Part Nine: Sharing a Story

Although he was glad of his own success, nubi often felt a little bad that many of his friends had less success. He often shouted for them, just forwarding the link, and yet some of his friends started to complain about the shouts they received. Once again, he came to the Master for help.

"Master, I often see stories that are not mine, but I believe to be worthy of the frontpage. How do I get these stories to the frontpage, like I do with my own?"

"First of all, nubi, do they have the Digg Nature?"

"Some do, some don't."

"I'd suggest that, unless your friends particularly enjoy a specific type of story, that you stick to stories with the Digg nature in your reshouts, first of all."

"Yet even then, it doesn't always seem to help much. Also, my friends complain if I reshout very much."

"What do you tell them in your reshouts?"

"I let the story speak for itself!"

The Master looked agitated. "So, you don't mention a thing about the story, or that you are shouting for a friend?"

"Well no, but..."

"But nothing! First of all, the shout is an art form, as we discussed before. That is where you can put your opinion about the story, without being gauche and commenting on a story you're promoting. Secondly, it is truly good form to tell your friends that you are shouting for a friend, and poor form not to."

"But why?"

"When they receive the same story multiple times, it bothers people if they don't understand why. So much that they may even un-Digg the story and Bury it. This is not what you want, is it?"

At this, nubi was enlightened.