The new move, announced by Alexis Ohanian at Disrupt NY to create a video division is seen as an answer to one of Reddit’s better known issues — revenue and content control. This is the new idea which is getting nervous attention from the net, with good reason. Reddit has huge reach, as big as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn in many different markets.
The idea of unique video content overcomes an issue Reddit has had to deal with for years — content quality/content hitting people in the head with X rated issues. Reddit, to its credit, hasn’t opted for a facelift. It’s going for new content, from arguably one of the most diverse user bases in the world.
This is monetization, Reddit style, and with any luck, it may be a map out of the wilderness for the net indies and online streaming startups looking for better choices than being the wannabe CNNs of YouTube.
The Verge, commenting on Reddit’s issues, points out that Reddit can “tap in to more lucrative advertising formats” with video. It can also expand its market reach on a realistic production framework which doesn’t involve remaking the entire sprawling site. Videos can cost money, as well as make money. This is the controllable cost option, as well as a basically good idea.
The focus will be the AMA, (Ask Me Anything online questions), high octane performer. AMA has been used by President Obama, Felicia Day, and others, and it’s a much-liked part of Reddit’s core in-house product.
The natural evolutions of AMA include some possible forays in to its own viral content, which is routinely reported worldwide. It can also run features from the Reddit range of contributors, which is anyone from better-informed aliens to PhDs.
There’s no doubt that Reddit can deliver top quality content that nobody else has. Reddit does have real credibility in terms of its seemingly endless supply of very unexpected materials. It’s the home of viral content for that reason.
Reddit is in one way the original internet democracy, the uncontrollable surge of humanity online in countless forms. It’s capable of greatness, and it can prove it. This could be the start of something truly revolutionary, and, it must be said, meaningful in terms of creating coverage where coverage doesn’t really exist.
Forget upvotes and downvotes for a minute and focus on what you’re seeing. Reddit is feral, it’s uncompromising, and whether you like it or loathe it, you have to respect its ability to deliver anything from the cute to the incomprehensible. Reddit is a challenge to its users, and they like that. That’s what can take Reddit where no media entity has ever gone before, any second.
The video idea could lead anywhere. It’s a challenge to Reddit, and I think Reddit will enjoy it as much as their users.
