The Future if we don’t act!
THINK before you ask!
Something has been happening a lot more lately and it is driving me crazy. I know this blog has been somewhat dormant for a while but today I have something I really need to get off my chest.
It’s no secret that myself and friends of Social Media Rage are quite close with people who have a high influence of the Social Media sphere. So if we post something on Facebook or Twitter, it’s highly possible these people will see it and spread the word to their thousands of followers. Because of this we get sent stories and articles to look at daily. That’s all fine and good, but some people still fail to do their homework on me or my friends.
So let’s think for a moment. Would you expect me to go up to Amy Vernon and ask her to tweet or post on Facebook that Bacon will kill you? Or, should I ask Jason Falls to say that Bourbon is poison? How about if I ask Erika Napoletano to not be so out spoken or “Turn it down a bit”? Yeah…that IS NOT going to happen. Why? Because I know these people. I know them because I talk to them, and I do my homework on someone before I reach out to them. In other words, I KNOW MY TARGET AUDIENCE!
It’s no secret that with me, I am proud to be a former active duty Marine, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. I was a platoon Sergeant when I finished my Marine Corps career and I still hold my Marine Corps close to my heart. I have been places and done things that a lot of people can only imagine, and I wouldn’t change a thing!
With the Occupy movement and so much social unrest going on lately I have been asked to Tweet or post things on Facebook that make me wish I could reach through the computer screen, ball up my fist, and knock someone out of their chair! Now don’t get my wrong, I support the Occupy movement, but the crap people are sending me, like “What military spending could have paid for” and videos of veterans at the occupy movement saying dumb things, make me want to pull my hair out.
My Military family, both extended and present, is huge. I hold a deep respect for all members of the armed forces. What some people do not understand is that if we cut the military budget, some of our people may not make it home. I mean do you seriously want our boys to be issued camo boxers and a sling shot? If I have to spend $500,000 on a road side bomb disposal vehicle, hell yeah let’s do it! If we have to spend a ton of tax dollars for new body armor for our guys then so be it! You may not agree with the war, tell your congressman. DO NOT try to cut funding and leave our guys without the life saving equipment they need.
For some reason people cannot grasp this concept. Why? Because they have never been there. They do not know what kind of hell our Armed Forces are going through.
In my case I grew close to all my Marines. They are my brothers and sisters. During our deployments we had to go, whether or not we agreed with the over all mission, we went to watch each others back. To this day we still stay in touch and watch out for each other. So why in the hell would I post something that would show negativity to my family? Take Corporal (Not posting first name) Schroeder, he and I are close brothers. Our daughters, when we get the chance to see each other, play like sisters:
No way in hell would I post something negative against this family!
My younger brother is still the Corps and is now a Gunnery Sergeant.
Some hell raisers coming back from Afghanistan.
The baddest Gunners Mate in the US Navy, who covered our backs with 20mm shock and awe!
I will never post anything anti-military. I have too much respect and too many brothers and sisters out there that I hold with the highest respect.
So long story short; DO NOT ask me to post Anything Anti-Military again! You might find me at your door with a printed copy of your article, some rubber gloves, and a proctologist on stand by to surgically remove the article from your rectal cavity.
The military, especially the Marine Corps is still my family! Do your homework, Google me, listen to me on Social Blend. Know a little about the person you’re about to engage before you do something stupid and piss them off.
I leave you with Gunnery Sergeant Walgren. Maybe he might be able to sum it up!
Social Media has grown up.
Let’s face it, everything matures. It’s a fact of life we must all accept. Such is the case with Social Media.
I remember when I started out, playing around on the web, at Digg. I made a lot of good friends on that site. At the time, it was just a bunch of us, sharing things we found on the web.
We accidentally became “Internet Hipsters”. It was evident to me when my family or friends that weren’t on Digg would show me something they found on the web, something I had seen 3 months earlier.
During this time I met a lot of interesting people, from reporters with the BBC, New York Post, Huffington Post, and Chicago Tribune. Also well known tech bloggers and some Tech TV alumni. To us this was a time of fun, learning and growing. We tested out things that hit the web. Most of us got BETA invites to things like Twitter, Plurk, and Seesmic. We knew where to get these invites, and yet again, were internet hipsters. We tried out all the new stuff, had a blast and some of us grew our Social hobby into a business.
