Digg is to offer new features today that will provide social networking functionality akin to Facebook and MySpace.
Digg users will now have full profile pages that allow them to connect to friends and share stories that may other wise not hit the main page of Digg.
Digg users will also be able to chat with one and other, and leave messages on user profiles; a similar feature to the Facebook wall.
The news has met with mixed reactions by Digg users, with some suggesting a name change to “Diggspace” may be coming. The group story sharing feature was noted with this comment:
The best part is that if you decide to use any of these new features and spread stories you’re into around to all your friends, you’ll get banned for gaming the system. Great idea!
Notably, the new link sharing features put Digg into competition with Kevin Rose’s other startup: Pownce. It will be interesting to see how Digg builds the features out given the obvious conflict building between the two.
Update: Kevin Rose has now posted to the Digg blog with the changes, demo video as below
Rose also said that Digg was moving towards offering new features in the future including:
* Digg Images: A dedicated images section (with thumbnails). Still on track to launch in late October.
* Revamped Comments: No more ajax loads, new clean and lightweight design (similar to the old comment system).
* Digg Alerts: Alerts will give you the ability to create customized email alerts – when a story becomes popular, summaries of popular stories on specific topics, and when your friends recommend stories.
* Story Suggest: Dozens of servers crunch the math to provide you with real-time recommendations (stories and friends) based on what you’ve dugg in the past.