Recently the Digg interface got an extreme makeover. There are now more social features on the site, like photo albums and public "shout" messages. And the new system has been designed to make reciprocal voting on friends' stories far less convenient.
Instead of blasting down a list of your friends' submissions ("Digg! Digg! Digg! Digg!")... Uzi style... it now takes some real mouse-clickin' effort. It takes so much patience that some people are submitting less, and others are ditching personal politics and "friends of convenience" and only voting on stories that they actually like.
While many of the hardcore Diggers complained that the site is ruined, I think the changes are probably making the site fairer and more accessible for the average user. And I think it has (marginally) improved the diversity and quality of the content that hits the home page.
The interface changes make it far more time consuming to maintain a Digg power account. Before you could maintain relationships with people by checking in once a day and spending 10 or 20 minutes on the site. Now it takes more like 30 to 90 minutes a day just to vote on friends' stories, and you need to check in two or three times a day because you can only see three pages of your friends' recent submissions.
Thankfully, there's a way Digg through your friends' submissions much quicker. If you've got a Mac, the Dugg widget for your dashboard is highly recommended.
Just hit the F12 key, and click on the tiny "i" in the upper right corner of the widget. For the "Digg Topic" select "friends' submitted" and put your username in below:
Click "Done" and then you can see a list of your friends' stories. Click on them and it will open up the story in your Web browser (in tabs)
All it takes to Digg a story is a quick:F12 + Click-Clickrather than:Opening up a browser, going to Digg.com, (maybe) logging in, clicking "Friends' Activity," clicking "Submissions," then click the story, then click to Digg it, then click the back button.
I personally find the Dugg widget really makes voting quicker and more enjoyable. You can check in on your stories and your friends' stories several times a day with minimal effort.
The only downside it is gets kind of "messy" by opening dozens of browser tabs while Digging a long list of stories...
I still disagree on the benefits of the new Digg, though it’s interesting you published this as I’m currently writing another opinion piece on Digg’s changes (and whether I like them). Here’s a clue: I turned off shouts. It’s completely a waste of time.
I’m waiting to get a Mac, because I need it to be easier once again. Thanks for the tip!
The only thing I actually like about the new Digg is there are more ways to see people’s pictures, blogs and contact them. I found the old Digg rather cryptic and anti-social.
Shouts can be annoying. I set my shouts to “Friends Only” and I turned the e-mail notification off.
Speaking of friends…. hook me up and add me again! Puweezzzzee?
Speaking of easier, wait till Leopard comes out later this month and get that Mac! 10,000,000 of us Apple fanboys on Digg can’t be wrong…
As for the widget, I still think that the best kind of widget to exist would be one that includes the following:
1. Title
2. URL source
3. Submitter name/avatar
4. Description!
5. Digg button
In other words, restore old Digg functionality in widget fashion. Why this works: less pageviews for Kevin, better user experience for us.
It has been a commonly requested feature to add a digg button directly into the widget, and I can definitely see how it would be convenient not having to open a browser every time you want to digg a story. Unfortunately, on taking a look into how stories are dugg from digg.com, it’s clear that the developers really don’t want diggs coming from anywhere but the official site.
As for the URL source and submitter name/avatar, they’ll most likely be in the next version.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
I still disagree on the benefits of the new Digg, though it’s interesting you published this as I’m currently writing another opinion piece on Digg’s changes (and whether I like them). Here’s a clue: I turned off shouts. It’s completely a waste of time.
I’m waiting to get a Mac, because I need it to be easier once again. Thanks for the tip!
October 10th, 2007 at 5:27 am
Tamar,
The only thing I actually like about the new Digg is there are more ways to see people’s pictures, blogs and contact them. I found the old Digg rather cryptic and anti-social.
Shouts can be annoying. I set my shouts to “Friends Only” and I turned the e-mail notification off.
Speaking of friends…. hook me up and add me again! Puweezzzzee?
Speaking of easier, wait till Leopard comes out later this month and get that Mac! 10,000,000 of us Apple fanboys on Digg can’t be wrong…
October 10th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Brett, you got it.
As for the widget, I still think that the best kind of widget to exist would be one that includes the following:
1. Title
2. URL source
3. Submitter name/avatar
4. Description!
5. Digg button
In other words, restore old Digg functionality in widget fashion. Why this works: less pageviews for Kevin, better user experience for us.
I hope the developer of that widget is listening.
October 10th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
That would be a bomb widget, indeed…
I’ve always wondered though how the API protects from things like “auto digging” and digg bots.
For our own sake, it shouldn’t be too easy.
October 13th, 2007 at 3:30 am
Yep, I’m listening.
It has been a commonly requested feature to add a digg button directly into the widget, and I can definitely see how it would be convenient not having to open a browser every time you want to digg a story. Unfortunately, on taking a look into how stories are dugg from digg.com, it’s clear that the developers really don’t want diggs coming from anywhere but the official site.
As for the URL source and submitter name/avatar, they’ll most likely be in the next version.
October 13th, 2007 at 7:28 am
Thanks for listening Duncan… I bet the Digg guys are pretty crafty at keeping the Digg only coming from the site, and I don’t blame them.
Thanks for an AWESOME piece of software that has made my life easier and much more convenient!