If you’re new to Reddit, here are some recent facts about one of the world’s most famous social news aggregation websites. As you’re reading, the platform has crossed over 430 million monthly active users, making it one of the most popular websites in existence. The vast majority of people use it for chatting, news, or entertainment purposes such as funny pictures or jokes. In contrast, business professionals use it as an advertising platform. According to Alexa, Reddit is the 19th-most-visited website globally and 7th in the United States. Whether you want to learn more or you’re thinking of starting a business with it, consider the advantages and disadvantages of Reddit first.
Advantages of Reddit
Let’s learn about what you can do on Reddit and its benefits as a tool for socialization and gathering information.
1. Simple to use
Reddit is easy to use, especially for beginners. You can indulge in your interests or discover new ones by subscribing to Subreddits within the community. Redditors love sharing new things and discussing different topics; however, you must avoid spamming if you want to succeed on this platform. While it may be difficult at first to understand how everything works, there are plenty of benefits that make it worthwhile in the end. First off, because users vote up or down content based on what they like best, links that receive more votes rank higher than others in their category. This is called link karma.
2. A business-friendly platform
Reddit is a business-friendly platform. You can use it to promote your products and services through sponsored ads or engage in conversations with users about them. As long as the conversation remains civil and on topic, this social media site should have no problem providing an audience for your brand. Additionally, Reddit allows people all over the world to interact openly without fear of censorship. Some companies might disagree with what they’re saying. Businesses needn’t worry too much about being forced into anything against their moral code when using this website to market themselves online.
3. You can build traffic easily
Reddit provides free traffic for your website if you’re able to generate buzz about what you have to offer. You can do this by sharing content that users are likely to find interesting. Alternatively, you can start a discussion related to your niche, so long as there’s enough interest in it among Redditors. If something goes viral on Reddit, expect tons of people worldwide to tune into your website within minutes. Users begin debates when you publish something on Reddit as well. Ergo, if your headlines are catchy, you may increase the number of visitors.
4. Reddit is a secure platform
Reddit is considered one of the most secure platforms on the Internet. It allows users to comment on content without requiring an account. Everything you post or comment on exists in a safe environment where hackers or spammers cannot steal your information easily. This advantage of Reddit for members is quite significant. You can make it so that only Reddit members can see what you’ve shared. Because of this, Reddit has become a popular place for people to discuss their ideas and opinions in an open environment free from censorship.
5. Promotes open discussion
Reddit, as observed, is a great place to have a debate. People from all walks all life, all around the globe, can be found on Reddit. This diverse yet dynamic group makes it possible to discuss topics ranging from Anime to Finance. Although not every such discussion could be fruitful, we can still learn a fact or two, as per our interest, by engaging peers having the same passion. Lastly, one has to accept that Reddit has a very vibrant community that is outspoken, brash, up-to-date on the on goings, and unafraid to voice their opinions. If you don’t like Facebook, Reddit is a great Facebook alternative for open discussions.
6. It helps you stay up to date with the world
Reddit is also a great way to keep up with what’s going on in your industry. This platform is a fantastic place for finding all kinds of different news stories and pieces of information. If you have a personal interest in anything, from technology to nature or sports, there will be Subreddits dedicated to it. What’s more, there will be people sharing interesting articles daily, so there is always something fresh being posted. Thus, if you don’t find what you want right away, wait another day until someone has shared some more.
Disadvantages of Reddit
Although there are perks that make using this site worthwhile, there are some drawbacks of Reddit that potential users must consider. These are important to know before one decides whether they want to create an account for themselves.
1. Reddit is a time sink
Although it can be entertaining to use, Reddit itself isn’t always the best place to spend your free time. You could get so caught up in what’s going on that hours have passed by before you know it. If something interesting doesn’t come along or no one shares anything new for a while, you’d be wasting your time. There won’t be much else to do other than leave and come back another day. This is why social media is bad, too.
Also, since Reddit contains mostly text posts with very few images, it may not appeal to everyone. This is why many people don’t bother visiting at all. You need an open mind and lots of patience because, although there are millions of different Subreddits, only a few are going to be things you’ll enjoy.
2. It’s unregulated
The disadvantage of using Reddit is that it can be a dangerous place to share content and often lacks reliable sources. Many people who use the website will post articles from websites that aren’t always well known, making them difficult to verify for authenticity. This means you could end up sharing false information if something hasn’t been checked thoroughly enough before the time limit expires on how long Reddit keeps posts visible in each Subreddit.
As if that wasn’t enough, many Subreddits are not moderated at all. There may be anything posted within them, including offensive material such as violence. Although most users know to avoid such incidents, children and teenagers should know what’s allowed on the website beforehand. It’s good to educate them, so they don’t end up seeing something unsuitable for their age group.
3. It seems poorly organized
This social media can seem badly organized to many people because of its basic layout. You can’t do much to customize your profile page or create folders to separate different Subreddits. This might not seem like such a big deal at first. However, when you’re subscribed to many pages, finding what you need quickly becomes problematic. This issue can creep up, especially if someone decides to post something within several categories that don’t have anything else in common. Thankfully, this problem doesn’t occur too often. When it does, you may feel there should be more ways to sort through content. This way, you don’t have to miss out on any vital information from your favorite sources.
4. Can turn toxic soon
Now, people often mistake the right to voice opinion into thinking that only their opinion matters and is right. It leads to confrontation. When people argue on Reddit, we can often witness the atmosphere turning toxic, irrespective of facts or who is right or wrong. People start harassing each other, start being disrespectful and forgo any proper decorum one should have. Thus, toxicity is a major concern for anyone subscribing to Reddit.
5. You must be original
As stated by LinkedIn, Redditors have a keen eye for creativity and originality. Therefore, if you plan to use this site to promote your brand or business, make sure that everything you share is unique and of high quality. If people feel what you’ve shared isn’t relevant to their interests, they can tell you just cut-and-pasted information from another website. Sharing content without doing any actual research about your niche can taint your reputation forever, too. After all, there is no way anyone will view you as an authority within your field or take anything you say or do seriously.
6. Information overflow
There’s so much information posted on this website daily that it can be challenging to navigate through the content people share. This means you may spend a significant amount of time sifting through everything to find what you’re looking for. Even then, there’s no guarantee that such information will come up easily or quickly. Remember, there are millions of users worldwide sharing similar posts on Reddit simultaneously. This makes finding anything in particular challenging at times, especially if you or someone has already shared something related before.