Beyond Voting: Why Editorially Driven Social News Sites Matter

Power to the people!  Sites like Digg, Reddit, Propeller and Mixx have become popular social news sites due to the community driven aspect that fuels them.  Traditionally these news sites offer “digital democracy” that entices users because they themselves are able to determine what is (and isn’t) news.  However, a different form of social news not only exists, but flourishes: “editorial social news.”

Editorially driven social news allows users to submit articles for consideration, but content is chosen by editors who handpick it from a wide selection of submissions.  While this may not sound “social,” users generally can comment and rate the content, as well as submit links.  These sites are continually popular and can send large amounts of traffic and massive amounts of visibility to a story.  Some of the most prominent editorial social news sites are Fark, Slashdot, I-Am-Bored and Ebaumsworld.  Many users prefer these sites because they contain less spam and the content found on the homepage is fairly stable and doesn’t vary a great deal.

The largest site in particular, Fark, actually bucks the trend of making it more challenging for power users and is actually grateful for them.  In a recent interview, founder Drew Curtis stated:

“Almost all of the stuff that makes the main page is from those 20 guys—not exclusively, and it’s not like we’ve got a quota or anything like that, but that’s how it works out. Because those guys are writing it properly.”

These sites should not be overlooked due to the ease of submission and the traffic that can be obtained.  One title and description can be used across all sites, and no time-consuming promotion or vote getting is needed, as administrators eventually select what is popular.

Best practices for submitting to editorial social news sites

Create compelling titles. An enticing and creative title is the most important factor when submitting your links to these sites.  Administrators are looking for a submission that just needs approval, with little or no editing or tweaking needed.  Getting noticed is half the battle on these sites and a great title can help you stand out above the rest of the crowd.  There are some great resources out there for constructing superb titles to get you noticed.

Don’t look spammy. When submitting to a social editorial news site, standard Internet courtesies apply.  It’s a good idea to submit suggestions from a variety of sites and only submit on-target content.  Having an account that is fully self-promotional won’t help editors and will more likely annoy them and they will avoid your content down the road.  Also, if your content doesn’t match the genre of the site, avoid submitting it altogether and look for a more niche social news site.

Submit attractive, quality content. Not only should your content be relevant, it should be quality content and, more importantly, it should give a good first impression.  Sites that are plastered in ads or have content broken up across 10 pages don’t leave a good taste in a reader’s mouth.  If you work hard to make a killer title and the editor can’t stomach the appearance of your site, all will be for naught.

Successfully submitting to these these editorially driven social sites may send you massive traffic, loads of links, and a good deal of visibility.  Take the extra time to construct a creative title and cross your fingers and hope that your link is promoted!