Reddit is eliminating its Gold awards system

Awards are little icons on posts you might need come throughout whereas scrolling round Reddit, and so they’re given by different customers to point out appreciation for a submit. Maybe essentially the most commonly-known award is Reddit Gold, which exhibits up as a gold medal with a star, however there additionally response awards and awards particular to sure communities.

See all these icons? These are awards. Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

To purchase an award, that you must use Reddit Cash, however for those who don’t have already got some, you aren’t capable of get any extra of them as of Thursday, in accordance with a submit from Reddit admin (worker) venkman01. Awards and present cash will nonetheless be out there till September twelfth, and the change to the awards and cash methods signifies that Reddit Premium subscribers gained’t get a daily allotment of cash.

“Whereas we noticed most of the awards used as a enjoyable strategy to acknowledge contributions out of your fellow redditors, wanting again at these eons, we additionally noticed constant suggestions on awards as a complete,” venkman01 mentioned. “First, many don’t respect the muddle from awards (50+ awards proper now, however who’s counting?) and all of the steps that go into truly awarding content material. Second, redditors need awarded content material to be extra beneficial to the recipient.”

“We wish to create a system that’s easy, straightforward to make use of, and straightforward to grasp.”

Reddit does have plans for some form of award system sooner or later, however the submit solely offers imprecise hints about what which may appear like. “Rewarding content material and contribution (in addition to one thing golden) will nonetheless be a core a part of Reddit,” venkman01 mentioned. “Within the coming months, we’ll be sharing extra a couple of new path for awarding that enables redditors to empower each other and create extra significant methods to reward high-quality contributions on Reddit.” In a reply, venkman01 mentioned that “we wish to create a system that’s easy, straightforward to make use of, and straightforward to grasp.”

Many customers aren’t proud of Reddit’s determination. “Killing options with out replacements prepared, yep, appears like Reddit to me,” wrote one consumer in a highly-awarded reply. One other, replying to an announcement submit in a subreddit for moderator information, expressed unhappiness that Reddit isn’t offering some kind of compensation or transition into the subsequent system. And for customers already pissed off at Reddit over new API pricing that compelled some common third-party apps to close down, the lack of awards like Reddit Gold, arguably one of the iconic parts of the platform, may sting that rather more.

Whereas Reddit hasn’t specified what the brand new system would possibly appear like, Android Authority might have dug up some clues. Primarily based on code within the Reddit’s Android app, Reddit seems to be engaged on a “contributor program” that may let customers money out gold or karma (principally, factors you get for posts, feedback, or giving awards) they obtain into actual cash. Reddit didn’t reply to a request for remark despatched Wednesday about Android Authority’s article.