Call it the Ephemeral Age.
At no other time in history has it been easier to get -- and forget -- news. What’s trending on social media one minute can fade from our collective attention in seconds. “Here today, gone tomorrow” has never been more relevant. (Snapchat, anyone?)
Reddit is one of the many companies that has thrived in the era of information overload. But as it looks for ways to grow both its audience and its ad revenue, the social news site believes there’s a value in raising stories out of the noise and providing readers with deeper insight.
Earlier this month, the company launched Upvoted, a news site that features original content inspired by the stories on Reddit. The idea is to “tell the story behind the stories.”
Related: Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian: Building a Business Mostly Isn't Fun
“What happens when a story bubbles up and goes away is interesting, but what happens afterwards is compelling,” said Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian during a presentation at the Entrepreneur360 Conference in New York City this month.
The articles on Upvoted, written by a paid editorial team, span a diverse range of topics -- everything from homelessness to horse-sized ducks. The site does not support comments on article pages, but points readers back to Reddit for commenting.
In creating a more controlled environment than the Wild West that is Reddit, the company is also positioning itself to court more advertisers. Upvoted doesn’t serve banner or pop-up ads; instead, it features sponsored content written by the same editorial staff that writes the rest of its articles.
Reddit, which counted more than 200 million unique users in September, brought in $8.3 million in ad revenue last year.
Check out the video above to learn more about Ohanian’s aspirations for Upvoted.
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