What To Do With a Hit

What To Do With a Hit

Digg has recently been lit up with stories about Halo 3. Today we discuss some possible courses of action for content producers when a hit like Halo takes over the internet.

Digg's Halo 3 following wasn't exactly a well-kept secret; the site's video game fans have been snatching up the scraps of information that have fallen from Bungie's table for the last few years, and many stories relating to Halo have reached Digg's front page. With the release of Halo 3, the web exploded with all kinds of stories about the best-selling game, from reviews to offbeat commentary to editorials about the Xbox 360. Naturally, people from all corners of the web tried to submit their Halo 3-related content to Digg, hoping for a front page article.

In the social news world, when a topic like Halo is popularized, one is generally given one of two options as a content producer. Here are their advantages and disadvantages:

1) Hop On The Bandwagon - Produce topical content. Fans that are obsessed with the topic will digg your story, if they find it, and give your story a formidable chance of making front page. But there are disadvantages to this as well. Digg users may get burned out by the constant coverage and give your content, and your site, short-shrift. Furthermore, it is much more difficult to differentiate yourself in such an environment, due to the common thread tying all the popular stories together.

2) Dare To Be Different - Produce or submit content that is completely unrelated, or goes against the current conventional wisdom. While this can be a refreshing change of pace for readers, it can also earn you buries from users that don't appreciate your opinion. However, if your story is popularized, you will undoubtedly get much more attention for it.

So what do you do when you spot a hit? Know your options. And choose wisely.