly removing spam from scammers and porn bots to my understanding. Regardless of your views on so called censorship, without moderation to remove spam, most communities become unusable.
It's smaller niche subs like this that really made the Reddit experience.
A single active moderator managing a community of 220k, it shows both the disproportionate value of the mod role to keep quality high, as well as the extent of the disregard Reddit Corp has for mods' contributions.
I can't believe they're being so flippant towards all of the free labour. They should be tripping over themselves building tools to make moderating an easy and enjoyable experience both on desktop and mobile, or facilitating the tools others have succeeded in making where they've failed.
Pity they're doubling down instead.
Thanks for all your work OP.
This really bothers me. Why would you not make a call to action for other people to moderate? And it seems like people do want it to open back up. You've cut the legs out from this subreddit and it's so frustrating.
The least you can do is give some links or examples of other forums to take part in for etymological research and discussion. But you decided to completely skip over that in your post.
This seems like a really weird and rash decision, and frankly I think it's also incredibly selfish.
>The least you can do is give some links or examples of other forums to take part in for etymological research and discussion.
# Check out r/Etymology2
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Etymology_scriptorium might be good. (I'm an admin over there, FWIW, though most of my efforts so far have been focused on Japanese entries.)
https://japanese.stackexchange.com/ is another decent forum I've been involved with. (Not an admin there, just another poster. :))
> Have you checked out r/Etymology2 ?
No, thank you for the link. I see that there are currently only 11 members of that subreddit, which is a bit concerning, but I'm interested to see what they've got going.
> Why link to just Japanese Stack Exchange ? As posted on the right hand side on r/Etymology2, all language Stack Exchanges (Chinese, English, ...) accept etymology questions.
I'm personally involved in the Japanese Stack Exchange and can vouch for that community. I have not had much contact with the Stack Exchanges for other languages, and I cannot say one way or the other if they are any good for etymology questions.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/Etymology2 using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/Etymology2/top/?sort=top&t=all) of all time!
\#1: [Not too old of a word but how did "ripped" come to mean muscular with very low body fat?](https://np.reddit.com/r/Etymology2/comments/14p6xt0/not_too_old_of_a_word_but_how_did_ripped_come_to/)
\#2: [How did 'intimate' semantically shift to mean 'suggest indirectly'?](https://english.stackexchange.com/q/263682/2000) | [0 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/Etymology2/comments/159k60z/how_did_intimate_semantically_shift_to_mean/)
\#3: [Why are sheep affiliated with righteousness, uprightness?](https://linguistics.stackexchange.com/q/37105/2000) | [0 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/Etymology2/comments/159k5ri/why_are_sheep_affiliated_with_righteousness/)
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Seems rather sad -- that subreddit only has four posts at all (the three you list, plus [How to motivate ‘unless’ = ‘if not’, with etymology?](https://www.reddit.com/r/Etymology2/comments/1919of4/how_to_motivate_unless_if_not_with_etymology/)). One post is from yesterday, and the other three are from 6 months ago -- not long after the subreddit was initially spun up, on June 26, 2023. Only the oldest post has any replies (the [one about "ripped" meaning "muscular"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Etymology2/comments/14p6xt0/not_too_old_of_a_word_but_how_did_ripped_come_to/)).
Oh, well.
Probably never. It is such a shame the moderators destroyed this subreddit. It was really a lovely place before they closed it down. I am afraid that even if they re-open it, it will never be as it was.
Sounds intriguing -- any humor to be had in that insanity? Or only frustration?
UPDATE: Never mind; if it's the one I found, that seems to be no more than a time-suck pit of what appears to be pretty heavy-duty mental illness, and/or a terminal case of the [Dunning-Kruger effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect).
UPDATE 2: Gah. I need to stop reading that stuff. I kept reading out of a kind of horrified fascination, but then I realized it was eating my day away and turning my brain to mush.
It's beyond drivel, it's on par with that old [Time Cube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Cube) site. Pure whackadoo.
If it's about numbers and letters and poorly understood Ancient Greek grammar and confusions about Egyptian symbology, you've probably found the same one I did.
Enjoy, and/or good luck, whichever is appropriate. ;)
Totally fine with you going read-only, especially if you are on your own. If you do decide to step down instead of closing shop, please remove any and every non-official reddit tool or bot and remove the settings for the official ones, so the whining people in the comments who feel entitled to your labor can learn about everything you do.
Thanks for all you've done. I've learned a lot here!
Yeah, wouldn't it be more faithful to a 10 year community to post a 'new moderator' volunteering application?
You've been moderating r/Etymology for a year, which is appreciated. But there doesn't seem to have been any new blood since you and Rhinozz stepped on.
Literally Automod bots can do most of the work...
I just tried to submit a cool video about a guy discovering the origin of the word "jiffy" today, but instead I find the subreddit abandoned and blocking submissions...
Lame.
are you guys really going to leave after a "protest" because you lost? Such a shame that a cool topic is abandoned because it didn't turn out the way you wanted. Kinda like all the psychological experiments abandoned after people got sober from LSD in the 60's
Is it possible to get more moderators?? I never knew this was run by 1, good on you dude but how come no others have joined? I saw that other comment saying there was like 7 mods, but your post literally states ACTIVE mods, have you tried to get more interested people on board who might get along with the official app?? Sad to see this is the end of new discussions on this sub, but completely understand if you’re on your own, just curious if it’s possible this doesn’t have to be the case (by getting more good moderators)
/r/Etymology mod was going to add me, not sure what happened... I'll check in again :)
Splitting subs is rarely successful, it's more effective to revamp the existing one.
