I frequently use a site called Digg where I go by the name Diggopolis. I have a blog called Diggopolis at Blogspot — but I decided that it didn’t offer me enough versatility.
Why Diggopolis? That is a name for a place, not a person?
While I was thinking of names to use on Digg, the name “Diggopolis“ came to me. I realized quickly that this was a place name, however after coming up with a few names for a handle I asked myself “Why not use a place name? Diggopolis could be an account used for many viewpoints other than my own!” There were, after all, no rules at Digg stating that a single person could not post items, or make comments, which had to fit in with their own personal perspective or viewpoint… besides it was as good of a name as any. So Diggopolis it was!
What about Diggopolis, the person?
First and foremost… I firmly believe in supporting my friends on Digg (as well as the other sites I am on). I feel that the purpose of having the ability to choose one’s friends and a limited number of Mutual Friends (or the like) is for a reason (whether the creators of the site realize it or not). The ability to choose 1,000 Friends and Mutual Friends out of Millions of members to the site tells us that these 1,000 people are special in someway and stand out amongst the masses. In the real world we select people as friends because we like them for some reason, and as friends we are expected to treat them a little more special than the average Joe (or Joe-ette, as the case may be). One of the way we treat them special is by supporting them in some way. This is a very basic breakdown of my beliefs and I realize some people may disagree with my beliefs, or aspects of those beliefs, but I can’t help that. They have the right to believe as they choose to believe.
I choose my friends on Digg because of a variety of reasons, one of which involves how well they have supported my submittals to Digg. I don’t expect my Friends, or Mutual Friends, to Digg and Shout everything I submit, nor do I expect them to “Digg my stuff” on a one to one basis. There are reasons why people won’t “Digg my stuff”, which includes not liking an item I have submitted, and I fully understand not wanting to (or being able to) Digg everything someone submits or shouts. Therefore I am more prone to “Digg their stuff” most often and without much in the way of scrutinizing their submittals.
My personal viewpoint on a topic rarely interferes with whether I am willing to Digg an item or not, I realize that there are many things in this world that I may not agree with that are still just as valid an opinion as my own. Therefore I do not have to personally agree with the viewpoint of the subject matter of the item that I am asked to digg. This also means that the items I submit do not have to conform to my own personal beliefs. If I feel that someone might be interested in something, I may submit it as quickly as I would an item that I like.
I am not big on bashing anyone simply because I can, or it’s the thing to do. I am not against poking fun at anyone, or anything, but there is a point where “Humor” becomes “Childish Bashing”. I left such things behind when I left grade school and don’t see the need to pick the bad habit up again. What this boils down to is that I can see the good, and the bad, in the things people like Bush or Clinton have done. To a degree I can see certain reasons for people like Abraham Lincoln or Saddam Hussein acting as they have acted. I can see points brought out by the Liberal, as well as the Conservative. I don’t allow people’s agendas to dictate my own views, at least I make an honest attempt not to allow bias thinking interfere with what I think… that’s really the best anyone can do.
How do you handle your Friend’s List?
I utilize my friends list for two things, mainly: To send shouts and to help monitor those I have picked as my friends.
If I see someone in my Friends’ List who has not been active in 10 days or more, and who have not made it known that they will be gone for awhile, I will most probably consider the person for deletion on the grounds that they are no longer interested in Digg. This doesn’t mean that the person has done anything to offend me, it only means that I am trying to make my list ‘more efficient’ by limiting the number of useless shouts I send over the Digg system. I also figure that a spot being taken up by an inactive digger might result in an active digger on my list not being shouted. Shouts sent to inactive Diggers don’t help anyone on Digg, including the system itself.
Special Note: If you find that you are deleted from my friends’ list, you may still find I am ‘digging your stuff’ as I find your items submitted to Digg. If you wish to be placed back on the list, just notify me and I will re-add you. Remember, my idea of those on my friends’ list is mainly for shouting purposes. I will have some people who don’t like shouts for Diggs on my list, but mostly I keep those at levels where I can instantly remember their names. I strive to mostly have people on the list who can be shouted.
What is the criteria you use for “Shouting“?
When “Shouting” I will use the normal procedure every Digger uses, except I will go through the list of names on the “Who Dugg It?” tab on the item being dugg and then remove those people from the list of people when I set up my “Shout”. So if you expect a fast shout, forget it… I don’t believe in ‘Blind Shouting’. Sometimes people will get a shout for the same item from me, if they do then it’s purely accidental and a rarity.
I realize not everyone thinks as I do, but the way I handle my account is the way I have seen done in the past and found to work well.
Happy Digging!
Jack
