

Lamenting the Loss of Reddit - Jd
http://onstartups.com/home/tabid/3339/bid/2086/Lamenting-The-Loss-of-Reddit.aspx

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luccastera
I agree that the main page of reddit has become pretty lame. However, I think
that subreddits are still a good place to visit:
<http://programming.reddit.com/> or <http://joel.reddit.com/>.

I think if they had more subreddits it would help but a lot of people do not
seem to know about them. I've heard many people complain about the same issue
that did not know the existence of these subreddits.

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aston
Apparently the subreddit idea is gonna be taken to the next level when they
release the new reddit.

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Jd
There needs to be dynamic subreddit creation with distinct moderation systems
for each. This would allow the creation of sub-communities, much as you see w/
the programming reddit.

I think this needs to be thought about more as community creation, not just
news aggregation.

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aston
<http://blog.reddit.com/2007/07/new-reddit-on-horizon.html>

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Jd
very cool. let's keep our fingers crossed.

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ivankirigin
Most news aggregation is a waste of time for readers. But I used to enjoy
reddit much more than I do now. Another commenter's point about subreddits is
totally right. I have so much fatigue when it comes to politics, that I just
can't read reddit anymore.

Pictures of cats are ok though. My googleReader LOL folder is pretty big :)

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irrelative
reddit and digg, et al have often been called democratizing sites -- it seems
like the tragedy of democracy in general also applies to these sites.
Initially, the smartest people understand how different and better the system
is than what's out there. As more people catch on, the quality decreases since
new users aren't quite as interested in new, big ideas (and appear to be
content with pictures of cats).

Once the quality of content slips a little, the early adopters leave and find
a better place for content and a downward spiral begins. (see also: wikipedia
circa 2004, US politics, etc)

I know for myself that Startup News has helped fill the void of interesting
content I used to consistently get from reddit. Anyone know of new sites out
there that might be more like old-fashioned reddit?

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dshah
Somewhat self-serving, but I've launched a new social news site focused on
business topics:

<http://www.DailyHub.com>

The content is good and the traffic is steadily growing.

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irrelative
Good -- now you just need to keep it from growing once it reaches a certain
optimal zone :-)

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dshah
Good point. We've already taken measures to ensure that:

1\. Define a specific audience (business geeks)

2\. Weight different users differently (so new users don't have the same
authority as the regulars)

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Jd
Perhaps it is true that profitability and quality content correlate inversely?

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Jd
perhaps clearer if I wrote 'profitability and the quality of the content'

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aswanson
I find it interesting that the degeneration of these sites into 'mob rule' is
the exact thing the founders of the constitution anticipated and put
safeguards in place against. Who said,'The best argument against democracy is
a conversation with the average person'? Maybe we can find some answers in the
philosophy of government...

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Jd
Apparently Winston Churchill.

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euccastro
Although the sentiment goes back to Cicero.

