The narwhal bacons at midnight.
That sentence might seem completely preposterous to some; however, the phrase evokes meaning to users of the website Reddit — or as they like to be called, “redditors.”
The outlandish sentence is actually used as a catchphrase for Reddit users to identify other redditors in public places.
A duo of redditors, Ben Smith and Connor Sweeney, roommates and Ohio University seniors studying computer science, created the Athens, Ohio, “subreddit” in July. The subreddit has 240 members as of yesterday.
“We realized that there was no place for students to post whatever they want on the Internet, and Reddit is such a big community that offers students an opportunity to connect with each other and the ability to post anything to share with other students,” Smith said.
More than a social-media website, Reddit is a blend of social news and online forums. Redditors provide all content and vote to decide what makes the front page.
Because large quantities of links, photos and videos are posted by the second, Reddit separates different topics by grouping them into individual forums, or subreddits.
The Athens subreddit features posts ranging from discussions of where to look for off-campus housing to a video of the Marching 110’s rendition of “Party Rock Anthem.”
“I really like how people can post all sorts of different things, like articles from The Post,” said Brenna McFarland, a senior who has been a redditor for a year. “Not only that, people can benefit by submitting posts about getting help in classes and other stuff like that.”
Even though OU students are already bombarded with sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus, Reddit offers a completely different experience.
Xander Dumaine, a senior studying computer science, has been using the site for a little more than a year.
“I think Reddit has such a strong sense of community to it that people feel like, even though it’s anonymous, there is some sort of relationship that makes everybody more friendly to each other,” Dumaine said.
In addition to providing assistance to students, Reddit serves as an information tool.
“Reddit can be a big waste of time,” Dumaine said. “However, it offers a vast wealth of news and external information, so it is an excellent resource for staying up to date on current events.”
The site features a variety of subreddits such as “r/TodayILearned,” which has users post just that — things they learned that day.
Another frequently visited subreddit is “r/IAmA,” which allows users to ask other redditors questions about who they are. Even celebrities have been posting their own IAmA’s, including Aziz Ansari, a comedian coming to OU Sunday.
“I love the IAmA subreddit,” McFarland said. “It is extremely interesting, especially when celebrities post.”
Reddit recently launched a global competition to see which university can grow its college subreddit community the most. OU is in 74th place and is competing against 468 other colleges.
The competition, which runs through Oct. 24, offers three ways to win: best percentage growth, best absolute growth and administrator’s choice award.
The winning university will have its school colors on Reddit’s front page for a day in addition to having the school mascot replace the Reddit alien logo on the main page.
The winning college also will receive a box of mascot-designed alien stickers, a custom poster and a box of QR-code stickers that link to the school’s subreddit.
“I think the Athens, Ohio, subreddit will continue to grow, especially because of this push by Reddit to grow college subreddits,” Dumaine said. “With such a strong sense of community, the Athens, Ohio, subreddit takes things to the next level, and all sorts of people can interact. Whether they are in classes with you or friends that you already know, they will likely join the site.”
bc822010@ohiou.edu
