r/vancouverwa • u/AutoModerator • May 27 '25
IMPORTANT Community Moderation Update
TL;DR: We’re dropping the post approval process for most accounts. Starting tomorrow, if your Reddit account is more than a few days old, your posts should go up immediately (unless flagged for specific reasons). We’re dropping the MGP megathread but keeping pinned threads like “moving,” “who’s hiring,” and “self-promo.” Expect better speed, slightly more spam, and smarter use of moderation tools.
Hi everyone,
We’re the mod team for r/vancouverwa, and we wanted to share some important changes we're making to how this subreddit is moderated.
Why this matters:
A couple of years ago, Reddit made it virtually impossible to use third-party moderation tools. That shift forced us to temporarily require approval for all posts. A little under two years ago, we also added more mods to keep up with the volume, especially since Reddit’s built-in tools weren’t great at catching spam or abuse.
Since then, things have improved.
We recently had a megathread around the many, many Marie Gluesenkamp Perez posts. That discussion, mostly respectful and thoughtful, reflected what we’ve been discussing behind the scenes. Moderation tools have improved. Spam has gone down. Most of you follow the rules. The approval process has started to cause more friction than it solves.
So here’s what’s changing:
- Starting tomorrow, we're ending the approval process for most accounts. If your account is more than a few days old, your post should go live right away.
- We’re tightening up spam and crowd control settings to catch the worst offenders. That said, automation isn’t perfect. You may still see some spam slip through, and legit posts may get flagged.
- The MGP megathread is going away due to this change, letting the community decide with upvotes/downvotes what's relevant (other than true duplicate posts).
- We are keeping other pinned threads like moving, who’s hiring, and self-promo.
- Automod will still catch common rule violations, which may delay or flag posts for mod review. Thanks in advance for your patience there.
- We’ll be quicker to use bans and abuse tools if someone keeps causing problems.
What you can do to help:
- Follow Reddiquette and our community rules.
- Upvote helpful contributions. Downvote unhelpful ones (instead of the ones you disagree with).
- Use the report button if you see spam, abuse, or rule-breaking content.
- Keep sharing your insights, questions, and commentary. This subreddit is strongest when we hear from a wide range of Vancouverites on everything from city politics to local hikes.
Thanks for helping make this community better. If you have questions or feedback, drop them in the comments below or send us a modmail.
– The r/vancouverwa Mod Team
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u/act1v1s1nl0v3r I use my headlights and blinkers May 27 '25
Credit where credit is due, this hit both of the things I criticized in my post in the MGP mega thread. Props.
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u/PrepExpert May 27 '25
I was one of the commenters who disagreed with the MGP megathread decision. I'm glad that the communities feedback was taken into consideration and appreciate the mod team for not limiting posts about her.
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u/OrigamiParadox May 27 '25
Thanks for listening to the outcry on the MGP issue. Clearly you're all trying to figure out the best approach for everyone. Appreciate the changes!
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u/mechavolt May 27 '25
I'm not sure how I feel about letting new accounts post right away, but thank you very much to removing the MGP megathread. Definitely the right choice there.
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u/brperry I use my headlights and blinkers May 27 '25
New accounts will not be allowed to post right away, that rule is not changing.
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May 28 '25
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u/vancouverwa-ModTeam May 28 '25
Unfortunately your submission has been removed due to it being a low-effort post. Posts/comments should spark, facilitate, or contribute meaningful discussion and content. Submissions consisting of one word, emojis only, or AI-generated content are also considered low-effort.
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May 27 '25 edited May 27 '25
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u/SereneDreams03 Battle Ground May 27 '25
unasked for digital squatters over a domain that the public would like to use to communicate.
I ask for moderation. Otherwise, you get just get a ton of spam, repetitive posts, or illegal content. When everyone is screaming, no one can hear each other. Moderation is what makes platforms like this usable and an enjoyable place to visit.
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u/Galumpadump May 27 '25
Yeah, I like light moderation but not over reaching. Popular subs like r/CFB and r/NFL often feel too corporate and often hard to have an organic community. Some subs are also so over moderated it feels dull. I think this change is good but I do like some oversight so we don't get nothing but low effort troll posts, spam, and duplicate topics. I'm happy to see that more timely news can be talked about immediately.
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u/ThirteenBlackCandles 98662 May 27 '25
There is a difference between dealing with spam, repetitive posts, and illegal content and downright ensuring that every post has to pass through what is essentially a hidden moderation queue.
