DISQUS

I think of the big three Digg is the only one that isn't profitable or even close to breaking even. StumbleUpon is definitely profitable and Reddit (well they sold it to Conde) should be at the very least breaking even.

I think Mixx will fail for the same reasons Propeller failed. They are focusing on inflating their numbers and making money by compromising the user experience. One of their major flaws that still hasn't been addressed - clicking a link off their homepage doesn't take you to the actual story instead it stupidly takes you to the Mixx page for the story.

Haha, very cheeky.

Your comment is more a commentary on your inability to understand the importance of this step from Google than anything else. It's not just about the technical implementation - Google is a very strong player in the content discovery and content consumption marketplace (which is Digg's bread and butter) - Google has the eyeballs to back it up.

A good implementation of social news features could with some effort start eating into Digg's market share. Just look at what Yahoo! was able to accomplish with their Buzz product. If Yahoo! can do it, Google can probably do is twice as well.

Great article Ben, the widget is definitely something to watch. This could just be a warning shot to Digg (don't forget Google was, according to some, considering purchasing Digg, this could be their plan B) and a sign of bigger things to come.

I don't think they've blocked it, I think their own bar is conflicting with the DiggBar. I could be wrong though (it did appear for me briefly).

The problem with the recommendation engine is that it recommends stories based on all the wrong correlations. It is an affinity engine that seems to just be looking at which users you digg the most and recommends stories from them (or stories that are dugg by a large number of your friends). This means that the recommendation engine just exacerbates the circle-jerk phenomenon on Digg.

What they should be doing is running the same kind of correlations between user and category, user and sub-category, user and url (domain), and so on, for both diggs as well as buries. Then we'll get somewhere.

Brett, you will always be a rockstar in my book. This post is spot on and I wish you had guest blogged it on one of the bigger blogs where the writers as well as their massive (sometimes unwarranted) audience would read it and take some time off for self-reflection.

I think the biggest example of this narcissism is Valleywag and their biting attacks on others while they themselves haven't accomplished much. I guess time does justice to everyone right?

Jon and Chris, thanks for commenting.

Bookmarking sites are still fairly popular and I'm sure some people will always use them, but if you follow the buzz and look at the traffic or engagement metrics (or even general trends) you'll see this shared sentiment decreasing in favor of social news or personal bookmarking.

I think most people are desperate enough for the feature (not necessarily for the practical application but more so for its novelty value because it is still a fairly new concept for most mobile users) that they will pay for it. Verizon realizes that, perhaps AT&T should've realized it too. Heck AT&T realized that they could make us pay for everything else right? Why not visual voicemail too?

Lemme ask you, if it wasn't included, and there was an iPhone app that enabled this feature, wouldn't you buy it at $2.99? How about $1.99? $0.99? They seem to think the sweet spot is at $2.99 and only time will tell.

I have to agree with @Yazan and practically everyone else here. I think the changes are definitely in a positive direction. Facebook users really need to stop perpetuating the stereotype of the whinny, freeloading, never-satisfied, community of the web 2.0 generation.

Terribly cliche.

I have to agree with Brian, I think video games themselves are gender-independent.

That said, I have to disagree with Alex M., there is nothing unmanly about enjoying video games either. Especially if you're playing Nintendo's fitness-focused or family-oriented games.

I think the simplest reason for that is SXSW.

Love the new header.

Could I please get one at msaleem a|t gmail dot com

Could I please get one at msaleem a|t gmail dot com

msaleem at g mail dot com

My email address is up there. Thanks!

My email address is up there.

My email address is up there.

Hey guys, I applied. Looking forward to hearing from you.

If I recall correctly, the number was $25 million.

Hey Matt,

I think you are a little unfair when you say 'bribing' the top posters. My bias (for getting paid) aside, I think this statement from Jason explains it all:

"If we're (DIGG, Delicious, Flickr, Reddit, MySpace, Netscape, etc) are going to make businesses out of this space we should share the wealth."