The relaunch of Digg, the popular internet news-sharing platform from the early days of social media, is officially underway. Original founder Kevin Rose, teaming up with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, has introduced an “early-access” community dubbed “Groundbreakers” for some of the initial registrants who expressed interest following last month’s announcement of Digg’s acquisition.
Entry into the “Groundbreakers” community requires a one-time $5 fee, which Digg emphasized is intended primarily as a safeguard against bots rather than a revenue-generating measure. Any proceeds accumulated from these payments will be donated to a nonprofit, which the company plans to select collaboratively alongside early community members.
Participants in the Groundbreakers initiative will receive timely updates on Digg’s development process, including previews of mockups and experiments. Members also secure early choices for usernames and will be distinguished by a special “Groundbreakers badge” attached to their user profiles, signifying their role in shaping the platform from its very inception.
Currently, the community platform is hosted on Circle, an interactive communication tool popular among creators. While the precise number of early-access slots available has not been publicized, around 3,000 individuals had successfully enrolled as of the latest update.
Digg’s registration process, along with the early operations on Circle, reportedly experienced slowdowns and technical glitches on Thursday morning shortly after launch, though these issues appeared manageable and were addressed promptly.
