/kbin meta

Some individuals are creating magazines using the names of well-known subreddits but without any content or even basic sidebar information such as descriptions and rules. Presumably, they are name squatting with the intention of gaining influence over future content moderation on kbin anticipating the growth of their magazines as more of Reddit jumps ship and searches for familiar pastures.

A community's identity lies in its content and culture of engagement, not just its name. Sure, utilizing a popular subreddit name for a magazine will initially attract users. However it's the community engagement, not the name, that motivates posters to share content. Inactive magazines void of content and engagement will discourage potential contributors. The proliferation of such dead magazines will turn people away from the site altogether, and in the process crowd out genuine initiatives by mods who actually are putting in the effort of building their community here.

If you have taken up moderation of a community, invest effort in creating a welcoming environment. This includes adding a proper description, magazine icon, and rules, as well as populating the feed with a welcome thread and some initial content. Instead of waiting for others to come and post content, take the initiative and get the ball rolling.

I understand that some individuals are name squatting preempting the name from falling into the hands of trolls or power-hungry mods and are willing to switch out when a suitable moderator shows up. The above still applies, and I request you to work a bit on your magazines as well. If it seems like too much work, consider initiating a thread on @kbinMeta offering up the post and switching out with a user who is genuinely interested in moderating and contributing to the magazine instead of leaving it dormant.