Online communities, then came Reddit

Just something quick and easy.  I've never gotten into the Facebook craze, but vaguely recall making an account way back in the day.  Never really felt it was my "thing" though.

Then came Slickdeals (a great website), of which I keep my eye on, but don't actively pursue deals in a way which I have done in the past.

A website, well, online community, that I currently favor is place called Reddit.  They have a little alien logo that somewhat reminds me of Mork & Mindy (RIP Robin Williams).  I truly hope this doesn't fall prey to the buyouts that we've all seen in the past, like Woot! and other websites.  When those websites were bought out it was all about monetizing the content and scaring away consumers.

Reddit has couple favorite things that I like.

• Sub reddits for particular interests, such as for different geographical locations, sports, or even for different types of cars.  If can think of it, probably exists to some degree
• Mostly unfiltered news source, contains things not found in typical mainstream media (Fox, CBS, ABC, etc) from all over the world.
• Wide range of articles in popular sub-reddits (such as in Science, Technology, and others)
• Reddit gives back to it's members, both as a corporation and helping to promote a sense of community among it's community
• The Reddit Hug of Death, for websites.  Something interesting pops up and people, en-masse, go to visit it. Noticeable for smaller websites.
• Gift exchanges.  This is my first year doing it, but sending gifts to random people after finding their likes/dislikes by viewing their history.
• Meetups for local areas, where can meet other Redditors (I've never done this), and this increases a sense of community generally.
• Celebrity Q&A sessions called AMA (Ask Me Anything).  President Obama and Robin Williams, among many others, have done them.  Bill the Science Guy is very popular (I don't agree with all his views, but just me)!
• Some small businesses have a large surge in traffic, such as this Candle Maker.

With anything that offers some degree of "anonymity" (being truly anonymous is getting harder and harder), and Reddit is no exception.  There is a sense of being anonymous, but also a sense where want to be involved to some degree.

It's too late this year to sign up for the Reddit 2014 Christmas Gift exchange.  Keep an eye on it for next year!

Truly hope Reddit stays similar to what it currently is and doesn't sell out like so many others have.