Why You Should Have Digg Friends

I never thought about my friends list on Digg until I read the outstanding article from Andy Beard on the topic. Now I realize how important it truly is.

Have you ever wondered why so many of the same peoples' Digg posts seem to make it to the front page? Does it seem like someone's gaming the system to you? That could possibly be happening, but I think something else is happening. Something that's far more effective than gaming ever could be.

When I started adding friends to my list (that had already added me to theirs), and when I went into my profile to see what was dugg and then the friends tab, it showed me what my friends had dugg. Of course, my natural reaction is to digg what they dugg too.

If you go to the front page of Digg and then check for upcoming stories, you'll notice that it takes 20-30 diggs to get an article to that section. If that happens within 6 to 12 hours, the chance of that article reaching the front page increases dramatically. However, if no one comments on the article, it takes many more diggs to reach that section and subsequently to reach the front page. So… remember to comment on an article when you digg it.

I would like to have more Digg friends so that my diggs can count for something besides finger service (as opposed to lip service). Since I know I have some friends on there now (only 8 right now), I plan to stop by Digg daily to see what my friends are digging and possibly help them reach that elusive front page. If you want to add me as a friend, log into Digg and then go to your profile and friends list. Search for RTCA as a user name and I should pop right up. I promise to reciprocate.

Digg can generate a ridiculous amount of traffic for your blog. Why not use it to your advantage?

Articles With Related Content:

• Digg It Baby, Yeah!
• BloggingZoom is the New Digg
• What's with all the Digg Fans?
• Are Digg Shouts Another Form Of Spam?
• The BloggingZoom Bury Brigade Is Coming

Get Social and: Stumble It | Zoom It | Digg It | Propel It | Plug It | Sphinn It

May 15th, 2007 By RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines | Categories: Internet | Tags: Digg, friends, noads, services, social websites, traffic | Full Article Feed | Summary Article Feed | Comments Feed | Full Articles by Email | Respond | Trackback URL

2. Andy Beard on 2007-05-15 at 2:14 pm (Reply)

   One thing I noticed yesterday is you don't use an avatar on Digg, which also plays a factor in you being legit.

   The more friends you pick up, the more stuff you tend to Digg, and you become a more valuable member of the community on Digg.

   It is a shame the story got buried, as it wasn't about creating a power account by adding fake friends.

   I should note this also applies to Stumble Upon, but I am sure as soon as I write a story like that for SU users, it will get buried on SU like my last one did.

3. RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines on 2007-05-15 at 2:22 pm (Reply)

   I thought I had an avatar on there. I have it everywhere else.

   I wish there was an "unbury" feature because good stories get buried all too often by the same users.

   StumbleUpon doesn't have a bury feature that I'm aware of. Someone might report it as porn (but that actually increased stumbles on one of mine) or spam, but I don't think it would have a serious effect unless the administrators removed it.

4. Andy Beard on 2007-05-15 at 2:27 pm (Reply)

   I know my stumbleupon post was chain thumbed down, so were those from DoshDosh, and you should have seen the traffic plummet.
   That was by some top stumblers, who also thought that popup tool was spammy.

5. RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines on 2007-05-15 at 2:33 pm (Reply)

   So it would appear that some of the same people who bury things at Digg have figured out how to do it on StumbleUpon. I noticed one thing about SU. If you stumble your own it doesn't take off like it does when someone else does it for you. That post you stumbled for me took off like a bat out of hell. If you look at the top right on my page here, you'll see it inching it's way to the #2 spot.

6. hari on 2007-05-15 at 3:37 pm (Reply)

   The whole "community" concept of blogs doesn't attract me at all. I am a firm believer in the principle that the IQ of a mob is half the IQ of its most stupid member.

7. RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines on 2007-05-15 at 3:51 pm (Reply)

   Hari, we're talking about Digg here, not blogs. Blogs can have the comment feature completely turned off, but Digg users (and other social network members) will still visit. The friends feature is not really a community at all. Getting involved in discussions… that would be community.

8. RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines on 2007-05-15 at 3:52 pm (Reply)

   Oh, and I may comment on Digg or whatever, but I won't get involved in a discussion. Some of those people are dumber than a bag of hammers.

9. hari on 2007-05-15 at 3:56 pm (Reply)

   I know about Digg and its concept. About any online community, I've shared my thoughts before. I wouldn't participate…

   Anyway I agree with you. But I find that the first step to getting engrossed in discussion is to start visiting and posting anything and that was what I wished to avoid. I don't even visit Digg and many other online communities other than my own.

   Too much time wasted and too little accomplished. My creativity is much better when I don't participate in communities, particularly tech-oriented communities.

10. AgentSully on 2007-05-27 at 2:51 am (Reply)

    I'll find you on Digg and add you as a friend. Thanks! You've got a great blog.