Digg Toolbox: 70+ Scripts, Tools & Tutorials

Whether you’re on a mission to attract more readers to your posts or just want to connect with other bloggers and catch up on all the news and trends without having to turn on the TV, Digg is practically the center of the blogosphere. To keep yourself current on what’s new with Digg, check out this list of everything Digg related: tools, accessories, scripts, and more! Official Digg Tools These tools and apps were developed by the original Diggers. Try them out on your blog to spice up your site, or just play around with them at Digg.com.

1. Digg This: The Digg This button is the most basic of all Digg applications. Add it to the end of your posts so that readers will be automatically directed to the Digg site, where they can vote on your article.
2. Video Thumbnails: Integrate a video thumbnail on your site with this tool “for those [videos] directly hosting videos submitted to Digg.”
3. Digg Widgets: Use a Digg Widget to show Digg-related news and updates on your website. Customize your widget so that it complements your site’s themes and usability.
4. Digg-Google Search Accessory: Digg and Google have partnered up to provide you with this neat search engine application, which allows you to “add stuff to your search results.”
5. Google IG Module: If you’re an iGoogle user, add Digg to your homepage, along with other accessories like a translator, automatic weather forecast, or quotes of the day.
6. Stack: The newest Digg stories rain down in real time, allowing you to click on any title you find interesting. Visit the website or set up Stack as your computer’s screensaver.
7. Digg Search: Find stories by title, description, or Web address, whether you’re trying to find something to read or want to find the status on your recently added article.
8. Digg Cloud: Instead of viewing articles in the traditional stacked format, browse titles in this more engaging cloud-like format.
9. Digg Bigspy: Similar to Digg Rain, Bigspy displays new articles on your screen in real time, although in a more organized format.
10. Digg Spy Q: Check out this real-time view of new stories listed by title, number of diggs, and Digg users. You can choose to view as many or as few categories as you’d like to customize your viewing session.
11. Arc: This new tool requires Flash player. Stories are displayed in an arc, or sphere to give readers a more interesting viewpoint.
12. Swarm: Titles swarm around the screen like in an old school computer game. Use your mouse to magnify each “bee.” Yellow stories have the most diggs.

Mobile Tools These Digg-related tools can be used on mobile devices, so that you can Digg wherever you go.

13. Pocket Digg: Creator David Grossman developed this program which “diggs out, and scraps off just the news you want, with out all the garbage,” perfect for small screens on handheld devices.
14. Digg Mobile: A no-frills format won’t clutter up the screen on your Palm Pilot or cell phone. Scroll through titles quickly and jump from page to page with ease.
15. DiggIRC: Choose a nickname and join other Diggers to chat about your favorite — or least favorite — stories.
16. Digg Mob: This Digg API Contest finalist lets users browse titles by category. Download the mobile version onto your phone and start accessing Digg even if you’re away from your computer.
17. Digg Anywhere: Digg Anywhere is another mobile-friendly Digg format that simplifies story displays but still allows you to read and post comments.

Online Applications Use these tools on your blog as an addition to your Firefox browser, or fool around with them on your own time to develop a custom version of another application.

