My first post here was today and it received positive attention. I have used reddit for almost two years now and haven't received a reaction that wasn't downvoted. I tried to be active in subreddits but couldn't stand the constant sarcasm and shitty jokes.
I do wish that more people were on voat, but it is nice to feel like you belong to a community who will actually listen.
I heard Voat mentioned from time to time. When the Pao thing went down, I began to be uneasy with Reddit (I'm not really sure when it first started, but that was when I first distinctly remember it). When they announced the changes to their ToS that allowed them to sell user info the advertisers (something they had promised never to do) I knew I had to leave. I stopped Reddit cold turkey on Jan 1, 2016 & made my Voat account.
[–] PirateBear ago
I got sick of the admin's crap. Nothing to do with any of the infamously banned subreddits (I actually don't like any of them personally, but have no problem being on the same site as long as I don't have to see their content), but the fact that the Reddit admins have become so complacent and refuse to actually try and improve their site. Examples:
Not letting subs decide what's best for their own sub (within site rules). Shadowbanning store reps for posting their stores in /r/gamedeals despite them following the sub's rules on transparency and being blessed by the sub's mods. People on the sub didn't care that they were posting their own deals because this interaction regularly got better deals during major sales. IIRC they did the same shit to the League of Legend Subreddit at one point.
Using a nebulous definition of "Doxxing" to bully "unflattering" subs. They consider posting a public tweet "personal information" and threatened to ban subs for it, causing people to have to post censored screenshots that are easily waved off as fake instead. I get trying to reduce doxxing, but a posting a public tweet with no malice intended is too far. Same with their vague accusations of "brigading". Vague, nebulous rules that are applied unequally is literally pulling page from China's censorship methods, getting people to self censor instead of having to do it publicly.
Being completely out of touch with the concerns of the users. The first above point is a good example, but there's also the whole AMA bullshit, shadowbanning actual people rather than only spammers (and not having any kind of disciplinary system beyond this for a decade+), allowing people to request and squat on subs in bad faith, etc. etc.
I could go on, but this comments is already too long, so I'll stop. Needless to say, Voat's admin's are far better than Reddit's in that they actually give a shit about the concerns of their user base, as seen in them using a custom advertising system (for privacy and performance) and implementing site-wide HTTPS in a few days rather than like the 8 or 9 years that it took Reddit.
I did it to get away from people who squat on hundreds of Subreddits to push their agenda and join a community that favors free speech.
@HenryCorp is a spamming powermod sits on hundreds of subs between here and Reddit. If you literally disagree with him on anything in his subs, you'll be banned. He's terrified of debating the facts; he just wants to spam shit and reap the SCP. He's even banned tons of users who haven't even participated in his subs. Seriously, try to post a factual statement that is contrary to something he posted. You'll quickly get your ban.
This completely undermines what Voat stands for and should not be tolerated. See more here: https://voat.co/v/reportspammers/comments/1093465
He has spammed 20 links so far today.
At least Voat has confined @HenryCorp to a little safe zone of 10 subverses with a small group subscribers. Mostly, he's only able to spam to a small group if conspiracy theorists and leftists radicals here. Definitely better than the hundreds he mods on Reddit.
Reddit is now election nonsense with cats and boobs randomly mixed in. I posted comments from time to time, but I never absorbed myself into it as a regular forum thing. More of an entertainment aggregator because Digg sucks.
Then select subreddits I liked got banned and showed up here, so I use both sites. Lurking and randomly commenting.
[–] undeadkesha [S] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
You have that semi correct, that's tumblr.
[–] DrBunsen ago
For years the bullshit about being banned for nothing got me irritated, and then I found out about voat.
And with for years I mean that I get banned for a racist joke on WTF et cetera.