Reddit launched Upvoted in September 2015 as a news site highlighting interesting content from Reddit.
Upvoted was designed to surface notable posts and stories from Reddit for readers who might not routinely browse the site’s many communities. It functioned more like an editorial publication than a normal subreddit: staff selected and presented material, while the site initially did not enable comments. The name referred to Reddit’s voting system, where users upvote content they find valuable or entertaining.
The project was part of Reddit’s effort to make its enormous stream of user-generated material easier for outsiders to discover. Reddit had already become a major source of links, discussions, images, and breaking-interest stories, but its community structure could be difficult for newcomers to navigate. Upvoted offered a more curated doorway into that ecosystem.
It is sometimes mistaken for a general technology or entertainment site such as Mashable or BuzzFeed. Those publishers created their own reporting and editorial packages, whereas Upvoted primarily drew attention to material originating on Reddit. Its September 2015 launch came during a period of major product and policy changes at Reddit.