How Smart Are Reddit Users?
Photo by: EAWB
After our recent analysis of popular stories on social news and bookmark sites found that the Reddit community loved reading about politics, a couple of readers emailed us to say that the Reddit community was also one of the most intelligent - so we decided to put that theory to the test…
We used a tool called Blog Readability Test to analyse the reading level of latest top 100 stories on Reddit on January 3rd 2008. Here are our results.
(Note: We’re not entirely sure how accurate the Blog Readability Test tool is. Also, it could be that the best writers are able to write for any audience)
So, what do you think? Are the comments at Reddit generally more intelligent than other social news sites? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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10 Readers have left their thoughts
robojiannis
What variables does the Blog Readability Test take into account?
[reply to this comment]
Jan 4th, 2008
Chris (admin)
Hi - I’m not too sure what variables the tool takes into account. I wouldn’t read too much into the results - it was only supposed to be a bit of fun…
[reply to this comment]
Jan 5th, 2008
Chris Estes
This is somewhat flawed. The numbers used in this study are slightly slanted.
The tool analyzes on complexity of content not subject matter. I had a professor in college, Pat Kaetz, that was always encouraging you to write so that others could read it. Their implications was that in order to be a good writer you had to write as if everyone is in elementary school. So maybe by saying it as if 49% of the people are good writers. Or, maybe they are just smarter writters and recognize that a certain percentage of their readers are on a lower reading level.
If you shoot for the elementary then that means that most everyone can read and understand it.
[reply to this comment]
Jan 5th, 2008
Nick (Admin)
Chris Estes: Very good point. I spent some time in science publishing and the best writers and editors do write to be understood by the widest audience range.
We have been unable to find out what factors and considerations the Blog Readibility Test takes into account. Has anyone else figured it out?
Nick
[reply to this comment]
Jan 5th, 2008
Jack
Dood lmao - did u analize commentz cuz that wood totaly throw it off!!!!
bfn
[reply to this comment]
Jan 7th, 2008
Chris Estes
I don’t know much about this paricular tool but have seen other ones. In a past life I used a tool at http://www.websitegrader.com/ that included the readability score. In the results the grader provide used a similar result that explained what the readabilty result meant. I don’t put much stock into that type of tool.
One person’s elementary level is another’s PHD level. I think it is subjective. I have never found real value in Reddit so I have no way to really measure their users in my opinion. Since I do enjoy interjecting my opinion anyway. I have not found any of the “hot” articles to be particularly useful. For what I am looking for they are typically just “trash” like the grocery store checkout magazines. Not really useful past gossip. Gossip sells! So… do what is best for your readers!
[reply to this comment]
Jan 7th, 2008
SMASHINGAPPS.COM
Its great tool to analyze blogs reading.
[reply to this comment]
Jan 7th, 2008
captain obvious
“Somewhat flawed …”
More like completely ridiculous. I don’t read Reddit or Digg or whatever — just general news but this is clearly a ploy to get a conversation started.
Ironically this is the same tactic political campaigns use against each other — and what type of articles do we see on Digg/Reddit many times ….
Time to wake up, sheep.
[reply to this comment]
Jan 7th, 2008
Delfin1
I don’t think they are because i use digg.
[reply to this comment]
Jan 7th, 2008
Chris (Admin)
Hi - thanks for all the comments. We had to restore an old database yesterday so I think we may have lost a couple of comments from this thread. We apologise if we lost your comment. Anyway, we’ve now moved server - so hopefully the site should be quicker for everyone now…(fingers crossed)
[reply to this comment]
Jan 11th, 2008