"The Reddit Story: The Rise of a Top 10 Site in the World and the Power of Lists"

"The Reddit Story: The Rise of a Top 10 Site in the World and the Power of Lists"

Over the course of its 17-year history, Reddit has become one of the most influential websites in the world. With over half a billion monthly active users, it has solidified its position as a top 10 site globally. But what led to its success? And what can we learn from it?

The story of Reddit starts with its co-founders, Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman. In the early days, they faced the challenge of distribution without the presence of app stores. Paul Graham, a co-founder of Y Combinator, advised them to build a web app instead of focusing on mobile phones. He famously told them, "you guys need to build the front page of the web." This idea combined the social bookmarking features of del.icio.us with the quality content of Slashdot.

To kickstart the platform, Alexis and Steve took matters into their own hands. They became the top posters themselves, even creating fake accounts to give the impression that the site was more popular than it actually was. This strategy helped to seed content and attract early users.

As Reddit gained traction, another key player entered the scene. Aaron Swartz, a prodigious programmer and fellow Y Combinator graduate, joined the team and helped accelerate feature releases. One of these features was the comments section, which quickly became an integral part of the platform. To emphasize the importance of user engagement, Alexis printed out a quote, "You are a rounding error," and pinned it on the wall.

However, despite its early success, Reddit faced tough competition from Digg, another popular social news aggregation site. Digg seemed to be winning the battle for the front page of the internet, with millions of unique monthly visitors. In contrast, Reddit was still struggling to reach one million. This led to some difficult decisions for the team.

In 2009, both Steve and Alexis made the decision to leave Reddit. This departure coincided with the creation of the Ask Me Anything Subreddit, which became an instant hit, attracting famous personalities to participate regularly.

Now, let's shift our focus to the power of lists. Benedict Evans, a well-known industry analyst, argues that lists are the new search. He points out that Amazon's relative weakness in curation, discovery, and recommendation is a significant factor in its inability to dominate the print books market. A good bookshop, according to Evans, is primarily a discovery platform, with curated lists playing a crucial role.

The challenge with using lists instead of searchable databases is scalability. Yahoo's hierarchical directory, a list of lists, collapsed under its own weight when it reached 3.2 million entries. It became too overwhelming to browse, and search became the preferred method. However, shorter and more aggressively curated lists can alleviate this problem. The key is to find the right curators and make the lists easily discoverable.

Evans suggests that all curation grows until it requires search, and all search grows until it requires curation. This insight highlights the need for a balance between automation and human curation. Flipboard, for example, offers a manually curated directory of sites to follow, providing a manageable list without trying to encompass everything.

In the music streaming industry, Apple Music and Spotify have recognized the limitations of search and the need for filters based on user preferences. Apple's hybrid model combines manually curated playlists with algorithmically-determined tastes. The machine finds the lists for users, offering a personalized and curated experience.

As ecommerce continues to evolve, Evans ponders the potential for a spectrum of large and small retail beyond the big aggregators. He questions whether the removal of geographic constraints will make it easier for smaller retailers to compete with giants like Amazon. The ability to offer curated lists and niche products could be a game-changer in this landscape.

In conclusion, the Reddit story showcases the power of building a platform that combines quality content, social elements, and user engagement. Meanwhile, the rise of lists as a discovery tool highlights the importance of curation and finding the right balance between automation and human input.

Three actionable pieces of advice that can be derived from these stories are:

1. Focus on building a platform that combines quality content and user engagement. The front page of the web concept resonated with Reddit's success and can be applied to other platforms as well.

2. Consider the power of curated lists as a discovery tool. Shorter, more targeted lists can offer a personalized and manageable experience for users. Finding the right curators and making the lists easily discoverable is essential.

3. Embrace the hybrid model of automation and human curation. Apple Music's approach of using algorithms to match manually curated playlists showcases the value of combining technology with human expertise.

By learning from the Reddit story and understanding the potential of lists as a discovery tool, businesses can create platforms and experiences that resonate with users and stand out in a crowded digital landscape.