As the Social Media space grew, larger companies began to take notice. Some of our friends were hired by these bigger companies (you know who you are) and helped shape their online presence the right way. Others became successful in taking on smaller clients and building up from there. Then there were other users like myself, who kept the day job, and continued on with the hobby.
We began to see something we all hated. Big business began to shape Social Media. It invaded our turf, and in some places robbed Social Media of it’s innocence. Twitter became an advertising platform, Facebook was bloated with ads and pay apps, and Digg sold out it’s users. (I think we’ve covered the Digg thing enough). Other sharing sites began to take a nose dive, save one.
Some hard core users may not like this analogy but, try to go with it. Reddit was the Forrest Gump of the Social Web. It was simple, and simply easy. It was a bit slow at first, but just like Forrest Gump, when it ran, IT RAN HARD! Reddit took off after the fall of Digg, and yet, Reddit has kept one important aspect that a lot of Social sites didn’t, it’s dedication to it’s user base.
Just like any product or idea Social Media has been pirated. Yes pirated. If you go over seas you can buy cheap knock offs of high end products and cheap labor. Somewhere down the line the power players and old Social Media guard were sold up the river. The cheap labor and “Social Pirates” start up these really terrible advertising loaded websites, then send out mass e-mails asking you for votes. So there you have it. Social Media has gained the attention of the cheap cyber labor overseas.
When a product or idea reaches maturity, it is copied, pirated, and incorrectly dumped on the mainstream. Those of us that were here in the beginning watch the rise and fall of what used to be fun, but to me has been tainted. My good friend Greg Davies once said “Social Media is a Myth”. Greg was right, and just like every myth or legend, people will always put a different spin on it, be it good or bad.
To my friends that were there as we watched Social Media grow up, I wish to raise my glass as mainstream media is waiting at the end of the isle, and we hand off our Social Media daughter in marriage. It wasn’t our choice for her, but then again, children don’t always make the choices we agree with.
All Good Things Come to an End…or do they?
Well, as most Mixxers know by now…the classic Mixx we’ve come to know and love so well will soon be ending. Like many of you I was disappointed. However, I wasn’t really shocked; this is the technology business, after all; things change quickly, and some things become obsolete practically the minute they’re introduced. Look at any facet of technology—cell phones are the easiest example here—and you’ll see what I mean. Such are the times in which we live.
What I did find surprising were some of the comments from long-time Mixx users regarding this upcoming change. I see phrases like “so it was all for nothing?”, “I’ll remember to remove any back-links to Mixx”, “how could Mixx do this to us?”…and on and on in the same vein.
This kind of talk disappointed me worse than the news that Mixx would be changing. The reason why is because in my opinion, the best thing about Mixx.com was the community. I’ve made more friends than I can count on this one website. Mixx.com wasn’t snobbish, and maybe that’s because they were smaller than the “Digg’s” of the internet landscape. This suited me just fine, frankly. Being just a bit smaller allowed the community to grow, to discuss the issues of the day, to communicate freely…and to have a big heart, considering this is the internet we’re talking about here.
However, all businesses must make a profit, or at least break even; otherwise, why go into business at all? That’s right; websites are, in most cases, a business. What I’m about to say might be breaking it down a little too simply for some folks, but for those who question why “Mixx sold out”… (Yeah, the “Mixx sold out our community” is the main complaint that gets me)…well, here’s your explanation:
Let’s say you own an awesome bakery in a really small town; to top that, you give away all the goodies for free. “FREE” is the main word here. For a while you get a few investors to believe in your bakery and how awesome your cakes are; a community builds and supports you. After a while, that community starts thinking they “own” part of your bakery and can tell you to change the recipes, try their recipes, and they even let you advertise for free in their bakery; pretty soon, that community even suggests that certain people be banned from visiting the bakery, because, well, those people’s opinions are different from everyone else’s opinions in the bakery, and suddenly the cakes and coffee don’t taste as good. In the meantime, the incredibly small staff of said bakery is working themselves to the bone trying to please everyone, and all the while, they’re still not making a profit. Are you following me here, folks?
