Rule Number one of operating a web 2.0 user generated content website, if you don’t have someone involved in your development process who thinks about how to abuse the system, and put steps in place to prevent it, someone else will publish a handy step by step guide on how to abuse your system …In case you missed the news yesterday Digg announced the new URL shortner/digg bar. What the tool does is frame your website, notice the diggbar at the top in the screen shot below:
In case you weren’t able to figure it out or are a web 2.0 weenie, this was done to artifically inflate user metrics. By framing everyone elses website you never leave digg, so the length of their user visits goes up, and it looks like their site is improving, and they con more clueless VC’s that Digg is actually a valuable website, they want to keep wasting money investing in. However because Gen Y managers seem to feel it’s more important to coddle happy stimulated workers, as opposed to working with people who have a clue what they are doing, there are plenty of holes around for you to abuse and profit from. Here’s a step by step guide on how to do it …
- Set yourself up with a nice spammy lander page and submit it to digg, like this (http://digg.com/d1kRNK)
- It doesn’t matter if it get voted, up, down, sideways, or even gets buried
- Go get yourself some links, beg, borrow, steal, do whatever it takes
- Buy links, lots of links, quality is irrelevant, you want massive quantities (you do know that paid crappy links work differently when pointed at trusted sites right?).
- Sit back and wait for rankings to come, and collect your affiliate checks
Since the digg bar is so small, most people will click what’s in the bottom frame if it’s what they are searching for. But maybe you want to be extra sure … no problem here’s where it gets really cool, put up some frame buster javascript code, this way when someone does hit the page your frame busts out. Want to see it in action check this url out:
So what’s the deal? Why am I publishing a blueprint on how to abuse digg … It’s quite simple really, I hate Kevin Rose, in fact very few things in life would make me happier than to see Digg die in fiery crash and meltdown, with nothing salvageable emerging from the wreckage and ashes. My cranky cynical old heart bursts with joy at the mere thought of Kevin Rose working the drive through window of McDonald’s asking people if they “want fries with that”. In fact I’m full prepared to strip down to a loincloth, dance and chant around a fire, and ritualistically sacrifice a live chicken if I honestly felt it would help … and believe me I’m not the only one.
Coming back to reality, the lesson here is if you are building, designing, developing or deploying websites that rely in any meaningful way on user generated content, you damn well better have a someone on payroll to play fox in the henhouse. It took me 10 minutes last night to find this hole and to come up with a way to abuse it, and while I may be clever, I’m not especially malicious, but there are lots of folks who are cleverer than I am and aren’t afraid to completely abuse a system.
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{ 63 comments }
Unreal Michael! You’ve pointed out some very great things that digg is trying to do by inflating their user stats, which is nothing, but lame sauce. Who in their right mind would want to frame in a third party website on a URL shortening service to begin with? If digg wanted to do so they could of just done some type of javascript tool bar – OR – just made a stand alone toolbar like everybody else.
Great material as always!
Gen Y? Hey, Web 2.0 was designed by you Gen X guys! (Like you Gray.
) Don’t blame us. Well… maybe you could say it’s the Gen X managers coddling their Gen Y employees.
Thanks for the instructions. Nothing like torquing the nose of an elitist social media site.
Great post and totally worth reading just for the visual of you, the chicken and the loincloth LOL
@graywolf We ? U
“In fact I’m fully prepared to strip down to a loincloth, dance and chant around a fire, and ritualistically sacrifice a live chicken if I honestly felt it would help.”
Dude, you’re going to have to live up to that now that you’ve published it. I suggest you start on the manscaping now so that you’ll be prepared for picture day. I wonder what domain we could launch that under?
You’re too much. I’m sure Google is glad they are not the focus today.
Great post Michael. I knew there was a reason I had been building that linkvault account up all these years. Time to unleash the beast.
LOL
Excellent post!!
Took me a few minuets to get it but that is golden!
Hey Michael,
I was figuring out the same thing.
One doubt that I have though: I took a look at the source page of those iframed pages, and the real content can’t really be found on them. So it looks like the Google bot would just see the toolbar content on the iframe.
If that is so, making those pages rank is equally hard/easy as it was before (with their normal story links). The only difference is that now you don’t depend on the click to be able to show your content/affiliate links.
Do you agree?
@Daniel you want to get your title “just right” then it’s standard parasite SEO stuff, completely take advantage of the original domains trust and authority. Basically you can put a blank page on the NYT or an EDU site, if the title is right and with enough inbounds it will rank.
mg
Great post. Funny mental image!!!
I’m gonna avoid the mental picture of you in a loincloth. This is pretty funny though. You’d think such a large presence on the web would have wolves employed to try and blow down the little piggies’ houses but apparently not. I can’t believe you figured this out in a span of 10 minutes but it makes sense. Especially busting out the frames. I really can’t fathom how Digg would overlook something like that. Maybe they were on deadline and just shoved it out the door and said “We’ll fix issues later.”
Also, why do you hate Kevin Rose so much? I’m probably completely missing something but I’m curious. I never submit anything to Digg so I’m neutral.
