Reddit has overhauled its front page, adding 26 new subreddits, including r/futurology, r/jokes and r/nottheonion to the list of forums that can be seen by a user who is not logged in.

The change is the largest to the Reddit front page since the site was created, and with only one subreddit being removed, it doubles the number of front-page members from 25 to 50. The unlucky relegation goes to r/AdviceAnimals, home to the "Advice Animals" meme which has become strongly associated with the social news site.

Awkward Seal, one of many advice animals, tells a story. Photograph: Imgur Photograph: Imgur

"In the past we've just swapped out one subreddit for another, but this time we're going to try something different," says the Reddit community manager Alex Angel in a blogpost on the site. "Instead of 25 default subreddits, we're going to bump it up to 50. You can look forward to a wider variety of topics and a frontpage that is much more fluid than today's frontpage."



Any user on Reddit can create a subreddit devoted to one particular topic, and any other user can then subscribe to it. The site's administrator team are extremely hands-off when it comes to what goes on in those user-made forums, which cover nearly every topic imaginable, from cannabis to baking.

This hands-off attitude has got Reddit in trouble in the past, thanks to users creating subreddits such as "jailbait", devoted to sexualised photos of under-18s, and "creepshots", which featured sexualised photos of women taken without their knowledge or consent. Both of those were eventually closed, but only after a widespread campaign forced the site's administrators to drop their normally laissez-faire stance.

The Reddit staff do have to make some decisions, however, and the default subreddits are one such example. These are the subforums shown to logged-out users, and the ones to which new members are automatically subscribed. Originally, they were picked from the most popular subreddits, but now the site's administrators exert more influence, promoting good subreddits and demoting flawed or over-played ones.

"Most of the old default set was selected based on user activity and interest from years ago," says Angel. "Reddit has grown and changed so much over the years that it's only fair to increase the number of subreddits so we can showcase newer subreddits that reflect the interests of the current userbase. This is sort of an experiment… we plan on changing the defaults more often, and we are always looking for great subreddits to potentially add to the list."

The best of the new subreddits

r/MildlyInteresting

Not for this subreddit is the typical hyperbole of the internet, swearing that every individual link is "the best thing you'll see all day". Instead, it's a place where people post "mildly interesting stuff. Stuff that interests you. Mildly. It's in the name, ffs."

What's on it today?

Someone who found some 3, 4, 5 and 6 leafed clovers in their garden, a bee sitting on the B string of a guitar, and a girl with a half-open bag that looks like her shirt.

What are its all-time greatest posts?

Someone who "buried a friend knee deep in sand. When he stepped out, the sand cracked, and made this." Some uniform bubbles. A perfectly hand-drawn curly bracket.

r/Showerthoughts

You know how, when you're in the shower, you have the most profound ideas? Finally, a place to share them! "Showerthought is a loose term that applies to any thought you might have while carrying out a routine task like showering, driving, or daydreaming."

What's on it today?

"I'm still it from a game of tag eight years ago," realises Dreamcast3. Flap_Jack24 wonders "if I've ever drank out of something made of recycled material, that was made out of something that was originally owned by me." And betraythelaw89 explains that "lizards are homeless turtles".

What are its all time greatest posts?

"When you drink alcohol you are just borrowing happiness from tomorrow." "If Obama was the president of Kenya, he would be their first white president.." "Trying to get rich by playing the lottery is like trying to commit suicide by flying on commercial airlines."

r/TwoXChromosomes

TwoXChromosomes is the heart of Reddit's feminist community – although many of its members wouldn't choose that definition. It describes itself as a home for "thoughtful content - serious or silly – related to gender, and intended for women's perspectives."

What's on it today?

TwoXChromosomes is the only new default subreddit expressing misgivings about that new status. Faydre asks "How can we get this wonderful community taken off default?" She expresses her concern that the change "exposes us, heavily, to the cruel and worthless ones, who make their entertainment at the expense of others." But elsewhere, life goes on, with some asking for advice ("Does sex often hurt?"), some sharing relevant news stories ("Pastor claims wearing Yoga pants means you "deserve rape."") and others just sharing personal stories "Today was my boyfriend's birthday and my Dad got him a gift :-)").

What are its all-time greatest posts?

"Boyfriend and I made a pretty neat sign to march in the Pride parade :)." "As a guy, I wanted to know what it was like to be a woman on a dating site, so I set up a fake profile and the end result was not something I was expecting." "No one is talking about this, but Maryland just became the first state to legalize same sex marriage by popular vote!"

r/Creepy

A place for pictures and stories designed to unsettle. "Possible topics include the haunted faces of the dying and the damned, unsolved murders, and biological anomalies."

What's on it today?

"walk away very slowly". "This wasn't like this yesterday." "I found the sound Potoos make... it sounds like someone crying for mom.."

What are its all time greatest posts?

"Heaven's Gate still answering emails, 16 years after mass suicide." "Was watching tv when it started glitching and then it froze. It stayed like this until I turned it off." "But dad…"

r/nottheonion

"For true stories that are so mind-blowingly ridiculous, that you could have sworn it was an Onion story."

What's on it today?

Mexican cartel earns more from mining and logging than drugs. Rob Ford: 'Rehab is amazing. It reminds me of football camp' Monkeys Protect Air Base from Bird Strikes

What are its all time greatest posts?

School Shut Down and Kids Hospitalized After 6th Grade Boys Spray Too Much Axe. McGruff The Crime Dog gets 16 years for having 1,000 pot plants and a grenade launcher. Screening of Noah Cancelled After Theater Floods

What are your favourite subreddits? Which hidden gems should the admins have promoted to the front page? Tell us in the comments below