So, at some point, let’s say the “Mixx Bakery” had to show a profit, or else they had to change. (Remember those investors in the bakery at the beginning?) Since they let part of their staff go over the last few months, I’d say they did everything they could to keep it up and running, but it just wasn’t possible to please all the people all the time. Therefore, they did what they had to do.
Now…there is what appears to be a wonderful alternative on the horizon—MixxingBowl.com—which will keep the same basic designs as the old Mixx.com. In addition, there will be a new Mixx.com soon.
So my questions, to all the “loyal Mixxers” out there, are this:
Will you support the new Mixx.com and the MixxingBowl.com, or will you bail out at the first sign of change?
For those of you disappointed at the loss of your “work”, your “awards”, your “karma points”, etc…well, please keep in mind that the original staff of Mixx.com was very small, less than a dozen people if memory serves correctly. They were not a “faceless corporation”. They worked their butts off to keep us, the community, happy. They fielded countless myriad requests, complaints, and suggestions, all with good grace. (Many of those suggestions were put into use, by the way; perhaps too many, because they wanted to keep the members happy.) So, is this the best we can do to thank them for their efforts, their hard work, their long hours, their sacrifices? Most of all, is this how we thank them for letting us into “the bakery” for free all these years?
I think not.
So buck up, people. Although I’ll hate to see it go, I was a Mixxer, a SuperMixxer, a Mixx Ambassador, and although I didn’t burn up the “karma points” scale, hey, I loved it. Now…it’s time to move on, folks. Throw some love to the upcoming New Mixx.com and to the MixxingBowl.com. Because the community that made Mixx so unique…well, we’re still here, aren’t we?
I know I am.
Sincerely,
Kat136
DENIED! BIYATCH!
So this is like the fourth or fifth time this has happened to me. Of all things SMO’s or SME’s do, this really chaps my ass.
Here is an e-mail I received this morning:
To: SilentJay74, Random guy, Random Girl, some dude in India, Some dude in Romania, Some dude in Australia, Web Design Pro@Ikickass.com, prodigger365@geemale.com, istumblebullshit@yazoooooo.com
Above e-mail address changed to protect the innocent. Also they were listed in alphabetical order H-K. I was to lazy to come up with clever names using H-K, so deal with it. Now back to his e-mail:
Hi Friends,
This is (I suck donkey nuts), working as SEO(Executive) in iDouchebag Technical Services in Grab ur Balls..This is a Request mail that i am new to SMO so i want to grow my SEO network so Plz add me so that we can help each other for Vote and Shares..I would appreciate if u consider me as ur friend and add me to ur gmail…
My id is ISUCKDONKEYNUTZ@GEEEMAIL.com
My reply to said idiot was this:
1. Never e-mail people like this, where others e-mail addresses are visible. While I do know some of the people you sent this to, others I do not.
2. You need to engage on the sites more and build a reputation, that’s the best way.
3. Asking via Mass E-mail is just plain sad.
4. Good luck in anyone taking you seriously now. By looking at this e-mail I see names h-k. When you get to the end of the alphabet, you’ll realize you probably pissed off more people than gain any kind of quality help.
5. NEVER SEND MY F***ING E-MAIL ADDRESS OUT LIKE THIS AGAIN!
TechCrunch Totally Misses The Point On Digg’s “Breaking News”
Someone shot me a link in IM today to a new post on TechCrunch reporting on how ‘innovative’ Digg‘s new Breaking News feature is. I had a glance at the article and noticed two distinct aspects of the dribble that Arrington is allowing as an acceptable report nowadays:
- There was no mention in the article that other social sites, notably Mixx.com, had launched a Breaking News way before Digg.
- The writer was clearly more interested in licking Kevin Rose‘s taint - either that, or they have no critical thinking skills whatsoever.
Despite some of the minor changes Rose and company have made to appease the Diggers, the vast majority remain disappointed and angry at the disaster that was the release of Digg v 4. The site is still more dedicated to promoting publisher-based content as opposed to user-generated content.
Alexia Tsotsis from TechCrunch claims that Digg’s Breaking News feature is a win for human editors, but it is most definitely a loss for community as a whole in terms of being able to moderate their own content. Mixx.com has had a Breaking News feature for over two years now, in a system in which the users determine what is a breaking news story. While the system, like any, isn’t perfect, it is in the hands of the community as opposed to a select group of moderators who think they know best.
