Digg decides to compromise on DiggBar
Just two weeks ago Digg launched its DiggBar, a toolbar designed to bring Digg to the masses. Bringing Digg functionality out of its walled garden and onto the wider Web seemed like a good idea. And it is a good idea in principle. However, many people are bitterly opposed to the DiggBar, how it frames sites, steals traffic and content, and generally the whole idea of a toolbar giving Digg extra presence on the Web. Digg has listened and is now willing to compromise.
I was enthusiastic about the DiggBar when it launched. As a regular Digg user, here was a way for me to more easily submit articles, vote article up, and find new content to read in a similar style to StumbleUpon. The DiggBar also has its own built-in URL shortener making posting links to Twitter and the like much easier.
It wasn’t long until people actually began delving deeper into what the DiggBar meant for Digg and the publishers of content being shared by it. The biggest complaint was with the URL shortener. Rather than offering a 301 permanent redirect, it uses a 200 http code. This means Digg gets the traffic rather than the original site. Not good for Web publishers who rely on visitors for revenue.
The other complaints concerned Digg potentially stealing Google SEO juice using the DiggBar and the whole issue of frames being used even though most people were pleased to see the back of them years ago and don’t want the trend to rear its ugly head once again.
These concerns led some sites (such as Engadget) to actively block the DiggBar using code written by a blogger by the name of Josh Gruber.
It may have taken Digg a while to respond but it finally seems willing to compromise on the issues raised in the fortnight since the DiggBar made its mark on the Internet. In a post on the company’s blog, Digg’s VP of engineering John Quinn spells out a few changes that will soon be made to the DiggBar in order to appease those who expressed concerns with some aspects of it.
The DiggBar will now only work in the way it has been doing for those users who are signed in to Digg and who haven’t opted out. The rest of us will now get a 301 redirection. As is right and proper. The process of opting out is also being made easier and more visible to the average Digg user.
These are good compromises which needed to happen to avoid wholesale resentment from Web publishers. Digg needs content to exist and can’t really afford to upset too many of the people who provide this content. Having said that, the DiggBar has been a huge success so far, with Digg reporting that 45 percent of all Digg activity is happening on the toolbar. Which is why a compromise has been cobbled together rather than a complete nixing of the DiggBar.
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April 15th, 2009
This changes nothing. It’s still a frame based toolbar that steals content, traffic, and potential revenue from publishers. It still creates incentive for others to frame too. Why don’t people under stand this?