Well at least now I don’t feel so foolish for not being able to figure out the value of Digg.
Great post, Michael. Although I like the DiggBar if I happen to be working with Digg, I agree on the irritations of dealing with iFrames. It will be most interesting to see how this evolves.
Crickey, I remember using that framebusting javascript technique years ago when About.Com used to pull other people’s content into their site!
Also, I don’t think my boss would be too happy if he looked at the stats and saw me spending 8 hours just on one website..
Please don’t strip down to a loincloth. OK?
I’m with you, Mike. I have dislikings for Digg just like you but let’s not talk about it.
Completely agree with you on the Digg bar thing. It is just another sneaky tool to help them inflate popularity.
That’s brilliant. I’m curious to see digg’s next move.
I don’t share your extreme dislike for Mr. Rose and digg, but this is part of the game. They’ve made a bold play to leech links and traffic from other webmasters, and they’ll have to deal with the consequences. I hope StumbleUpon is taking notes.
Why do you hate Kevin Rose so much? Did you get banned from Digg for gaming or spamming?
Excellent post, and a great find! Don’t know if I will be putting it to use, but it’s nice to know it’s there!
I wonder if Google will catch on when this method starts spreading?
I love this full disclosure article and I have no love whatsoever for Digg, but why the hostility against Kevin Rose personally? He was like the Wesley Crusher of The Screen Savers back on TechTV and shared some interesting black hat tips without pulling any punches when it came to describing the underlying technology, and since then he’s pretty much become the nonthreatening king of the Ron Paul cult. The guy’s made of Nerf foam so why take a swing at him?
@Brian my distaste for kevin comes from the constant claims that their system is controlled by the users and is a democracy, when at this point it’s so heavily moderated and controlled it’s a joke.
If you’re selling point and value add is that users control what makes the homepage and you don’t intervene you damn well better stick to your message
Mike, you have serious deep seeded emotional issues. Who gives a crap what Kevin Rose says? Hes a businessman at a private company who can say whatever he wants. Sounds like you got burned by him about something else. Your explanation does not make sense.
Also, your analysis of this new feature is completely flawed. There are plenty of popular sites that do similar things. I’m not seeing tons of parasite links in Google search results. Calm down, lay off the coffee before you burst an artery.
@armitage yeah you’re right you got me totally doesnt work I was making it up, there’s absolutely no parasite hosting working for phrases like ‘buy viagra’ or anything http://www.google.com/search?q=buy+viagra&pws=0&hl=en&num=10
Hi Michael, Remind me not to ever never make you hate me. I was thinking about the same thing about the parasite hosting not showing up but the javascript frame buster. That was new for me. That has to be standard in every web design.
Thanks for making my day as usual.
@Graywolf Well done. Hate kevin rose? who doesn’t… (other than fanboys who hate reddit). Digg is very behind the times. They lamely block IPs without knowing if there are violations going on. Also, this toolbar is very lamesauce, but it’s worse. It’s copy facebook lamesauce. So what do 2 losers make?
Your absolutely right about viagra, levitra and just about any other penis pill out there. Those terms will always have black hat guys doing every trick in the book.
But I’m not seeing popular domains as there should be for a ‘page within a frame’ exploit that you speak about. I’m betting Google can recognize that. I’m seeing traffic holders, redirects and typical stuff.
@Armitage because you can make much more money in penis pills than ‘bowling alleys in los angeles’ so that’s where the big guns play
“If you’re selling point and value add is that users control what makes the homepage and you don’t intervene you damn well better stick to your message”
If only it were that simple. They tried to change the algorithm to make it so that everything didn’t automatically hit the front page, and the power users went berserk. They have banned some power users who were clearly abusing the system. I think you’re oversimplifying how easy it is to run a site like this.
“By framing everyone elses website you never leave digg, so the length of their user visits goes up, and it looks like their site is improving,”
I don’t agree with this analysis completely. That toolbar also has the random button to keep people looking at digg content longer. You can’t really call that portion of it artificial–that’s just smart. One day, they’ll probably serve ads via the toolbar, if they’re smart/need more ad impressions to have any hope of recouping investor money. Wouldn’t you put ads on the toolbar if you ran digg? I would leverage people toward Revision 3 via the digg toolbar if I were them.
@Daryn I don’t think digg overlooked anything. Their goal is page views and viral adoption, both of which they’ll achieve regardless of those that take advantage of the gaps in the technology. The more interesting, longer term question is not what they will do to take advantage of it but what Google, SEOs, and other marketers will do to digg.
Nice post Michael
Your openness is refreshing but I have to agree with Armitage that there seems to be a disconnect between shady business practices and such vehement hatred. I can understand being a little upset by linking/ranking injustice, but professing such personal hatred seems unwarranted.
Thanks for standing up for this Michael, I was just wishing some SEO guru would challenge it. Hopefully with your help we can stop this in its tracks and prevent others like Facebook from doing it as well.
