Last week the company unveiled its version 4.0 of the site, promising to add speed, personalization and new social tools in hopes of staying competitive with other sharing networks, including Twitter and Facebook.
(Digg’s Web site was inundated with Reddit.com links as Digg users revolted over a site redesign.)
After a bumpy technical start, the site seems to be running more efficiently even if it did shut down for a few hours on Tuesday afternoon. But the site’s most avid users have been complaining about the changes, especially the new ways of making social networking features a core part of the Web site. To show their distaste, some have inundated the site with links to Reddit.com, a similar Web site, and Digg’s main competitor.
Meanwhile, Kevin Rose, Digg’s founder and interim chief executive, announced that he will step down from managing day-to-day operations of the service, and that Matt Williams, formerly of Amazon.com, will run the company as chief executive. Mr. Rose’s move was expected, but adds a little more drama to the week.
Mr. Rose explained in a company blog post why he thought Mr. Williams was the right fit for the company:
Matt has spent the past 11 years in a variety of roles at Amazon, most recently as GM for Consumer Payments, and earlier in his career he led Amazon’s community efforts. He was the Founder and CEO of LiveBid.com, which was acquired by Amazon in May of 1999. Matt brings seasoned management experience and has a reputation for delivering innovative products and excellent results.
Mr. Williams will have his work cut out for him as he begins his new role. First on the list would seem to be dealing with customer displeasure in a world where the way people share information on the Web is constantly changing.
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