##This post is a follow up to last week's announcement that we were shutting down temporarily to protest Reddit’s new API changes.

Hello everyone. As most of you are probably aware, we just concluded a 48 hour protest in solidarity with nearly 9,000 other subreddits to protest Reddit's recent policy changes that will kill essentially every third-party Reddit app now operating, from Apollo, to Reddit is Fun, to Narwhal, to BaconReader, leaving Reddit's official mobile app as the only usable option; an app widely regarded as poor quality, not accessible for the disabled/impaired, and very difficult to use for moderation (I have been trying in good faith for almost a year to use the official app for modding, the experience is like pulling teeth).

We blacked out huge portions of Reddit, making national news many, many times over in the process. What we want is crystal clear.

As of June 14th, 2023 Reddit has budged microscopically. The announcement that moderator access to the "Pushshift" data-archiving tool would be restored was welcome. But our core concerns still aren't satisfied, and these concessions came prior to the blackout start date; Reddit has been silent since it began.

Many subreddits have decided to extend their blackouts, even indefinitely. At this time, we will be reopening the subreddit and resuming activities.

While we've chosen not to extend our blackout at this time, we want you to be prepared for this subreddit to commit to future rounds of protesting, even in the near future. There are several important Reddit events coming up where blackouts may be organised on a widespread scale. We are still committed to keeping Reddit accountable until it provides an adequate solution to the problems it has created, but at this time we feel the best thing for the community is to reopen. Thank you to everyone for your patience.

Hello everyone. The moderation team of r/YEW wants to share some serious concerns we have about recent changes to Reddit.

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.

On May 31st, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.

Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface (which is beloved by our modteam, and our preferred way for you to view this subreddit on desktop, by the way).

This isn't only a problem for users: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free. It’d be wonderful if Reddit’s official apps supported these tools, but they do not, and are years behind what third party apps can do.

On top of everything else, for the visually impaired, iOS is a disaster.

######Reddit to the Visually Impaired: "You no longer have a voice on this site."

"As one of the mods of r/blind I depend on third party apps. Once the apps are gone, I may be left with no choice but to step down and close my 17 year old account. I hope it wont’ come to that."

- u/fastfinge

#What's the plan?

The moderation team of r/YEW is declaring its opposition (along with hundreds of other subreddits) to this API pricing change, and will be shutting down the subreddit in solidarity for 48 hours on June 12th through the 14th (and may even shut down indefinitely) until the tools to provide effective moderation are available once more. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love. This subreddit is honestly one of my pride and joys on Reddit.

The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as tools to take further action.

##What can you do?

1. Complain. Message the mods of r/reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message u/reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on r/reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app, and sign your username in support on this post.

2. Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Share your thoughts here at r/YEW, and in every Mod post like this you see. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit to join us at the sister sub r/ModCoord.

3. Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 14th. Instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!

4. Don't Be a Jerk - Be Respectful. Follow Reddit's rules and "reddiquette". As upsetting as this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism only serve to make things harder to get people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.

Find out more at r/Save3rdPartyApps, or if you moderate a subreddit, its sister sub r/ModCoord.

####Thank you for your patience,

-Mathias, Head Moderator on behalf of the whole r/YEW moderation team.

P.S. Please don't spend money on Reddit awards for this post. That's another source of revenue for them, and the single most efficient [legal] way to tell a company that you're unhappy is to not give them money.

Been ill, this is the first thing I've turned in a year or so.

https://youtu.be/s4PE5Ys8INQ