Scott Karp takes a look at what it takes to be successful in social media, and finds that it is not much different from traditional media.
He looks at Digg.com, and analyzes their top users – those who have had stories reach the Digg homepage more than three times.
“…being successful on Digg is hard work and only a small fraction of those who try ever succeed… The “community” doesn’t determine what goes on the home page of Digg — it’s a handful of de facto “professionals”… Sure, they leverage their network of “friends,” but then getting ahead has always been about who you know, right?”
He concludes:
“…they achieved their Digg success not through any egalitarian, democratic entitlement — they got there by my making a commitment to do a good job, work hard, abide by standards, and serve their community. They earned the privilege.”