The Single Biggest Problem with Digg.com

In Buzz Marketing | 5 comments | permalink

I would like to raise an issue that I believe anyone who has read or used the website Digg.com on a regular basis will be well aware of.

The issue is: using overly dramatic article titles to manipulate the Digg readers.

We all know that dramatic and sensational article titles get a lot of attention in Social media, but tonight, I believe the boundries of decency have been pushed too far. It is one thing trying to get more attention, but there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed.

I am referring to an article that was featured on the Digg.com main page, with the following headline:

A 17 year old girl is sentenced to death by hanging (With PICS) 

I am sorry, but who on earth did the submitter feel the need to add (with pics)? We all know that he/she did this to grab attention, but from what I can tell:

a) The photos are NOT of the girl or event in question

b) There is no need for photos, as the hanging hasn’t happened yet

c) The story speaks for itself, there is no need to manipulate the Digg readers with the shock values of photos of a 17 year old being hung.

Also, and I don’t claim to be an expert on the full story, but from what I have read thus far, she is Iranian, and she was defended herself from rapists, yet none of these two facts were mentioned in the headline.

It seems a handful of Digg readers were as appauled at me with the way this submitter manipulated the Digg readers, one Digg user said:

“What is the motivation for submitting this story right now, especially with such misleading language?”

another said:

“At a glance the title sounds sick…
A 17 year old girl is sentenced to death by hanging ***WITH PICS!!!!***”

 

I am aware that as a fellow marketer, I am prone to adding buzz to my article titles, but there is the buzz factor, and there is a matter of common decency, this in my opinion is a step too far.

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5 COMMENTS

5 comments for this post.

  1. Comment from mary on :

    Link seems to be dead Dean. Guess they took it down.

  2. Comment from Dean Hunt on :

    Mary, I have updated. The story now has almost 2000 Diggs, and whilst I am glad that people are being made aware of this terrible crime, I don’t condone the tactics used.

    Hey, if I think they have gone too far, then that must say something, as I like to push my titles a bit as well.

  3. Comment from mary on :

    It definitely does look like the original post was taken down, and the whole blog is inaccessible as well, as you’ll see if you click on the link at Digg. I read through some of the comments and it looks like this girl was freed a while ago, and this post was released for less then news-worthy intentions.

    http://www.helpnazanin.com/

    Interesting what people will do for attention. You are right that this kind of inflammatory title is pushing the envelope a little too far. Adding the “with PICS” sensationalizes something too cruel to even imagine. As someone on Digg said, “why would anyone want to see that?”

    Ah Dean, it’s a sad world when bloggers sink so low!

  4. Comment from Ben on :

    This is why I have mostly given up on Digg – too much sensationalism in half the titles, and half the actual posts. It got increasingly difficult to find anything that hadn’t been written solely with getting on digg in mind…

  5. Comment from Dean Hunt on :

    Ben,

    I have had a lot of success with Digg, I used my tricks to get a friend on the digg homepage only last week: http://www.carlocab.com/to-digg-thanks-for-the-useless-traffic-or-as-what-most-people-think/

    I have to say that I am starting to look elsewhere for my daily fix though.

    There is still the odd gem on there, but “needle” and “haystack” spring to mind.

    Dean

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