Digg has removed the Shout feature from its site, citing several reasons for the change, including user feedback and its own conclusions reached through crunching numbers. The Shout feature, which allowed users to send stories directly to other Digg users, is being replaced with share options for Twitter and Facebook.
Interestingly enough, Digg is also getting rid of the Blog This option, saying that the feature showed low usage from its userbase. In a sense, Digg has replaced both of its dropped features with share options for Twitter and Facebook.
But is the indirect sharing of Digg content with others across the social web any better than the Shout feature? It’s certainly less spammy. The way in which Digg has decided to modify the content sharing process also reflects the ability for third party social networks to provide conduits that can be considered useful, effective and agnostic.
The ability for Twitter and Facebook to be somewhat agnostic means that they can further become platforms for other sites and applications. And for both of these sites in particular, along with a number of other social media sites, the potential for such platforms are still exploratory but are integral in the long-term priorities of these companies.
And even if Digg users lose some of their “spamminess” the social bookmarking tool could in fact benefit from replacing the Shout feature with sharing options for other social media sites. Time will tell to what degree this could be helpful for Digg, and whether or not Digg users will just find a way to more directly reach other Digg users through the use of social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. But we’re all watching, right?