Reddit started off in 2005 as a corner of the internet for niche interests back before social media had really collateralized the niche communities. Nowadays, it is normal to google search antique cameras to find fellow collectors and have Instagram live sessions explaining how to take care of said cameras and use them.

Social media has become a tool for learning and community, and while Reddit has had that potential for almost 2 decades, their new chief operating officer (COO) Jen Wong has a lot to do with Reddit's transformation, increased user base, reaching revenue of over $100 million, and its deeper establishment of online communities.

Jen Wong has been named on lists of innovators including number 4 on Fast Company's Quee4 50, and for a good reason. She is pushing the boundaries of the digital market and online community all while taking Reddit to the top of financial success. When asked about the key to business, Wong says to do it with love.

How Jen Wong Climbed The Digital Ladder

Wong has over 15 years of industry experience in digital media spaces and earned her MBA from Harvard but has an extensive background and masters in mathematics and engineering.

Her career began by founding a nonprofit for children's media, but that experience launched her to executive positions with McKinsey & Company and later AOL.

Eventually, she made her way to the chief business officer at Popsugar Inc. where she oversaw product engineering and headlined the companies global success. Her resume includes big title projects for launching digital media including People, Fortune and Sports Illustrated. 

In 2018 she was a shoo-in for the COO position at Reddit, and her work streamlining the companies products, user enhancements and revenue has been globally noted in the digital economy.

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Leading Reddit To Success

With Wong as COO, the company has accumulated over $100 million in advertisement revenue. The company has struggled to monetize advertisers because Reddit had gained a bad reputation as a platform of hate speech.

Wong said in an interview that while Reddit isn't perfect, they have made avid strives to moderate and barre hate speech and communities within Reddit gathering for these purposes. This has been a big help in getting advertisers to get on board with collaborating with Reddit.

A big Reddit movement that gained a lot of media interest recently was the Game Stop Incident in which through the Reddit tag r/WallStreetBets, the niche community inflated stock prices of GameStop which almost bankrupted hedge funds. Wong says the ability that Reddit has to serve as a digital mobilizer actually happens all the time, including raising funds for good causes.

Reddit's user base was released recently, to be 52 million, which is 44 percent higher each year. To say that Wong is taking Reddit to the next level of digital spaces is an understatement.

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The Importance Of Reddit's Shift

Wong is proud of Reddit and the direction in which it is going. She is all about community, whether it be her own queer community, women in tech, or every single niche community on Reddit.

She herself is also an avid user of Reddit, especially for learning and sharing ideas. Some of her personal favorite Reddit subreads are sourdough making, pizza making, photography and camera collection and DIY gardening. She said in an interview that she has perfected sourdough thanks to the cooking subreads.

Reddit has a future in continuing to shape digital spaces. Wong thinks that folks interact with media and tech differently each day as the world continues in that direction.

One way Wong sees a difference in user interaction is the formation of community and meetings between strangers. Folks with a specific interest can connect, join a live stream or live event, learn and enjoy the moment with like-minded individuals, and move on.

She thinks there is something unique about these real-time virtual experiences that bring folks together all around the world to share moments and learn from each other, even if only for one live event.

Another big direction for digital spaces is e-commerce in the future, buying and shipping issues instead of shopping issues and how do digital spaces play into that.

Jen Wong believes to create with love, that is how she has backed her digital executive career with each company she has shaped and molded with products and marketing. She loves to see people helping people and the heart of her business is love.

To do your work with love is a timeless message for all folks in tech and business, a true example of pushing this industry in the right direction economically, for the ethical formation of online communities and for increasing the user experience.

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Remembering Pop Culture Icon & Philanthropist, Olivia Newton-John
Remembering Pop Culture Icon & Philanthropist, Olivia Newton-John
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