NOWSOURCING

[Today's guest post is from Crackerpat, a former Digg user.]

January 02, 2008 I was told about a social media site known the world over as Digg.com. Filled out my information and soon had an account. I started slow but as I started submitting my Face-plant and Nut-shot videos from another website, I started to get a moderate following and the comments I was getting from other Diggers started to fuel my intensity to Digg and submit more and more. Finally got a couple of the videos to go popular and I was off and running.

I was given the opportunity to use Greasemonkey scripts. I was told that this is what a lot of people used. With not much to lose one way or the other, I went ahead and installed them. What happened next was not what I was actually ready for. I actually became addicted to Digging. People would shout to me and ask me to shout their submissions and would shout back if they went Popular. Things were great. I was getting Submissions to go Popular and a lot of my Mutual Friends were getting pops as well. The only bad thing was that a lot of my submissions were getting buried because “Face-Plants and Nut-Shots don’t belong on Digg!” Even though They were Comedy section. Digging was Great! Then it happened. Digg Dropped the Ban Hammer.

Many of my Mutual Friends were banned for using The Greasemonkey Scripts. The same ones I was using. So I decided not to use scripts any more. Started getting more new friends, My shouts became golden again. None of my submissions were getting Buried and things were looking up again and then WHAM! I was asked to Log on before I could dig the comment… That’s how I found out I was banned. Yes I sent letters claiming I wasn’t using scripts and no they wouldn’t give me my account back. I understand why. Wasn’t using scripts… after the initial banning at least.

My theory is this, I was a dead man walking after the first wave of bans over 3 weeks ago. I was a middle tier Digger that was rising fast. So why didn’t they ban me and others like me 3 weeks ago with all my other fellow Mutual Friends? Because They knew then that I/ we were going to get banned in a couple of weeks later. I believe that Digg was using myself and some others that were in the Top 300 Users. They knew if they banned a bunch 3 weeks ago that people would follow what they wanted to adhere to as a Digger. And I did, but I was already gone. They let me and others get higher up the Digg ladder. They used us for their own benefit. As an owner, I do the same to clients on a daily basis. I like to think of it as Karma and I give them their kudos for using me and others to get what they want. I would do the same if I didn’t care about the people I was Banning.

There is a second part to my theory and that is that a second set of bans would generate more new users. How? Have you noticed all the Web Articles from the first banning? They have to generate interest. Sure they ditched a lot of great diggers. What did they get in return? A spike in interest. Maybe one like they never had in a long time. That would be the reason for the second Ban Hammer being applied. If they can show to their advertisers how many new users they get on a daily basis, wouldn’t you think that it would generate more revenue?

I don’t blame the User that gave me the Greasemonkey scripts and I don’t blame Digg. And as I hear the chime of my Digg Alerter for a dead Digger going off in the background, I realize that My Greed is why I am no longer a Digger and happy about it!