why i love buzzfeed

So last night I was telling someone about Buzzfeed, and how much I’ve been enjoying it, and they took a look and then asked the obvious question:  why?  And all day I’ve been struggling to come up with the one particular reason why I’m so enamored with the site, and I can’t.  Instead, I think it’s all of little things pieced together. 

Like the fact that it’s a highly editorialized look at bottoms up behavior.  And, like other aggregation sites, it can then amplify what they find interesting.  And the category mix.  And the appreciative and dismissive editorial voice.  And the judicious use of red, white and blue.  And the big fonts!  And the claim, made with a straight face, that “the moment we detect new buzz, it appears in a special terminal interface used by our editors.”  And, finally, the indeterminate yet open-ended business model possibilities that signify the bright, shiny promise of web two point oh.

Oh, and I’m also enjoying Very Short List, in case you’re wondering.