I started using Digg a few months ago and I had several posts in the Programming section. Quality free stuff done so nicely that a few 100s of lines could be reused in just 3. As easy as it gets. I had great hopes as, compared to the rest of the content, mine was quality.
I received a few visits and that's it. I said to myself I was posting in the wrong place as my stuff should have appealed to web developers and I do hope I'm not the only one.
Assuming this was my fault, I didn't use Digg anymore and, with a bitter taste, I just did with it what it does best: get pages indexed fast!
I started noticing many posts on blogs about Social Bookmarking and how to game with it. I was getting more and more digggusted and I finally understood the thing I could not figure out first. « No matter how good your content is, they don't give a funk! »
I understood that quality is not an issue there and to get Dugg or Stumbled you need connections. These connections, improperly called friends, are supposed to make your site get popular if … if you make theirs! It's the back rub thing. U2ME ME2U!
Imagine how I felt when I realized my work and hopes were so off track and not quality is what matters on those sites: it's the connection or imbecil stories. If you post an article in the programming section about a coder who broke his nail while typing and show a photo you might hit the jackpot. If you just post a good article on a real coder issue you get the boot.
Social Bookmarking is not what it was supposed to be. You don't bookmark people, you bookmark content. You got other cr4ppy sites for people. Even if I got several Diggs, del.icio.us and many other links those were few but the people that gave them knew something about my topics and they are worth the entire stampede that can come in a Digg.
I usually don't Digg or Sphinn unless it's something really interesting for me. I don't enjoy going outside and slapping everyone in the street … I like to pick my victims.
So I found on Sphinn something I liked and applied perfectly to me. Any topic is good topic … for somebody! This was worth my Sphinn as it applies to me so well. I Sphunn it and what do you know? I get Sphunn back twice. And the guilty party (joking) I'm talking about is DoshDosh.
This makes me question the value of the Sphinns I received. Did it have anything to do with the actual content? Were the articles even read? Why were the articles not Sphunn when they came up and stayed a long time listed under New Stuff? Was the vote cast on quality or as a thank-you note! Please read on …
The below apply to anyone who would Bookmark my content. Take the verb bookmark as Sphinn, Digg, Sumble and so on!
Please do not Digg or Sphinn me unless It's something you consider interesting and worth your vote! I don't beg for Boomarks and I don't need any in case I give some. Do not expect backrubs from me. I only Bookmark what I consider interesting and this is neither a sport nor a way to say thank you for me.
I want people who bookmarked me to really appreciate what I have to say. I'm not a politician who needs an ego-boost. I got my own ego and skill and if I don't get recognized, no problem. I don't wanna be a star! And I don't want free bookmarks given just because one has an unlimited supply.
I'm not really happy with the Bookmarking experience as I consider people should focus in real quality not on whatever they use now to measure the quality of content. I wish bookmarks would be given away like something precious and limited in numbers not like a thank you note.
Then again, this happens in my ideal world, not Earth!
Last Note: to those that may say Social Bookmarking is for socializing and making friends. Not really, you have MySpace and other sites for that. Social Boomarking is for organizing the quality content by tags and for easy finding.
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