18. Digg Thumbs: This Firefox add-on supplements Digg title listings with Web site screenshots to differentiate each story.
19. Smart Digg Button: Don’t bother submitting a story to Digg if it’s already been sent in. But how can you tell? Firefox’s Smart Button notifies you by showing you how many Diggs the story has already earned.
20. Digg Alerts: If you’re tired of checking for good stories whenever you get online, consider trying out Digg Alerts, an app that automatically notifies you when “members submit stories you’re interested in.”
21. Original Signal: Digg titles are organized by the “Top Recent,” “Top 24 Hours” and “Top 7 Days” in each category. The format is similar to a newspaper’s website, but without all the ads and photos, making it easy to find what you’re looking for.
22. Digg Update: This app is compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems. Every time a story you might be interested in is submitted or makes it to the front page, “a gorgeous window” pops up to notify you.
23. diggth Widget: This updated tool “is a widget set up for reading various Digg.com RSS feeds.” diggth lets you decide which news feeds and tool bars you want to view and which ones you want to hide, allowing for maximum usability.
24. Dugg Trends Beta Mirror: DuggMirror ensures fast load times for each story, no matter how popular it has become. Browse articles by using the archive calendar or selecting a category.
25. Groowe Search Toolbar: Add a toolbar to your Firefox browser with this handy add-on which “reconfigures when you select a different site and it includes many advanced features found in each engine or site.”
26. AstonishMe Digg Plugin: This easy-to-use application adds a Digg This button to the end of all your WordPress posts and shows the number of diggs your articles receives.
27. Digg IT: Install this plugin on your blog to make it irresistibly simple for your readers to submit your posts to Digg.
28. Digg Integrator: This WordPress app allows bloggers to choose from 16 different plugin designs so that Digg buttons match existing themes.
29. Digg Click: Chances are, every single one of your blog’s posts probably aren’t Digg-worthy. This tool lets you add the Digg button only on posts that you think deserve a larger audience.
30. Digg Top: Digg Top is a great app for Windows users who like to check out videos on Digg.com. Preview videos to decide whether or not you want to watch the whole clip, or set up an automatic notification that will let you know when something you’re interested in pops up.
31. Digg Entourage: The user-driven Digg is all about community, so don’t you want to find out who’s been voting for your articles? Digg Entourage shows you who dugg your last 25 stories so that you can return the favor.
32. Diggitizer: According to this site, “Nobody diggs lame titles.” Use this tool to help you come up with a great title that will get you the diggs you deserve.
33. Dashboard Widgets: Want to check up on Digg without letting the site take over your entire screen? Use this clever little Widget to update you with the latest stories every 15 minutes. Search for titles, minimize the widget, and choose from 3 different themes to find a design that suits your tastes.
34. Jedi Digg: This nifty toolbar “displays the digg front page stories in rotation” and lets you click the digg button right on the toolbar.
35. Digg Ticker: Add the Digg Ticker to your website to share the latest headlines with all your visitors. Hopefully they’ll get the message and digg your posts too.
36. Rigglations: The rigglations widget connects users by displaying their relationships: mutual, friend/fan, etc. Organize your friends alphabetically by using the search/filter app.
37. Digg City: Navigate around a simulated city to find the 10 most popular headlines. This app was created by a Digg API Contest finalist.

Digg: Behind the Scenes These websites and articles help Digg users maximize their applications and customize official tools to design their own versions. Learn about the history of Digg, news updates, and all kinds of behind the scenes information.

38. Graywolf’s SEO Blog: Blogger Michael Gray has lots of advice for implementing Digg scripts and widgets into your own blog. Check back often to find out what’s new.
39. Digg Blog: Visit Digg’s official blog to get the latest updates directly from the pros. Find out about new apps, contest information, and more.
40. Digg API: The Digg Application Programming Interface lets Digg enthusiasts connect with each other and with the Digg team to search for more information about posted stories and videos and to discuss ways to create new Digg applications.
41. Digg Labs: Visit this Web site periodically to discover what’s new in the Digg world. You’ll be among the first to learn about upcoming tools and applications.
42. Digg Defender: Find out how to keep your blog running quickly and smoothly even if your posts become top-rated Digg stories.
43. MoBlog Madness: Check out Alex Albrecht’s blog to access Digg support tips, news, and other Digg-related items.
44. How Digg Works: This basic tutorial is from the How Stuff Works Web site. Learn about the history of Digg, special features, behind the scenes information, controversy, and more.
45. Philoneist: This interview with Digg.com founder Kevin Rose explains the Digg explosion, from its original vision to its unprecedented popularity.
46. Tips from a Top 10 Digg user on how to get to the Frontpage: Follow these tips from blogger JohnTP to increase your diggs and ensure that your articles make it to Digg.com’s front page.
47. 11 Tips to Enhance Your Digg User Experience: This article, from the blog Techipedia, shares tips like how to “make friends and network”, “learn how to distinguish yourself”, and “don’t spam keywords”.
48. Digg Tips: The website Quick Online Tips publishes lots of articles for improving your Digg experience, like “What is Your Official Digg Policy?” and announcements for Digg’s API contest.
49. Want to Create a Site Like Digg With no Programming?: Read this how-to guide to design your own site modeled after Digg’s user-driven story sharing site.
50. Digg Logo Tutorial: Learn how to create the Digg logo using Adobe Illustrator.
51. Beginner’s Guide to Digg: Social media powerhouse Pronet Advertising publishes this comprehensive beginner’s guide to Digg, with a brief history, a detailed overview of Digg’s features and concepts, and its effect on the Web world.
52. How to Build a ‘Digg Culture’ on your Blog: Problogger.net offers advice on how to encourage your readers to “think Digg,” so that you’ll eventually create a Digg-like mini culture and consistently get voted onto the front page.
53. Dealing With the Digg Effect: Learn how to prepare your site for an onslaught of visitors after making it to Digg’s front page. Some of the tips include: communicate with your host to warn them, serve an HTML version of your page and redirect visitors to a Mirror version of your site.

