Visit just about any of the hundreds of SEO blogs out there and you’ll find plenty of opinions and stats about Digg and Reddit. These two user generated content sites have a huge influence over the tech savvy populace. The rest of us don’t have time to read CNN or MSNBC, much less Digg and all its clones.

But whether you have time to visit daily and keep up with all the crazy news, you should still be aware of the power Digg and Reddit hold on your reputation. One popular story about you, your company, or your website will drive tons of traffic to your site. The floodgates may close as quickly as they opened, but you will receive a LOT of attention. Mind you, this completely depends upon the popularity of the story posted on Digg or Reddit. Just because someone diggs you doesn’t mean you’re going to get more than ten random visitors.

Still, you need to be aware of these sites. Many companies are now implementing copywriting / linkbaiting campaigns for the sole purpose of getting popular on Digg and Reddit. And some companies feel compelled to do this because a negative blog or article has become popular on Digg and they need to combat the bad publicity.

This is a new site, so it may be a while before people begin commenting on every post. If you ever have any questions about how to use Digg or Reddit as a reputation management tool, feel free to ask.

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