Did It Go Popular Yet?! Check Now. No? How About Now?
Digg, Social Media, Social News October 23rd, 2007Digg is a damn beast. It’s a love hate relationship that reminds me of a large scale tamagotchi. One of those digital pocket pets that need to be fed, loved, played with… whatever. Ever read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Remember Deep Thought? Sitting and watching cartoons while we wait for it to answer the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything? With Digg, when we get nowhere or almost somewhere it’s like Deep Thought answering back…forty-two. Argh…I might as well eat a dirt sandwich, might be a better use of my time.
However, as I use Deep Thought (Digg) more and more, I’m learning its intricacies. Here’s what I’ve found:
Timing: Timing can be essential but not a make or brake thing. For people in the UK, a 6:00AM East coast submission is something to consider.
Content: Make it super easy to digest. Use very little to no textual content. Think of the fastest way someone can absorb information. Photos and video are where it’s at. I would even use photos before videos.
NO company references: Make sure the only indication that your content is on a client/company’s website is via the URL in the URL box. Take out any on-page references to the company. Headers, navigation, footers, whatever. Ah! You can leave-in the analytics code : ) If Diggers even get a wiff of something marketing related they will bury it on the spot.
Network: You must have a robust network inside and out of digg to get mediocre and sometimes fantastic content into popular. Once it goes popular you’re set. It will snowball from there. Using the shout feature within Digg can work well but use it with caution. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s something in the Digg algo that factors votes induced by the shout feature, natural votes, and votes cast via entering a direct Digg URL without a referral address.
Buried?: If for some reason you do get buried then guess what? That’s right…42. Point of no return…you’re screwed.
So set it up right, leverage your connections and knock’em down. I certainly haven’t won every Deep Thought battle but just remember that success will be attained through failure. Keep at it and you’ll eventually stop having to ask, “did it go popular yet?”
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