Scripts Use these codes to integrate Digg apps into your own website or redesign them for a unique tool that’s all your own.

54. Digg Buttons and Badges: Digg shares its scripts for various buttons and badges so that you can incorporate them (or your own versions) in your blog.
55. Mirrors: Userscripts.org has supplies visitors with scripts to help you add mirrors on your blog.
56. Digg Story Button: Learn how to integrate the Digg story button onto your website using this official Digg script.
57. digg.licio.us: If you’re a fan of both Digg and del.icio.us, consider downloading this script that allows you to save stories on both sites without jumping back and forth.
58. Digg Custom Tabs: This script lets you “add custom topics to the header of digg next to the general topics.” Examples include adding a Google search link, as well as Firefox and Yahoo tabs.
59. Comment Enhancer: Blogger James Thewlis posts this Greasemonkey script that allows “easy access” to Digg features by opening up a selection box. Diggers can view images posted in comments boxes or submit a mirror link if the story has “been dugg to death.”
60. Replace Digg Search: Instead of counting on the Digg Search app to find your stories, replace it with a Google CSE with hierarchies to narrow down your search as much as possible.
61. Nested Comments: This app lets voters comment every time someone diggs your story. It also includes a reply box to keep the conversation going.
62. Digg Washer: This reader favorite is a “user-friendly app under the All News section of a Digg page that allows you to specify keywords or topics by which to hide articles.” Follow the link to access the code.

Extras Here are a few more fun tools and apps that you can use to improve your Digg experience.

63. Live Digg Button Generator: This amazingly simple generator turns your story’s title and Digg URL into a Digg This! button on your site.
64. Diggaz With Attitude (DWA): According the the website, this Digg app is the most popular download on Tekdev.com. Try it out yourself to see the “latest Digg and Google News articles in your taskbar.”
65. Digg(less) RSS Feed: Link to your favorite Digg stories without actually visiting Digg.com. This app retrieves stories directly from the RSS feed, connecting you to the original website.
66. Opera Widgets: This fun little widget downloads Digg’s RSS feed.
67. Digg Submit Bookmarklet: Use the bookmarklet when submitting your story to Digg. It opens in a new window or tab so that you don’t lose the original story.
68. Digg Clone: These developers are on a mission to create their own Digg-based community. Keep up with their progress by visiting the site regularly.
69. Diggnation Digging Game: Xanga users must try out this funny game.
70. Digg Watch: Download Apollo to utilize this app designed by an API Contest finalist. The tool lets Diggers hover their mouse over stories and then grab and pull out items they find interesting.
71. mb3DEngine: Take Digging to the next level. Try out this app to find, read, and Digg stories in 3D.
72. Digg Tech Front: Digg’s top-rated technology stories are displayed in a front page format by category: Apple, Gadgets, Hardware, Linux, Design, Mods, and others.

The next you decide to read the latest stories at Digg.com, consider trying out these fun, easy-to-use apps on your own site, your mobile device, or in the Digg Lab.

Tags: Resources, Social Bookmarking