Digg CEO on User-Driven Web Sites

" Digg dot -- popularity has absolutely skyrocketed since launching back in 2004 what is this user driven content sharing site doing. To stay ahead of the competition and online trends here in up fox -- exclusive. PC EO of -- good to see here on the east coast that was within Silicon Valley last time."

" It's a pleasure to be at least -- tough business. Businesses -- we -- that they got product you may remember and now our users are getting this very high clickthrough rate which were you expecting to see. That means that it's monetize it really well so that was a great successfully monetize an addict we like to hear. -- things were making money with your bank -- money yes indeed. At the pace that your comfortable with which -- Seymour won't be honest with you last year a lot of pressure on us although the web properties to it to monetize spastic it to profitability quick. This year not this much for back focused on growth so I feel good that we're going to be profitable that's not the problem anymore. Upon for me -- how to -- important -- to be on the top of people's minds can't we have viewers who don't know what -- I want -- first -- your little -- nutshell the California this ticket is an online news site where the users determine what's important and people go there to find the hottest news items or videos -- pictures."

" If you read a great article ought to know folks you may have seen a little dig insignia which I hope is what your blog reading my blog thank you very much but when you click the date. And then it goes into sort of a pile that lets people know hey a lot of people like this article."

" That's right and then literally forty million people come and look at that stuff they did get up -- after awhile when it clears a certain algorithm. It gets our homepage and then tons of traffic go back to that original story fueled by a better at night and trying to figure out ways to further monetize this and make money off -- what is it that you're doing to really bring cash. Well right now we do is we go to these advertisers and trying to convince some to create content as advertising instead of the standard billboard or whatever you read on the Internet. We're gonna create pads and we do create ads that are literally content so if you click on that you read an interesting story or article. And you put branding next to it we get literally a hundred a hundred times a picture of what a typical I would get. So that's good for advertisers. I can take that seeing concept and syndicated. And put it on state newspaper site and help them monetizes in the same way I can actually help solve their problem."

" You just said with a few keywords newspapers and problem of course Rupert Murdoch was on in the last hour talking about how this is sort of do or die at this point newspapers have got to figure out a way. To really get people to pay for the content online Wall Street -- able to do it. In this building now we got a bunch of newspapers we have we've been magazines as well we've got smart money we've got New York Post. Obviously The Wall Street Journal but -- big newspaper company too if you have. Rupert Murdoch or or any of the people who run newspapers looking you would say in what should I do what am I doing wrong what would you --"

" Let's at first off don't expect the consumer to necessarily pay for news I mean I I agree that someone has to pay for -- completely agree. But I think aggregators frankly like -- should have to to include a piece of that if it costs money to produce that we're you gonna source -- from. So coming up with ways but this ad system. Might be a good way to share the revenue I can help monetize 'cause I know those users so well frankly better than than the newspapers know themselves. I know those users so well maybe I can help target now to actually make an advertising model work. That's what I'm hoping for. I don't think though that my mom my -- you know people that I know work with. Expect to pay for news anymore."

" But shouldn't shouldn't say if they're dying to read let's say for example the New York times' Maureen -- every weekend or or at. It -- Peggy Noonan of The Wall Street Journal. Shouldn't they at micro payments that's not an option to -- quick idea I'd."

" I don't I think micro payments -- interest I think that if it if it works though the level it's gonna work is between somebody like me like dig. And the newspaper. As opposed to necessarily expecting a consumer to subscribe to some kind of micro payments are you working with newspapers right now Bruce absolutely and it would what we do -- we we sit down we say what do you need from us number one today. They need traffic because they're advertising -- still but they also need to understand these users better and when you're sending traffic from a Google war dig. These are unfamiliar users than the normal subscriber. -- we have to tell them who these people are so they can better monetize you have just come from the web 2.0 expo here in New York. What if the audience most interest to the non. Right now they wanna know what's hip what's next what's the hot. You know what this technology what -- half -- location location awareness you know what I mean like your iPhone knowing where you are on an all the applications that have to do -- that it's it's pretty important right now so a lot of people jump in on that bandwagon. I think also frankly the secret is that technologies have recently changed behind the scenes in the back room back a much much faster. Things that allow web sites to work which opens the door all sorts of new kinds of crazy applications to work in real time. You sell your information that you have because not that you guys have a lot of and we don't yet it's a great idea though but the youngest that -- I don't mind so I had to cut back. I don't less selling and as long as the users want me to so so our attitude probably what. Well depends I think that users. Are pretty sensitive now they're pretty savvy they understand the idea -- that they have to be private. But if there's some kind of aggregate measure like -- I know what the trends are what people are reading into rationality of stuff. I can probably give that to say newspaper would be valuable to them. Change from the inevitable question what are you going public alone while well. But it took for me to go public there's there's one absolute necessities I need that kind of capital I need hundreds of millions of dollars for something and to be honest. You back capital right so wanna wait till now and you've raised enough. We've risen up will be profitable it's not a problem so so I'm not saying going I have to go public at some point have to get my investors return. And I wanna give my employees something but I wanna wait for the right moment of the company's value right. And frankly telling me that kind of money to do something like maybe go international. Can't can't intent you're not international now. About 40% of our traffic comes from international we have no other languages right now and so one don't. So it's a good idea we'll let us know first -- it happen -- thrilled to have you as a pleasure. Cattle -- the CEO. Of game."