When Digg announced they were making changes months ago there was an immediate – but small – backlash. When the changes went into effect and we saw the front page filled with big celebrity names, small celebrity names and major media sources, it started a landslide that has left Digg’s daily pageviews in the dump.
While the major sharing site has quickly learned that pissing off their average user base is a bad idea, the competition has been basking in the benefits of anti-Digg sentiment. By Tuesday, Reddit had seen a 300,000 view jump in their daily traffic, and there has been a huge increase in ads and subscriptions in both individual users and eccomerce sites or small businesses.
“We’re excited about all these new people coming in, many of whom have their own businesses or products. With Reddit there’s a lot more interaction and dialogue than traditional ads. But the new interest is exciting, especially with all the mentions in the press. People are coming around to the fact that Reddit can serve bigger brands too,” Erik Martin of Reddit was quoted by Venture Beat.
The significance of this jump will not be lost on Digg. They aren’t just losing free users who may filter back if new features entice them. They have lost a huge chunk of actual commerce, from people who provide revenue through sponsorship, subscription and general adclick traffic.
While they have stubbornly refused to go back to the way things were, they may change their tune if this trend continues. They may have the support of major companies and news sources, not to mention celebrities whose agencies will happily pay for PR. But the term “any publicity is good publicity” isn’t true when the web world turns against you.
What does Reddit say about the future? So far, they seem hopeful of continued support and prosperity, long past the scandal itself.
“A lot of it is getting people back who tried Reddit a few years ago, and also people giving Reddit a first look,” Martin said.
“A lot of people are coming from Digg and that’s great, but we aren’t adversarial to them that way. I think it would be bad for all social new sites if Digg’s not successful. But we’re excited that finally a lot of things are being written about us.”
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