Stop Backstabbing Our Colleagues: The Diggbar Debate

Last week Digg.com released a toolbar.  When you visit a site from Digg.com, the site will now have a Digg toolbar at the top and the URL shortened to a Digg url.  John Gruber from Daringfireball.net wrote a post about how this is ‘bullshit’.  He claims that the frameset they use to add the toolbar is somehow inherently wrong. This touched a nerve and the blogosphere set to work vilifying Digg.  (Note: Daringfireball.net was only on the front page of Digg 2 times last year.  The fact that Gruber wrote code to disable the DiggBar from his blog is grandstanding.  It also doesn’t appear that the DiggBar has a negative effect on anything)

In response, Ted Dziuba wrote a post about how this move from Digg is a sign of desperation to show growth numbers to their investors.

If this is what Digg needs to do as a business, then this is what Digg needs to do.  It’s their site, their users, and their traffic.  This is SUPPOSED TO BE A BUSINESS.  This isn’t utopia, everything isn’t supposed to be free of business objectives.  We need to stop stabbing our own in the back every time they they act like a business instead of a playground game.

If a company wants to use framesets to increase user engagement and it works, then we should support them. If it proved to be a worse experience for their users, that’s a different story.  At this point unique vists are up 20% so it seems like the experience is improved.   The future of our industry depends on our ability to execute at this crucial juncture to turn a profit.  If we can’t, then the venture funding will dry up and we’ll have to figure out what to do with our ‘Internet skills’.  The answer will probably be to work for a giant corporation who won’t give a shit about a whining blog.

Stop undermining our colleagues when they make business decisions.  Stop ‘taking a stand’ against something that doesn’t even effect you just to cause a stir and drive traffic.   Backstabbing our colleagues when they are executing is useless and detrimental to our industry.

Posted on April 11th, 2009 at 23:32 by Jason Schwartz in Echo Chamber

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  • First, it is ridiculous to call this "backstabbing". Nothing is going on behind Digg's back - in fact, all of these people opposed to the DiggBar have been quite public and forthcoming.

    There are legitimate frustrations, however, with the diggbar....

    1. If someone finds my site on Digg and wants to link to it, they can't simply copy the URL bar. The URL is displayed, but in FF3.1 at least, you can't copy it. You have to close the diggbar to get access to the URL, or view the source itself. It is certainly reasonable to believe this will decrease the number of natural links built to your site.

    2. Framesets pass along the parent frame as the referer, rather than the click-through page. While you will be able to see that your traffic came from Digg, you will not be able to determine from what page the traffic originated.

    3. As a web and digg user, I just don't like being framed in. It is my opinion and I certainly have the right to express it and/or change my website usage habits (yay Reddit) based on significant changes like the DiggBar.

    These are just a handful of the reasons why people may not like the DiggBar. But trust me, no backstabbing is going on here - this stabbing is clearly and unabashedly coming from the front.
  • Russ,

    You bring up an interesting point that I may have used the term backstabbing
    incorrectly. Here's what I found:

    Backstab <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/backstab... To
    attack (someone) unfairly, especially in an underhand, deceitful manner.

    It doesn't appear that you have to be doing something behind someones back
    to call it backstabbing. The fact that this is so public is more than noted
    and the impetuous for the post. I do believe that Digg is being attacked
    unfairly and here's why.

