Top Ten Essential Digg Tips

Digg can be a very powerful social network for your needs. Here are ten ways to maximize your Digg use:

1. Choose an eye-catching avatar picture.

Your avatar is going to be one of the first things that anyone sees from your profile when you are on Digg. Make your profile stand out by choosing a picture that is attractive and sticks out from the rest of the pack.

2. Create an original username.

Don’t just use your regular name or the name of your blog. The top Digg users – with the exception of the more famous users – have an original and unusual name. Take the time to craft one for yourself.

3. Be an active Digg user.

None of the other tips matter if you don’t use Digg on a regular basis. Some recommend that you spend at least 2 hours a day on Digg for several months. Most of us don’t have that kind of time. However, it is important that, if you are taking this seriously, you spend a portion of your time every day devoted to sharing content on Digg. It will take time and consistent use to build up that reputation.

4. Comment on upcoming articles.

Commenting is a great way to gain some Digg exposure. However, you will need to do more than simply write “First!” in the comments. Read the article thoughtfully and then comment on it in a resourceful way. Give people a reason to read your comment. A great way to do this is to intelligently disagree with the article – in other words, give a valid argument against the article rather than just write, “This article is stupid/wrong”, etc.

5. Connect your social networks.

Once you connect your Digg account to your social networks, you will be able to not only share content across the networks, but connect with your friends on Digg.

6. Follow people who share content related to your interests.

Add these people as friends of yours on Digg. The additional tip here is to consistently share their submissions as well. They will be friends with you, as they generally enjoy being friends with their fans.

7. Try not to Digg your own content two much.

Limit it to two articles per day. If you do much more than that, your followers will likely stop following you, and Digg may suspend you for too much self-promotion. The point of Digg is to share content from all sources and avoid self-promotion.

8. Optimize the titles of your submissions so that it will be “Digg-friendly”.

The title needs to be attractive – period. Be creative, and surf around on the popular articles from Digg. Find the trends from those headlines and put together a headline that in some way matches the same ideas.

9. Create content that will be shared on Digg.

Pick a niche – stop trying to please everyone. People from Digg are there for entertainment and news, so try to work around those purposes. If you enjoy writing guides and “How-to” articles, then Digg isn’t for you.

10. Follow the rules.

Some Digg users create multiple accounts to build up fake credibility. These people are caught and kicked out of Digg. Like any social network, breaking the rules will generally annoy people and hurt you for the long term. Just use Digg wisely and consistently, and you should do just fine.