It even has the backing of Alphabet’s tech incubator.
Reddit is known for a handful of communities that have taken on a life of their own, and that includes communities taking their efforts off Reddit entirely. The creator of the popular r/changemyview subreddit, Kal Turnbull, has launched a Change My View site that expands his concept of civil discourse beyond what Reddit could offer. It uses the basic forum structure and rules, but relies on paid moderators, a log of moderation actions, and the Perspective comment ranking system from Alphabet’s tech incubator Jigsaw (which also provided a degree of funding) to automatically scrub some abusive behavior.
The stand-alone site makes it easier to award a “delta” (a vote for a persuasive comment) and mark comments as illuminating.
At the moment, Change A View is more of an extension of the subreddit than anything. It shows how even Reddit’s relatively flexible community format has its limits. However, Turnbull told Wired that he saw it becoming a platform for other conversations online, possibly replacing the sometimes toxic comment systems you see online. That, in turn, could lead to more nuanced and respectful discussions instead of the flame wars that are all too common today.
