Update: Are Ron Paul Supporters Gaming Digg?

Posted on March 25th, 2007
By Todd Zeigler in Media, Politics, Social Networks, Tools, Web 2.0

Update: This article was submitted to Digg by someone I don’t know and was starting to gain a bit of traction (28 votes and 15 comments as of this writing). However, the story has been prematurely removed from the upcoming queue for the US Elections 2008 section. Digg has confirmed that the story was removed because it was buried. Why was it buried? I can think of two possible reasons: (1) the story was lame or (2) because Paul supporters didn’t like the content of the piece and buried it. Decide for yourself what happened.

Digg launched a section around a month ago on the 2008 US elections. I've been a semi-active participant in the section, digging stories in the upcoming area and occasionally submitting stuff there.

The strangest thing about the section is the prevalence of information about obscure Republican/Libertarian Presidential candidate Ron Paul.

A quick review of the Upcoming section shows that around 20% of articles are about Ron Paul. And just about every one of these Paul-oriented stories attracts at least ten diggs. This is extremely unusual, as the vast majority of stories submitted to Digg only attract between one and five diggs.

The trends hold when you look at stories that have made it to the section homepage (the most popular stories). In the history of the US Election 2008 section, only 21 stories have made the section homepage. Of those stories, 4 (19%) have been about Ron Paul. In fact, 4 of the last 10 stories to make the homepage of this section have been about Ron Paul.

It you look at it closely, it is clear that there is a group of Ron Paul supporters that is actively submitting stories to Digg and voting for every story about Ron Paul. As an example, users like MisesRothbard, EvilPropaganda, mstebbins, nokla and specsaregood seem to have Digg accounts primarily to promote Ron Paul. If you click through and look at their voting history, you'll see that those user names consistently vote for the same Paul-related stories.

It is clear to me that there is a semi-organized effort by Paul supporters to promote him on Digg. It wouldn't be the first time. According to the WSJ, Paul supporters were banned from the Pajama's Media Presidential straw poll after repeatedly trying to stuff the ballot.

At this point I think the gaming of the Digg US Election channel is working because the section isn't being used that heavily yet. The number of submissions is low and not that many people appear to be voting. So the Paul supporters are able to exert a disproportionate amount of influence. I think the content will get better as more people (and campaigns) participate. So start digging….

P.S. As a side note, check out this Paul article on Digg. I'd say its pretty obvious from the comments that Paul true-believers are dominating the discussion.

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Comments

Cutkomp

March 25th, 2007 at 3:42 pm

Is there something wrong with using Digg to spread information and news articles about a particular candidate? Isn’t that what the “2008 Elections” section is for? Perhaps there are folks like myself who see politics as being a bit more important than celeb gossip or random offbeat news and they Digg accordingly.

Not everyone has the same interests and it’s not surprising to see certain groups Digg things more than others. LittleGreenFootballs and InfoWars come to mind as examples of sites which articles are massively Dugg by groups of users of those particular sites. Where is the cries of foul play against them? Maybe they just really Digg little green footballs.

Is it possible that other folks with an agenda perhaps may game Digg to purposely make Dr. Paul look bad? After all there is literally ZERO personal dirt on the guy. If you can’t find dirt, make shit up, isn’t that how it goes?

Mainstream media purposely leaves out qualified candidates that have announced while promoting unqualified people who haven’t, but you’re worried about some Diggs. Hmm. What’s your agenda? You are awfully quick to assume Paul supporters are gaming things when there really is no proof of such accusations. Essentially the only proof you have come up with is that some Ron Paul supporters don’t like to Digg a wide variety of articles. Pajamas Media said for themselves that they purged Paul because he wasn’t in the Gallup Poll, that was their official excuse after a few weeks of Ron Paul beating Rudy.
Todd Zeigler

March 25th, 2007 at 3:51 pm

Cutkomp - are you arguing that Paul supporters aren’t trying to manipulate Digg? Or are you arguing that they are and that there is nothing wrong with it?

