So, I posted a simple Roku fix on Reddit — just explaining how to get actual antenna channels back instead of their ad-stuffed “Live TV” hub.
The post took off fast-within 90 minutes: • 8,000+ views • 12 upvotes • Dozens of people thanking me for the fix
Then… moderators nuked it as a repost.
Sequence of Events: 1. I politely asked what rule I’d broken. 2. Mod replied: “I don’t know, nor is it relevant to your ban.” 3. I joked: “Ok thank you, Paul Blart. 🙄” 4. Instantly → permanent ban + mute.
Screenshots confirmed: no rule violation, just a mod having a day.
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Follow-up Attempts: • Tried posting the story in r/help and r/ideasfortheadmins. • AutoMod deleted both — apparently the word “ban” is illegal now. • Tried to share it elsewhere, but at this point Reddit moderation feels like TSA confiscating nail clippers while waving through flamethrowers.
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Takeaway: It’s wild when platforms value control over community. I literally helped people watch TV again — and got banned for it.
Give someone a little power, and it goes straight to their head.
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The irony? My Roku fix worked. Thousands saw it before it vanished. So somewhere out there, people are happily watching TV — thanks to a guy Reddit decided to erase.
Stay tuned for Volume 2: “AutoMod vs The Word ‘Ban’.”
Problem is critical mass for communities that simply won’t happen because of the overall demographics of Lemmy’s userbase - it would make little sense to have a community centered around, say, Facebook or Google products because the common Lemmy user is inclined to dislike either of them.
Also, with the way people are around here, a Facebook or Google centred community would just be smartasses shitting on Facebook and Google and anyone that tries to post about them.
I see this hasn’t changed much since I was last here on Lemmy. Even this comment chain, I’m replying to, instead of suggesting nicely to OP to start a community and get something going here, it’s snark and sarcasm. And I know that would put me off, if I was considering making a community before that.
Turns out, people actually like snark and most attempts to quell it have been vastly more about appearing “advertisers friendly” than actually appeasing any user bases.
You know, we say that but Reddit had and has more snark and sarcasm than even this place and they seem to have all the communities.
Just start a community, and if people show up to your little pod of Facebook Marketplace reposting enjoyers and shit on your parade, show them the fucking door.
Yeah I hate Facebook and Google and I wouldn’t willingly participate in those; but there is plenty of AI related shit in my All feed here that I just ignore because, while I fucking hate the religion created around generative AI those people aren’t bothering me.
Now Nazi’s on the other hand I will gladly chase the fuck outta here. But you can, as a moderator, just delete the snark from your new community. The software just lets you do it.
Yeah that’s fair. Although Reddit also has a lot more users, so the snarky people and the ones that can’t just scroll past something they don’t like stick out more.
So I think, in terms of conversations like this where the bottom line is there’s just not enough users to have all the same communities as Reddit, people could maybe be a bit friendlier to noobs or towards communities they don’t like.
Like, I remember when I first got here, I was still interested in discussing Reddit, so I was around the Reddit community for a bit. And I remember so many people around there just interacting in bad faith. Yes we know Reddit is shit, thanks, your take is isn’t hot, it’s years old.
It wasn’t completely off putting but pretty fucking annoying. In general it’s pretty fucking annoying.
But as you say, Reddit was the same, so it’s not like it’s a Lemmy specific issue. And probably can’t be helped without iron fisted levels of moderation that no one wants.
Lemmy is pretty much just /r Linux and related subs.