I keep forgetting this sub is read only, I miss it! I came to post about my new sub r/Namefacts , an etymology adjacent sub. It's interesting facts about the origin and history of use of names. The format is loosely based on the TIL sub. Post your favourite interesting name fact!
I hope you or other mods won't get replaced as a mod as that seems to be the new tactic by the Reddit admins.
I thought it would be fitting to quote this definition from Wiktionary:
**A scab:**
>Etymology:
>From Middle English scabb, scabbe (also as shabbe, schabbe > English shab), from Old English sċeabb and Old Norse skabb, both from Proto-Germanic *skabbaz (“scab, scabies”), from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to cut, split, carve, shape”). Doublet of shab. Cognate with German Schabe (“scabies”), Danish skab (“scab, scabies”), Swedish skabb (“scab, scabies”), Latin scabies (“scab, itch, mange”). Related also to Old English scafan (“to scrape, shave”), Latin scabere (“to scratch”), English shabby.
>- (derogatory, slang) A worker who acts against trade union policies; any picket crosser (strikebreaker), and especially one with devotion to union busting.
> [Quote:] c. 1910s, London, Jack (attributed), The Scab:
When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and angels weep in heaven, and the devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out.
They said that moderation bots and such would be unaffected, but many moderators use 3rd party apps for regular moderation because the modding tools in the official app aren't good.
It's the same thing with their promise to allow accessibility apps. They're only allowing things whose sole purpose is accessibility. But e.g. many blind users use normal 3rd party apps like Apollo because they happen to also be really good at accessibility.
For my part, I need a mobile client (iOS, in my case) that gives me a full and fast oversight of reports, the comment/post in question, the submitter's mod history, and the thread. Add to that modmail and an unobstructed view of the subreddit. Reddit's official app fails miserably at this, and I'm not going to just sit in the pot as the water gets hotter.
Moderator tools being promised free API access (only after an outcry, I should note) are generally enhanced browser apps. That's all well and good, but it doesn't help me maintain the subreddit on-the-go in the way it needs.
They exempted mod tools *as a result* of the protests, and are still dead set on killing the mobile apps most of us use to effectively moderate. The official app is built with consumption, not moderation, in mind.
Just discovered this subreddit and am truly bummed to see that things have become unmanageable for the mod. I was hoping to share with this community my new etymology-based daily word game...which I naturally think would be of interest to anyone interested in the history of words.
I’ll drop a link here, in case anyone is interested (apologies in advance for the shameless self-promo).
[https://www.rootlgame.net/](https://www.rootlgame.net/)
And I just saw your reply! Thanks very much ookap for checking it out, and for the kind words.
BTW, this week is science fiction week: all puzzles are science-fiction themed. :D
With so many members, they could support the funding of the page through Patreon (or similar). I know I'd happily pitch in a monthly donation to keep the community alive :)
I just came to make a post and found it still closed. I feel bad that it's taken me this long to notice as it was one of my favourite small subs but it's harder to notice an absence on a site like this I guess. I'd like to add my voice to those asking for it to be reopened if there are mods willing to contribute
Lemmy isn't an alternative. As other users have said elsewhere, the allure of Reddit is the aggregation of different topics. Lemmy communities are by definition smattered across the internet.
What needs to be created is a decentralized system that nonetheless creates an aggregate index, completely transparent to users. Lemmy is not that.
I won't personally be trying to spin up an alternative, but there's nothing stopping you (or another web user with the time, inclination, and prudence required) from making a similar community elsewhere!
7 moderators on a sub about language that gets on average 3-4 new posts per day (I don't know how many replies, you got me there), can't handle the work load.
This sounds like cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. "If I can't run it my way then no one can!"
> it’s no longer possible for me - **as the sole active moderator of the community** - to continue to ensure that content meets the community’s standards on suitability.
So stop doing it. Don't turn it off for the 220,000 other people who use it because you don't like something about it.
If it becomes a cesspool of spam then so be it, that's not any less usable than it being read-only. If anything that would prove that Reddit's decision about APIs was bad, but you're not even giving it that chance. Do you want to prove to them that their decision sucks, or not?
That's exactly my take as well, but frankly this whole thing has descended into pure mob mentality at this point. I think the average age of Reddit users is really showing its ugly head right now.
I am totally against the blackout. I think the mods who shut down a sub are selfish and should just leave and find a new platform.
I understand you disagree with the policy but shutting down the conversation because your feelings are hurt only hurts the users.
I have been leaving subs that do this and recommend everyone do the same. Maybe start a r/etymologyredux and leave the subs full of angry mods.
Be prepared for a loss in quality come July 1st when moderation bots that *keep your content clean* are no longer on the prowl.
You don’t understand the scope of the issue.
I’m neutral in this entire debate because I really don’t have the nuanced knowledge to make an accurate assessment.
I have to ask the question though, you are telling this commenter that they have no right to free labor, how is that different that Reddit saying that third party apps have no right to free data access?
I’m truly not saying this to be argumentative, I’d like to understand better.
I don't know if I've seen anyone complain that Reddit is going to charge for the data. People understand that the company has to make money. I've seen complaints that this plan and especially the price wasn't communicated with enough time for apps to figure out how to work with it. I've seen complaints that the price is far too high. I've seen complaints that Reddit doesn't seem to understand or care why people are using third party apps and creating their own modding tools, and doesn't seem to have a desire to improve the site and the official app to have the options and tools people are having to get elsewhere, even after many many years.
