Social Networking

Her: So I’m going to ask you something, and I’m pretty sure that I’m opening up a can of worms that is better left unopened.

Me: <nervous now> Okay. Shoot.

Her: What does this “Digg It” button actually do?

Me: <silent>

Her: <raises eyebrow>

Me: I’m thinking.

Her: You look like I’ve asked another one of those questions.

Me: Well… yes. Why do you want to know?

Her: I see them everywhere, and they might be useful in promoting different Wikia sites.

Me: Okay. You know del.icio.us?

Her: Yes. You have an account there. It has the funny “dell-issy-ous” URL.

Me: Right. Ever actually visited it yourself?

Her: No.

Me: Okay. Well, it’s kinda like del.icio.us, and kinda like slashdot.

Her: <confused> Like, the current directory?

Me: No, the root directory.

Her: No, the current directory.

Me: No, the root directory.

Her: They may have changed something, but every Linux distribution I’ve used in the last ten years has the root directory at slash root.

Me: Right. But slash dot is the root directory, and dot slash is the current directory.

Her: No, slash root is the root directory.

Me: The directory at the top of the tree. The slash directory.

Her: The slash directory, not slash root?

Me: Right.

Her: <calmly> Why didn’t you say that to begin with?

Me: MOVING ON, I‘m talking about the site, not the directory.

Her: Oh. Are they still around?

Me: Yes, but they’re about three weeks late with news, and overrun by freetards, so nobody reads them anymore.

Her: Freetards?

Me: I can’t believe I just used a Fake Steve Jobsism.

Her: <delightedly> That’s that Apple guy!

Me: <Groans, buries face in hands>

Her: I’m sorry. But that’s so much fun to do to you.

Me: I know.

Her: Please, continue.

Me: I’m not sure that I want to.

Her: I’ll be good.

Me: I doubt that. Where was I?

Her: Losing?

Me: Right. So. Digg is a site like slashdot, where users vote for stories — “digging them” — to see what makes the front page. And then they bury stories once they become stale.

Her: Okay.

Me: So, it can drive traffic to your site very quickly if something gets popular, slashdotting it. There’s that term again.

Her: Got it.

Me: But, that traffic is mostly composed of hyperactive, attention deficit disorder fourteen year olds with civility problems.

<long period of silence>

Me: Yeah.

Her: So, the “Digg It” button summons a horde of wiki vandals?

Me: Likely not your target market for quality contributors.

Her: I probably shouldn’t have asked.

Me: Can open, worms everywhere?