In March, I wrote that Yahoo Buzz could pose a threat to Digg because of their ability to drive more traffic - and I assumed that Digg's product would be markedly better.
Now four days after Yahoo Buzz officially opened up to all publishers, I will take a bolder stance: I'm finding Yahoo Buzz more effective as a reader / consumer and as a publisher. And I'm surprised.
My major critique of Digg has been that it has struggled to extend it's community and product outside of technology. And that's where Yahoo Buzz excels: the content is diverse... across categories and sources. I expect this will continue as Yahoo's community (the largest on the web) will power / demand diversity.
InGameNow's Blog made it to the Yahoo Buzz homepage yesterday and it delivered big, steady traffic. Whereas Digg sends massive traffic instantly (and it tends to somewhat worthless traffic) - Yahoo's sends very consistent traffic that, from this single experience, seems to be more active and engaged. Two things are yet to be seen though:
1) how Yahoo's algorithm matures and whether it creates a community of power users (such as those that rule Digg) 2) whether Buzz's current traffic / activity will change dramatically as it gains popularity
For now though... and based on my first few days with Yahoo Buzz... I'd rather hit Buzz's homepage than Digg's.
The official email from Yahoo Buzz on August 19th:
START SUBMITTING STORIES TO YAHOO! BUZZ TODAY!
Thank you for your patience as we fine-tuned Yahoo! Buzz. You can now showcase your stories to the largest audience on the Internet.
Visit our Publisher page to pick up a button for your site and see tips on ways to get more votes.
Do not forget, your story may be featured on Yahoo.com. Good luck and welcome aboard.
GET STARTED NOW http://buzz.yahoo.com/publishers
Yahoo! Buzz Team