After acknowledging that the golden likes system “didn’t serve its intended purpose,” Reddit has relaunched a revised version of the rewards system it retired last year.
“We tried something new and it just didn’t work well (as you call it),” Reddit said in Wednesday’s announcement. “So we’re (re)launching Awards, not that new but definitely improved. It’s rolling out starting today on reddit.com and Reddit’s iOS and Android apps.
According to Reddit, most of the previous reward system mechanics will remain the same, with a few tweaks such as placing reward buttons under eligible posts, an updated UI to minimize clutter, and displaying the highest gold medals and earned Comment or post on the reward leaderboard of the rewards. New security features have been introduced to prevent awards from entering sensitive or NSFW subreddits and allow users to report instances of awards being misused. The platform has also created new awards and updated some old award designs.
Then there are the tokens – Reddit users previously needed to spend real money on tokens to purchase rewards. Reddit admitted that it “did not adequately communicate to users” why the token was being decommissioned. Therefore, the platform is offering some “exclusive rewards” to users whose coin balances have been removed, which can be given out for free.
It is worth noting that the coin is not Technically return. Instead, users will now need to purchase gold coins, which start at $1.79 for 100 gold coins (or $1.99 via mobile purchase), and were introduced as part of Reddit’s contributor program to reward other users with “golden likes.” Reddit says that gold voting is “not as fun or expressive as traditional awards” and that the system will be scrapped now that the old rewards program is back, although eligible creators can still use gold through its contributor program to make money.
Unlike Golden Votes, Reddit says its contributor program has attracted a lot of interest and is currently expanding to cover 35 countries. The company acknowledged user concerns that the program could be abused for spam, scams and karma farming, but said there had been no increase in such behavior since the system was launched six months ago.
Reddit’s apology in an attempt to appease users may only create further tension. Some commenters on the announcement post expressed confusion about how the revamped rewards program would work, and many were unhappy that some of its most popular features, such as the ability to “gold-plate” posts by donating a Reddit Premium subscription, weren’t returning.