In my view, this another step further away Digg is taking from user-generated content. It is no longer the site that steamrolled the concept of social media back in 2004 and 2005.
And yet, people are still going back to this site. While some Power Diggers are continuing to do well at the site and enjoy their experience, the vast majority of users returning to the site are those who are like addicts begging for one more Digg.
But this is besides the point.
The point is, if TechCrunch is supposedly the “go-to” venue for news on startups, big social sites, and tech in general, then you think their contributers would take the time to actually do some research and find out that there’s other sites out there that are doing it better than Digg.
In these post-AOL-acquisition days, TechCrunch is yet to impress me. And I’m not optimistic of potential improvement.
Group Slavery
Ok the whole group thing is getting out of hand. What genius over at Facebook decided to let people add you to a Group against your will should be taken out in the streets of San Francisco and be publicly flogged.
I was put in a group by someone and within 25 minutes have 20 FB e-mail alerts about said group. Yes, before anyone gets their virtual panties in a wad I did leave the group. I just think I should get an alert saying: “Douchenozzle has invited you to “Digg every piece of crap submission” Group. Would you like to join? Click Yes or Click Punch Douchenozzle in the face and his girl friend in the gunt.”
I am not asking for much, I just don’t want my poor g-mail account forced into slavery because people want to add me to some crappy group I could really care less about.
Screw it…. While I am on the subject, quit suggesting I like crap that I am not the target audience for. I give two shaved scrotums about Real Estate in Dubai or India. Think about it, say you’re a Vegan and some jack munch suggests you like “Slap Beef Slaughter House”. Makes no kinda sense to me.
Ok done ranting, carry on……
10 Reasons why you should dump New Digg and move to Mixx
It seems Digg has officially jumped the shark. Both mainstream media and social media have covered the backlash Digg.com has had from the release of version 4 about a great majority of changes made to the site. We have all heard the complaints. The New Digg has destroyed user-based and user-submitted content.
But there are alternatives out there. And the thought I’m having frequently about Diggers is, “Why are you guys putting up with this?”
Since 2007, since leaving Digg (actually I was banned… long story), I have been an active user of Mixx.com. In that time, I have found Mixx to be a more constructive social media experience than Digg ever was.
YOU Submit The Content. Not Just the Publishers.
This should be clear from the get-go. Digg has now forsaken you as an active user and the “bread-and-butter”; of their site. From this point forward, they don’t care about you… they only care about publishers with which they can have business relations.
At Mixx, (like OLD Digg), the focus is on the user. You can submit the content you want, whenever you want. Mixx does have publisher focus deals such as CNNreader and NPRlistener… but users actually have the opportunity to claim those stories from those publishers as their own.
If Digg’s act of turning its back on its user-base isn’t enough reason for you to move elsewhere, then this is: Mixx’s focus is on user-submitted content. It always was, it always is, and always will be. Digg may take that from you, but you have it at Mixx.
Self-Administration
One of the coolest things about being a Super Mixxer is that after some time, you may be given the opportunity to be a Mixx Ambassador. The Ambassador role at Mixx places moderation tools in the hands of Mixxers, so that the community can help regulate negative behavior and spam.
Fundamentally, what this means is that users are not only submitting content and posting comments, they also have the opportunity (if they’re Ambassadors) to help in the removal of pest issues such as spam and negative trolling. It’s a win-win-win situation for Mixxers, Super Mixxers, and Mixx Administration.
Transparency
A lot of long term Digg users have often (and still do) complain about the lack of transparency at Digg. There are a few things this can refer to, so let me deal with the two that seem to stick out the most: firstly, burying stories; and secondly, communication with the staff.
Burying stories at Digg is anonymous. You can bury whatever the hell you want. There have been rumors of bury brigades at Digg for years now (as well as evidence of some well-organized brigades too). But it is all hidden. Nobody knows who has buried what, and more importantly, how many buries a story gets.
Mixx features transparent voting. You can vote a story up or down, depending on your preference. You can see who has voted down a story, and quite often they might actually give a reason for it in their comments. Not all content is everyone’s cup of tea.
Communication with the staff is another issue. Despite the Digg Revolts of years gone by, and the amount of shouting over the current Digg changes, there is yet to appear any clear and open dialogue between users and staff. Many people who have been banned without reason at Digg never received responses to emails. Why the secrecy? Why the lack of transparency?
