Dollars Digg story
By Bala Shah

‘Digg’ is a clever idea and one of the smartest news websites in USA.   In its ideal manifestation, Digg is meant to be free of Editors and their egos, and it is the readers who decide on what it important and make the front page. A more democratic media. In theory, this is how Digg describes its operations: “Everything on Digg, from news to videos to images to Podcasts, is submitted by our community (that would be you). Once something is submitted, other people see it and Digg what they like best. If your submission rocks and receives enough Diggs, it is promoted to the front page for the millions of our visitors to see.”

Now comes news confirming what many have long suspected.  Your story has a fair chance of making it to the front page of Digg for the right price.  In a paid interview to Invesp Blog, a Digg gamer has confirmed that he charges $300 - $500 to use all the tricks he knows to ensure a client’s article makes it to the front page of the Digg website. He claims his success rate is 34 percent. What do you get in return for this $500?  Apparently, if your article makes it to the front page of Digg, you can get as many as 100,000 new visitors to your website.

In case you are wondering, Digg has a number of precautions to ensure no one games they system.  And Digg has banned this article in Invesp Blog from its own website.

(Techgoss had run the following story on July 28, 2008)

Website ‘Diggs’ boss
By Bala Shah

So you thought that some Indian publishers and Editors are guilty of shamelessly promoting themselves.  Huge bylines, family photos masquerading as news and startups run by friends being promoted in business news.

It seems that some news websites in USA have learnt a trick or two from us.  Or did the chicken come before the egg?

‘Digg’ is clever idea and one of the smartest news websites in USA.   In its ideal manifestation, Digg is meant to be free of Editors and their egos, and it is the readers who decide on what it important and make the front page. A more democratic media. In theory, this is how Digg describes its operations: “Everything on Digg, from news to videos to images to Podcasts, is submitted by our community (that would be you). Once something is submitted, other people see it and Digg what they like best. If your submission rocks and receives enough Diggs, it is promoted to the front page for the millions of our visitors to see.”

Digg is such a clever concept that giants like Google and Yahoo have mulled over buying it. Figures of 200 million dollars have been suggested as the purchase price.

That is the theory.  But in practice it seems that articles by Founder Kevin Rose always make it to the front page.  Kevin Rose, who started Digg in 2004, has submitted 377 stories so far, of which 367 made it to the front page.  Chance, coincidence or an example of boss knows best.

American gossip website valleywag broke the story.