Not long ago, Digg was one of the most popular online destinations for interesting content, hot and emerging trends, and the opportunity to develop into a market leader through social sharing and discussion. The site began to lose traction in 2010 as changes were made and interest fell off. With the rise of Facebook and other social networks, Digg struggled to stand out, and in mid 2012, the company was sold and relaunched with a fresh approach ( which led to it's decline, even further) to how content is shared on the site. In the present version of Digg one cannot comment on any story, while in earlier versions of Digg, the comments part was altoghter more interesting than the content itself. This is only one of the many features missing.
Users logged in to find out that their previous bookmarks, comments and other activity were all gone. The remedy by Digg is Digg Archives, which allows users to download their content and save it or use it elsewhere if they wish. Digg user Johnnick comments " The comments were part of a multi-person conversation and, in many cases, are incomprehensible or at least greatly diminished in value as standalone comments. "
A frequent problem faced by users in situations like this is finding a new location to store and share their content. The new Digg has changed a feel and functionality closer to a news site than a social bookmarking and discussion site. Luckily, there are options for those seeking a platform closer to previous versions of Digg. One such example is the newly launched Thruzt by ex Digg user 'Zetadog'.
First, it is important to go to the Digg Archive to download any content saved prior to the recent takeover and redesign. After submitting your old username or email address, a link is emailed with access to download your content.
Some users may choose to use Pinboard, a paid service, or Kippt, which is free to import and save their archives. Assuming that most will choose the free option, simply go to Kippt.com/digg and use the import function to bring over all of the content into a neatly designed and archived service.
Pinboard will do much the same as Kippt, with slightly enhanced functionality. The one time fee of $9.88 is to sign up to the service, not to import content from Digg.
The benefit of these services is that Digg actually partnered with both Pinboard and Kippt to allow users a level of continuity that is often absent from situations and processes like this one.
Digg users have had their ups and downs with the site in the past, and while opinions vary widely on the current version , many are happy with the ability to maintain ownership of their content to handle as they see fit.