Thing 6: Digg & Reddit...[et al].

Back in the day, an information hungry populace would find themselves poring over stacks of magazines and newspapers, laboriously searching out breaking news stories, reports from "The Beltway" and, most importantly, those red-hot celebrity scandals occuring in that modern day Gomorrah--Hollywood.

Oh, how the times have changed. Today there are thousands of "new" news sources out there--not only mainstream news sources, but "Internet only" scandal/news services, blogs, chats, etc.-- to keep up with. And, to further illustrate just how drastically these times have changed, I've recently learned that Tila Tequila has now focused the super-human energy she used to dedicate to staying "liquored up" all the time and viciously turned it on Nikki Hilton in an ill-concieved battle to claim the recently orphaned dogs of deceased Baby Lotion heiress Casey Johnson!!! [I can't make this stuff up. It's like the jokes are writing themselves as we speak.]

How's a person to stay on top of all that?

Well lemme tell you. It's a lil' slice of heaven called social media and the kids these days are eatin' it up with a spoon. Like soup.

These sites allow users to nominate, and then "vote" for news and other stories they find interesting. There are many of these sites—and everyone from mainstream media (for example, The New York Times, slate.com, and the Washington Post) to blogs and Web sites include links so readers can recommend content from these sites to other readers. Look for boxes labeled “Share” or “Article Tools” on news sites, blogs, and Web pages to find links for sharing the article.

Here are some of the most popular sites:

• Digg "is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. From the biggest online destinations to the most obscure blog, Digg surfaces the best stuff as voted on by our users. You won’t find editors at Digg — we’re here to provide a place where people can collectively determine the value of content and we’re changing the way people consume information online."
• Reddit is "a social news website where users can post links to content on the Web." Your votes propel stories to the front page. Participate in discussion areas in which users may discuss the posted links and vote for or against others' comments. When there are enough votes against a given comment, it will not be displayed by default, although a reader can display it through a link or preference. Users who submit articles that other users like and subsequently "vote up" receive "karma" points as a reward for submitting interesting articles.
• Newsvine lets “you...read stories from established media organizations…as well as individual contributors ... Placement of stories is determined by a multitude of factors including freshness, popularity, and reputation... editorial judgement (sic) is in the hands of the community.”
• Mixx “is your link to the web content that really matters. There's a lot of information out there… And who knows better than you what informs you, what makes you think, what makes you laugh? So why should some faceless editor get to decide what's important?”
• StumbleUpon discovers web sites based on your interests. Whether it's a web page, photo or video, our personalized recommendation engine learns what you like, and brings you more.

Are you noticing anything here? No editors to decide what information is important, user-generated content, reader recommendations/sharing, and you and others get to vote on what makes the top lists. Hey that sounds just like Web 2.0!!!!

In this Thing, learn more about the four social media sites mentioned. Then read an article and recommend it to others via the site you choose to use.

1. Explore the sites above to see how each is organized and operates.

• Mixx Home Page
• Mixx Tour

• Digg Home Page
• Digg Tour

• Newsvine Home Page
• Newsvine Welcome

• Reddit Home Page
• Reddit Intro

2. Read one or more stories on a news/information site (for example, New York Times, Washington Post, BBC News, or another site) and then recommend it via the Share tools.

There are other sites like these, too, including StumbleUpon, which focuses on Web sites. Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Del.ic.ious offer this sort of news/site recommendation, too.



Blog Prompts

1. How can you use Digg to collect research for your next report or design project?

2. How can you use Digg to establish your reputation and credibility?

3. How can you connect your other social media circles to Digg and increase your popularity?

4. Reddit is using Twitter. Discuss what combining the experience means to you in terms of saving your oh so "precious time"?

5. How can you ensure that information on an open source website like Reddit is credible?

6. Tila or Nikki. Who would do more damage to the well-being of the orphaned dogs of a deceased lotion heiress? Explain your reasoning (if possible).

Challenge (optional)

Dig deeper into these social media sites by creating an account in one or more of them. Each site offers suites of tools that allow you to comment, chat, create your own news column, and more. Having an account lets you be a participatory member of that community.

1. Create the account(s) and explore the tools.

2. Blog about the various tools and any uses you see for your library or media center. Let us know what you do!