My agenda here is to see more interesting content in the 2008 Election channel on Digg.
specsaregood

March 25th, 2007 at 4:43 pm

Wow, internet notoriety. Imagine my surprise when I did a Google blog search for Ron Paul and your article came up, I clicked on it to find my digg username.

Yes, I digg Ron Paul articles. No, I am not part of a conspiracy. No, I am not in collusion with other supporters. No, I don’t have any other usernames.

Yes, I am an American citizen. Yes, I am excited about Ron Paul’s candidacy. Yes, I created a digg.com account in order to “digg” Ron Paul articles and to comment on some of them. I have reviewed the digg.com TOS (http://digg.com/tos) and can’t find any terms that I am violating. If I am, feel free to point them out and I will alter my behavior.

Are not supporters of other candidates just as capable of digging articles in their favor? Maybe what you are noticing is simply a symptom of the excitement that Ron Paul is evoking in many disenfranchised voters such as me. I’m welcome to more “interesting content in the 2008 Election channel on Digg”. I happen to find Ron Paul articles interesting. If just one more person “discovers” Ron Paul because I dugg an article; then that pleases me. If just one person thinks about an issue that the other candidates are not discussing; then that pleases me as well.

Thanks for the support Todd. We are all just participating in the Election process. Digg.com just happens to be one of the platforms that are changing the election process in this new era.
patr84

March 25th, 2007 at 5:03 pm

I can hardly see how Digg’s political section would be more interesting if it were, more or less, a mirror of what the mainstream media pumps out (i.e. the same old stuff about Obama, Clinton, McCain, and Giuiliani).

The great thing about the Internet is that outsiders are finally getting a voice. This means candidates like Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, as well as 3rd party candidates, will get a lot more attention than they would have with a solely corporate media.

I can’t wait to see Digg in 2008, with more people participating and more people reading and more people being exposed to a wider range of candidates and ideas.
Cutkomp

March 25th, 2007 at 5:05 pm

“Cutkomp - are you arguing that Paul supporters aren’t trying to manipulate Digg? Or are you arguing that they are and that there is nothing wrong with it?\” If by gaming Digg you mean creating an account and then using it to submit and Digg articles about particular topics, like Ron Paul, I see nothing wrong with that and I didn\’t see any terms which indicate a person MUST Digg wide varieties of articles. It\’s not a communist site is it? Well, nevermind on that, hehe. Every candidate has supporters who submit a lot of articles about their favorite. I\’d venture to guess that there are people for each candidate who game Digg to some extent by creating multiple accounts and using them to Digg up articles. On the contrary though, I\’d also venture to guess that some folks game Digg to purposely bury articles. I\’m suspicious of everybody, so I can understand raising questions, just be sure to explore all options. It may not be his supporters that are gaming it, if it is being gamed. You dig? It also has not been mentioned that Alex Jones and his websites have the LittleGreenFootballs effect on Digg. I\’m sure they, like the LGF\’ers, Digg that which suits their agenda. His sites are pro-Paul. I\’m pretty sure Jones even has a lot of his followers on his own service provider, so that could be a possible explanation for some folks thinking that certain ISP\’s are gaming votes on polls, couldn\’t it? I think the election section is already interesting. If your personal opinion is that you\’d like to see more interesting stuff, submit stuff that you\’d find interesting and mix it up a little. What\’s your handle? Mine is Cutkomp, look me up. I submitted a good example yesterday of how some news sites keep getting it wrong about Paul. \”Don Kaul gets it wrong on Ron Paul?\” You think he\’s just a nobody, but he raised $500,000 bucks in a very short time between his announcements. Over 90% of his campaign contributions come from individuals, while other candidates are little more than big corporate shills with a large majority of their contributions coming from corps. Do a blog check for Ron Paul, pieces about him are popping up all over the place in both new and well established places. I even ran across a perverted feminist blog that was promoting Dr. Paul, it was hilarious. Hey, free country right? I\’m a ferverent supporter, I\’m on top of the articles as soon as they come out and hit the engines. I\’ve noticed some suspect stuff but I\’m positive that the swell of support you see for Dr. Paul is not purely an attempt to game anything. There are a lot of individuals who take some pride and put forth some effort in actually making sure that people at least know who the heck he is. For every mainstream poll that excludes him, that\’s several hours I have to spend posting articles and finding people who don\’t know who Ron Paul is and letting them know, or emailing editors who incorrectly state or omit information about him. Oh, before I go there are three more things I\’d like to mention. Did you see that Ron Paul outpolled Al Gore in Tennessee recently? He still finished low, but got like 7%. http://www.volunteertv.com/hom.....21027.html Also, he got over 400,000 votes for President in \’88, finishing third. I\’m sure not all of those people are dead now and quite a few of them probably would like to see him be prez now more than ever. Last but not least, Ron Paul overtook Rudy in Google search queries. http://www.google.com/trends?q.....;date=2007
Cutkomp

