The user-generated content of the online community known as Reddit is a potent mix of internet culture, news, good deeds, humor, politics—anything and everything, really.
The “front page†into subreddits that cater to any topic that “redditors†can dream up. Subreddits take the primary purpose of Reddit, which is aggregating user-created content and facilitating discussion amongst users, and applies it to topic or theme specific pages.
Once a user creates a Reddit account, they can subscribe to the subreddits that are relevant to their individual interests. It’s an attractive concept that appeals generally to internet denizens rather than to the trendier, social networking crowd.
Introduced to the site by a friend, Josh Zimmern, 28, joined Reddit in January 2011. He was living in Chicago at the time and decided to subscribe to one of the largest location-specific subreddits, r/Chicago. The Chicago subreddit offered subscribers a unique way to keep up with all things Chicago with the help of fellow redditors.
Seeing city-specific subreddits as a great resource, Zimmern joined the Pensacola subreddit when he relocated to the area. He began posting content relevant to Pensacola redditors and was soon asked to join the team of moderators who manage r/Pensacola. As a moderator, Zimmern took the initiative to spruce up the design of the page by adding graphics and promoting the subreddit wherever he saw mention of Pensacola on the rest of Reddit.
“I wanted people to see it and wanted people to use it,†he said.
Pensacola’s subreddit is new compared to the four-year-old Chicago subreddit. However, in the year that it has existed, r/Pensacola has gained 595 subscribers and continues to grow. The growth has not been steady–a sudden influx in new subscribers has bumped the once-small subreddit to a leader among neighboring Panhandle cities such as Mobile, Panama City and Tallahassee. Zimmern is enthusiastic about the new redditors on r/Pensacola, because the page relies on content submitted from users—more active users means better content.
r/Pensacola is a microcosm of Reddit as a whole, with a few unique perks thrown in. Posts can be links to articles or videos about Pensacola, memes of recent weather events or discussions about local oddities; these posts mirror the content that can be found on either Reddit’s front page—where the most relevant posts get “up-voted†to gain visibility.
Being a part of a location-specific subreddit gives one a whole different community to interact with online and in the real world, despite Reddit’s priority of anonymity. Unique opportunities to meet new people, better the community or raise awareness about local issues present themselves constantly on r/Pensacola.
Redditors can solicit help for loved ones, get opinions on local events and debate over local dining choices. A local artist even organized a r/Pensacola-exclusive scavenger hunt and sent many redditors on a hunt through the city for original works of art—the possibilities are endless.
“You’re connected to someone in the real world through it,†said Zimmern.
Additional Info on Reddit
If the idea of Reddit and r/Pensacola intrigues you, but you’re not convinced about creating an account—you’re not alone. Over 90% of Reddit’s billions of daily viewers do not have accounts but instead “lurkâ€, or view content without ever posting, voting or commenting.
The culture of Reddit can be intimidating for a new visitor to navigate; the rest of Reddit is not always as helpful and friendly as the Pensacola subreddit. Zimmern is proud of the community on r/Pensacola and he hopes that the page continues to grow so it can benefit both redditors and the community.
“It’s putting out such a positive view of Pensacola,†said Zimmern. “I want good things to come to the city.â€
To learn more about the culture and history of Reddit, here is a great 10-minute video featuring the co-founders of the site.