    If you don't like the Diggbar as a user than you have every right to let
    them know. Uniques are up 20%, but I'm sure that doesn't tell the whole
    story. The problem is that bloggers, not users, are leading this charge
    from the perspective of the content producer. Most of these bloggers barely
    receive traffic from Digg, so they are essentially just calling out a
    company because they know it will cause a stir. It seems more
    sensationalist than merit based. This type of response to a business
    decision hinders our industries ability to try new things and generate
    revenue. Is doing so underhanded or deceitful? Not sure, you may have me
    there.
  • There's really nothing you can do. You can't change your coworker's habits and you can't change the way your boss thinks. The only thing you have control over is how you respond to the situation. 2D
  • Backstabbing or underhand stabbing, still the deceitful manner is very irritating. Unless Digg doesn't do anything that's clearly unbiased and beneficial for both sides, the debate would go on and on.
  • so they are essentially just calling out a
    company because they know it will cause a stir. It seems more
    sensationalist than merit based. This type of response to a business
    decision hinders our industries ability to try new things and generate
    revenue. Is doing so underhanded or deceitful? Not sure, you may have me
    there.
  • Thannks for sharing this post.
  • This not that good help:S because you have to close the diggbar to get access to the URL, or view the source itself. It is certainly reasonable to believe this will decrease the number of natural links built to your site I see nothing interesting in it!
  • Uniques are up 20%, but I'm sure that doesn't tell the whole
    story. The problem is that bloggers, not users, are leading this charge
    from the perspective of the content producer. Most of these bloggers barely
    receive traffic from Digg, so they are essentially just calling out a
    company because they know it will cause a stir. It seems more
    sensationalist than merit based.
  • This isn’t utopia, everything isn’t supposed to be free of business objectives. We need to stop stabbing our own in the back every time they they act like a business instead of a playground game.If a company wants to use framesets to increase user engagement and it works, then we should support them. If it proved to be a worse experience for their users, that’s a different story...

    Thanks and Regards
  • This type of response to a business
    decision hinders our industries ability to try new things and generate
    revenue. Is doing so underhanded or deceitful? Not sure, you may have me
    there.

    Thanks and Regards
  • Backstabbing or underhand stabbing, still the deceitful manner is very irritating. Unless Digg doesn't do anything that's clearly unbiased and beneficial for both sides, the debate would go on and on.
  • Backstabbing or underhand stabbing, still the deceitful manner is very irritating. Unless Digg doesn't do anything that's clearly unbiased and beneficial for both sides, the debate would go on and on.
  • If this is what Digg needs to do as a business, then this is what Digg needs to do. It’s their site, their users, and their traffic. This is SUPPOSED TO BE A BUSINESS. This isn’t utopia, everything isn’t supposed to be free of business objectives. We need to stop stabbing our own in the back every time they they act like a business instead of a playground game.
  • The future of our industry depends on our ability to execute at this crucial juncture to turn a profit.
  • If someone finds my site on Digg and wants to link to it, they can't simply copy the URL bar. The URL is displayed, but in FF3.1 at least, you can't copy it. You have to close the diggbar to get access to the URL, or view the source itself. It is certainly reasonable to believe this will decrease the number of natural links built to your site.
  • Thanks for such nice informative post.
  • We need to stop stabbing our own in the back every time they they act like a business instead of a playground game.

    If a company wants to use framesets to increase user engagement and it works, then we should support them. If it proved to be a worse experience for their users, that’s a different story
  • This type of response to a business
    decision hinders our industries ability to try new things and generate
    revenue. Is doing so underhanded or deceitful? Not sure, you may have me
    there.
  • interesting article.

    Uniques are up 20%, but I'm sure that doesn't tell the whole
    story. The problem is that bloggers, not users, are leading this charge
    from the perspective of the content producer. Most of these bloggers barely
    receive traffic from Digg, so they are essentially just calling out a
    company because they know it will cause a stir. It seems more
    sensationalist than merit based.
  • Very interesting article. If we can’t, then the venture funding will dry up and we’ll have to figure out what to do with our ‘Internet skills’. The answer will probably be to work for a giant corporation who won’t give a shit about a whining blog.
  • We need to stop stabbing our own in the back every time they they act like a business instead of a playground game.If a company wants to use framesets to increase user engagement and it works, then we should support them. If it proved to be a worse experience for their users, that’s a different story
  • Just came and read, this is wow! I was seek from many blogs, but here is the best, I love it.
  • If you think the decision is fair enough, then nothing to worry. Just continue doing what you think is best for all.
  • You are absolutely right. this type of activities shouldn't be taken as they are very much disturbing.
  • The article is pretty interesting and very cool. The future of our industry depends on our ability to execute at this crucial juncture to turn a profit.
  • nothing is special is here. I could not agree with you.
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