March 25th, 2007 at 5:10 pm

Hey sorry that last post of mine came through with no spaces. They where there when I submitted it.
Todd Zeigler

March 25th, 2007 at 5:32 pm

To clarify, I think the problem here is that many Paul backers are only participating in Digg to promote Paul. How about reading and digging some other stories in addition to the Paul stuff? How about participating in the greater community (as Cutkomp does)?

I agree with a quote by Jason Calacanis about a similar issue with Think Progress a few months back:

“Right now ThinkProgress looks like a spamming group because they are only involved in their own stories. That’s like coming to dinner party and only talking about yourself–folks will hate you. Folks will not invite you back to the party. Folks will think you’re small and selfish.”
Philly Dave

March 25th, 2007 at 6:15 pm

I am a Ron Paul supporter. Quite frankly until someone (not me) posted one of my videos in Digg, I was not even a member. Upon joing (to dig my own video ) I also emailed a few friends to let them know about digg.

Over time the “free market of digg” will sort all this out, but I would think an expanding base of biased supporters would be welcomed. The problem at Pajamas was that they have and agenda. Was it the comittment of Ron Paul supporters or the lack of comittment by the supporters of other candidates that led paul to winning that poll?

Because main stream media ignores a contrarian messenger like Paul his supporters are neccessarily active on the internet… it is HOW THEY FOUND HIM.

I would guess that in the end we will find that Ron Paul has helped Digg and yes maybe Digg will have helped Ron Paul. What’s wrong with that?
specsaregood

March 25th, 2007 at 6:21 pm

“How about reading and digging some other stories in addition to the Paul stuff?”

So I have to digg other articles and participate in the greater community or be labeled a “Ron Paul digg gamer”? How many articles? How many different subject matters? Is there a FAQ somewhere that spells this out? Like I said before, I registered on digg.com in order to post/digg a Ron Paul article. Searching for Ron Paul brought me to digg. I’ve never had a use for it. Currently Ron Paul is my #1 interest; as I search and read everything I can about the man. So that is what I am currently “digging”.

Maybe I’ll move onto other subjects on digg eventually, maybe not. I’ve been capable of satisfying my news thirst in other subjects from other websites for over a decade now. I don’t foresee digg.com replacing slashdot or techdirt for my daily “tech” reading.

The point is, I’ll digg what I feel like digging. If I see articles about other candidates saying things that I think others should read, I’ll digg them. As of now all the other candidates sound the same –spewing the same stupid propoganda I’ve been hearing for years.
Tom

March 25th, 2007 at 9:30 pm

Hi, I am a DIGG user. I too think that DIGG is a great site to read and submit stories about Ron Paul. I am 56 years old. I would not be spending any time at all on DIGG political sites if Ron Paul were not running for President. Ron Paul is a Constitutionalist. This is what makes him unique. I would not even consider casting a vote for Pres. if Ron Paul were not running. The rest of the candidates are all the same,so one may as well flip a coin to decide. I don’t know how many stories for each candidate have been submitted and I don’t really care because I never read them anyway. I am not part of some Ron Paul conspiracy I simply like the man and what he stands for,defending the U.S. Constitution. I myself took and oath to defend it and believe me,I will at every opportunity I have to do so. Ron Paul supporters simply love Ron Paul and our country. Ron Paul isn’t into the pockets of the big corporations so what kind of agenda could his supporters possibly have other than wanting to see a decent man elected President? Thank you for reading this and God bless.
Mary Specht