Mixx staff members have been open with users from Day One. They actually reply to their e-mails (Shock! Horror! Yes, they do – it’s the truth), and listen actively to the feedback (positive and negative) they receive from users.
There is an unofficial forum for Mixxers to access called The Mixxing Bowl. The people behind the scenes will regularly check this for feedback, and they will often post there as well. There is very open dialogue between the Mixx staff and the Mixx user base.
You will NEVER see that level of open communication from Digg.
Images AND Videos Sections
With the launch of the New Digg came the destruction of the individual Images and Videos sections. This is a crazy move on Digg’s part, and has pissed off a LOT of people. The good news is, over at Mixx, we have a section for Stories, a section for Videos, and a section for Images.
Something else worth mentioning is that, back in the day while Diggers were screaming to Digg for an Images section, Mixx deployed a Photo Section upon launch. They already had the goods out there for Mixxers to enjoy and check out.
The point I am trying to make here is that the crew behind the scenes of Mixx are actively working to generate new features to the site way before you would ever see them at Digg. Look at Mixx Groups: they launched with that as well; and since then Kevin Rose has often spoken about the Groups idea eventually coming to Digg.
Personalization
As far as content is concerned (and we can all agree that content is king when it comes to social media), you do not have a lot of personalization at Digg. Digg.com, for all intents and purposes, is supposed to be “one size fits all”, but in reality, you know as well as I do that one size NEVER fits all. They even say this on condom boxes now (which could mean that Kevin Rose is either a virgin or rides bareback).
Mixx is entirely different; in fact, the personalization factor changed my perception of social media completely. As opposed to just focusing on the front page and upcoming stories, you also have a section called “Your Mixx” that allows you to add tags, users, categories, and groups to it. You can follow subjects you are interested in as it hits Mixx, instead of stumbling across it on the front page.
For example, let’s say you are a Star Wars nerd like me. You can search for the tag “star wars”, and add it to Your Mixx. Now, on the Your Mixx page, you can check out all the latest submissions related to Star Wars. Or perhaps you’re just a big geek for films. You can go to the Movies category, and add that to your Mixx. There is a lot more potential with such flexible personalization.
Being a Power User is recognized and awarded
Digg has long avoided claiming who were power users on their site. In fact, their negligence and silence on the issue of “Power Diggers” often contributed to the stigma and abuse that these users received from trolls. Such individuals were undertaking malicious behavior towards the Power Users that included (and was not limited to) racism.
At Mixx, however, the opposite is the case. You’re recognized as a Power User by there being different levels of Mixxers. From New Mixxer, you can become a Power Mixxer, and then from there, you can become a Super Mixxer, and then finally, a Mixx Ambassador. Consider it like leveling up - the more you put an effort in at Mixx, the higher your level, and the more abilities you have and the more features you have access to.
Additionally, Mixx also hands out regular awards to users for a variety of reasons, and you can see these in the Mixx lounge. Reddit recently copied this idea from Mixx, but: “MIXX DID IT FIRST!”
Tag Based Categorization
Numerous Digg users I have spoken with before I left the site often wondered why Kevin and crew never implemented the use of tags at the site. Back then, I could not understand why it was such a big deal, but since becoming a member of Mixx, I have become a tagaholic.
Mixx embraces the use of tags. You can tag your own posts; and add tags to other users’ submissions as well. It has made content easier to search for and assists Mixxers in personalizing their experience with the site.
Traffic Will Come with Numbers
There is an element of people out there who only jump into Social Media for traffic. Since Mixx is still relatively a toddler on the web (compared to other sites that have been around for numerous interweb eons) and is still growing; and thus traffic from Mixx is also still growing.
But the more new Mixxers that join up, the more people get involved, the more OTHER new users will join. With growing numbers comes growing traffic – so thinking long term, from a Social Media perspective, becoming a Mixxer could potentially be a winning decision.
Duplicate Submissions
I was having a discussion with a friend the other day, and he pointed out to me that a story hit the home page of Digg. It was a news article. But it had been written two years ago; and had been submitted to Digg at least three times previously. True, duplicate content is a challenge for every social media site; but Mixx has developed a concept that has helped alleviate the issue.
