Start Digging

[amitbhandari 0]

http://digg.com/ is a technology news site with a difference. The content is not managed by an editorial board but by the registered users. Although users can post articles on site after registration, the content retained is largely determined by what readers like to read. Each time someone likes an article, he "diggs" it - a word borrowed from American slang for "preference". An article has to be relatively new and has to have sufficient number of diggs before it is posted on the homepage.

 

The Looks

This is a very pretty, well-designed XP-esque site. The homepage is dominated by links to stories that have made it here. A box on the left of the title mentions the number of times the story has been 'dugg'. In addition, a tiny link below the number box allows the reader to digg the story. Once you do so, the number on the yellow number tab increases immediately to accomodate your digg or approval.

 

To more organize the stories available, there's search bar and also a list of categories such as "robots", "hardware" and so on. You don't need to register to read articles, but if you want to do anything more, you have to.

 

Starting Digging

To start with digging, you can find three links on the top right - "Digg for stories", "Submit a new story", and "Digg Spy". With the first link, you get look at the stories that are up for reading and being rated.

 

As a registered user, you can invite others to read your pick crop, by clicking on "Submit a new story". You submit the URL of news site from where you choose the story, then the site conducts a search for it. Once your story has been confirmed, you give it a title, submit a brief introduction, and specify a category under which you would like your story listed. The final bit is where the site searches if the same story has already been submitted and if it has, the site requests you to not submit your story. The story is then posted to the "Digg Area Queue".

 

The third link-"Digg Spy" - is interesting. Clicking this link gives you a "real-time view" of the site - all stories on the site get streamed, and you can pause a story if you want.

 

Whats More!

As a registered member, you have a profile via which you can create a circle of friends. Links of the home page take you to the top-stories and show the top diggers.

 

Why Digg??

The news posted on the site, though largely controlled by its readers, is also monitored for content. The site also requests and instructs readers to prevent inappropriate or irrelevant content from residing on the pages by reporting this on the "problem" link that accompanies each article.

 

Four Reasons to Digg

1. To get most popular tech news on the homepage without needing to wade through tens of other sites.

2. Participate actively in several ways in what's going on.

3. Everything is neatly organized on the site.

4. The site embodies a sound accuracy.

 

[agentblade 0]

Not my type of site but I like the concept of "digg it!"