The big news on Digg several weeks ago revolved around the fact that algorithm changed. Whether this was due to people finding out the original algorithm or simply for Digg to ensure that actual user-driven and approved content was hitting the main page is completely up to whoever is speculating.
Over the past weekend, I was watching stories in Upcoming events (pretty lame I know but I was recovering from a nasty cold) as well as checking which stories made it to the Digg Recently Popular (main) page. Of course, the ones with the highest hit count made the page and those with low hit counts ( mine included) traveled into Digg oblivion and later to the back end of some 31,000,000+ hit Google search. (Try Lindsey Lohan)
While making this observation, I also noticed that there were a ton of stories hitting the Digg main page that had never once touched the Upcoming page. Stories from the major news sites, big-hit blogs and the like were flying up the charts.
These stories were getting 1000+ hit counts and they had never once touched the Upcoming page!
5 Questions:
How is this possible?
Why are sites that already getting millions of hit in a day from the sole fact that they are not only running a professionally maintained site but they also have televised news?
Why are sites like MSNBC, CNN, Fox News (this should never make the main page unless it's completely ludicrous!) implementing Digg into their websites?
Have minor bloggers such as myself made that much of impact that we are now trying to be blocked out by the giants?
Is what we say as influential and quality as what they say?
____________________________________________________________________
I'm viewing this as inspirational and something to keep me blogging. News sites feel like they losing a battle that never really was meant to happen. The stories that are climbing through Upcoming page and bringing in hits the "real" way are earning my respect. I have been made friends with a lot of these Diggers and I Digg them!
To my Digg friends: I will Digg you to the top if your material is good! You are all the reason why Digg was started! You have earned my respect and I will Digg you to the end!
To the network news sites: Is it really necessary to infiltrate Digg to boost your "all knowing egos?" I enjoy what you have to write and I read it on your sites. I don't need to read it on Digg as well!
To the major blogs: I'm not criticizing you in the least. You have worked you @sses off and you have reached a level that every blogger wishes to reach. Keep up the great work and, again, I'll Digg you to the end!
To all other Digg submitters: Digg original material. Don't copy crap and call it your own. I don't need to hear from Joe Blow in Peidmont, ND that Apple released SDK when it's been on every major news site, tech site and reputable blogger for the past 4 hours.
Be Creative!
Have a great day!
Showing posts with label Digg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Digg. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Are Hackers Good or Evil?
As always, news seems to filter in a little more slowly on the weekends when it comes to sites like Digg and Reddit. The majority of the news stories are from the major classic news sites like CNN and MSNBC. It makes sense right? People are enjoying time with their families, working out, watching a sporting event, reading a book, anything. They are simply decompressing from the previous week and re-energizing for the upcoming week that seems to move in too fast!
Well one of the major news site stories yesterday caught my eye. The reason it did so was the due to the way it was written and what it was written about. The story came from CNN.com and it was about a small group of hackers from China (also known as "crackers" for their ability to crack programming languages and code) who were making a bold statement by supposedly infiltrating several very secure mainframes and databases in the U.S., Germany, Britain and France.
Reports keep filing in that the a surprising amount of information has been lost or corrupt since several hits on the Pentagon last year. Now we come find that these hits aren't coming from one single hacker or a massive group of hackers, but rather a couple of young guys sitting in their apartment in China or any number of smaller hacking "units."
But the real question is: IS THIS A BAD THING?
This group of hackers has found "backdoors" and "loopholes" in government and private company firewalls and have been able to access this with little to no formal training. They simply know how a website works, how to do some simple coding for a vast number of program languages and that's it.
This should be the number one indicator for Fortune 500 companies and governments alike; YOUR SECURITY ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH!
So why not use this information and start working with the issue. If these guys can break what you spend millions of dollars on to sleep at night, you better start losing some sleep because they will keep breaking it until you fix. They are handing you opportunities left and right and you better be grabbing them now.
My suggestions:
#1. Take sensitive data offline. The last time I checked, I can't say that I've ever heard of anyone walking about the "TOP SECRET" basement at Langley or the White House with a cart full of files and never returning. (This is similar to the Windows notice this week about not putting a password on your machine to ensure no one hacks you.)
#2. You thought you had the "best" working for you; well you just found out you DON'T! These guys are doing this from their apartment for enjoyment and to make a name for themselves. Why not? I'm pretty if anyone could do it and get away with like they are, everyone would do it! I would!
#3. Take advantage and use common sense. These guys are doing that. They are thinking and behaving like anyone with some basic logical thinking capabilities would do.