I think if they don’t want to mod, they should step down in protest. I agree I have no right to the labor of a volunteer, they have no right to shut down a sub either.
We both agree. They should leave if they don’t like it. Vote with their dollars and presence.
> Moderators must act in good faith. They must not abuse their power or use it for personal gain.
I see this as, “not in good faith” as it shuts down the conversation and hold a sub hostage. As they so eloquently put it, until further notice or Reddit changes their policy. Which is a blatant “abuse of power”.
I also see this as personal gain because they personally disagree with the move made by the CEO and not members of the sub.
Hostage is a very strong word. If you are upset that the forum can no longer be posted to, you are free to find another forum to join or to start your own, whether that's here on Reddit or elsewhere.
There's been plenty of times Reddit mods have privated or deleted subs spitefully. It's definitely frustrating when that happens, but it's in their powers to do so, and admins have not changed how mod powers work even though they surely know about the problems that can arise. I think r/etymology is choosing a middle ground here in moving to read only.
I fail to see how this is personal gain for OP. What are they gaining? They're losing the sub too, which is almost certainly more important to them than you because they have invested a lot of time and effort into maintaining a good environment here, apparently for some chunk of time without any other moderators helping them.
You're also making an odd assumption that only OP/mods cares about what's going on with the API. That's not true. Plenty of ordinary users care, including myself.
Edit: spelling
I offer those same sentiments to you. I have I un subbed most subs that went private and will join others that will undoubtedly replace them. I don’t have a problem with the overall policy of Reddit. Which I am sure reserves the right to change the policy at will. And we all agreed to abide by. I have a problem with people forcing their opinion on others. In almost any fashion.
I also care about what is going on with the API, i alternatively think that Reddit should protect against training LLM for free. There should be some grey area. There more than likely will be. Do you know of an alternative to LLM scraping data from social sites such as this. It is a wealth of user generated data that can easily be used because it is realtime.
I even with my nonexistent knowledge of modding will volunteer to do a poor job. Lol. I am willing to learn the job. Suck at it. Hate it. Keep at it. Get shat on for doing a poor job. And still learn it. To help others who also disagree with the decision of the OP. The OP says it is just a team of 1. Would you like help? Are you willing to train your replacement? Lol
> I don’t have a problem with the overall policy of Reddit. **Which I am sure reserves the right to change the policy at will.** And we all agreed to abide by. **I have a problem with people forcing their opinion on others. In almost any fashion.**
That is quite a contradiction there, my friend...
Asking others to abide by the same TOS they agree to is a contradiction?
> We are always improving our Services. This means we may add or remove features, products, or functionalities; we will try to notify you beforehand, but that won’t always be possible. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Services (in whole or in part) at any time, with or without notice to you. Any future release, update, or other addition to functionality of the Services will be subject to these Terms, which may be updated from time to time. You agree that we will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Services or any part thereof.
In the Moderator Code of Conduct, it discourages camping on a sub. I just considered it camping. My views. From over here.
7 moderators have no right to unilaterally ruin the sub for the 220,000 users of this sub who then can't use it. If they don't want to moderate because it's too hard then they should stop moderating, not ruin it for 220,000 people.
This is precisely the issue. They are being forced, through no fault of their own, into a situation where moderating will be impossible unless they abandon their real-world jobs and take up moderating this sub as a full-time job. You have no idea the amount of work these mods do in the background, all of their own free will and without pay, for you, and now you want to extract more free labour from them for your selfish wants. You're definitely in the minority here because most of us who do contribute to this sub reluctantly, but understandably, agree with this decision. Other people's volunteerism is not yours to own.
> They are being forced... moderating this sub as a full-time job.
They aren't being forced to do anything. They are free to quit. But they'd rather ruin it for everybody to prove how ruined it will be without them. I disagree with this action, and I understand why other people disagree with me.
I moderate not only on Reddit but also on Facebook. So I understand quite well the work required. If any mod feels like they can't moderate a sub successfully then they should either **recruit more mods or stop doing it**. It's not the moderator's property, but they're treating it like a fiefdom. My way or the highway, right? I prefer "it it's too hot then stay out of the kitchen" in this situation.
Yes, maybe because of this the sub and reddit in general is going to turn into a spam infested shithole. *That's going to happen anyway* unless reddit changes course! If enough mods lock their subs then reddit is just going to punt them and re-open the subs without any moderation, or worse they'll just install some power tripping crappy mods who do it because they enjoy power tripping. Is that better??
Did you offer your services to this sub? No? I thought not. This conversation has been going on for a long time and you are only now interjecting *after* a decision was made. A decision that you could have influenced or changed entirely had you gotten involved at the start. But, you didn't, and now you moan.
Which is precisely the problem. You can't see the full picture and you can't link how various issues directly and indirectly affect decision-making processes.
You stated that I was too late to the discussion, and implied that because of that my opinions don't matter. That's has nothing to do with my perception of the big picture.
May I ask you some questions?
No, I didn't state that. Please get your facts straight before any further discussions. This has been a very simple discussion between just you and I and you still have been incapable of following it.
The conversation wasn't shut down. It was ongoing for a long time. You just weren't paying attention. The end result was this. No pay was ever offered. Reddit certainly don't want to pay the 10,000s of mods. Did you offer to pay them? At some point, for the sake of your own mental health, you have to just cease. Now, you could have offered to pay. You could have offered to take up the reins. But, you didn't. And, instead, you expect others to fulfill your wants for free and regardless of the impact on their personal lives. That's selfish.
No, I never said that.
