Popular social news site Digg has announced a number of new features in anticipation of the new year, including a beta podcasting service and enhanced video on the site. Digg says the aim of the new features is to make Digg a more inviting environment for new users, in line with Digg's business imperative to broaden their audience beyond its techie roots.
The most significant of the changes is the increased focus on multimedia as a way to reach their audience. With podcasting and more video added to the mix, Digg can perhaps tap into the YouTube/MySpace user base some more. And given Digg founder Kevin Rose's history with podcasting and videocasting (which continues to this day in the form of Diggnation, Rose's popular weekly show), this plays to the strengths of the Digg team. I think it's a great move and one that is likely to appeal to a younger - less techie, but more media savvy - audience that up till now probably hasn't been aware of Digg. You could in a sense label this as 'The YouTube-ization of Digg'.
]]> The changes, as notified to Read/WriteWeb in a media briefing, are:Interface Design, Digg Goes Widescreen
Digg moves from a fixed-width layout to a flexible layout allowing users to make use of screen real-estate on larger monitors. Navigation has also been moved to the top allowing users to quickly switch between sections.
Top 10 Stories/Videos
Digg stories move fast, so Digg has created a quick view of the top 10 hottest on Digg, updated in real time. This list changes as other stories accelerate in Diggs and can be thought of as a quick pulse of what's hot in any given section.
Videos Enhancements
Aside from giving Videos their own position in the top navigation, Digg has added a couple of new features: Top 10 hottest videos, and on-Digg video previews. Simply click any video with a play icon to get a lightbox window in which users can preview and Digg the video without leaving the site.
Podcasting
Now users can Digg their favorite podcast series and individual podcast episodes. Digg Podcasting becomes a one-stop destination for discovering, Digging, discussing, and sharing the podcasts and podcast episodes that appeal to users.
Profile Enhancements
Users will now be able to quickly jump between their Dugg News, Videos or Podcasts. With three separate sections, Digg is making it easier for users to sort through their own Diggs or their friends’ Diggs.
Digg says it currently has "over 700,000 registered users", so they will be hoping the new media focus quickly pushes that user base into the millions.
Here are some screenshots of the new features:
New digg homepage
videos
videos view
episode permalink
podcast permalink
podcast permalink extended
profile