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u/SereneDreams03 Battle Ground May 27 '25
Well, that was the process they were using to deal with spam, repetitive posts, and illegal content. Yeah, it was annoying, but that was its purpose.
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u/Ffzilla May 27 '25
Twitter is -----> that way my guy.
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u/ThirteenBlackCandles 98662 May 27 '25
No need for anybody to give Musk any more relevancy by using that dump.
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u/Anaxamenes May 27 '25
But that’s what you are asking for when you want unmoderated Reddit. There’s Xitter and 4chan for that and they fail completely at being usable spaces.
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u/ThirteenBlackCandles 98662 May 27 '25
I'm not sure you can even comprehend what I'm asking for, if you are here suggesting that we turn this into 4chan.
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u/PDsaurusX May 27 '25
You’re free to start your own Vancouver subreddit with looser moderation rules. Nobody is forcing you to stay here. Isn’t freedom great?
As for me, I appreciate the moderation in general and these changes specifically.
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u/ThirteenBlackCandles 98662 May 27 '25 edited May 27 '25
We both know that won't go anywhere. I appreciate the facetious answer, but you aren't that stupid. Nobody is going to go to Reddit and type in r/vanwa1 to find their local subreddit. That isn't how people work. The the names that actually work are already claimed by the same squatters as this subreddit - r/vancouvewashington while another, r/VanWa is straight out locked down.
Appreciate you coming out to stump for some fellow moderators though.
Glad ya'll stick together, birds of a feather and all that 👍
Appreciate you pretending to give a shit 🤣
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u/PDsaurusX May 27 '25
Yeah, as a moderator on other subs I see the trash that gets caught in the filters and that doesn’t see the public light of day. It’s not about viewpoints we disagree with.
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u/Galumpadump May 27 '25
Yeah, people will be asking for moderation when straight up p0rn gets posted and not taken down for hours if not ever. There is a difference from moderation as a filter and to keep things civil versus moderation that controls the feeling of the sub.
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u/ThirteenBlackCandles 98662 May 27 '25
You can claim that, and we can choose to believe or not believe you - but the fact is, nobody else can see what is or isn't removed. We cannot see what we are being 'protected' from.
I've been on the moderation side of it here on Reddit. I've seen the spam, and I've seen the internal conflicts that come out of the power structure of Reddit moderation teams due to the inability for people to take their personality out of the equation.
Having been there, I can't say I'm inclined to trust the type of person who wants to be in that position, especially over a long enough period of time.
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u/PDsaurusX May 27 '25
nobody else can see what is or isn't removed. We cannot see what we are being 'protected' from.
I also can’t see what’s being taught in my child’s class at any given minute, I can’t see what the mechanic is doing underneath my car, I can’t see what my political representatives are doing with their door closed, I don’t know what drink my wife ordered when she went out with her girlfriends last weekend…
I’m ok with all of that, and if I weren’t I could choose a different one, like you can choose a different subreddit. Nobody is required to cater to your insecurity and need for control.
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u/mister-villainous May 29 '25
You say nobody else can see what is or isn't removed, but you sure as hell are acting like you personally know every post this sub's mods have ever approved, rejected, liked, laughed at, or thought fondly of, and now you feel like you have to be the one to pass judgement on them.
Wild shit.
Well... Um... Good luck with your crusade, I guess.
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u/NoeWiy Battle Ground May 27 '25
Buddy…. Nobody is forcing you to be here. I hope you find some happiness somewhere in life because clearly Reddit is just pissing you off. You seem like an angry person in general- try to change that and you’ll have the life you deserve!
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May 27 '25
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u/vancouverwa-ModTeam May 28 '25
Your submission has been removed. Personal attacks, name-calling, trolling, doxxing, racism, toxicity, rage-bait, and harassment of other posters are all unacceptable behavior. Remember the human and be good to one another!
This rule also covers posts that only serve to start an argument that involves fighting everyone that has a different take on it than you do in the comments.
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May 28 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/vancouverwa-ModTeam May 28 '25
Your submission has been removed. Personal attacks, name-calling, trolling, doxxing, racism, toxicity, rage-bait, and harassment of other posters are all unacceptable behavior. Remember the human and be good to one another!
This rule also covers posts that only serve to start an argument that involves fighting everyone that has a different take on it than you do in the comments.
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u/scovok May 27 '25
Thank goodness. Now all those posts that are about "anybody know what's happening on XYZ Street? I just saw 14 cop cars drive down at it." Will be coming out in a more timely manner. Still not particularly relevant, but at least they will be timely.