March 25th, 2007 at 11:23 pm

patr84, you really make an excellent point. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Chris

March 26th, 2007 at 10:12 am

Personally I think Ron Paul should get as much coverage as possible on Digg. He is a candidate that recieves little exposure in mass media. With his stance against the Federal Reserve and its Fiat money system I think he is someone who isn’t connected to big business and the military industrial complex. He seems to be a very genuine individual who really cares about this country and its people.

Go Ron Paul!!!
Midwife

March 26th, 2007 at 10:51 am

I will only vote for someone who supports the Constitution, not with lip service and false oaths, but in actual fact. Ron Paul does this. That makes him the only candidate…so the real question that everyone should be asking themselves (and the political parties) is, WHY is he the only candidate? Offer me ten more to choose from, who actually understand the Constitution and follow it, and then we have some food for a discussion! Until then, he remains - the only one so far.

It should surprise no one that folks are excited to finally have an honest person for whom to vote. That does not a conspiracy make - however, the total absence until now of Constitutional candidates certainly points towards one.
Alex Hammer

March 26th, 2007 at 11:34 am

Linked to this article on Politics 2.0 - What’s now and what’s next!
victor pillow

March 26th, 2007 at 11:46 am

If people who support Ron Paul are reading Ron Paul articles and then digging them. then you have an example of nature running its course. Isn’t that the point. Why would people who support other candidates make an effort to read Ron Paul articles and digg them? Are you saying that people who support Ron Paul should read articles supporting other candidates and digg those? Are you saying there should be a large number of supporters for other candidates reading Ron Paul articles and leaving comments? Should I go to articles about other candidates and leave negative comments and then digg the article? As for straw polls. the polls record who has voted and you cant keep voting, therefore it is impossible to stuff the vote. People running the straw polls get scared by the large number of people voting for Paul and then take his name of the list, excusing by making false claims of vote stuffing.
prattleon

March 26th, 2007 at 12:25 pm

did someone say free market? what’s that? I don’t understand the fuss about this. people just can’t handle the fact that ron paul is getting so much attention on the internet. they just can’t seem to think of any other reason for it other than a conspiracy. my guess is he simply has a dedicated following of tech friendly people…oh yeah, and people are sick of the political status quo garbage.
icanoop

March 26th, 2007 at 12:42 pm

I’ve been digging Ron Paul stories because I think he’s the best candidate and I want to share that with others. Apparently many others do too. Apparently there are a lot more than I expected. Discovering that was a nice surprise. Digg has been a great place for me to find quality information about Ron Paul I wouldn’t have found otherwise. I think that’s what digg is for… filtering out some of the stories about Clinton and Obama and Guiliani that I don’t care about. Maybe you should have Digg create a section specifically for your favorite candidate so you don’t have to see Paul stories? Until then, the majority will rule.
Ron

March 26th, 2007 at 2:19 pm

OMG! Ron Paul supporters use Alternative Media to get support for their candidate?! HOLY S&^#, who ever thought people would make a combined effort to get someone they supported some media attention. Hey why not write about how the big name candidates get propped up by Corporate Sponsors and how McCain Feingold limits speech of grassroots support groups, but that doesn’t support your agenda or your sense of right and wrong. Honestly, do you think big money is what should make a candidate, especially when 60-90% comes from PACs and other Special interest groups and not individuals????
Joem

March 26th, 2007 at 2:28 pm

That is an interesting bit of information. Looks like the candidates of the 2008 presidential race are using the web to their advantage. This is a smart move as the Internet has a lot of potential in political campaigns. The other candidates may soon be utilizing Digg and other vehicles to supplement their campaign gains.
patr84

