Digg Goes Multimedia - Launches New Video, Podcasting Features

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 friendsÄô 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