Viable Alternatives

[p0ss]

It has been suggested by Digidave that RevoltNation could be used as a platform to explore viable Digg alternatives. So, what are our options and how do they stack up?

[dotlizard]

been meaning to reply to this, it's an important question. i've been putting a little more time in over at Mixx lately, and beginning to really enjoy it. you know the biggest difference? since in your profile and on each post, you can see which way you voted, there is FAR less negativity (from what i've seen, anyway). over on Digg i think a*holes are encouraged by being able to bury in complete anonymity, but you act different if everyone can see what you did (my theory anyway).

and the user interface is smooth and extremely fast compared to Digg.

so, it's a start. it's hard, because i would like to just spend a few days immersing myself in different alternatives, but sadly, i have to work :). it really takes time & effort to get familiar with a new place. starting over at zero with a new site, having to find your way around, make connections -- that's what makes it hardest to "leave" Digg i think.

[Pete Chown]

I'm pretty new to this -- and to Digg, actually. But reading the debate, I couldn't help wondering if an open source alternative to Digg would give you what you're looking for. Usually someone puts one of these sites on the net, and you have to take it on trust that there isn't code doing things like auto-bury. But if the code is open, it's different. You know exactly what the site does, because if you're in any doubt you can read the code for yourself. Also, if you don't like the way the site is being run, you are free to download the code and start your own.

Obviously I'm not an expert on Digg, but I am an expert on programming websites. If you're enthusiastic about an open-source alternative, I'm happy to code. It strikes me that, in principle, Digg isn't all that complicated. It should be possible to produce an alternative without unreasonable amounts of work.