Here is what i did to remove the iFrame from loading on my blog. http://tipsforall.wordpress.com/2009/04/04/remove-the-diggbar-from-your-pages/
@Michael,
Good article. I disagree with you about Kevin Rose, but that’s opinions for you. I think you’re pretty spot on about what’s going on here though. VCs need results.
“…this toolbar is very lamesauce, but it’s worse. It’s copy facebook lamesauce. So what do 2 losers make?”
LameSausage?
I must say I have read your post very carefully and still don’t ‘get it’
Man, anything to abuse Digg is fine by me
you ROCK Michael!
Uh you call this a blueprint to abusive Digg buddy? You don’t even give anything informative away here, I mean WOW, great idea you have come up with, buy some shitty links, get a landing page and Oh yes you too can get rich! You are a tool, and a 5yr old jap could blog better.
Yea, I don’t have the balls to talk with my real names.. BIG DEAL!
Michael, why oh why do you have so much dislike for Kevin Rose? Is it just because you’re jealous of his success with a site like Digg? I expect Digg will improve over time.
@Anonymous it has nothing to do with him being successful it has to do with him lying saying digg is a democracy when it isn’t. The Digg front page is so heavily moderated now its a joke calling it a democracy
you = FAIL
Hey kids! Time to play the “How to Abuse the New DiggBar for Fun and Profit” Drinking Game!
Every time you find a Kevin Rose fan-boy in the comments section take a drink! Take two drinks if you think it’s actually Kevin Rose himself!
Michael, I totally agree with you on the whole concept that Digg is a democracy. Diggs are bought and sold every minute. Digg is a total joke in that regards, and the Apple loving, Digg sucking fanboys are super obnoxious.
Profile of a Digg Lover = Blind Apple follower that will buy anything that’s marketed to him, can’t think for himself, dreams and fantasizes over Kevin Rose nightly, and worships the ground Steve Jobs walks on
Did I leave anything out?
Gray, as I have told you on Twitter, we at Digg are trying to make it easier everyday for a normal person to get frontpaged on Digg. And if you hate me, I don’t care. Honestly, no one knows you, nor care about you. You have 5000 followers on twitter, I have 400.000. I don’t mean to be mean, but all your SEO strategies just doesn’t work. If you have great content, you will get traffic!
Thanks, Kevin.
@kevinrose wow boy you get around an email from CA last night and now you’re posting from Brazil, way to go
@Kevin Rose is clearly not the real Kevin Rose. Note the decimal place in “400.000″ – us Americans use commas.
Hey Michael,
“put up some frame buster javascript code, this way when someone does hit the page your frame busts out” – can you elaborate on this please?
Thank You!
@eric here
http://www.thegooglecache.com/uncategorized/simple-frame-busting-javascript-breaks-diggbar/
Thanks Michael!
Hello Michael,
I love your work Michael. You and that Tony Rocks guy really make lots of sense. I think I should following TonyRocks over on Twitter.
I’ve got you all wrong, you ARE right! I am an absolute tool. I should have never released this new digg bar. I officially bury myself.
Thanks for all your hard work, Michael, you are the best,
Sincerely,
Kevin Rose
Apparently, if you set top = null, then top.location stops working.
Is there a workaround for this?
Since the DiggBar is so horrible, maybe Microsoft should buy it? It would go well with the other junk we sell at Microsoft.
Sincerely,
Bill
Great post Michael. If you’re starting the dance I’ll provide the drums. Digg is terrible and now I know how to game the system for more traffic to my sites. Kevin…you’re a dick. Get out of the social scene.
Tommy
If you strip down to a loin cloth and dance around a fire, make sure you post it so I can vote it up on Digg.
Michael, as always, another good post, sure looks pretty on Thesis too…
Back when entrecard came out, someone created a framed site that pulled up sites that were displaying the widget, so that people could easily drop their cards, thus, the metrics got all screwed up, eventually to the point where I just removed the widget from my site..
Kudo’s for the JS framebuster…
You really do not want to use any sort of frame busting script in your template, if you have a Blogger based blog. It will disable your ability to use the upper toolbar in the layouts mode, and you will not be able to access the HTML of your template without a bit of “url hacking” to get to it.
If you have added it and can’t access the html of your template, just change the layout url, replacing the word “display” with “html” and removing everything after “blogID=[number]“.
Yea! Woe! Digg develops powerful foes. Ziabatsu, Michael Graywolf, even Jesus himself does not approve. (He was banned for being a higher power user.)
Excellent post – thanks for sharing this. I tried to find a way to bust it on the journaling site I use a day after I learned of it and finally wrote to the site’s devs asking for help. Answer? There is no way for users to make it go away. While I know at least three different ways to make the DiggBar dematerialize I can’t utilize them without access to Javascript and/or root, which no one on a journaling or blogging service has. The only other thing to do is campaign such sites to stop allowing the DiggBar access…
This was a very insightful post that had me in laughing out loudly!
You raised some very clear points concerning Digg, I also agree with youfoundjake who mentions Entrecard, I ended up removing the Entrecard widget from my blog also and found I didn’t lose a thing by doing so!
Regards and thanks for the entertaining read.
Karl
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