Why is reddit so popular?

[Cleave]

I dont get it the interface is horrid and the amount of crap on each sub forum compared to other alternatives is just stupid why has it taken off like it has?

[junglist.massive]

There's miions of people from around the world. Everyone is defferent and anonumous to eachother. When you will customize your account and add some subs you will enjoy it

[koshgel]

The quality of comments on the site has decreased into a clusterfuck of mostly retarded comments and puns over the past couple years but don't really see why the interface is bad?

Easy way to aggregate sites/information and split it up into different subforums.

[maurya78]

Combo of network effects and fidelity to mission

[guitarplinker]

Another thing Reddit offers are communities for everything - gaming, coding, online deals, encryption, bitcoin, music, etc.

If you have an interest and want to learn more about it, there's a good chance there's a Reddit community for that interest.

[Remember remember the 5th of November]

Hey, I didn't either. I only started using it this summer and since then it has become a daily routine to check what is up.

[oprahwindfury]

I personally really like the interface. Simple to use and customize. Lots of subreddits for any topic you can think of really.

I've received help on my physics homework on /r/askscience, learned how to buff out scratches on my car from /r/autodetailing, learned about bitcoin from /r/bitcoinmarkets, gotten some sound advice on a business model on /r/entrepreneur, got help on building credit on /r/personalfinance just to name a few.

I guess you don't like it much because you haven't really done anything productive with it. But once you have it's great.

[Remember remember the 5th of November]

That's the other thing about reddit, it has sections for nearly any type of hobby or thing you might be interested in. Like seriously anything.

[b!z]

the interface is horrid

How so? Simple != ugly. The design of individual subreddits can also be customized.

and the amount of crap on each sub forum compared to other alternatives is just stupid

Can you provide examples of said "crap"? Subreddits are not moderated by users, not site staff. What do you consider a better alternative to Reddit?

why has it taken off like it has?

It meets the needs of its users.

[bitgeek]

The quality of comments on the site has decreased into a clusterfuck of mostly retarded comments and puns over the past couple years but don't really see why the interface is bad?

Easy way to aggregate sites/information and split it up into different subforums.

You're right. It's plagued by spam and it's hard to follow new posts, at least I have this problem and prefer normal forums like this one.

[twister]

Reddit's interface is really easy once you get the hang of it and it's really a nice place to read and get knowledge on almost everything. Not to mention you'll meat very nice people who'd help you with any query within seconds. Just choose the subreddit that interests you and you'll find yourself visiting it everyday.

[Gio344]

The interface isn't flashy at all but it makes it easy to go through the site and is very convenient,  the quality of posts... well depend on people and for being popular more people go there, if it was to close these "other places you speak of" will most likely degrade if they become popular.

[FallenGods]

I think,Reddit is so popular because it offers virtually endless stimulation, AKA time-wasting entertainment. With so many users and the "karma points" system, users have an incentive to constantly submit interesting links, thus the front page is constantly filled with novel material, which people can scroll through to fulfill their desire for intellectual stimulation.

[PandaMac]

Since it's an endless hub for entertainment.  People who claim that it's just full of shit posts are kind of dumb and are generalizing millions of users.  Some subs are kind of dumb and full of 12 year olds like /r/funny & /r/adviceAnimals and indeed most of the default subs but there are a lot of quality subs.  The only real alternative to Reddit is 4chan, but 4chan is far less organized and "civil".

[Poolie]

Why is reddit so popular? That's a question I've often asked myself, though I guess people may even ask why this forum is so popular - just depends on your preferences.

[infringement]

IMO the main reason it's so popular is because of the easiness of use and lack of complexity like other competitors, There interface is direct (although lacking good looks) but nevertheless efficient.

[neurotypical]

Luck (going viral) and a simple layout, just like twitter.
I dont know if it will ever go out of fashion, these 2 websites seem solid.
Who knows tho, maybe when kids get fed up they go anywhere else.

[BitCoinNutJob]

I dont get it the interface is horrid and the amount of crap on each sub forum compared to other alternatives is just stupid why has it taken off like it has?

Network effect maybe? but you must admit the up-vote system is pretty sweet, keeps the better posts at the top.