I didn't view this article as something to be scared off, but rather as a great warning to the governments of the world, Fortune 500 companies and anyone with a website or blog.
Secure yourself online. Take the appropriate measures to make sure you aren't embarrassed. Be smart. Use common sense. No one is completely anonymous.
Think about it!
Have a great day!
Well one of the major news site stories yesterday caught my eye. The reason it did so was the due to the way it was written and what it was written about. The story came from CNN.com and it was about a small group of hackers from China (also known as "crackers" for their ability to crack programming languages and code) who were making a bold statement by supposedly infiltrating several very secure mainframes and databases in the U.S., Germany, Britain and France.
Reports keep filing in that the a surprising amount of information has been lost or corrupt since several hits on the Pentagon last year. Now we come find that these hits aren't coming from one single hacker or a massive group of hackers, but rather a couple of young guys sitting in their apartment in China or any number of smaller hacking "units."
But the real question is: IS THIS A BAD THING?
This group of hackers has found "backdoors" and "loopholes" in government and private company firewalls and have been able to access this with little to no formal training. They simply know how a website works, how to do some simple coding for a vast number of program languages and that's it.
This should be the number one indicator for Fortune 500 companies and governments alike; YOUR SECURITY ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH!
So why not use this information and start working with the issue. If these guys can break what you spend millions of dollars on to sleep at night, you better start losing some sleep because they will keep breaking it until you fix. They are handing you opportunities left and right and you better be grabbing them now.
My suggestions:
#1. Take sensitive data offline. The last time I checked, I can't say that I've ever heard of anyone walking about the "TOP SECRET" basement at Langley or the White House with a cart full of files and never returning. (This is similar to the Windows notice this week about not putting a password on your machine to ensure no one hacks you.)
#2. You thought you had the "best" working for you; well you just found out you DON'T! These guys are doing this from their apartment for enjoyment and to make a name for themselves. Why not? I'm pretty if anyone could do it and get away with like they are, everyone would do it! I would!
#3. Take advantage and use common sense. These guys are doing that. They are thinking and behaving like anyone with some basic logical thinking capabilities would do.
I didn't view this article as something to be scared off, but rather as a great warning to the governments of the world, Fortune 500 companies and anyone with a website or blog.
Secure yourself online. Take the appropriate measures to make sure you aren't embarrassed. Be smart. Use common sense. No one is completely anonymous.
Think about it!
Have a great day!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Why Do You Blog?
Why do you blog?
Do you do it because you love writing and have a lot of stuff you think someone else in this world of 6+ billion people might want to actually read what you are saying?
Do you do it because you are pretty damn smart when it comes to a topic?
Do you blog because sometimes you just need to let it all out?
Do you blog because someone has asked you to put your thoughts down someplace?
Do you blog because you are just too lazy to write a book?
If you said yes to any of these: CONGRATULATIONS! You are doing exactly what millions of other people are doing and you are doing it for the right reason!
Next question(s).
Have you ever:
Written a blog entry with pretty much the same material as something you've read somewhere else recently?
Written about something you know nothing about just because it was the "hot topic of the day" on Digg/Fark/Reddit or any other user-driven news site?
Wrote a blog entry for the sole purpose of gaining attention, "fame" or just because you are a selfish prick?
If you answered yes to any or all of these, stop what you are doing and re-evaluate why you blog. The blogosphere is full of people who enjoy writing and are good at what they do. They know their "stuff" and there is a reason they are riding high on Digg!
It's amazing how many times I read something yesterday in the Digg Upcoming section about the Apple SDK, iPhone 2.0 and Spore release coming in June and September. I'm sorry but if the technology blogs from websites like Lifehacker, Ars Technica, Wired and Macworld, to name a few, are covering this and providing all the information, why do I need to read it from 32 other bloggers that are just repeating everything that has already been said.
Broken record news reports don't suck people into your blog or website people.
Be creative! Use some ingenuity!
I'll "Digg" you and "Shout" it to all my friends if you come up with something worth reading!
Please return the favor if you agree!
Have a great day!
Do you do it because you love writing and have a lot of stuff you think someone else in this world of 6+ billion people might want to actually read what you are saying?
Do you do it because you are pretty damn smart when it comes to a topic?
Do you blog because sometimes you just need to let it all out?
Do you blog because someone has asked you to put your thoughts down someplace?
Do you blog because you are just too lazy to write a book?
If you said yes to any of these: CONGRATULATIONS! You are doing exactly what millions of other people are doing and you are doing it for the right reason!
Next question(s).
Have you ever:
Written a blog entry with pretty much the same material as something you've read somewhere else recently?
