The Reddit Story: How Social Curation Revolutionized the Web

The Reddit Story: How Social Curation Revolutionized the Web

Over the course of its 17-year history, Reddit has grown to become a top 10 site in the world, with over half a billion monthly active users. But how did it all begin? The story starts with a fateful meeting between Paul Graham and Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, the founders of Reddit.

When they finally got to Boston, Paul explained himself further. “Don’t do mobile phones,” he said. At the time, there were no app stores, making distribution very tough. Instead, he suggested the duo build a web app. This turned out to be a pivotal moment for Reddit, as it laid the foundation for its success.

The idea was to cross del.icio.us, with its social bookmarking features, with Slashdot, which "actually had good content," according to Steve. This combination would create the "front page of the web," a platform where users could discover and share interesting content from around the internet.

In the early days, to seed content, Alexis and Steve were the top posters themselves. They even built fake accounts to give users the impression that the site was bigger than it actually was. While some may frown upon this approach, it was a necessary effort to kickstart the platform and attract more users.

A few months after launch, Steve and Alexis were joined by another Y Combinator graduate, Aaron Swartz, a prodigious programmer who helped accelerate feature releases. One of those features was the comments section, which quickly became an integral part of Reddit. Users could now engage in discussions and share their thoughts on various topics.

But Reddit's journey wasn't without its challenges. Digg, a similar platform, seemed to be winning the war for the front page of the internet. With millions of unique monthly visitors, Digg was dominating the space while Reddit was still below one million users. As founders in a corporate parent, being second best was not an easy position for Steve and Alexis.

In January 2009, they made the difficult decision to leave Reddit. However, their departure didn't hinder the platform's growth. In the same month, the Ask Me Anything Subreddit was created, which became an instant hit. Famous people started participating regularly, attracting even more users to the platform.

The success of Reddit can be attributed to its unique approach to social curation. Social curation involves finding relevant, engaging, and valuable content to share with your audience. By curating and sharing high-quality content, brands and individuals can establish thought leadership, generate awareness, and gain credibility.

But how does social curation benefit you as a content creator? Firstly, it helps balance your content creation efforts. Instead of solely focusing on creating original content, you can also curate content from valuable sources that resonate with your audience. This not only saves you time and money but also keeps your audience engaged.

Furthermore, social curation helps increase your popularity and authority. By sharing valuable content, you position yourself as a knowledgeable source in your industry. This builds trust and credibility among your audience, leading to a stronger online presence.

In addition, social curation creates relationships. When you curate content from other creators, you build connections and collaborations within your industry. This can lead to mutually beneficial partnerships and expand your reach to new audiences.

Lastly, social curation keeps the conversation exciting. By sharing diverse and relevant content, you encourage discussions and interactions among your audience. This fosters a sense of community and engagement, making your platform more dynamic and appealing.

To make the most out of social curation, here are three actionable pieces of advice:

1. Establish a quarterly planning strategy. Plan ahead and identify the topics and themes you want to curate content around. This will help you maintain consistency and ensure that your curated content aligns with your overall brand message.

2. Diversify your sources. Don't rely on one or two platforms for content curation. Explore different platforms, communities, and websites to find a wide range of valuable content. This will keep your curated content fresh and interesting for your audience.

3. Engage with your audience. Don't just curate content and leave it at that. Encourage discussions, ask for opinions, and respond to comments. This will create a sense of community and encourage your audience to actively participate in the conversation.

In conclusion, the Reddit story is a testament to the power of social curation. By combining the features of social bookmarking and quality content, Reddit became the front page of the web. Its success can be attributed to the founders' innovative approach to content seeding and their ability to adapt to the changing landscape of the internet. As content creators, we can learn from Reddit's journey and harness the power of social curation to establish our own thought leadership, engage our audience, and build strong online communities.