What can you use the application for?
Reddit lets users vote on stories and pictures they like (hot) or don't like (cold). The most popular ones are posted on the frontpage and on individual recommendations pages. The individual pages consider your past voting preferences when selecting stories to display.
What is the history and popularity of the application?
Reddit was launched in 2005 by two University of Virginia graduates. It was part of the Y Combinator program of Paul Graham for young startups. In 2006 they where bought by the company that also owns Wired.com
What are the differences to other applications?
Reddit tries to improve upon the already existing social bookmarking websites. The most important difference are the individual recommendations. If you spend time voting for stories your preferences will improve the things which are shown to you.
How does the application look and feel to use?
The look and feel of Reddit is clean and simple. There is a lot of content; no graphics or ads to distract you. This 'just-the-product' approach makes it easy to surf through all the available links.
How does the registration process work?
To use the individual recommendations you need a login. Registration is simple and quick although the CAPTCHA letter writing test is a bit hard. An email address is not required. Each login can gain karma by submitting stories which are popular among other users.
What does it cost to use the application?
Reddit is advertising supported. There are two Google text ads on the home page. These ads are really unintrusive.
Who would you recommend the application to?
Reddit is more efficient and more relevant than the alternatives. It is quicker than other websites and has less clutter. If Digg is AOL then Reddit is Google, it is simpler and better.
