Reddit is eliminating its Gold awards system

Awards are little icons on posts you may need come throughout whereas scrolling round Reddit, they usually’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, you should use Reddit Cash, however should you don’t have already got some, you aren’t capable of get any extra of them as of Thursday, in line with a submit from Reddit admin (worker) venkman01. Awards and present cash will nonetheless be obtainable till September twelfth, and the change to the awards and cash techniques implies that Reddit Premium subscribers gained’t get an everyday allotment of cash.

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

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

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

Many customers aren’t proud of Reddit’s resolution. “Killing options with out replacements prepared, yep, feels like Reddit to me,” wrote one person 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 form of compensation or transition into the subsequent system. And for customers already annoyed at Reddit over new API pricing that pressured some fashionable third-party apps to close down, the lack of awards like Reddit Gold, arguably one of the crucial iconic components of the platform, may sting that rather more.

Whereas Reddit hasn’t specified what the brand new system may seem like, Android Authority could 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.