Digg is a popular social media site that provides a place for people to vote on websites, blog posts, and articles that Digg members find on the internet.
Members submit links to pages after which other members “vote” the links up (approval) or down (disapproval), with the goal being to achieve a high ranking, which will result in [possibly dramatically] increased traffic to your website.
A word of caution: getting on the front page of Digg can result in SO much increased traffic that it can potentially overwhelm your server, causing your site to go down, so this traffic-getting tactic should be used with care.
If you’re using WordPress for your website (and you should be), there are numerous plugins that make it easy for your site visitors to “Digg” your articles.
Tips for achieving good results on Digg
- Digg, Digg. Sounds redundant but they really love themselves. Write a story about Digg and you’ll be rewarded with a front page placement.
- Everyone loves an Apple. If you’re a travel writer that loves her Mac, write an article about it and Digg it. Digg will eat up your article! They’re crazy about this fruity company!
- Write a tutorial. Perhaps an article on how to ensure a smooth trip when traveling with children? Keep your tutorial short and sweet because most people want to learn everything in 10 seconds or less and move onto the next tutorial.
- Insult your readers — What?. I don’t condone this, but that’s just me. Apparently the folks at Digg are bit controversial. They love articles that, how shall I put this, insult a group of people. So…dust off that travel writing article about your trip abroad and write how you really felt about the people and culture. Chances are good it will attract a Digg.
- Loathe Microsoft — Get on the Front Page. If you’re a PC user, it’s time to vent your frustration. Talk about how you were in the middle of writing your best travel article and BOOM, the computer shuts down. Your work is now lost forever. Alas, people around the world will never be able to read your masterpiece because you forgot to save it before your computer crashed…Ooops!
- Global Warming or Scientology. Unfortunately, fear sells. I don’t condone this either. If you traveled to an area that has been touched by global warming write about it. Are you a travel writer that practices Scientology? Write and Digg it!
- Controversy Sells!. Of course it sells — people love sensational news! Talk about the U.S.A.’s former President, George Bush; American Idol, Racism, Britney Spears, Brad and Angelina, Reality Shows, Sexism…you get the picture. This is a great way to get on the front page. Maybe you visited France and ran into Brad and Angie…write about it!
- And last but not least….don’t forget to Digg your own articles! Don’t abuse this or you’ll see a backlash, but go ahead and submit your own pages and let the “voters” have their say!
Now that you know how to get “Dugg”, there’s no reason NOT to use Digg. Remember that social media and social networking are here to stay. You may as well join the party! Besides, it will give you something to TWEET about on TWITTER!
~Rebecca
Do you use Digg? Share your own tips with us.+
So that’s how you get on the front page of Digg! I often wondered what it would take to land on the front page…the only thing about Digg is that the categories seem limited—Just my Opinion!
@SarahQT – Hi Sarah – thanks for stopping by! I agree that Digg’s categories do seem somewhat limited.
I wanted to take the opportunity to remind everyone that while making the front page of Digg can really launch a site or blog into the stratosphere, it can also have catastrophic consequences if you’re not properly prepared for such a huge spike in site traffic. Here are a couple of good articles on how to survive a front page Digg:
Beginner’s Guide To Surviving Digg’s Front Page
Five Tips for Surviving Your First Front Page Digg
My advice? Go for it – but take steps to prepare as best you can, then sit back and enjoy the exhilarating ride!
I think I’d like to see what would happen if I get on the front page of Digg! :) I think it would be rather exciting, especially when your trying to drive traffic to your site…could be the boost of confidence that I need.
I had no idea what digg was all about. Thanks for the information, I dugg this page. I am going to get on writing about my Mac. I love it!
Thanks for find Travel-Writers-Exchange.com and for the Digg! I like your website. I liked the post on Mt. Kilimanjaro. I often wondered how difficult it was to climb. Interesting.
I never thought about DIGGing my own articles. I often see the icon for Digg on other sites but never paid attention to it. Guess the joke’s on me! Thanks for this information. There’s so much to online sites, everything changes so fast — too fast.