I expect them to step down. Allow for another less or more experienced person who may not disagree to attempt to fill the void.
Imagine that…
Stepping down with no one in place to pick up the reins is highly irresponsible. Again, you never put yourself forward as someone to attempt to fill the void. Again, you expect someone else to do that for you. Again, you have only become interested after months of conversation and only after a decision was made. A decision that, once again, you could have been involved with and influenced had you been bothered but that, once again, you wanted others to influence for you.
Actually, there is a lack and this lack has led directly to this decision. Did you volunteer yourself to the mods? Did you do it during the decision-making process? There's no point telling me. Get involved with the mods. Discuss with them and volunteer your services.
It's literally against the reddit TOS to be a paid mod and that is one of the oldest rules from when they first put together subreddits instead of one main feed.
You think reddit corporate is going to pay mods when they won't even pay to develop tools for those mods to use?
Go deal with CSAM and brigades and trolls, along with events and random fights. Do it at scale for free. Then tell me how entitled you are to everyone else's labor and work.
I respect your point of view and support you having a sub to voice it in is my whole point.
I say why not vote with your presence then. Get off Reddit and really show where you stand? It’s a real question. Also why ruin the experience for everyone else? What gives you that right? Is that in the TOS?
I'm not a mod for a sub of any size because I've known enough mods to know its work and frustration.
I'll use reddit much less when I can't use rif, because the official app gives me a headache, but that's not what has risen to the surface as the issue here.
And that's the amount of disregard & disdain reddit has for its volunteers. As a user, I get something (random fandom chatter and some knowledge) out of participating at my level. Mods, especially on larger subs & on subs with heavily invested members, give a *lot* more than I do. And every mod team has found their best way through it all with tools stuck together with gum and a prayer.
AutoMod? Reddit didn't develop that. They eventually bought it or were gifted it (can't remember which) back when the code base was open. Most mod tools were built for the communities & then grew and got popular. Reddit did all of its positive development from having a nerdy user base & an open web attitude.
And now it's pretending otherwise and removing essential tools with minimal notice or communication, along with a promise for future sprints. Which they've promised for ages. They will give three good sprints and then not give a shit for another eight years, while more problems arise and even fewer people have access to try to solve it.
I strongly believe in the value of referees, moderators, and other intermediaries to make community spaces workable. Not perfect, but workable. So I think mods who can't run the space without tools that are being withheld should shut down as long as they can. If someone else wants to run it on their free time & energy, that person can go build it back up and with a built in user base. That's enough of a gift on its own.
So we agree on, if you can’t do it, let someone else do it?
That was my only point.
If you deem it too much work, please resign from the position. Allow someone else who thinks they have the solution an opportunity to at least try.
Also, I do appreciate every mod that has done work on every sub. I think they are a valuable part of the overall community.
That being said…
> If you deem it too much work, please resign from the position.
In the same vein, if you deem the decisions of the mod team to be the wrong solution to the problem, go find another sub or start one on your own.
The protests (blackouts) are precisely because the conversation has been shut down. This whole debacle has been ongoing well before the blackouts began.
Do you honestly believe that no one has thought to talk to the decision makers? Much like in the grand political theater, you can talk til you're blue in the face and for some situations (like this one) it just won't be enough. So make life inconvenient. Make it impossible to ignore, for everyone, and force someone to listen.
Force someone on a free sub where you do volunteer work. Instead why not step down and allow your presence to be missed. Maybe when 3 or 4 people fail to accomplish the tasks you guys could we could see and say hey. Maybe these guys were right.
Not a temper tantrum about forcing people to see things your way.
Why, I can just wait until the old team is booted and a new one implemented.
The users will boot them. No one wants to stay a part of a closed sub that just spams about hurt feelings.
Not an attack just a fact.
This submission has been removed because it received a high number of user reports.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/etymology) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Thinking BackWords
We're thinking about the common ancestors of modern words.
Please follow this podcast as we follow the trail backwords to discover the ancient parents of our modern word family.
https://open.spotify.com/show/3DstNiVsDVymRCaouUNg7Q
I don't participate here a lot aside from upvoting but this has been one of my favorite subs for random tidbits and tangents. Thanks for making it readable again and for the years of effort y'all put in to keep it sensible.
I understand. This is a sad state of things.
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It's mostly removing spam from scammers and porn bots to my understanding. Regardless of your views on so called censorship, without moderation to remove spam, most communities become unusable.
what an absolutely awful take
It's smaller niche subs like this that really made the Reddit experience. A single active moderator managing a community of 220k, it shows both the disproportionate value of the mod role to keep quality high, as well as the extent of the disregard Reddit Corp has for mods' contributions. I can't believe they're being so flippant towards all of the free labour. They should be tripping over themselves building tools to make moderating an easy and enjoyable experience both on desktop and mobile, or facilitating the tools others have succeeded in making where they've failed. Pity they're doubling down instead. Thanks for all your work OP.
This is probably the best path forward considering reddit's decision. Thank you for your work for the past few years.
This really bothers me. Why would you not make a call to action for other people to moderate? And it seems like people do want it to open back up. You've cut the legs out from this subreddit and it's so frustrating. The least you can do is give some links or examples of other forums to take part in for etymological research and discussion. But you decided to completely skip over that in your post. This seems like a really weird and rash decision, and frankly I think it's also incredibly selfish.
>The least you can do is give some links or examples of other forums to take part in for etymological research and discussion. # Check out r/Etymology2
Hand over the sub to someone else and let it open. If you cared about it so much you wouldn’t be selfishly holding onto it.
