Digg/DiggNation Podcast

I've been holding off 'till now to tell you all about one of the guiltiest pleasures that exist on the web.

For those of you that aren't "in the know", Digg is one of the most innovative sites on the web. It allows users to submit content that they find on the web and members are then allowed to "Digg" or rate the submissions. The result is a very elegant and unique way to see what's going on in the world. Through a complex algorithm, stories are promoted to the homepage where they are seen by almost everyone who looks at Digg. This can drive traffic to the linked site, occasionally shutting it down due to the huge volume of users on the site (The Digg Effect).

The brainchild of Kevin Rose (see my review of The Screen Savers), Digg has turned into a very interesting company that I am always keeping an eye on. Every upgrade to the site seems to make more and more sense. It's nice to see a site start from the beginning. I feel like this early version of Digg is like watching Google in the beginning, a variation on a theme that hits the right note.

All this frantic Digging and posting culminates in "Diggnation" the podcast version of some of the top stories on Digg. This was probably the first video podcast that I actually watched, and still watch to this day. Hosted by Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose (and co-hosted by about 10 beers), Diggnation is a fun look at the life on Digg.

The premise is deceptively simple. Get two guys (preferably a little tipsy), sit on a couch, give them a list of stories to talk about, and roll camera. The result is usually not family friendly (Diggnation carries an "explicit" tag on iTunes), but it is pure fun.

Diggnation has helped to spawn a new business Revision3, which is hosting some of the most creative video on the web. It has a deceptively TechTV feel (a lot of the hosts of the shows are TechTV alums). We will review Revision3 in a later RRR.

Back to Diggnation. In the last few months, however, I get the feeling that Diggnation is in need of a refresh. I get the sense (though I might be wrong) that Kevin and Alex have started to get bored doing the show. They are drinking more and more, and the show is starting to deviate down nonsensical pathways. I noticed something last night watching the December 21st episode, Kevin and Alex are starting to look like Wayne and Garth. It's so apparent I was laughing at it through the whole show. I was just waiting for a "party on Kevin...party on Alex" moment that (thankfully) never came.

I know these two are very busy individuals, but I hope that the content sneaks "back up to 11" and less like a drunken frat video. Maybe it's time to get off the couch and do some random jaunts to places in LA and San Fran (both locations where the show is filmed) and spice things up a bit. Just a suggestion. The best episodes have been the ones that have gotten them off the couch and into the world.

In the end, it doesn't matter, I'll still be watching no matter what.

Digg on everyone!!!

PS (can you PS a blog?). A note to Alex. Dude, fix your hair. I think it's getting crazier and crazier as time goes on. It's really starting to affect my ADD which makes me incapable of focusing on the podcast.

Links
Digg
Diggnation
Revision3