An interesting post that hit Digg’s front page highlighted what the top 41 diggers had placed in their "my #1."
Wow, I had no intention of being on that list or any other. My use of the "my #1" tool is rare and not accurate of what I really think is the best link on Digg. To be honest, I’m a little embarrassed by what was on there at the moment.
As I mentioned in my last post, I have begun talking to some of the other top diggers because I am working on a story about Digg and it’s relationship to journalism (if any other top diggers read this and want to talk, please contact me).
Personally, I don’t think the top diggers should be highlighted outside of Digg, if at all. People should check out our links if we are on their friend list or if they stumble upon it while browsing digg, but our submissions should be judged by their quality, not because of who we are.
I wanted to go on a rant in the comment section of the Digg post and on the blog post itself, but I decided not to. Since I’m working on a story about Digg that is very related to what it means to be a top user, I figure I should reserve all judgments and try to look at things even handedly. No matter what I think about it, as a top digger and community member myself, as a journalist I am trying to take the time to appreciate why others might want to highlight our submissions.
Are Diggers part of a new profession? Is social bookmarking a new act of journalism?
Questions abound — and I’m in the thick of my research. Posts like this only show me there is more digging (double metaphor) to do.