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"Ryan Deal is a social media and creative advertising lover who\u2019s got an eye for good design and a passion that won\u2019t quit. He authors a blog at ryanyeah.com.\nSince its launch in 2004, Digg has attracted more than 30 million unique visitors and 327 million page views per month. Its social bookmarking features allow users to submit their favorite pictures, videos, and articles to be voted on by their peers. The most popular and relevant of which, based on Digg\u2019s algorithm, are promoted to the front page for all visitors to see.\nDigg, along with its algorithm, is constantly evolving; adding new features like the recommendation engine and more recently, suggested submissions based on related keywords. Here\u2019s a quick guide for users of all levels to help you get the most out of Digg.\nGot something to add? Tell us about it in the comments.\nGet the toolbar, you\u2019ll thank me later\nThere are many tools available to help you make the most of your Digg experience. If you\u2019re a Firefox user, the first thing you\u2019ll want to do is download the toolbar. When you're browsing around, the toolbar will tell you whether or not a story has been submitted to Digg and, if so, how many Diggs and comments it\u2019s received.\n\n\n\n\nThe toolbar also has a setting that will notify you when new submissions become popular by showing the details in a small window near the bottom of the browser. You can manage your interests to be sure you\u2019re only shown stories from the categories you are interested in. Additionally, by supplying your Digg username, you\u2019ll receive alerts when your friends Digg, submit, or comment on stories. All of this, of course, is fully customizable; you can turn off any feature you don\u2019t want.\nSetting up your profile\nIt is important to have a good profile that reflects who you really are. Choose an avatar that you want to represent you when people see your submissions on the front page. Then, make sure to add links to places where other users can find you and include some contacts as well. Many Digg users connect off the site, so feel free to add your Twitter account, IM names, your blog, and a brief description of who you are and why you\u2019re here. Here\u2019s mine:\n\n\n\n\nMake friends. After all, it is called Social Media\nNow that you\u2019re all set up, it\u2019s time to make some friends. In addition to reading, digging, and commenting, Digg allows its users to add friends and share their favorite submissions. You can often find submissions you\u2019d be interested in by checking out the things your friends are voting on.\nOne recently banned power user suggests gaining a lot of friends. The theory here is, the more friends you have, the more Diggs you are likely to get on your submissions. Here\u2019s a little inside information: if you don\u2019t Digg your friends\u2019 stories, they wont Digg yours. So, remember to check your friends\u2019 submissions often and Digg those that you like.\n\n\n\n\nComment, comment, comment!\nComments are a great way to show the rest of the community who you are. In addition, those with similar interests are more likely to find you if you are out there communicating. And don\u2019t forget to Digg the comments of other users; if you do, they\u2019re likely to check out your profile and possibly add you as a friend or connect with you off-site.\n\n\n\n\nThe algorithm. It works if you work it\nBefore you start submitting, it is important to have a general understanding of Digg\u2019s algorithm. Many users have their own take on \u201Cworking the algorithm.\u201D The idea here is, if you learn the algorithm, most or all of your stories could hit the front page.\nThe only thing you really need to know is that Digg\u2019s algorithm favors natural diggs. Things that are natural: diggs from various sources (IM link, email link, digg from an upcoming page, and from a digg button on the page of the actual content). Things that are not natural: solicited diggs (50 diggs in 10 minutes, the same users digging all your submissions, etc.). You\u2019ll learn what not to do pretty quickly.\nAbove all, remember, it\u2019s not about the number of Diggs a submission gets. I\u2019ve seen articles with more than 300 Diggs that didn\u2019t make it, and I have had a submission of mine go to the front page after only 30 Diggs. It\u2019s all about the natural variety of Diggs a submission gets within its category.\nShout\u2026 in the name of love\nShouting is a great way to share a story you like or a submission you\u2019ve made with your friends. If your friends like it as well, it\u2019s likely to get more Diggs. Just be careful not to shout a submission too much, Diggs from shouts are not considered natural by Digg and can make it so that a submission requires even more natural votes to make it to the front page.\n\n\n\n\nTitles, descriptions, and categories\u2026 Oh my!\nWhen submitting something to Digg, there are three main factors to consider: title, description, and category.\nTitle: Choosing a title for a Digg submission is a lot like writing a headline for a newspaper article; you need to attract the reader without misleading them. Misleading titles will earn some negative comments and a bunch of people burying your submission.\nDescription: People want to know what they\u2019re getting into. Sometimes a good title is all you need, but for submissions that require additional information, make sure you include it. Remember, the point is to get people interested.\nCategory: Some categories are more popular than others, so if you want a better chance of getting your submission to the front page, you\u2019ve got to get it into the right category. Take for example a video of a dog falling asleep while running. Funny right? So, you think, put it in \u201CComedy.\u201D However, although \u201CComedy\u201D is an appropriate category, if you choose \u201CPets &amp; Animals,\u201D which is also relevant, you\u2019re submission is more likely to see the light of day.\nThe easy button! If you author a blog or publish content online that you hope to get Dugg, be proactive. Give your readers the tools they need to help your site get some attention. Digg offers a wide range of tools and widgets to help you better optimize your site for Digg. The easier you make it for someone to Digg something they like, the more likely they are to push that button.\n\n\n\n\nHoly scripts!\nWhile there are some amazing scripts out there that will help you use Digg in new and better ways, don\u2019t! Digg has been ban-crazy lately, most often citing the use of third-party scripts as the reason for the banning. If you stick with the tools that Digg offers, you\u2019ll be on your way to becoming a better user, without worrying about getting the axe from the Digg gods.\nShow us what you\u2019ve got!\nFeel free to add any other tips or tricks not mentioned here in the comments below. Also, feel free to contact me if you need any help with a submission or more tips on how to better optimize your blog!\nInterested in more Digg resources? Check these out:\n- DIGG TOOLBOX: 50+ Digg Tools and Resources- 7 Ways to Create Your Own Digg Clone- 7 Awesome Things Built on the Digg API- Twitter, Facebook, Digg: Can You Join Too Many Networks?"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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