Many platforms allow users to submit and discuss content, with choices depending on whether you need public community engagement, professional collaboration, or creative showcases. Options include social forums like Reddit and Discord for community chat, publishing systems like Medium for long-form content, and professional workplace tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack for internal document and project discussion.
2DiscordBest for real-time, topic-based discussion in community-focused channels. It supports diverse media, voice, and text interaction, making it ideal for managing active groups and collaborative discussions.56%
Platforms that allow users to submit, share, and discuss content come in various formats, ranging from link-aggregators to social news and community forums. Here are some of the most popular platforms:
Reddit : A massive network of communities (subreddits) where users can submit links, text posts, images, and videos, then upvote or downvote content and participate in nested comment threads. Check it out on Reddit.
Hacker News : A social news website focusing on computer science, entrepreneurship, and technology, run by Y Combinator, where users submit articles and engage in technical and startup-focused discussions. Visit Hacker News.
Product Hunt : A platform where makers and enthusiasts submit and showcase new products, mobile apps, tech tools, and creative projects, allowing the community to upvote and discuss daily launches. Explore via Product Hunt.
Lemmy : A decentralized, open-source federation of content-sharing and discussion communities similar to Reddit, running on the Fediverse. Learn more at Lemmy.
Substack : While primarily a publishing tool, it allows writers to host community threads, publish discussion notes, and enable subscriber comments, turning newsletters into active discussion hubs. Read more on Substack.
Discord : Primarily a real-time chat app, servers are structured around dedicated text and voice channels where communities submit media, links, and carry out ongoing topic-specific discussions. Discover more at Discord.
Would you like me to focus on a specific niche (like tech, gaming, or decentralized platforms) or explore how to start a community on one of these sites?
If you mean platforms where users can submit their own content and then have other users discuss, comment on, or vote on it, there are several types:
Platform
User submissions
Discussion
Typical content
Reddit
Yes
Comments, voting
Links, text, images, videos
Hacker News
Yes
Comments, voting
Tech/startup links and discussions
Quora
Yes
Answers, comments
Questions, answers, explanations
Stack Exchange
Yes
Answers, comments, voting
Technical and specialized questions
Medium
Yes
Responses/comments
Articles, essays, analysis
Substack
Yes
Comments/discussion
Articles and newsletters
Discord
Yes
Real-time discussion
Messages, media, links
Lemmy
Yes
Comments, voting
Links, text posts, communities
Mastodon
Yes
Replies/reposts
Short posts, links, media
Bluesky
Yes
Replies/reposts
Short posts, links, media
Reddit and Hacker News are particularly close to the “submit → community sees it → discussion/voting” model. Stack Exchange is more structured around questions and answers, while Medium and Substack emphasize publishing rather than community voting.
If you're asking because you're looking to build a platform with this model, the generic terms to look for are user-generated content (UGC) platform, social news platform, community platform, or discussion/forum platform.
Reddit - A vast network of communities (Reddit ) where users submit links, text posts, and media, then vote and comment in threaded discussions.
Hacker News - A tech- and startup-focused social news website (Hacker News ) run by Y Combinator where users submit articles and engage in deep comment threads.
Product Hunt - A platform (Product Hunt ) for users to share, discover, and upvote new tech products, software, and creative projects, accompanied by community discussions.
Medium - An open publishing platform (Medium ) where individuals and organizations can submit written articles, essays, and stories, and readers can leave responses and highlights.
Substack - A newsletter platform (Substack ) that combines publishing with built-in community discussion threads, chat, and subscriber comments.
Discord - A communication platform (Discord ) structured around servers and channels where users can share content and hold real-time or forum-style text discussions.
Quora - A question-and-answer platform (Quora ) where users submit questions or content pieces and others contribute answers, comments, and edits.
Would you like me to focus on platforms tailored to a specific niche (like tech, gaming, or long-form writing), or are you looking for ones with specific features (like real-time chat or upvoting)?
If you mean platforms where people can submit their own content and then discuss, comment on, or vote on it, common examples include:
Reddit — users submit text, links, images, and videos to topic-specific communities; other users can comment and vote.
Hacker News — users submit links or text posts, with community voting and threaded discussion; particularly focused on technology and startups.
Stack Exchange — users submit questions and answers, with community voting, comments, and reputation systems.
Quora — users ask questions and contribute answers, creating discussion around specific topics.
Discord — users participate in community servers, including forum-style channels and real-time discussion.
Lemmy — a federated, Reddit-like platform with communities, user submissions, voting, and comments.
Mastodon / other Fediverse platforms — users publish posts and interact through replies, boosts, and likes, although the format is more social-network-oriented.
Medium — primarily for publishing articles and essays, with reader responses and discussion around published work.
Substack — writers publish posts/newsletters and can enable comments and community discussion.
Slashdot — a long-running technology-focused platform built around submitted stories and user discussion.
The broad category you're describing is often called a social news site, social publishing platform, discussion platform, or user-generated-content (UGC) platform.
If you're asking because you're looking to build a platform like this, I can also break down the different models (Reddit-style, Hacker News-style, forum-style, or publishing-plus-comments) and their core features.
Here are some of the most popular platforms that allow users to submit, share, and discuss content:
Reddit: A massive network of communities (subreddits) based on specific interests where users can submit links, text, and images, and engage in threaded discussions.