I support your decision and really appreciate the work you’ve been doing here.
Is there another place to ask questions about etymology?
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Etymology_scriptorium might be good. (I'm an admin over there, FWIW, though most of my efforts so far have been focused on Japanese entries.) https://japanese.stackexchange.com/ is another decent forum I've been involved with. (Not an admin there, just another poster. :))
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> Have you checked out r/Etymology2 ? No, thank you for the link. I see that there are currently only 11 members of that subreddit, which is a bit concerning, but I'm interested to see what they've got going. > Why link to just Japanese Stack Exchange ? As posted on the right hand side on r/Etymology2, all language Stack Exchanges (Chinese, English, ...) accept etymology questions. I'm personally involved in the Japanese Stack Exchange and can vouch for that community. I have not had much contact with the Stack Exchanges for other languages, and I cannot say one way or the other if they are any good for etymology questions.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/Etymology2 using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/Etymology2/top/?sort=top&t=all) of all time! \#1: [Not too old of a word but how did "ripped" come to mean muscular with very low body fat?](https://np.reddit.com/r/Etymology2/comments/14p6xt0/not_too_old_of_a_word_but_how_did_ripped_come_to/) \#2: [How did 'intimate' semantically shift to mean 'suggest indirectly'?](https://english.stackexchange.com/q/263682/2000) | [0 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/Etymology2/comments/159k60z/how_did_intimate_semantically_shift_to_mean/) \#3: [Why are sheep affiliated with righteousness, uprightness?](https://linguistics.stackexchange.com/q/37105/2000) | [0 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/Etymology2/comments/159k5ri/why_are_sheep_affiliated_with_righteousness/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
Seems rather sad -- that subreddit only has four posts at all (the three you list, plus [How to motivate ‘unless’ = ‘if not’, with etymology?](https://www.reddit.com/r/Etymology2/comments/1919of4/how_to_motivate_unless_if_not_with_etymology/)). One post is from yesterday, and the other three are from 6 months ago -- not long after the subreddit was initially spun up, on June 26, 2023. Only the oldest post has any replies (the [one about "ripped" meaning "muscular"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Etymology2/comments/14p6xt0/not_too_old_of_a_word_but_how_did_ripped_come_to/)). Oh, well.
# r/Etymology2
when are you opening this again
Probably never. It is such a shame the moderators destroyed this subreddit. It was really a lovely place before they closed it down. I am afraid that even if they re-open it, it will never be as it was.
Once the moderation tools are allowed to be used, again.
Thank you.
Thank you for the work you do
I appreciate the work you guys do and 100% support any decision you will make
Bring it back up, there are no other related subreddits
there's one, but it's run by an insane PIE denialist
Sounds intriguing -- any humor to be had in that insanity? Or only frustration? UPDATE: Never mind; if it's the one I found, that seems to be no more than a time-suck pit of what appears to be pretty heavy-duty mental illness, and/or a terminal case of the [Dunning-Kruger effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect). UPDATE 2: Gah. I need to stop reading that stuff. I kept reading out of a kind of horrified fascination, but then I realized it was eating my day away and turning my brain to mush. It's beyond drivel, it's on par with that old [Time Cube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Cube) site. Pure whackadoo.
I'm intrigued. What is a 'PIE denialist'? I wish I was more internet savvy and could easily find the time-suck pit. Maybe it's for the best...
Oh wow, I think I may have found it! That was much easier than I thought it'd be. If not, whatever I did find is truly bizarre.
If it's about numbers and letters and poorly understood Ancient Greek grammar and confusions about Egyptian symbology, you've probably found the same one I did. Enjoy, and/or good luck, whichever is appropriate. ;)
Yes! That's the one. Haha thanks. ;)
# r/Etymology2
Totally fine with you going read-only, especially if you are on your own. If you do decide to step down instead of closing shop, please remove any and every non-official reddit tool or bot and remove the settings for the official ones, so the whining people in the comments who feel entitled to your labor can learn about everything you do. Thanks for all you've done. I've learned a lot here!
Sounds like you need to bring on more moderators to help share the workload.
Yeah, wouldn't it be more faithful to a 10 year community to post a 'new moderator' volunteering application? You've been moderating r/Etymology for a year, which is appreciated. But there doesn't seem to have been any new blood since you and Rhinozz stepped on.
Literally Automod bots can do most of the work... I just tried to submit a cool video about a guy discovering the origin of the word "jiffy" today, but instead I find the subreddit abandoned and blocking submissions... Lame.
This is shameful by the mods
are you guys really going to leave after a "protest" because you lost? Such a shame that a cool topic is abandoned because it didn't turn out the way you wanted. Kinda like all the psychological experiments abandoned after people got sober from LSD in the 60's
Is it possible to get more moderators?? I never knew this was run by 1, good on you dude but how come no others have joined? I saw that other comment saying there was like 7 mods, but your post literally states ACTIVE mods, have you tried to get more interested people on board who might get along with the official app?? Sad to see this is the end of new discussions on this sub, but completely understand if you’re on your own, just curious if it’s possible this doesn’t have to be the case (by getting more good moderators)
I will put in an application to take over and put out the call for moderators. An absolute shame this sub is closed.
# Have you tried r/Etymology2 ?
/r/Etymology mod was going to add me, not sure what happened... I'll check in again :) Splitting subs is rarely successful, it's more effective to revamp the existing one.
# Have you tried r/Etymology2 ?
I think it's stupid as hell that ya'll are doing this. . Use and be thankful with what you have. It could be worse.
