Is Diggnation really a success?

I don’t know, it sorta sounds like someone from the horse farm asking if this newfangled automobile thing is really gonna take off.

Diggnation isn’t on a national broadcast feed, so the question doesn’t make sense.

“Billy and Bobby start a take-out lunch truck in Des Moines and make $1,000 a week. Would they be considered successful in Manhattan?”.

Well, duh.

Gates and Ballmer? Kevin Rose’ time might be better spent interviewing Ray Ozzie. Wouldn’t you agree?

First of all, if Diggnation was on cable tv the FCC would sue Kevin Rose and Revision3 in a hearbeat…. They would need to clean up their act a bit.

I love digg, and have been a user from the very first version Kevin released, and I liked Diggnation in the very beginning, but these days it is far to crude. Sure, its really funny, but I think it’s become less of a tech news show, and more of a comedy skit.

Plus, since I am someone who checks Digg almost hourly, Diggnation really doesn’t teach me all that much because I generally see all the top stories anyway.

Bottom line is, Diggnation on Cable TV would be a paradox. First of all, The general public would enjoy the tech news (since they might not check digg often) but dislike the crude humor (the majority wont like it, some will). However, the geek crowd won’t really enjoy the news since if they are anything like me they check Digg A LOT.

Eh.. time to go to class those are just my thoughts.

It’s no wonder Microsoft has such a poor image with the type of audience that watches Diggnation.

Their PR firm doesn’t understand cool if it smacked them in the nose. You’d not see Apple’s PR firm asking these types of questions.

Besides the issue isn’t if Diggnation is the only place to advertise. The question is if Diggnation is one of the places you should advertise.

I’m not sure about yesterday, and I’m not certain about tomorrow; today however Diggnation is a smart penny spent.

It’s no wonder Microsoft has such a poor image with the type of audience that watches Diggnation.

Their PR firm doesn’t understand cool if it smacked them in the nose. You’d not see Apple’s PR firm asking these types of questions.

Besides the issue isn’t if Diggnation is the only place to advertise. The question is if Diggnation is one of the places you should advertise.

I’m not sure about yesterday, and I’m not certain about tomorrow; today however Diggnation is a smart penny spent.

It’s no wonder Microsoft has such a poor image with the type of audience that watches Diggnation.

Their PR firm doesn’t understand cool if it smacked them in the nose. You’d not see Apple’s PR firm asking these types of questions.

Besides the issue isn’t if Diggnation is the only place to advertise. The question is if Diggnation is one of the places you should advertise.

I’m not sure about yesterday, and I’m not certain about tomorrow; today however Diggnation is a smart penny spent.

I don’t believe this question. Give this PR guy C. Anderson’s book The Long tail and then have him ask this question. Obviously you would go onto Diggnation because the echo chamber effect would reach into the millions. And those impressions are much more focused than the readership of USA Today’s business section!
Yes, Gates and Ballmer should let them broadcast. They need all the good PR and support from the technorati that they can muster.

Well for what it’s worth, I listen to Diggnation every week. I think I buy USA today, like, once a year when I’m on an airplane.

Right now Digg is just trying to build a user base and by making a podcast and video show for minimal investment it’s a really good idea, and not one just anybody could pull off. On the show they talk about the popular stories online so the website automatically generates content for the show.

I’m hooked, they don’t have to ever worry about being cancelled because the costs to produce the show are so cheap, and I’m happy because the show is entertaining and makes me laugh.

I guess it depends on your definition of success. As far as I’m concerned it is one.

Well think abut it like this. If you are a couple guys and want to produce a show in your basement then buy some cheap air time on PBS then yes it would be a success. Oh wait isn’t that what happened with Wayne’s World back in the day?

On the other hand you could go up against Monday night football, LOST or some other wildely popular prime time show and get your butt handed to you.

I like it how it is though. Right there on my iPod so I can watch whenever I get some free time at work.

