My Reponse to Whiny Digg Power Users

Digg, like any company that dominates its sector (Wal-Mart, Microsoft, McDonald's, Exxon, etc.), frequently comes under harsh scrutiny. However, this time the scrutiny is coming from the inside: Digg's top users have banded together and submitted a letter to Digg management, complaining about Digg policy. Here's the best, i.e. worst, parts of the letter, along with my poignant commentary:

The authors are troubled that "the premise of [Digg] is such that it is based on competition." How interesting that they are quick to lash out against competition, yet it is precisely they who have benefited most from it. Without competition, every Digg user would be a top user, and the opinions of those writing the letter would be no different from anyone else. Without competition, Digg users wouldn't really care or put the effort into finding interesting articles to submit, making the site much the worse overall.

The authors charge that "Digg has repeatedly failed to respond to its users and address their concerns." So what? Do they have an obligation to respond to every user? Certainly not; they are a private company.

The authors complain of "unexplained and unacknowledged banning of top users," and remark that "these are not the actions of a 'democratic news site',"thereby fully acknowledging that they have no respect for a private company. Despite what these idealists think Digg is all about, it is first and foremost a profit-generating machine. If Digg determines it will be better off with certain users banned, so be it.

The authors' closing point is that Digg has displayed "repeated and flagrant disrespect of its top users," and they request that they be given more power to control the content of the site. It reminds me very much of big business lobbyists in Washington, D.C., begging the government to meet their special interest needs. Sorry, top Digg users -- you can't keep your place forever.

The last line of the letter reads "What happens if the most powerful users in the community decide to leave?" I say, Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

There's roughly three million Digg users. A few less whiners wouldn't be such a bad thing.