[b!z]

Since it's an endless hub for entertainment.  People who claim that it's just full of shit posts are kind of dumb and are generalizing millions of users.  Some subs are kind of dumb and full of 12 year olds like /r/funny & /r/adviceAnimals and indeed most of the default subs but there are a lot of quality subs.  The only real alternative to Reddit is 4chan, but 4chan is far less organized and "civil".

Lol what makes you think so? Just because it's been in the news doesn't mean there's any discussion of value going on there.

[sanos51ck]

Why is facebook so popular?

Why is twitter so popular?

...

[b!z]

Why is facebook so popular?

Why is twitter so popular?

...

Why is Kim Kardashian so popular?

[klm bitcoin]

it's just very simple, created just for the soul purpose of proposing ideas topics and organizing their discussions.

Bitcoin as a form of payment for products and services has grown,[29] and merchants have an incentive to accept it because fees are lower than the 2–3% typically imposed by credit card processors.[31] Unlike credit cards, any fees are paid by the purchaser, not the vendor. The European Banking Authority[32] and other sources[19]:11 have warned that bitcoin users are not protected by refund rights or chargebacks. Despite a large increase in the number of merchants accepting bitcoin, the cryptocurrency does not have much momentum in retail transactions.

[btcjoin14]

I found out about reddit a couple months back. really love it their discussions and notices

[kingscrown]

reddit rocks!

[Dabangg]

You can learn a lot on Reddit. You might not have found an interesting sub-reddit yet. I used to think the site and it's members were annoying.

[waszurHölle]

well it's nice use on a smartphone imo compared to other sides

[e1ghtSpace]

I'm just going to leave this here...

http://www.reddit.com/r/swoleacceptance/

[beetcoin]

the interface is good, it allows for massive discussion. the site is also crowd-sourced, so you get a sense of involvement and belonging.

[lynn_402]

It's popular because being active on specific subreddits give the impression of belonging to a community, partly because of how the votes you make and the posts you make contribute directly to the liveliness of the subreddit.

[b!z]

I'm just going to leave this here...

http://www.reddit.com/r/swoleacceptance/

I don't get your post.

The subreddit you linked is clearly satirical. It exists for entertainment purposes. Clearly you did not think that the posts that were made in that subreddit were serious?

It is obviously making fun of /r/fitness or other fitness-related subreddits. In fact the sticky even says so.

[hedgy73]

I think reddit has to be the worst of the 'popular' sites. The layout is very poor and its full of garbage, spam and links from fiverr seo gigs.

If I'm searching for anything and a reddit link comes up and don't bother clicking it.

Saying that, I despise all of the 'social' network sites including facebook and twitter.

Perhaps I'm just a miserable old fucker that thinks the world was a better place before the internet .

[cryptoforcause]

Speaking for myself, I love the occasional meme or 10000+ comment Askreddit megathread.

[Kluge]

I'm not at all a fan of the layout or GUI there, either. You have to click a thread title two or three times to get to the content you actually wanted, or there's some type of sorcery involved there to do it right and I just don't have the knack. Community voting seems to leave content on par with Youtube comments. ... Idunno, I guess I've just never really given it a fair shake.

Stack Overflow has a similar feeling of ugliness and lack of intuitiveness, but the content's been a life-saver too often to ignore.

[elliwilli]

Because its a social news agrigator.
I like it because i can tailor the news to what i want to see and leave out the crap i dont care about.

[rikfredsy]

With simple (Ugly) design reddit is very nice and popular site . did they give free btc at the beginning  ?

[Ninjahitoko]

It is so popular, because of the social interface it offers. The social interface is really good.

[El Emperador]

I think here in Europe it isn't as popular as in the U.S.A.
Anyway, I didn't like it very much and I'm quite agree with OP.

[paradoxum]

I would rather read a wall of text then try to figure out the if there's any intelligent conversation on their site - such a horrible layout.

[Bryansamba]

never open reddit

my internet provider blocked it

[hedgy73]

Its just shit full stop just wish I'd invented it...

[Cryptonitex]

I agree, the interface is (to me in my opinion) very ugly and unmodernized.

There are communities for everything anyone can be interested in all over the web, not just reddit. I mean look at this forum. The largest forum I ever been on, with almost what, a billion post?