How to Effectively Use Digg

Digg is a social news site that can help drive traffic to your blog. However, Digg is the biggest social news site on the Internet controlled by a handful of top users. How can you get your blog posts noticed in the fast-paced world of Digg? Follow these five tips of Digg etiquette to effectively use Digg and boost traffic to your blog.

1. Digg the Original Source

Digg users are very particular about how the site is used. There are a variety of rules that Digg expects users to follow. One of the most important rules of Digg etiquette is to always submit the original source of a story. If you're submitting a blog post or page that expounds on the original source of a story by adding new information or opinions, that's okay, but make sure your submission adds value to the conversation or story. If it doesn't, find the original source and submit that instead.
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2. Don't Digg Your Own Posts

Digg will penalize users who submit their own content too frequently. If you want your blog posts to have a chance at making it to the main page of Digg (and generating a lot of traffic to your blog), don't be the first to submit your post. Ask a friend or colleague to submit it first.

3. Digg Several Articles at a Time

When you ask your friends to Digg your blog post, make sure they Digg more than just your post while they're at it. Digg keeps tabs on people who just Digg a single item while they're on the Digg website in order to penalize spammers (particularly those who are paid to Digg specific stories). Ask your friends to Digg your post as well as a few other stories of interest or on the main page of Digg at the same time.

4. Use a Good Title and Description in Your Diggs

When you Digg something, give it a good title and description. The title and description are what you're using to convince other users to click on the submission, read the article and hopefully Digg it, too. Sell the article with a great title and description to increase your chances of getting more Diggs for it.

5. Be an Active Digg User

Digg users who are very active have a better chance of getting their Digg submissions noticed and attracting more Diggs to them from other users. Submit various posts (particularly breaking news items), add friends, comment, and add an avatar to your profile to make your Diggs stand out from other submissions in Digg's list format. The more active you are, the more people will notice you and become interested in investigating your submissions, which will ultimately lead to more Digg opportunities for your own blog posts. More Diggs for your own blog posts equal more traffic to your blog.

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What is Digg?

Digg is a social news site that can help users find blog posts and web pages of interest as well as promote pages and blog posts they like.

How Does Digg Work?

Digg operates under a very simple methodology. Users submit (or "digg") web pages or blog posts they like by entering the URL for the specific page as well as a short description and selecting a category that page fits in. Each submission is open for all Digg users to view through the "Upcoming Articles" page. Other users can then digg or "bury" those submissions (or completely ignore them). Submissions that get a lot of diggs will appear on the main page of the Digg website within the list of "Popular Articles" where other Digg users can find them and click on the links to visit the original articles.

The Social Aspect of Digg:

Digg users can add "friends" to their networks. This is where Digg gets social. Users can comment on submissions and share submissions with each other.

Digg Complaints:

When it comes to how effective Digg is at driving traffic to your blog, it's important to understand the power of the top users at Digg. The top Digg users have enormous influence on what shows up on the main page of Digg and what stories get buried quickly. One of the major complaints about Digg is the overwhelming power the top Digg users hold. Additionally, users complain that a handful of sites generally get top billing in terms of making it to the main page of Digg, probably as a result of the actions of the top Digg users. Finally, users complain about the amount of spam that shows up on Digg.

The Benefits of Digg:

The pros of using Digg are:

• Digg is the most popular social news site on the Internet.
• Digg can drive a lot of traffic to your blog if your blog post gets to the main page.
• Digg can help you find interesting blog posts and blogs.
• Digg can help you network with like-minded bloggers by sharing submissions and commenting on each other's submissions.

The Negatives of Digg:

The cons of using Digg are:

• It's hard to get your blog posts on the main page of Digg.
• Top users control much of what gets on the main page of Digg.
• Traffic that comes from Digg is generally short-lived Spam content finds its way on Digg frequently.
• People pay the top users and other companies to generate diggs for content and move it to the main page of Digg leaving less chance for your posts to get to the main page.
• Digg does not like it when users submit their own pages or blog posts and will penalize users who do so too frequently.

Should You Use Digg to Drive Traffic to Your Blog?

While Digg has the potential to drive a lot of traffic to your blog, it happens less frequently than users would like. Digg should certainly be a part of your blog marketing toolbox, but it should be used with other promotion strategies and tactics (including other social bookmarking site submission) for you to drive the most traffic to your blog overall.

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