What The “Multireddit” Means For A Fragmented Web

For the past two months, Reddit Gold users have had the chance to beta test a game-changer called “multireddits.” The idea stemmed from the thought that like-minded communities shouldn’t compete with one another for users and content; they should cooperate. Today, the experiment proved successful when Reddit announced that the first multireddits had been rolled out to the entire site.

So, what is a multireddit, how does it work, and why should you care?

Reddit’s greatest strength has always been its outspoken support for community fragmentation. It’s a party line that very few other leading social platforms would dare adopt. Want to watch videos highlighting lawless street justice on a regular basis? That’s a pretty specific thing to want. But it’s okay! Allow me to invite you to join the armchair jury in /r/JusticePorn. Can’t stomach that much sweet recompense? You disgust me (I’m kidding). But it’s okay! No one’s forcing you to see the content.

Unfortunately, however, Reddit’s greatest asset also remains one of its greatest weaknesses. The site has been so open to the creation of new subreddits that you’ll often find four or five that adhere to one niche interest of yours.

Let’s say, for instance, that you’ve snapped. Maybe it was one too many “sick passenger” announcements on your morning subway commute from the Upper West Side to Chelsea. Perhaps the thought of another dollar pizza slice, a necessary evil and survival tool for young professionals, makes you weep at night. Whatever the reason, you want to get away. Far away.

Now, you could subscribe to /r/IWantOut, a subreddit for those looking to leave their current home for another. Similarly, you may want to read stories from those who blazed the trail before you on /r/IGotOut. What about /r/TEFL, a community for Redditors interested in teaching english as a foreign language? Or /r/SoloTravel, a subreddit for those brave individuals who would set out alone, and enjoy every minute of it? We’re just scratching the surface here.

Before multireddits, there were two ways to tackle the issue.

1. You could mass subscribe to all of them. When you’ve done this to nine or ten different interest areas, however, things get a little messy. After all, every subreddit you subscribe to is vying for your attention on the front page. Because of this, good content falls through the cracks, and irrelevant content breaks up what would otherwise be a productive session planning your great escape.
2. You could visit them one by one when the travel bug strikes. This ensures that you only see the content you’re looking for at the time, but does so at the cost of those plans you made later this evening. No bueno.

For the first time, you can have the best of both worlds — a complete spectrum of timely, relevant content in one customizable, streamlined destination. For the first time, you can digest content from /r/IWantOut, /r/IGotOut, /r/TEFL, and /r/SoloTravel on one dedicated ‘front page.’ The multireddit. Mind. Blown.

We want to give our communities exactly what they need when they need it. If we don’t, they’re going to leave, and they won’t come back. But time is money. Don’t waste theirs by assuming you can figure out what they’re looking for in real time; you’re shooting fish in a digital barrel.

Instead, give them the tools to tell you, listen close, and deliver.

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By day, Luke Kingma is a senior copywriter at VaynerMedia, one of the leading digital and social media agencies in NY. By night, he documents a world he’s always hungry to explore with UntappedCities. On occasion, he dabbles in professional beer glass stealing. Please don’t tell. Follow him @LukeKingma.