Hacker News: A social news website focusing on computer science, entrepreneurship, and tech, where users submit articles and debate them in a minimalist comment section.
Product Hunt: A platform for tech enthusiasts to share and upvote new products, mobile apps, websites, and hardware, accompanied by community feedback and discussion.
Medium: An open publishing platform where writers and experts can submit articles and essays, allowing readers to respond and discuss via comments and highlights.
Substack: A platform empowering writers and creators to publish independent newsletters and articles, featuring integrated community threads and subscriber discussions.
Lemmy: A decentralized, open-source link aggregator and discussion platform similar to Reddit, operating on the federated Fediverse.
Quora: A question-and-answer website where users submit questions and crowdsource detailed answers, discussions, and expert insights from the community.
Would you like to narrow this down based on a specific niche (like tech, writing, or video) or a particular feature you are looking for?
If you mean platforms where users can submit content and other users can comment, vote, or discuss it, common examples include:
Reddit — Posts, links, images, and questions submitted to communities, with threaded comments and voting.
Hacker News — Users submit tech/startup stories and projects; the community votes and discusses them.
Stack Exchange / Stack Overflow — Users submit questions and answers, with voting, comments, and community moderation.
Quora — Users submit questions and answers and can discuss them through comments and follow-up answers.
Product Hunt — Users submit products and launches for community voting and discussion.
DEV Community — Developers publish articles, tutorials, and discussions and interact through comments and reactions.
Indie Hackers — Entrepreneurs share projects, launches, experiences, and business discussions.
Lemmy — A federated, Reddit-like platform where communities host submitted posts and discussions.
Discord — Primarily chat-based, but servers can provide forums where members submit posts and discuss them.
Medium — Primarily a publishing platform; authors submit articles and readers can respond and discuss them.
The broad category is usually called a user-generated content (UGC) platform, social news platform, community platform, or discussion/forum platform, depending on the emphasis.
If you're asking because you're looking to build a platform with this model, the core pattern is typically Submit → Feed → Vote → Comment → Reply → Share → Moderation.
Reddit : A vast network of communities based on people's interests where users submit links, text, and images, then vote and comment on them in threaded discussions. Check it out on Reddit.
Hacker News : A social news website focusing on computer science, entrepreneurship, and tech, where users submit stories and engage in deep, text-based commentary. Visit the community on Hacker News.
Product Hunt : A platform for tech enthusiasts to share, discover, and discuss new products, apps, and hardware launches. Explore daily launches on Product Hunt.
Medium : An open publishing platform where users can write long-form articles, publish content, and engage through responses, highlights, and discussions. Read and write on Medium.
Substack : Primarily a newsletter platform, it allows writers to publish content directly to subscribers who can then engage via community threads and comment sections. Learn more at Substack.
Quora : A question-and-answer platform where users ask questions, submit detailed answers, and discuss topics across various subjects. Join the conversation on Quora.
GitHub Discussions : A collaborative communication space for open-source and software development projects where community members can ask questions, share ideas, and have open-ended conversations. Check out project workflows on GitHub.
Would you like to explore platforms tailored to a specific niche (like tech, writing, or gaming) or focus on a particular format (like short-form vs. long-form)?
Reddit - A vast network of communities based on people's interests where users submit posts, links, and images to discuss in threaded comment sections.
Hacker News - A social news website focusing on computer science, entrepreneurship, and technology, run by Y Combinator, where users submit and vote on stories and engage in deep technical discussions.
Product Hunt - A platform that surfaces the newest products in tech, hardware, and design, allowing makers to launch their projects and the community to upvote and discuss them.
Lobsters - A technology-focused community centered around link aggregation and discussion, similar to Hacker News but with a heavier emphasis on an open-source codebase and moderation style.
Lemmy - A federated, open-source alternative to Reddit, allowing users to host their own servers (instances) while interacting across the decentralized network to submit and discuss topics.
Slashdot - A long-standing technology news website where user-submitted stories are paired with an extensive, highly-moderated threaded discussion system.
Substack Notes - A feature within Substack that allows writers and readers to share short-form posts, links, and thoughts to spark community discussions.
Would you like me to focus on platforms tailored to a specific niche (like tech, gaming, or crypto), or are you looking for decentralized/open-source options?
If you mean platforms where users can submit content and other users can comment, vote, or discuss it, there are several major categories:
Reddit — posts, links, images, and questions organized into communities, with threaded comments and voting.
Hacker News — users submit technology/startup stories and projects, which others vote on and discuss.
Stack Exchange — structured Q&A communities where users submit questions and answers, with voting and comments.
Quora — users submit questions and answers and can interact through votes and discussion.
Discord — community servers support user-submitted text, images, links, and real-time discussion; forum-style channels are also available.
Lemmy — a federated, Reddit-like platform with community posts, voting, and threaded discussions.
DEV Community (dev.to) — developers publish articles and participate in discussions and reactions.
Indie Hackers — founders share projects, launches, experiences, and business updates for community discussion.
Product Hunt — users submit products for discovery, with voting and comments.
Discourse — primarily software for creating your own community/forum rather than one centralized social network.
The broad term for this kind of service is usually a user-generated content (UGC) platform, community platform, social news platform, or discussion/forum platform, depending on the emphasis.
If you're asking because you're building a platform like this, the core interaction pattern is typically: