reddit is basically an IRC server for the web, with voting.
The cleverst thing they have done is also entirely simple.
By making all thread replies to your posts appear in your inbox as personal messages, and highlighting the orange icon, it successfully encourages users to make reasonably deep replies to those that bite.
This seems to generate interesting thread content very quickly.
My only gripe is the lack of resolution in the voting system (ala /.). Meme overload is a real problem when browsing reddit.
Meme overload is a significant problem on any large internet community that's web-centric in its outlook. From SA to 4chan to reddit, any community that thinks of itself as "the Internet" will employ memes as a means of self-confirmation.
The cleverst thing they have done is also entirely simple. By making all thread replies to your posts appear in your inbox as personal messages, and highlighting the orange icon, it successfully encourages users to make reasonably deep replies to those that bite.
This seems to generate interesting thread content very quickly.
My only gripe is the lack of resolution in the voting system (ala /.). Meme overload is a real problem when browsing reddit.