Social Media Takes Off

May 10th, 2009

by John R. Sedivy

AT-6 Texan Engine and Propeller Each day that I write this blog I come across new information that requires more research on my part. Every time that I think I know it all something changes and a new piece of information comes to light. Actually it is one of the aspects that I enjoy most about blogging, it is constantly changing, and I must change with it to stay on top of things. Each new day brings forth a new set of challenges and the result of overcoming those challenges makes me a smarter and stronger individual.

In my article “Web Traffic Summary, April 2009” I had discussed how one of our articles called “The Entrepreneurial Battlefield” did well on social media. One of the reader’s who the article resonated with, submitted the article to social media sites such as Digg, Reddit, and a social media site I had never heard of called Propeller. I did a little research on Propeller and thought I would share my findings here for those who may not be aware of this social media website.

Propelling Social Media
So what exactly is Propeller? Upon exploring the website it appears that Propeller is the America Online (AOL) social bookmarking site equivalent to Digg. Also, according to Dallas Marketing Services Propeller differs from Digg “in that paid editors select the top stories and story popularity is shown with an average between 1 and 10.” Dallas Marketing Services further explains that Propeller has a “cleaner” feel than many other social media sites as a result of the following three attributes as referenced directly from their “Propeller” article:

1. Propeller’s editorial staff removes spam, objectionable content, and commercial solicitations.
2. Propeller’s Middleman Rule. Submitted stories should link whenever possible to the original source of a story.
3. Propeller is not an absolute free-for-all. It is a moderated site with Propeller editors overseeing the posts, conversations, and other activity.

Based on this description it appears that Propeller is a moderated equivalent to Digg. Moderation has its advantages and disadvantages. Mainly a moderated site is “cleaner” due to someone controlling the content and overall website by performing “housekeeping” functions. On the other hand, the control aspect also limits free thought and creativity. These statements are not particular to my assessment of Propeller but are generalizations from my past experience with varying forms of controls.

For those unfamiliar with Digg check out our article on the subject here. Propeller shares the following common features with Digg:

1. Ability to post a link to share with others
2. “Most Popular Stories” page similar to the Digg home page which is basically a snapshot of the most highly voted stories
3. Allows the user to “Prop It” which is similar to the “Digg” function on Digg
4. Allows the user to “Drop It” which basically allows the user to drop the article a place, similar to the “bury” function in Digg but not as harsh

Despite it’s similarity to Digg there are a few differences worth noting. First, there is a “Categories” section which allows the user to browse articles by category. Categories are similar to newspaper sections, for example – “News”, “Art & Entertainment”, “Sports”, etc. Second, there is a “Just In” option which allows you to view articles which have just arrived and are the most recent news offering on the site. I found this feature, coupled with the “Most Popular Stories” ability to sort by “Now”, “Today”, or “This Week”, to be particularly useful.

Two final aspects of the Propeller website that I find interesting are the “Community” and “Blog” features. The “Community” section basically promotes a user community of Propeller users. At the top of the page a featured member and group are prominently displayed. In addition, other users such as “most active members” and “most popular groups” are displayed, which provides a social contest of sorts. Other highlighted items on the “Community” page are “Top Submitters” and “Top Commenters”.

The Propeller “Blog” is essentially a blog centered around the Propeller website as one might guess. The blog highlights random news and also provides a useful “Propeller Week In Review” feature highlighting the propeller activity for the highlighted week.

Flight Check
My opinion of Propeller is somewhat mixed. On one hand it seems nearly identical to Digg when one looks at the basic functionality of the site. However I believe that there is enough unique value here to warrant a separate website. One benefit I have found is that Propeller seems like a good place for new blog entrants (such as us) to receive recognition without having to fight the tough competition in Digg – at least initially. For example, on the “Most Popular Stories” within the Propeller “Front Page” the number of “Props” range from 7 to 16. In comparison, Digg ranges from 110 – 856, this is a large difference especially for someone just starting out! Propeller is a fairly recent site, formerly the social media site for Netscape, it was moved to the new domain in 2007 and got a facelift in July 2008. This could offer the value of serving as a stepping stone, from the smaller social media site, to larger sites such as Digg, without feeling discouraged early on.

I have found that each social media site contains it own unique culture and my guess is that Propeller is no different. Digg is more of a hands-off free-for-all. Reddit appears to have a more alternative look and feel, with the alternative culture to match. At this time I have not been in the Propeller community to give an accurate assessment but my guess is since it is controlled, it is probably a more structured and professional environment when compared to its counterparts.

One of the great things I am discovering about social media is that it requires very little effort on your part. Create great content and others will spread the word. Sure there is some participation required, such as updating your feed on Facebook or posting pictures for example, however I find this to be fun and just really natural. The natural dialogue grounds you in the community and helps build a bond with others. In the near future I plan on creating a Propeller account and trying it out by being a part of the community rather than a guest looking in. I will provide an updated assessment and let you know my thoughts at that time.

Social media websites such as Propeller are a great way to get your content noticed quickly!

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding