I was having a glance on Reddit just now and noticed there was this subreddit I have created a loong time ago called r/cointrader. Ever since I created it (not sure how long, the traffic stats only showed stats from a year ago) I haven't looked in there like at all, maybe once at one point but it was as dead as a subreddit could be. Today I notice this though.
52 subscribers?! What? Oh okay, I guess because the name and increase of crypto people they have subscribed to it thinking it was active? Before I started looking more into the posts, the users (these are usually always things you gotta do on sites like Reddit as you can't trust a user based on anything. It could be bought accounts from black markets, it could be farmed accounts for a certain purpose. They're activity could be fake or purchased to be done and what they post about, there is no way of telling really as it requires just checking their history, downvotes if anyone cared enough if that person can be trusted or not.
Instead I went to the traffic page to witness this:
The 5 pageviews first could just be a coincidence, someone wrote a typo a group of people went to it by accident, but checking if any of those 5 subscribed in those months is impossible as subscriber stats don't show past 3 months. It could have also been over a year ago so it wouldn't show in the stats either way.
What happened in Oct-Nov-Dec though looked weird, their subscriptions were spread out over many days throughout the whole 3 months. The bottom of this next screenshot is of the last viewable subscriber analytics, not sure why you can't download the rest or get them to list, oh probably cause they archive all posts once every 6 months and you can't vote on them any longer after that.
Now this is weird to me cause it means A, either someone has typod it into a group of many people but somehow they've read the message and visited the page over a period of three months? Or they've just genuinly gone there after following me on Reddit? Why such a high percentage would subscribe to it though is hard to say...
The first post that I can find in the subreddit seems from a random account but the others after that all started 3 months ago at the same time as the traffic started coming in only a few accounts actively post and a big amount from the same accounts in a row.
So the question is.
Is someone trying out a reddit bot army to sell? Somehow chose my subreddit instead of just making a new one that takes literally 10 seconds?
Or.
Are they trying to frame me pretending that I am dumb enough to start a bot army to manipulate Reddit's voting by testing it out on my own dead subreddit?
Hmm, hmm, hmm.
Now it could of course be me, as looking at it from this perspective there is no way I can prove to anyone that it is not me. Depending on what they've been voting with those accounts and the little I've used reddit lately doesn't look like someone has been voting my comments extra much. Someone could of course also want to do that in the future and get me banned from Reddit, after all I can't see their voting activity, only a Reddit admin can.
Would maybe be worth contacting them about it, but just being able to write about this on an immutable blockchain felt nice. Let's see what happens. It's some crazy times and a lot of platforms are starting to silence users for unclear reasons.
Funny surprise eh :P, I can actually see it is being a bit active.
Your post has been upvoted by utopia.....
Nice analysis man!
Can't say I have the answer as to why the sudden surge in activity, did you mention reddit here a few months ago?
Is it a sign moon is coming? :)
Yeah but it's not really related to that as I've always mentioned r/steemit which has had okay growth even without mention.
But this is one I just created and didn't do anything on ever and suddenly there's 52 subs and some random users posting some random crypto stuff lol. Looks like an account farm.
So I'm thinking does someone want to get me banned from Reddit cause they'd start upvoting my comments talking about a certain thing making it look like I'm the one controlling those bot accounts trying to shill something. Which would get me banned. But then why would they have used my own deserted subreddit, it would be too obvious, lol.
But yeah anything can happen as long as something on a website has value. I wonder what high rep accounts will sell for on Steem because someone is willing to buy it to shill something on our blockchain, lol.
Right.
Could be a shady plan to try and get you in trouble then. I wonder if Reddit track IPs or something like that, it would be fairly obvious to them then that it wasn't you if so.
Ned has a few that I bet he'd like to sell, or gift to the right company, @amazon anyone? :)
Oh, they are bots for sure and are trying out your subreddit, no doubt!
Most of the posters' account are either created on Sep 17 or 18. That can't be simply a coincidence!
But I guess the reason they are posting on your sub is, they want to increase the activity of the account by posting regularly on different subs [mostly crypto & stocks related subs], follow the game the Reddit policies and finally, when they are ready, they will go haywire and attack the larger subs.
Just saying, you know!
:P
So many odd things people have been reporting today. May be time to check the astrological charts.
Oh yeah? Anything similar to this?
No, totally random. Successful 51% attack on Ethereum Classic. Someone's old PIN being sent as their automated new PIN. Stuff like that. Random and unexpected.
There are many reasons to run a bot army. Many of them dumb. I doubt it's to get you banned. Maybe they're trying to manipulate crypto somehow? Maybe they're trying to pump up the posts by certain people in the crypto space?
Definitely weird for the sudden bumped of subs. I still remember how cool the idea when I first came to Steem that the ambition was to replace Reddit. Only to realise that's an ambition too hard to pursue. Every time I need some lifehack/tips/opinion/review on some random shit, I can always find valuable info on Reddit, but not here on Steem. And that's all due to the difference of user amount.
I'm still looking forward to the day that I can visit Steem more than Reddit.
I feel the same way man, I keep trying to remember how uncool Reddit was a few years before I finally created an account, haha. Can't wait for hivemind/communities and token introduction, better fuel up on SP to invest with your delegation/voting power in as many as possible. :D
I was too very excited for what hivemind can achieve and the first thing come to mind is that we can finally have a Reddit in Steem..., expect it did not come true yet. And followed by all the harsh news like layoff and CEO gone missing and all, hard time to keep up the faith but I'm still on the boat, Steem need some huge makeover this year(or the bull market could cure the sorrowfulness?)
Damn. This sounds like a mystery. Do keep updating what happens later.
It is weird considering that numbers seem like a pattern of sorts but far short than what would be considered a bot army... Did the user copy/paste to other subreddits?
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Haven't had time to take a deeper look into them yet as I created a post on Reddit earlier too. :P
I'll update you once I have.
You Redditord have become way too scared of the banhammer. 😅
Nah who cares about Reddit, it would suck a lot more if it happened on an account you earn adrevenue on though and possibly make a living.
Probably forming a bot army to shill coins
Weird!?🙄
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Isn't it?
Resteemed , to see if anyone has any ideas , I have never gone on reddit but my sons have.😳
Oh, this goes all the way to the top.
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weirddd
Now that being said...the Chinese are coming to chop off our heads.
Anywhere, everywhere and by whom there is always a different perspective. But when the difference is in the act of harming others, it is not a difference but is looking for an opponent. Here, we should be side by side and not compete. I think this writing can be see by them @acidyo and no need to contact them. Maybe my opinion wrong, i am apologize. God bles you.
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An interesting article!
I believe as yourself @acidyo, you are one of the earliest user of Steem and I believe Reddit, so people know you and want to learn more about you, what you do, where you are to get acquainted with you, so that was may be a reason. But of course it can't explain such a high activity over those three months. Nevertheless they made you curious and interested, may be that was a point?
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