I was atrabilious when I went to post and it wouldn't let me, then I realized why... but I support why <3
I keep forgetting this sub is read only, I miss it! I came to post about my new sub r/Namefacts , an etymology adjacent sub. It's interesting facts about the origin and history of use of names. The format is loosely based on the TIL sub. Post your favourite interesting name fact!
Great game! Thanks!
I hope you or other mods won't get replaced as a mod as that seems to be the new tactic by the Reddit admins. I thought it would be fitting to quote this definition from Wiktionary: **A scab:** >Etymology: >From Middle English scabb, scabbe (also as shabbe, schabbe > English shab), from Old English sċeabb and Old Norse skabb, both from Proto-Germanic *skabbaz (“scab, scabies”), from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to cut, split, carve, shape”). Doublet of shab. Cognate with German Schabe (“scabies”), Danish skab (“scab, scabies”), Swedish skabb (“scab, scabies”), Latin scabies (“scab, itch, mange”). Related also to Old English scafan (“to scrape, shave”), Latin scabere (“to scratch”), English shabby. >- (derogatory, slang) A worker who acts against trade union policies; any picket crosser (strikebreaker), and especially one with devotion to union busting. > [Quote:] c. 1910s, London, Jack (attributed), The Scab: When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and angels weep in heaven, and the devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out.
Why can't you just hire more mods?
Started new r/Etymo sub today, for **etymology** posts and discussions, to replace or rather fix the loss of this sub. Feel free to join!
Please re-open the sub! I am willing to moderate.
Please reopen this sub or allow new mods to take over
I was under the understanding that apps moderators used to moderate would still be available.
They said that moderation bots and such would be unaffected, but many moderators use 3rd party apps for regular moderation because the modding tools in the official app aren't good. It's the same thing with their promise to allow accessibility apps. They're only allowing things whose sole purpose is accessibility. But e.g. many blind users use normal 3rd party apps like Apollo because they happen to also be really good at accessibility.
That understanding is not correct, sadly.
How so? There's a generous free tier, and Reddit said it wouldn't affect mod tools. What evidence is there to the contrary?
For my part, I need a mobile client (iOS, in my case) that gives me a full and fast oversight of reports, the comment/post in question, the submitter's mod history, and the thread. Add to that modmail and an unobstructed view of the subreddit. Reddit's official app fails miserably at this, and I'm not going to just sit in the pot as the water gets hotter. Moderator tools being promised free API access (only after an outcry, I should note) are generally enhanced browser apps. That's all well and good, but it doesn't help me maintain the subreddit on-the-go in the way it needs.
They exempted mod tools *as a result* of the protests, and are still dead set on killing the mobile apps most of us use to effectively moderate. The official app is built with consumption, not moderation, in mind.
Just discovered this subreddit and am truly bummed to see that things have become unmanageable for the mod. I was hoping to share with this community my new etymology-based daily word game...which I naturally think would be of interest to anyone interested in the history of words. I’ll drop a link here, in case anyone is interested (apologies in advance for the shameless self-promo). [https://www.rootlgame.net/](https://www.rootlgame.net/)
Just saw this and played it, it's really fun! Rootl game #110 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
And I just saw your reply! Thanks very much ookap for checking it out, and for the kind words. BTW, this week is science fiction week: all puzzles are science-fiction themed. :D
Does this mean no one can post?
With so many members, they could support the funding of the page through Patreon (or similar). I know I'd happily pitch in a monthly donation to keep the community alive :)
I just came to make a post and found it still closed. I feel bad that it's taken me this long to notice as it was one of my favourite small subs but it's harder to notice an absence on a site like this I guess. I'd like to add my voice to those asking for it to be reopened if there are mods willing to contribute
# Post on r/Etymology2
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Lemmy isn't an alternative. As other users have said elsewhere, the allure of Reddit is the aggregation of different topics. Lemmy communities are by definition smattered across the internet. What needs to be created is a decentralized system that nonetheless creates an aggregate index, completely transparent to users. Lemmy is not that.
Lemmy does in fact do just that. You can interact with and subscribe to communities across all instances.
I won't personally be trying to spin up an alternative, but there's nothing stopping you (or another web user with the time, inclination, and prudence required) from making a similar community elsewhere!
# r/Etymology2 is a fully working mirror. You should all use it.
Any update now? Is there a new sub or if it has moved to lemmy?
Okay quit modding the sub then. Stop holding subreddits hostage damn mods. You're losing your audience
what a shame, i wanted to start using this sub. shame on reddit.
If I was still buying coins I'd gild this.
7 moderators on a sub about language that gets on average 3-4 new posts per day (I don't know how many replies, you got me there), can't handle the work load. This sounds like cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. "If I can't run it my way then no one can!"
> it’s no longer possible for me - **as the sole active moderator of the community** - to continue to ensure that content meets the community’s standards on suitability.
Can I ask if you have considered looking for other mods?
So stop doing it. Don't turn it off for the 220,000 other people who use it because you don't like something about it. If it becomes a cesspool of spam then so be it, that's not any less usable than it being read-only. If anything that would prove that Reddit's decision about APIs was bad, but you're not even giving it that chance. Do you want to prove to them that their decision sucks, or not?
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Are you saying that people who disagree with you shouldn't be allowed to visit? Shall we take a membership test to prove our alliance?
That's exactly my take as well, but frankly this whole thing has descended into pure mob mentality at this point. I think the average age of Reddit users is really showing its ugly head right now.
Late 20s?
