There's a huge debate going on at Digg right now about limiting the influence of the top users. I support that effort 100%. Many sensible suggestions were offered, such as limiting number of diggs per day, taking away the shout system, or completely discount votes from close friends.
Unfortunately, while 99% of the Digg users are sincere in their desire to change Digg, they have rallied their cause around some questionable characters.
This whole thing occured when user Raisedinhell alleged that her submission was stolen by "power user" Pavelmah. (see her proof here). Understandably, Digg users rallied around Raisedinhell. But is Raisedinhell really that much different from the power users she complains about? Here are some of the most common complaints against top Digg users:
Complaint: Power users add a bunch of friends to form Digg circles
Raisedinhell has over 334 friends, including Mr. Baby Man and Pavelmah. (link / screenshot)
Complaint: Power users use the shout system to get more votes
Raisedinhell sent a shout to 84 people to promote her own story (link / screenshot).
Complaint: Power users steal content from other users
Raisedinhell "jacked" the story first from a Reddit user and brags about it. (link / screenshot)
Complaint: Power users shamelessly troll for votes outside of Digg
Raisedinhell is now airing Digg's dirty laundry in Reddit, and explicitly asking for votes for her story. (link / screenshot)
Now, I'm not saying Raiseinhell's complaints are not legitimate. But remember when Digg banned a bunch of top users and that was suppose to solve all the problems? Well it didn't. The power vaccum that was left attracted NEW spammers who are probably just as bad as the people they replaced. Most regular users simply vote with their feet. If Digg's heavy emphasis on forming useless friendship circles doesn't suit them, they simply move on to Reddit or Mixx. That is a shame, because I think Digg is a community worth saving. That is why I have tremendous respect for Digg users who stand up to speak their minds and challenge the naked emperor.
However, let's not automatically raise every advocate to the status of martyr without examining their history or motive. While most advocates for change are genuinely concerned for Digg, there's always that 1% whose main beef isn't that the system can be gamed, but that they haven't mastered it--yet.
Hey look here's another hypocrite.
Well done, I think you brought up some very good points!
ReplyDeleteJes
http://www.privacy-center.be.tc
Maybe google should buy them and they'll get an answer to this mess..
ReplyDeletehminaya
SEO Tools
No Digg Day
ReplyDeleteJan 4, 2009
The following proves that average users can't even make the most VIRAL videos popular:
ReplyDeleteThis TREADMILL DANCING song - OK Go's "Here It Goes Again," has over 42 million views, but it's STILL not popular on DIGG?! I KNEW this system was RIGGED!
http://digg.com/music/OK_Go_Here_It_Goes_Again_ORIGINAL_VIDEO
Right, because since raisedinhell has a 2% popular ratio, with 1 story out of 51 that made front page, he's the same as the other douchebag digg power users such as yourself.
ReplyDeleteGood job, you duped a lot of people with your vile filth of a blog. But some of us still see through your bs.
Someone has their panties in a wad ^
ReplyDeletehonestly in the grander scheme of things, the politics in digg are laughable.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteWell said pal.
ReplyDeletePri
http://www.helpforlinux.blogspot.com
[REPEAT POST] One of the flaws with social aggregate sites such as Digg is that they're not a meritocracy *because of* pernicious popularity seeking behavior such as this -- that the admin on Digg are rooting out such behavior and banning users that are there only for promoting their own pages and not for the benefit community as a whole is a commendable effort to eradicate that flaw and return Digg to the meritocracy that it was meant to be ... [ADDENDUM 1] I appreciate the Digg admin efforts to curtail malicious self-promoting behavior on the part of so-called `power users` ... [ADDENDUM 2] I'm not sure, but I think you missed one -- Digg power users typically have a large base of mutual online friends that assist with rating up newly found articles in order to propel them to the frontpage, where more people Digg them up, perpetuating the cycle where power users gain an initial advantage over their peers ... Digg is supposed to be a meritocracy where articles are supposed to be judged on their own value, and not based on the value that they're being submitted by a power user with a bunch of friends to artificially prop up the article's value for the sake of self-promotion ... that the Digg admin are aware of this and are attempting to compensate is all I could ask for ...
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year?
ReplyDeleteThis has been an issue for quite some time. Raisedinhell was the trigger, nothing more. Diggers aren't "rallying behind" Raisedinhell, it could have been anyone that got duped and it wouldn't have made the slightest difference. So I'm not quite sure why you found it important to discuss Raisedinhell's activities and intentions because it really is irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to throw out the opinions of 99% based on 1% bad apples, you are very confused. Let's turn this around and look at the average power blind digger's friend list and then talk to me about unsavory characters.
ReplyDelete