Written about something you know nothing about just because it was the "hot topic of the day" on Digg/Fark/Reddit or any other user-driven news site?
Wrote a blog entry for the sole purpose of gaining attention, "fame" or just because you are a selfish prick?
If you answered yes to any or all of these, stop what you are doing and re-evaluate why you blog. The blogosphere is full of people who enjoy writing and are good at what they do. They know their "stuff" and there is a reason they are riding high on Digg!
It's amazing how many times I read something yesterday in the Digg Upcoming section about the Apple SDK, iPhone 2.0 and Spore release coming in June and September. I'm sorry but if the technology blogs from websites like Lifehacker, Ars Technica, Wired and Macworld, to name a few, are covering this and providing all the information, why do I need to read it from 32 other bloggers that are just repeating everything that has already been said.
Broken record news reports don't suck people into your blog or website people.
Be creative! Use some ingenuity!
I'll "Digg" you and "Shout" it to all my friends if you come up with something worth reading!
Please return the favor if you agree!
Have a great day!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
What I've Learned in 100 Blog Posts
This is my 100th blog post and it's nice to reflect on upon what I've learned through the 100 posts. So I thought I would share some of this reflection I've been experiencing as I read some of my posts.
- Blogging looks so easy, but it's not! There is a lot of time, work and effort that goes into creating a solid blog that people actually want to read.
- There is no easy way to get your blog on the web and you can't do it by yourself. Find and use services like FeedBurner and Digg to get your blog out there in an efficient manner, easy to use manner.
- Explore and research before you write. There is nothing worse than thinking you are ahead of the world of blogging on a topic and you only come to realize that it's old news and what you are saying is bunch of crap!
- Provide productive help to fellow bloggers that are asking for feedback.
- Feedback is something to cherish but don't let it rule your life.
- Subscribers are great!
- EVERYONE needs a break now and then!
- Try to write everyday, but understand that it is not necessary and should sometimes not happen.
- Write about quality material that you feel you can help someone else understand or find interest in.
- Find a niche that you can add something to and stick with it!
- 100 blog posts is not an easy benchmark to hit. It seems like most blogs fall short of 20 posts.
- Just because you can use large words correctly does not mean that everyone can understand them.
- Write because you enjoy writing and sharing ideas, not because you feel you have to.
- Build relationships with other bloggers through sites like Bloggst, FuelMyBlog and any of the other hundreds of sites for bloggers to share and help spread their blog.
- Don't forget that blogging is not your job unless it is!
- Have a sense of humor and make it enjoyable for your readers to read what you have to say.
- Challenge your readers to step outside the box and explore what you are saying.
- Offer something to readers if you happen to have something they want.
- Explore new ways to express yourself in your blog. DON'T BECOME GENERIC!
- Have a great day!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Digg Profiles are Rocking Technorati's World
Technorati is, or was, the site for all major websites and blogs to register with. Everything about that particular service is meant to be directed towards the promotion of all websites. Things have changed and not necessarily for the better.
After Technorati's CEO stepped down and some new features were added to a changing user interface, I found that there was a major shift moving from support for all blogs and websites, no matter how large or small, towards a specialization and promotion of the larger, more popular websites. My blog stood in the middle of the field. I had some nice links from a wide variety of blogs and websites and my Authority ranking was rising or staying level at a comfortable rate for an amateur attempt at blogging.
However, more recently I've seen a huge decline in my Authority due to links becoming outdated and just an overall lack of use from people. Technorati has lost the massive amount of influence it had on the blogging world in the matter of a few short months. My reasoning for making this statement is based upon the fact that my Authority ranking has decreased as my links have expired but my overall ranking has not fluctuated!
People are not added their blogs or websites to Technorati's service. If anything, they may be losing numbers. Why else would my overall ranking on the system remain the same for weeks at a time? Anyone?
As much as many people disliked Digg as it grew exponentially over the past year, this is becoming the service to use. With the addition of Digg Profiles, I can now link up with a lot of the people that share similar interests and I can check out their additions to ever growing service.
I support the Digg articles that are hitting the front page with a massive numbers of "Digg's" because I can only hope and work to have an article reach that point someday. These are the articles that are breaking news not only on Digg but most of the major news sources several minutes/hours after they hit Digg.
The "Upcoming" tab, however, is where we need to start looking to get some exposure for everyone, even the amateur guys like me. The "Upcoming" tab has become my new best friend in regards to both blogging/technology information and news.
So is this trend of moving away from a desire to have links to your blog within other blogs going to stay strong? I hope so! Could having a centralized place, like Digg, to post your new entries be the best thing for new and old bloggers? Definitely! Is Digg Profile's helpful in bringing a personal aspect to what you want to see in the daily search for breaking news? That's a big YES!