Mixx allows members to add related content to submissions. This is particularly handy with developing news (As an example, think back to the news breaking when Heath Ledger passed away, and all the submissions that were floating through social media sites – this tool would have been handy during that time). With Mixx, as updated news comes in, you can add those updates to the very first submission as related content.
Since organizing this new feature, duplicate content has slowed down very significantly. Yes, you will see some dupes slip through the cracks (come on, everyone understands that this one and this one will eternally keep reappearing at social media sites); but using the Related feature has assisted in improving the site. Digg doesn’t have this; but Mixx already does.
Private Messaging
You have heard the Digg crew make noises about this before in the past, but come on now, in all sincerity: if they’re willing to put out a faulty product such as Digg v 4, how long do you suppose it will be before you can PM your buds on Digg?
People might say, well, what is the advantage of this? Aside from the fact you can have a personal conversation with someone at Mixx; the messaging system provides you with a means by which users can contact you, without you having to give out any email or IM details in public.
So, Diggers, the choice is yours!
Now you see em….Now you don’t.
So earlier this morning Digg Revolt 2.0 was in full swing and using our newly gained powers to see EVERY single post from feeds we follow, digg users decided to give one feed (that wasn’t mashable or engadget) a little bit of exposure. Reddit. Over the course of the couple of hours the front page of digg looked like this:
It was quite reddit-tastic. Well as all good things must, it came to and end. Shortly after (less than half an hour) the page magically looked like this.
Heeeeyyyy…wait a minute. Where did all those fantaboulous and popular (over 500 diggs) reddit articles the users decided were worth viewing go? In the words of Ted: “Strange things are afoot at the circle [digg]“.
So which is it Kevin Rose? Do the users have a say, Do the publishers with most influence have a say, Or do the gate keepers at Digg have a say, as to what become popular on Diggs precious front page.
I’ve got $50, a “Buy one get one free” medium pizza from Papa Johns coupon, and I bear a striking semblance to Pete Cashmore. How far on the front page will that get this post?
Then they came….full circle.
They came first for the Main Stream Media,
and I didn’t speak up because I wanted good content and was happy.Then they added friends, ajax and a non-linear algorithm,
and I didn’t speak up because I still wanted good content and didn’t mind.Then they added a site redesign, shouts, new categories,
and I didn’t speak up because I was too lazy and didn’t want to boycott.Then they added Publisher Streams from Main Stream Media
and by that time I was no longer relevant.
Digg began as a for the people by the people news curation service to “stick it” to mainstream media and push the content that mattered. With each subsequent release, Digg has herded users closer to their desired vision of content curation rather than let the community, which made the site what it is, decide. As the owner of the site they’re well within their rights to do this, but just because you have the right to do something, should you (Cue Ground Zero Mosque Debate)?
Digg has gradually gone from sticking it to the mainstream media outlets to speed-bagging the proverbial scrotums of all of it’s users, but Digg doesn’t bare all the blame for this. I would place, at risk of enraging everyone, at least some of the blame on the digg community and power users. To see why just look at the Great Digg Revolt of 2008 that never was.
The Revolt of 2008 was, in hindsight, a perfect flash-point for the users to imprint their will on a site they loved and cared for but failed to follow through. Instead they were placated by Digg Town Hall meetings that, with the release of v4, seemed to serve as nothing more than lip service so everyone will put down their pitchforks and torches. Because of this it seems it may be a little too late to steer this boat away from shore.
See, that’s the thing with revolts. For them to work you actually have to follow through and scare the bejesus out of those you want to listen. While this is just the internet and it’s not to be taken serious, don’t bitch like a Tea Party elite and then sit on your hands only to do nothing just to wait for the other guy. At this point in 2008, the power users should have stood their collective ground and made a stand against Digg. They should have organized their followers and other power users and staged a walk out. For whatever reason, and I don’t want to be a speculative cynic, they never did. At th very least they should have flexed their influence muscle that Digg has now taken away with the current version.
What did you have to loose? I suppose version four is the answer to that question.
So in the end Digg has come full circle. Started for the users to be against the media powers that be to a site that now puts the users at the mercy of those powers.
When leaders lose their vision it’s the followers that suffer whether those leaders are Digg or the community leaders in the form of power users.