The problem with reddit, IMO, is that there is a unified identity as "redditors" that brings conflicting communities too close on a routine basis. That makes some sense based on the site's early history when it was basically targeted at the same audience as HN, and the unified identity has been fading more and more over the last couple of years, but it's still a large part of reddit's design.
Contrast with Facebook, Twitter, or other massively-accepted social networking sites. They start you out with ... a blank page! This not only allows but requires the user to craft an experience that will make them feel comfortable, and there's no need to confront them with things that may not be palatable.
I think you can only get away with a real "front page" if you're targeting a specific niche. Otherwise, you have to go really generic. Twitter usually recommends that new accounts follow very generic things, like late night talk show hosts, sports stars, and popular singers.
A lot of reddit's growth problem is that if a Republican or a religious person or someone over the age of 40 hears about it and decides to check out reddit.com, they're likely to leave angered, offended, shocked, or all of the above, and that's before they try to participate/comment, which is a whole 'nother can of worms.
Combine with occasional news stories about reddit's less-savory underbelly and the prevalence of pornography and profanity, and it really is no wonder that reddit struggles to find mainstream acceptance. The issue that reddit must now deal with is to become mainstream-acceptable without destroying its existing userbase in the process.
Contrast with Facebook, Twitter, or other massively-accepted social networking sites. They start you out with ... a blank page! This not only allows but requires the user to craft an experience that will make them feel comfortable, and there's no need to confront them with things that may not be palatable.
I think you can only get away with a real "front page" if you're targeting a specific niche. Otherwise, you have to go really generic. Twitter usually recommends that new accounts follow very generic things, like late night talk show hosts, sports stars, and popular singers.
A lot of reddit's growth problem is that if a Republican or a religious person or someone over the age of 40 hears about it and decides to check out reddit.com, they're likely to leave angered, offended, shocked, or all of the above, and that's before they try to participate/comment, which is a whole 'nother can of worms.
Combine with occasional news stories about reddit's less-savory underbelly and the prevalence of pornography and profanity, and it really is no wonder that reddit struggles to find mainstream acceptance. The issue that reddit must now deal with is to become mainstream-acceptable without destroying its existing userbase in the process.