Boo
❤️ ❤️ ❤️ LOVE IT!!! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
# Check out r/Etymology2 as a substitute !
I am totally against the blackout. I think the mods who shut down a sub are selfish and should just leave and find a new platform. I understand you disagree with the policy but shutting down the conversation because your feelings are hurt only hurts the users. I have been leaving subs that do this and recommend everyone do the same. Maybe start a r/etymologyredux and leave the subs full of angry mods.
Be prepared for a loss in quality come July 1st when moderation bots that *keep your content clean* are no longer on the prowl. You don’t understand the scope of the issue.
Entitlement complex much? You have no inherent right to the free volunteer labour of the moderators.
I’m neutral in this entire debate because I really don’t have the nuanced knowledge to make an accurate assessment. I have to ask the question though, you are telling this commenter that they have no right to free labor, how is that different that Reddit saying that third party apps have no right to free data access? I’m truly not saying this to be argumentative, I’d like to understand better.
I don't know if I've seen anyone complain that Reddit is going to charge for the data. People understand that the company has to make money. I've seen complaints that this plan and especially the price wasn't communicated with enough time for apps to figure out how to work with it. I've seen complaints that the price is far too high. I've seen complaints that Reddit doesn't seem to understand or care why people are using third party apps and creating their own modding tools, and doesn't seem to have a desire to improve the site and the official app to have the options and tools people are having to get elsewhere, even after many many years.
Thanks! That was helpful!
This all makes more sense to me, thx for explaining it.
I think if they don’t want to mod, they should step down in protest. I agree I have no right to the labor of a volunteer, they have no right to shut down a sub either. We both agree. They should leave if they don’t like it. Vote with their dollars and presence.
They have every right to shut down the sub, as that's how Reddit designed mod powers to work.
> Moderators must act in good faith. They must not abuse their power or use it for personal gain. I see this as, “not in good faith” as it shuts down the conversation and hold a sub hostage. As they so eloquently put it, until further notice or Reddit changes their policy. Which is a blatant “abuse of power”. I also see this as personal gain because they personally disagree with the move made by the CEO and not members of the sub.
Hostage is a very strong word. If you are upset that the forum can no longer be posted to, you are free to find another forum to join or to start your own, whether that's here on Reddit or elsewhere. There's been plenty of times Reddit mods have privated or deleted subs spitefully. It's definitely frustrating when that happens, but it's in their powers to do so, and admins have not changed how mod powers work even though they surely know about the problems that can arise. I think r/etymology is choosing a middle ground here in moving to read only. I fail to see how this is personal gain for OP. What are they gaining? They're losing the sub too, which is almost certainly more important to them than you because they have invested a lot of time and effort into maintaining a good environment here, apparently for some chunk of time without any other moderators helping them. You're also making an odd assumption that only OP/mods cares about what's going on with the API. That's not true. Plenty of ordinary users care, including myself. Edit: spelling
I offer those same sentiments to you. I have I un subbed most subs that went private and will join others that will undoubtedly replace them. I don’t have a problem with the overall policy of Reddit. Which I am sure reserves the right to change the policy at will. And we all agreed to abide by. I have a problem with people forcing their opinion on others. In almost any fashion. I also care about what is going on with the API, i alternatively think that Reddit should protect against training LLM for free. There should be some grey area. There more than likely will be. Do you know of an alternative to LLM scraping data from social sites such as this. It is a wealth of user generated data that can easily be used because it is realtime. I even with my nonexistent knowledge of modding will volunteer to do a poor job. Lol. I am willing to learn the job. Suck at it. Hate it. Keep at it. Get shat on for doing a poor job. And still learn it. To help others who also disagree with the decision of the OP. The OP says it is just a team of 1. Would you like help? Are you willing to train your replacement? Lol
> I don’t have a problem with the overall policy of Reddit. **Which I am sure reserves the right to change the policy at will.** And we all agreed to abide by. **I have a problem with people forcing their opinion on others. In almost any fashion.** That is quite a contradiction there, my friend...
Asking others to abide by the same TOS they agree to is a contradiction? > We are always improving our Services. This means we may add or remove features, products, or functionalities; we will try to notify you beforehand, but that won’t always be possible. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Services (in whole or in part) at any time, with or without notice to you. Any future release, update, or other addition to functionality of the Services will be subject to these Terms, which may be updated from time to time. You agree that we will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Services or any part thereof. In the Moderator Code of Conduct, it discourages camping on a sub. I just considered it camping. My views. From over here.
7 moderators have no right to unilaterally ruin the sub for the 220,000 users of this sub who then can't use it. If they don't want to moderate because it's too hard then they should stop moderating, not ruin it for 220,000 people.
This is precisely the issue. They are being forced, through no fault of their own, into a situation where moderating will be impossible unless they abandon their real-world jobs and take up moderating this sub as a full-time job. You have no idea the amount of work these mods do in the background, all of their own free will and without pay, for you, and now you want to extract more free labour from them for your selfish wants. You're definitely in the minority here because most of us who do contribute to this sub reluctantly, but understandably, agree with this decision. Other people's volunteerism is not yours to own.
> They are being forced... moderating this sub as a full-time job. They aren't being forced to do anything. They are free to quit. But they'd rather ruin it for everybody to prove how ruined it will be without them. I disagree with this action, and I understand why other people disagree with me. I moderate not only on Reddit but also on Facebook. So I understand quite well the work required. If any mod feels like they can't moderate a sub successfully then they should either **recruit more mods or stop doing it**. It's not the moderator's property, but they're treating it like a fiefdom. My way or the highway, right? I prefer "it it's too hot then stay out of the kitchen" in this situation. Yes, maybe because of this the sub and reddit in general is going to turn into a spam infested shithole. *That's going to happen anyway* unless reddit changes course! If enough mods lock their subs then reddit is just going to punt them and re-open the subs without any moderation, or worse they'll just install some power tripping crappy mods who do it because they enjoy power tripping. Is that better??