Technorati: do something now because you are losing ground to other services quickly!
Digg: Keep rocking and making it so much easier for all bloggers to get their word out to the world!
I could be wrong in that Technorati's service is still superior and Digg has no comparison, but I find that to be VERY unlikely! Prove me wrong!
Don't forget to Digg me and/or subscribe! Link up if you want.
Have a great day!
After Technorati's CEO stepped down and some new features were added to a changing user interface, I found that there was a major shift moving from support for all blogs and websites, no matter how large or small, towards a specialization and promotion of the larger, more popular websites. My blog stood in the middle of the field. I had some nice links from a wide variety of blogs and websites and my Authority ranking was rising or staying level at a comfortable rate for an amateur attempt at blogging.
However, more recently I've seen a huge decline in my Authority due to links becoming outdated and just an overall lack of use from people. Technorati has lost the massive amount of influence it had on the blogging world in the matter of a few short months. My reasoning for making this statement is based upon the fact that my Authority ranking has decreased as my links have expired but my overall ranking has not fluctuated!
People are not added their blogs or websites to Technorati's service. If anything, they may be losing numbers. Why else would my overall ranking on the system remain the same for weeks at a time? Anyone?
As much as many people disliked Digg as it grew exponentially over the past year, this is becoming the service to use. With the addition of Digg Profiles, I can now link up with a lot of the people that share similar interests and I can check out their additions to ever growing service.
I support the Digg articles that are hitting the front page with a massive numbers of "Digg's" because I can only hope and work to have an article reach that point someday. These are the articles that are breaking news not only on Digg but most of the major news sources several minutes/hours after they hit Digg.
The "Upcoming" tab, however, is where we need to start looking to get some exposure for everyone, even the amateur guys like me. The "Upcoming" tab has become my new best friend in regards to both blogging/technology information and news.
So is this trend of moving away from a desire to have links to your blog within other blogs going to stay strong? I hope so! Could having a centralized place, like Digg, to post your new entries be the best thing for new and old bloggers? Definitely! Is Digg Profile's helpful in bringing a personal aspect to what you want to see in the daily search for breaking news? That's a big YES!
Technorati: do something now because you are losing ground to other services quickly!
Digg: Keep rocking and making it so much easier for all bloggers to get their word out to the world!
I could be wrong in that Technorati's service is still superior and Digg has no comparison, but I find that to be VERY unlikely! Prove me wrong!
Don't forget to Digg me and/or subscribe! Link up if you want.
Have a great day!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Did you read that article about...Reddit!
This week, I've had a lot of focus on the blogging world and the exposure that so many of us want! I think it's a good idea to keep up with that theme for at least another entry.
Yesterday, I talked about the great, FREE service called BlogRush. Easy exposure through every blogger that has installed that particular widget on their website. You get to see what other sites might be interesting while you visit your favorites.
Today, I'm going into a little web service called Reddit. This particular site is basically a Digg.com but it seems to be a growing website! I've installed the widget on the right hand side (The little white box with a number and an alien-esque creature) and because of that, my hits has honestly doubled in the past 3 days!
It's UNBELIEVABLE! You post a blog entry, submit it to Reddit and watch the hits roll in.
Now granted, this isn't necessarily a good thing if the users don't really even read your blog but this does increase your chances of finding people who enjoy your content and what you have to offer in the huge world of the Web.
I suggest you try it and watch your readers level fly high! I could be wrong, but I doubt it! PROVE ME WRONG!
Link up, subscribe, Digg me, Reddit me, post a comment and enjoy!
Have a great day!
Yesterday, I talked about the great, FREE service called BlogRush. Easy exposure through every blogger that has installed that particular widget on their website. You get to see what other sites might be interesting while you visit your favorites.
Today, I'm going into a little web service called Reddit. This particular site is basically a Digg.com but it seems to be a growing website! I've installed the widget on the right hand side (The little white box with a number and an alien-esque creature) and because of that, my hits has honestly doubled in the past 3 days!
It's UNBELIEVABLE! You post a blog entry, submit it to Reddit and watch the hits roll in.
Now granted, this isn't necessarily a good thing if the users don't really even read your blog but this does increase your chances of finding people who enjoy your content and what you have to offer in the huge world of the Web.
I suggest you try it and watch your readers level fly high! I could be wrong, but I doubt it! PROVE ME WRONG!
Link up, subscribe, Digg me, Reddit me, post a comment and enjoy!
Have a great day!
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