Kevin and Alex rock on!

Is it a success? According to the NYT article on Monday, DiggNation alone is bringing in 50-100k per MONTH in ad revenue. With a profit margin of 95+% it sounds like Rose is bringing in around a million USD year. Is that “successful enough” for you?

cheap air time on PBS

Well, PBS doesn’t do infomercialish time, it’s not for sale. And even if it were, PBS wouldn’t be cheap. Local Cable Access is the Wayne’s World domain. That’s cheap, as no one watches. Locally, all the twizzlestick High School kids with blurry shaky-cams, video up droning school functions, that being the main content. Pounding heart be still…

Web-creature Net kiddies fresh offa the video-caffeinated Slushie vlogs and podcasts, proclaim violent revolution, saying many littles all added together make a real big. And the biggies with huge numbers and serious ratings declaim the niche an irrelevant market with little to no return. But neither option is quite right.

Big is really where it’s at, but value in the narrowcast too. But the small in some sort of harmonic collective ‘hands holding’ unity is only the end-result by-product of a Wired Mag editors lucid dreaming drug-trip.

But basically this is just a warmed-over ‘big fish, small pond’ argument. The Local Sheriff in some small sleepy John Cougar Melloncampish Indiana town, ain’t gonna get the whale-sized FBI cases. And if he somehow DOES manage, it becomes a movie.

Give unto Diggnation, what is Diggnation’s, and unto the Networks, what is the Networks.

A fan of Diggnation just wants them to keep making funny shows. As long as the shows keep coming they are a success to me.

Someone should ask Chris Matthews.

The big advantage of online video is the ability to narrocast. The cost of production and delivery allows narrowcasting to be economically feasible and there is obviously a demand for it.

What I wish to say has been noted previously , but I will restate it to reinforce the point.
The viewpoint that 250k is not ‘cable’ quality, is rather off-base. One should take into account production costs, necessary production values and distribtion costs. Not only is Diggnation typically more interesting than the average television show, but it can only improve. This is the point of “new media” it is, in fact, new. Older ideas about viewership and funding models are not going to (and should not) work.

Oh, and while we compare USA today with diggnation, why don’t we go ahead and think about the advantages being on the Tony Danza show versus Larry King Live. In fact, that is a more interesting question: I think Digg and Diggnation have been confused.

When I advertise. I only pick one place to advertise. That’s it.

pfffffft. If you are laucnhing a new game or tech widget you are going to hit up diggnation, usa today, la times, ny times, tribune, msnbc, cnbc, wired, etc. You are going to try to get as much coverage as possible. So in my eyes diggnation is a huge success. That’s one highly targeted audience.

No one gives a shit what you say, Scoble. Srsly.

DIGGNation is super kool and Bill G and Steve B will be there soon, i.e. if they are KOOL and if they want to really shake things up, they will invite Kevin at there home or office, its k if Kevin has to drink a glass of Red Wine instead of his regular beer!

But if this happens, the winner is Microsoft and not just DIGGNation!

I am not sure if Steve B has the Balls to do this yet, even if he is tired of wearing those terribl tight suits, break free man!

I absolutely love Diggnation. Kevin and Alex generally evoke more laughter in an hour or so than I experience during all of the rest of the week. In my eyes (the eyes of the “audience”, that is), Diggnation is a COMPLETE success. Last time I checked, such a sentiment is, undeniably, one strong measure of success.

Are you(scoble) really a celebrity?
You had talked about microcelebrities, meaning that you matter only to those who you care about(techies).

That’s why Diggnation is not really successful. On the other hand it is successful, because those who matter(techies) know it. It depends on the angle from which you see it, so the question you ask is the real problem here.

One word…distribution! If diggnation was on tv it would have way more viewers idiots, it wouldn’t stay the same. What you’re suggesting is that a tv program would be broadcast without a single viewer, hmm….won’t visit this blog again.