Author Topic: Rant: Why Digg (& to a lesser extent, slashdot) suck. (Read 311 times)

esteban · « **on:** June 03, 2006, 04:40:08 AM »

digg.com

I hate reading the comments people make about the articles. Well, to be more precise, I hate that I have to wade through a sea of useless / ill-informed comments before I get to an informed statement. Of course, there is no guarantee that an insightful comment will accompany any given article, but usually you'll find something worthwhile.

Still, the crap-to-quality ratio at digg is absolutely horrendous. Why read the comments, then, you ask? Well, an insightful comment will put the orginal article in context, which is especially useful if you aren't familiar with the topic at hand.

It's really pathetic -- most folks don't even read the article. Of those that do actually read (or rather, skim) the actual article, their reading comprehension is often abysmal.

Slashdot contributors, to their credit, seem to be slightly more interested in furthering the discussion with informed comments. Of course, Slashdot still suffers from idiots, but the crap-to-quality ratio at slashdot is slightly better than that of digg.com

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Don't even get me started on the countless idiots who use sensational headlines to draw attention to the articles they submit. Or how ill-informed these story submissions are themselves.
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Yes, I used a sensational headline myself, just to get you to read this. Sorry. I actually like slashdot and digg a lot.

extrarice · « **Reply #1 on:** June 05, 2006, 05:44:39 AM »

I don't read Digg, but as far as Slashdot goes, you can always increase the post filter to, say 4-nested - that weeds out most of the crap and organizes the display.

Pcenginefx · « **Reply #2 on:** June 05, 2006, 12:15:15 PM »

I'm the exact opposite when it comes to digg. I read the comments so that I can laugh at the immaturity of them...if I want really serious chatter, then I hit Slashdot.

PC Gaijin · « **Reply #3 on:** June 05, 2006, 03:24:56 PM »

Seems the larger a community gets the worse the noise becomes. Take a look at any large gaming community on the net for example. Virtually all are garbage, filled with fanboys trolling and arguing endlessly. Note: Pcenginefx is a small community.

esteban · « **Reply #4 on:** June 05, 2006, 06:10:22 PM »

Hah! Yes, good comments from all of you.

1. Yeah, I've played with the filtering... but sometimes relevant comments get buried (or worse, - diggs). But I should experiment some more, so I don't waste too much time reading everything. The sad thing is that I thought I had my preference set on the highest threshold.

2. Yes! I read the comments for entertainment as well! Good point. I guess there's some silver lining to this cloud after all

3. Indeed, I totally agree with you about the crap-to-quality ratio when it comes to forums / online communities. The "noise" really does drown out the few worthwhile voices who are trying to be productive, constructive, etc.