Reddit has recently announced the launch of its Developer Platform in August 2022, which is designed to make it easier for developers to create apps, bots, and mod tools for the popular social networking platform. As part of this initiative, Reddit is now testing the first of its own add-ons built through its Developer Platform, marking a significant step forward in the platform’s evolution.
These new add-ons, which are currently being tested in a small number of subreddits and are only available to moderators, offer a range of tools to help mods more effectively manage their communities. For example, the add-ons include features to help mods monitor and remove comment threads, ban spammers, and remove their content. For sports-focused subreddits, there is also a feature that allows mods to create live scoreboard posts.
According to Courtney Geesey-Dorr, a spokesperson for Reddit, the company has already opened up a waitlist for interested developers to participate in the closed beta of the Developer Platform. Despite being in the closed beta stage, a “handful” of moderators and bot developers have already built moderation tools that are being tested in select communities. This marks an important milestone as Reddit seeks to gather feedback and refine the platform before making it more widely available.
While Geesey-Dorr declined to share a specific date for when the Developer Platform will be generally available, she stated that the current beta test of the tools will help the company gather learnings, test out different functionalities of the post add-ons, and stress test the platform’s stability. The long-term vision is for these add-ons to eventually be available to all Reddit users.
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In addition to the moderation tools, Reddit is also introducing a new scoreboard add-on, which will initially be available to soccer league communities. The company is also in discussions with various other subreddits to explore the potential for additional add-ons. Reddit is currently prototyping variations on polls and countdown timer posts, which are expected to undergo testing in the next couple of months.
The introduction of these add-ons comes at the end of what has been a tumultuous year for Reddit. The company faced backlash earlier in the year over changes to its usage-based API pricing, which led to protests and some third-party apps going dark. While the protests have largely subsided, and many third-party apps have been discontinued, some have continued to operate by offering subscriptions to users.
Overall, Reddit’s Developer Platform represents a significant step forward for the company as it aims to provide a more seamless and customizable experience for its users and moderators. As the platform continues to evolve, it is expected that more add-ons and tools will be introduced, further enhancing the functionality and capabilities of the Reddit community.
