A little over a week since launching, the DiggBar feature from Digg continues to be the focus of widespread condemnation.

In case you’ve missed the noise, the DiggBar places a Digg specific frame around sites, and is bundled with Digg now linking to short URL’s as opposed to sites directly. The arguments against it range from bad web practices, through to stealing SEO and destroying the end user experience.

Some of the principles argued by opponents are reasonable ones, but most people shouldn’t be really that concerned. Why? it all comes down to numbers.

Distribution

Most site owners would be appreciative of getting on the front page of Digg once. We’ve managed it maybe half a dozen times since launching last May. The reality with Digg has always been that there is an uneven distribution between favored sites and the rest of the web.

Richard MacManus in Read Write Web

Digg users also have their favored blogs and websites, which get a disproportionate amount of attention than other less fortunate sites…. A lot of times, the favored sites get dugg very very quickly by digg users. The main problem with that is that the original source for a story often gets overlooked – and the popular site garners all the diggs instead.

Search Engine War has a chart from 2008 showing the distribution here. I did a quick crunch of their stats: for their sample period, 25 sites accounted for 31.98% of front page stories. It should be noted that the 25th site on the list accounted for 0.5% alone, so although the distribution tappers off towards the end of the list, you could easily get to 40-50% out to the top 100 sites.

A small number of sites dominate the top stories on Digg. So to what degree outside of those sites is the DiggBar really the end of the world?

It isn’t.

If Digg wants to send this site a pile of traffic on occasion and put a bar up top, I’ve got no major issues at all. Would I prefer they did it without the DiggBar? yes, but I’ll happily take that traffic none the less. I also don’t have to bet that others would happy accept the traffic, I know that they would (and I did ask some before writing this post.)

If you don’t like it….

Although offering the DiggBar as standard on links, Digg isn’t forcing sites to accept the bar. The code to get rid of it is actually remarkably simple. Engadget for example is blocking the DiggBar (an excellent post here) as are a number of other sites. So if you really, really hate it that much, add the code.

Conclusion

I do sympathize with the principles expressed by opponents of the DiggBar, but for most people it shouldn’t be an issue, nor is it. If you’re fortunate enough to get on the front page of Digg, does it really matter that much if you’re not a top 100 site if there’s a bar on top, a bar which it should be noted can be used to Digg your site even more? I won’t be blocking the DiggBar, and nor will most people.

Why you shouldn’t be concerned about the DiggBar is a post from: The Inquisitr

Proving once more that the best ideas are often stolen, Digg has launched the DiggBar, an iframed toolbar that offers a range of features.

At its core, the DiggBar is naturally a voting platform for Digg. Users can Digg a site while on the site via the frame, and if the page is not already in the system, use the DiggBar to submit it. Along side the service is a handy URL shortening feature that is used by adding digg.com in front of any URL in a browser. Socially, the DiggBar supports related content and “random” content, so you can navigate through items that have previously been featured by Digg.

If those things all sound familiar, they should, because URL shortening aside, it’s a dead copy of what’s already being offered by StumbleUpon (who now offers a similar iFrame toolbar) and Reddit (via the Socialite plugin). Some sites have gushed over the DiggBar, using superlatives such as “amazing” and “incredible;” yes, the implementation is solid, but the idea is none of those things. Forgive me that unlike others I’m not interested in dropping my head into the crotch of Kevin Rose with my mouth wide opened.

What is interesting though is that Rose and company have decided to take on StumbleUpon with the move, although admittedly it’s not in the same league yet (no category surfing for example). There’s talk of ads appearing in the DiggBar, but it should be remembered how StumbleUpon makes money: by selling page views that are added when users are stumbling. It’s a solid business model, and from experience, a great way to advertise a site. Here’s betting that Digg wants a slice of this action as well.

Digg copies StumbleUpon, Reddit with the DiggBar is a post from: The Inquisitr