March 26th, 2007 at 3:16 pm

Todd,

As a Ron Paul supporter and someone who has been watching the Digg political scene for a while, the third option is that you got buried because the article contained the words “Ron Paul.” It’s a fact that there is a group of diggers who actively bury any Ron Paul story that is posted, for no reason except that it’s about the guy. I did some research into this a month ago, though things have probably changed since then: http://digg.com/politics/Digg_....._who_s_not
patr84

March 26th, 2007 at 3:18 pm

Btw,

I dugg your article because I thought it was an interesting topic to discuss. Plus, getting Ron Paul’s name out there for whatever reason is always welcome for an outsider candidate.
Pat

March 26th, 2007 at 4:33 pm

Yes, lots of people are Digging the Ron Paul articles because we want more people to know he exists, what he stands for, and that he’s running for president. I’d encourage anyone who recognizes the GREATNESS of Dr. Paul to do the same. There’s an excellent article on him today at http://www.lewrockwell.com/woo.....ods63.html
blardy

March 28th, 2007 at 12:23 pm

Because of this article, I am now going to open a digg account, and start digging every ron paul article I come across. I have been following Ron Paul for several years now, and I am very excited to get a chance to vote for him for president. So thanks for reminding us that we need to do more to spread the word.
Fafyrd

March 29th, 2007 at 3:47 am

I’m a Ron Paul supporter but haven’t done digg, not to mention I don’t really know what it is, but this has motivated me to find out!
Dave

April 5th, 2007 at 2:05 pm

Over the past 36 years, I’ve earned millions of dollars, the vast bulk of which has gone to countless local, state and federal taxes in their various forms.

We owe trillions more that our representatives have spent long before we earn the monies to be taxed. What do I get for that in the end? A bankrupt Social Security Fund.

I’ve been ashamed to be an American at every presidential campaign in my adult life…until now.

It’s Ron Paul, or it’s business as usual. What’s that worth? I haven’t been a part of the political process since 1976, but Ron Paul’s candidacy has changed that.

Maybe there are just millions more out there who are just like me, motivated to get a grip on this whole internet debate.

IMO, you can expect to see much more of this sort of Ron Paul poll flooding as the election progresses. If that’s not acceptable, stop polling.

If you exclude Paul, his supporters will create other internet avenues. Zeal for an honest, intelligent, experienced candidate for US president will do that.
jp1

April 15th, 2007 at 3:53 am

Ron Paul supporters “gaming” Digg is contra-indicated by the breadth of his ‘net presence elsewhere on the web where he is nearly as prevalent as his so-called “top-tier” GOP opponents. (Try googling “‘Ron Paul’ President” and comparing his number of hits to those of Rudy, Mitt & McCain.)

It should be no surprise that Ron is engendering such a grassroots ground swell. The country is *starved* for a candidate with his integrity and commitment to individual liberties and constitutional government!
Gloria

May 5th, 2007 at 5:09 am

This country needs a leader like Ron Paul.

If Digg has a bit part in that, why not? It should be proud.
johnnyr

May 5th, 2007 at 8:37 pm

Thats because Ron Paul is the man. All the other candidates (both parties) are fascist elite pawns.
Nick S.

May 8th, 2007 at 10:56 am

its eiter we elect ron paul or we accept the new world order. global dictatorship doesnt sound fun at all to me, i like freedom. so im going to digg every article talking about the only legit candidate i see. 9/11 was an inside job
basicspecifics

May 8th, 2007 at 11:21 am

I’m normally on digg for finding articles about Ron Paul because they’re not anywhere else! Look on Yahoo, ABC, CNN and you’ll see him completely ignored. If I had other places to look i’m sure i’d go there but for now I can’t find anywhere else to look except digg.

Sure I appreciate other articles like the ones that deal with The People of the United States and what’s in our best interest. I enjoy articles that deal with media watching or politicians that are stripping us of our Constitutional rights. Call me a “gamer” if you will however I don’t know what’s wrong with what i’m doing.
Julia

May 8th, 2007 at 12:49 pm

I love Ron Paul and his message that decisions made by govt. should be supported by the constitution. He’s the only one who will dismantle all the special departments Bush put in to expand the power and scope of govt.

