Exactly.

It’s analogous to the way that Reddit knowingly allowing some subs to exist repelled some users.

Most were able to get past it and simply not subscribe to subs they found objectionable, but I’m sure many people just stayed away once they learned that certain subs existed and were very much known about by Reddit admins.

One key difference here is the way that your instance is able to enforce rules and to some extent influence and filter your user experience, and that’s worth consideration too.

I’m also curious if and how an instance like lemmy.ml can, for example, delete comments, ban users, take down content in cases of cross-instance interaction. Could the admins of lemmy.ml, for example, ban a user from another instance from Lemmy completely? From their local communities? Could they remove that person’s comments? Can they prevent their own users from seeing content they don’t like on other instances? Can they moderate content from their users that is posted to communities on other instances?

Well said.

In that case, I think the reddit administration did a good job of excising the people it didn’t want, letting them take root elsewhere before the main mass went to check that place out, and letting that main mass come right back.

At the time, I thought it was a calculated and intelligent move on their part, fully intentional.

After what we’re seeing now, I think maybe they lucked out.

I guess it’s some sort of Hanlon’s Inverse Corollary: Never attribute to intelligence what can be adequately explained by dumb luck.