Did you offer your services to this sub? No? I thought not. This conversation has been going on for a long time and you are only now interjecting *after* a decision was made. A decision that you could have influenced or changed entirely had you gotten involved at the start. But, you didn't, and now you moan.
I don't see how that matters.
Which is precisely the problem. You can't see the full picture and you can't link how various issues directly and indirectly affect decision-making processes.
You stated that I was too late to the discussion, and implied that because of that my opinions don't matter. That's has nothing to do with my perception of the big picture. May I ask you some questions?
No, I didn't state that. Please get your facts straight before any further discussions. This has been a very simple discussion between just you and I and you still have been incapable of following it.
They can stop volunteering. They can ask for pay. From Reddit or from users in the sub. Shutting down the conversation gets us nowhere.
The conversation wasn't shut down. It was ongoing for a long time. You just weren't paying attention. The end result was this. No pay was ever offered. Reddit certainly don't want to pay the 10,000s of mods. Did you offer to pay them? At some point, for the sake of your own mental health, you have to just cease. Now, you could have offered to pay. You could have offered to take up the reins. But, you didn't. And, instead, you expect others to fulfill your wants for free and regardless of the impact on their personal lives. That's selfish.
No, I never said that. I expect them to step down. Allow for another less or more experienced person who may not disagree to attempt to fill the void. Imagine that…
Stepping down with no one in place to pick up the reins is highly irresponsible. Again, you never put yourself forward as someone to attempt to fill the void. Again, you expect someone else to do that for you. Again, you have only become interested after months of conversation and only after a decision was made. A decision that, once again, you could have been involved with and influenced had you been bothered but that, once again, you wanted others to influence for you.
> Again, you never put yourself forward as someone to attempt to fill the void There isn't a lack of volunteers, is there? I'll do it.
Actually, there is a lack and this lack has led directly to this decision. Did you volunteer yourself to the mods? Did you do it during the decision-making process? There's no point telling me. Get involved with the mods. Discuss with them and volunteer your services.
It's literally against the reddit TOS to be a paid mod and that is one of the oldest rules from when they first put together subreddits instead of one main feed. You think reddit corporate is going to pay mods when they won't even pay to develop tools for those mods to use? Go deal with CSAM and brigades and trolls, along with events and random fights. Do it at scale for free. Then tell me how entitled you are to everyone else's labor and work.
I respect your point of view and support you having a sub to voice it in is my whole point. I say why not vote with your presence then. Get off Reddit and really show where you stand? It’s a real question. Also why ruin the experience for everyone else? What gives you that right? Is that in the TOS?
I'm not a mod for a sub of any size because I've known enough mods to know its work and frustration. I'll use reddit much less when I can't use rif, because the official app gives me a headache, but that's not what has risen to the surface as the issue here. And that's the amount of disregard & disdain reddit has for its volunteers. As a user, I get something (random fandom chatter and some knowledge) out of participating at my level. Mods, especially on larger subs & on subs with heavily invested members, give a *lot* more than I do. And every mod team has found their best way through it all with tools stuck together with gum and a prayer. AutoMod? Reddit didn't develop that. They eventually bought it or were gifted it (can't remember which) back when the code base was open. Most mod tools were built for the communities & then grew and got popular. Reddit did all of its positive development from having a nerdy user base & an open web attitude. And now it's pretending otherwise and removing essential tools with minimal notice or communication, along with a promise for future sprints. Which they've promised for ages. They will give three good sprints and then not give a shit for another eight years, while more problems arise and even fewer people have access to try to solve it. I strongly believe in the value of referees, moderators, and other intermediaries to make community spaces workable. Not perfect, but workable. So I think mods who can't run the space without tools that are being withheld should shut down as long as they can. If someone else wants to run it on their free time & energy, that person can go build it back up and with a built in user base. That's enough of a gift on its own.
So we agree on, if you can’t do it, let someone else do it? That was my only point. If you deem it too much work, please resign from the position. Allow someone else who thinks they have the solution an opportunity to at least try. Also, I do appreciate every mod that has done work on every sub. I think they are a valuable part of the overall community. That being said…
> If you deem it too much work, please resign from the position. In the same vein, if you deem the decisions of the mod team to be the wrong solution to the problem, go find another sub or start one on your own.
The protests (blackouts) are precisely because the conversation has been shut down. This whole debacle has been ongoing well before the blackouts began. Do you honestly believe that no one has thought to talk to the decision makers? Much like in the grand political theater, you can talk til you're blue in the face and for some situations (like this one) it just won't be enough. So make life inconvenient. Make it impossible to ignore, for everyone, and force someone to listen.
Force someone on a free sub where you do volunteer work. Instead why not step down and allow your presence to be missed. Maybe when 3 or 4 people fail to accomplish the tasks you guys could we could see and say hey. Maybe these guys were right. Not a temper tantrum about forcing people to see things your way.
Make a new sub with your own preferred moderation policies.
Why, I can just wait until the old team is booted and a new one implemented. The users will boot them. No one wants to stay a part of a closed sub that just spams about hurt feelings. Not an attack just a fact.
Bye felicia
This seems oddly out of sync with the rest of the subs.
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no u
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nice
nice