The problem Ron Paul supporters face is that we are on a timelimit to get him included in debates. The establishment says he has to get over 1% in polls to be included. Then they don’t include him in the polls!

Help us at least get him on tv, the ‘online public’ is already more informed. Let’s help the rest of the country wake up to the choices they have.
Gloria

May 8th, 2007 at 7:34 pm

I enjoy the Ron Paul stories and I hope they don’t end. This is a man who is more like the politicians of old– I mean really old. Abe Lincoln wouldn’t have played well on the nightly news, George Washington may have looked a little funny with his wooden teeth, and Thomas Jefferson, while great with quotes, may or may not have been as great with the presentation. Bush has a comfortable stage presence and that’s the main reason he was elected– people liked him. That should be the LAST reason a president is elected. Sure, Paul didn’t have a soundbite (like “I’ll follow Osama to the gates of hell”, etc.) at the debates for the networks to replay, but he was the only one who talked about things that mattered, like real economic policy and civil liberties. The moderator even laughed at him!

I enjoy the Digg stories; I’m glad to see that there are other people who see beyond Rudy and John McC. RP’s Internet popularity is because he’s very supportive of free speech and civil liberties, and those qualities are important to those using the Internet. So, why don’t you just join the group of RP supporters and come along for the ride?
JesuBub

May 9th, 2007 at 10:44 am

Would you have the same problem if it were Obama, McCain, or Giuliani supporters being active on Digg? Have you considered that there is a strong base for Paul, and this is the only way to get his out because the media has blacked him out? His platform goes against the grain of the establishment.
puma237

May 18th, 2007 at 12:35 am

rudy, a neocon zionist who became a “hero” for no other reason than cnn, fox, cbs etc. told us he was a hero. beyond that, what has he done to merit these specious kudos? not a damn thing but blather scripted speeches in the wake of 911. this man is just another piece of filth on the neocon garbage wagon.
sounds a bit like mr. ziegler is just another spin blathering neocon running scared as he is beginning to see ron paul for what he really is. a totem sign for the awakening of the american people to the theft,extortion,dehumanization,murder,bald face lies and treason that the neocons have foisted on us in such abundance and with such glee.

the neocons have had their run. soon enough they will know of consequence. and history will show them to be what they truly are. insane.
aisk

May 21st, 2007 at 4:38 pm

@specsaregood

How many other articles must you read/digg from digg not to be a Ron Paul gamer?

If the answer were “ONE” I think a large part of the problem would be fixed
chris lawton

June 24th, 2007 at 9:20 pm

GO RON PAUL! GO RON PAUL! GOD BLESS RON PAUL! RON PAUL FOR PRESIDENT 2008!

Ron Paul in CNN debate on June 5, 2007!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....wJKGfAWQUo

“In the time of universal deceit, telling the truth
is a revolutionary act” GEORGE ORWELL

“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the galleys, heard in the very hall of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor—he speaks in the accents familiar to his victims, and wears their face and their garment, and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation—he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city—he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared.

— Cicero: orator, statesman, political theorist, lawyer and philosopher of Ancient Rome.
thunt

July 4th, 2007 at 1:22 pm

Ron Paul Digg Army - how to join a group that does not exist

First it was the Ron Paul Five, now it’s the Ron Paul Thirty, how far will anti-rp forces go before they realize they’re feeding the fire they’re trying to stop? Learn how to join a group that doesn’t exist and how advocating support for a political candidate in America can get you put on some list. Maybe next time it’ll be you.

http://digg.com/2008_us_electi....._not_exist
Matt

August 7th, 2007 at 1:33 am

It’s obvious the same group of people are posting multiple times under comments to try and make Ron Paul seem more popular than he is..take these comments…you don’t have to log in just type a new name each time…it’s really quite sad! If reality reflected these comments then Ron Paul would be leading by an insurmountable margin in the national polls
binaryloop

October 3rd, 2007 at 7:07 pm

I’m a digger and I support Ron Paul. I digg up what I like and bury stuff I don’t like. Plain and simple. Maybe there are more Ron Paul supporters than you think?