Another new controversy is swirling around the social news site Digg tonight as an update to the algorithm appears to have quite a few of the prominent users of the site up in arms - so much so that there is a rather rousing impromptu debate going on right now on The Drill Down's Ustream channel.

Digg apparently updated its algorithm again a couple days ago and while they are very secretive about exactly what this entails, the consensus seems to be that for certain heavy users of the site it's going to make it much, much harder for stories they submit to reach the frontpage. While some may applaud this effort the level the playing field as it were, Digg is very much a community driven site and if everyone in that community is not equal, you're going to start to see major issues.

Some users have even gone so far as to craft an open letter to Digg, which has been republished on Valleywag. The 5 main points of the letter are:

1) Lack of communication and disregard for the Digg community

2) Unexplained and unacknowledged banning of top users

3) Lack of transparency - Digg only shows you the stories that people have dugg, but not the ones that are buried.

4) The auto-bury list - For months, dozens of sites have been on an auto-bury list, often with no explanation whatsoever.

5) Repeated and flagrant disrespect of its top users

Digg founder Kevin Rose weighed in on the changes a few hours ago on the Digg Blog. While he confirms the algorithm changes he appears to be urging patience within the community while the new algorithm perfects itself. It's clear from the debate going on that this will not placate these users.

While no firm decision has been made as to what to do from the user's perspective, it appears many of the top users are now willing to sit it out for a few days and not use the site at all while they make a decision. You can probably expect another response from Digg at some point soon.

Rizzn Hopkins has a very comprehensive post on the revolt and its backstory on Mashable.

You can find the site that holds the Open Letter here, complete with plenty of comments.


[UPDATE]: Both Kevin Rose and Jay Adelson have joined in on the conversation at The Drill Down. Jay is taking questions right now. Kevin is currently downloading Skype to call in...

[UPDATE 2]: The conversation came and went. Jay Adelson and Kevin Rose answered questions and addressed concerns - the revolution appears to have been put down (walk out cancelled). They have also promised some kind of new monthy public forum to address future concerns - as you know this will all come up again in another few months...


*Disclaimer - I am a former top user of Digg, but do not use the site that much anymore.