Whoever said ‘Content is king’ was right. The internet has given us a lot of things. One among those is the ability to voice your opinion, be heard and interact with like minded people (or otherwise) from any part of the world. This trait is affirmed with the growing meteoric popularity of certain sites. Leading the charge today is REDDIT- a word play on the term ‘read it’ which basically sums up the purpose of the website. Read content, share it and converse at length about it. Their slogan says it all- ‘The front page of the internet’. Not many can claim this title!
Reddit is a classic example that just proves content is what matters. These sites lack the so called sleek web 2.0 design yet they are the ones who dictate what you read and see on the internet. Remember how airBnB used Craigslist in its early days to get traction. Reddit has taken it to a whole new level with sub-reddits that talk about anything under the sun and also beyond it! Reddit has been around for almost 10 years now, growing from strength to strength. They have evolved from a simple experimental website created with no firm path of growth in place to a super power that can change mass opinions on anything and everything. The popularity of the platform is such that even though it does not classify as a typical social media site as a Facebook, people share their content on it a lot more regularly. There are whole bunch of reasons for this.
The reason why Reddit is hugely popular is down to a few simple facts and a fair amount of luck
Reddit has 6 major categories called sub-reddits where you can file your content or share a link. There are a million other sites that do the same! So why is Reddit so popular? The reason is it has been non-intrusive to its users and approaches the subject in an open fashion. This has helped create a legion of hardcore Redditors as they are called who maintain peace and decorum on the website; like it was something run out of their own home. This has created a genuine and laid back atmosphere that lets people share what they want to.
Reddit in numbers-2014
- 71.25 billion page views
- Over 8 thousand active communities
- 54.9 million posts and submissions
- 535 million comments
- 3.73 billion link votes
- 2.01 billion comment votes
It has spawned a generation of go-getters who have been able to get opinions, suggestions and proper advice through the platform. Due to the fact that it is possible to up-vote or down-vote a post or comment, you can choose the best and leave out the rest. It gives you choice which is a rare commodity today. Many famous business ideas have been a result of Reddit discussions which shows the strength and depth of the community involved.
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The AMA
AMA meaning Ask Me Anything is not a new occurrence today, but Reddit inspired AMA sessions. They were the early adopters of the AMA concept and took it into a higher state with celebrities coming over and answering questions from the general public. AMA’s let people interact with individuals who would have certain professions that you wouldn’t find in your part of the world but would like to know more- the ‘hear it from the horse’s mouth’ concept fits right in here. Adding celebrities made it an enticing option for many since we all have that one burning question we always wanted to ask our favorite celeb! This option was a dream come true for many and helped in boosting popularity of the site a lot further. CLICK HERE to listen to the one of the very first podcast of an AMA that has a touching story to tell. This intensity of emotions and the connections it makes with the audience is one of the many reasons for the success of Reddit. Celebrities are widely known to use this site as many have confessed themselves. They may be there using their real names or fake ones, but it is a fact that it is one of the most frequently used sites by celebrities worldwide.
TIL
‘Today I Learned’ is a term that Redditors coined for the simple fact that they learned something new today. Not many sites can boast of this particular feature. This amazing collection of information in Reddit has increased and improved the world knowledge of many and when they comment on them; the TIL acronym is used. It has been said that there are no topics that aren’t discussed on the site and that includes not just the good part, but the seedy dark side too.
Reddit has a dark side- a real dark one
From the NSFW sub-reddit to sadistic ones, having a community this diverse, it is natural for the site to have a dark side. Reddit has run into various controversies over the years due to risky content being posted. Content blocks and checks were put into place when some commentators started getting death threats and more. As many say, this is a natural progression for something so hugely popular and we see similar events happening on other sites today. Internet TROLLS- someone who remarks or comments rudely for the purpose of inflicting pain is again a Reddit original. Trolls are plenty on the internet today but Reddit created the originals!
Dark matter aside, the Reddit community and culture is a strong and genuine one which shows love and appreciation to fellow members. It has also been known to come out in large numbers to help needful members, another fascinating fact. They are heavily invested in philanthropic efforts; the company that runs Reddit, as well as the community.
As digital marketers, Reddit has a lot to offer us. With sub-reddits dedicated to email marketing, digital and social media marketing and many other topics, we have a wealth of information to learn from there. The best part about all this is that the opinions posted have been verified by way of up-votes, which makes the information genuine. Some of the brightest minds in various fields use Reddit on a regular basis for information gathering, opinion taking as well as generating new ideas. Reddit has become a beacon of how the internet works and delivers.
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