Digg Rolls Out New Buttons and Widgets

We're getting more and more info on the upcoming 'New Digg,' which is slated to be launched soon. Along with the new website, Digg is also releasing new Digg buttons and widgets for webmasters. The tools are now available for all publishers and Digg says they should come in handy for those wanting to get ready for the upcoming launch.

"We're excited to announce that we have launched new and improved smart Digg buttons and a widget generator for publishers," Digg's Matt Van Horn wrote. "With the upcoming launch of the redesigned Digg, we want to give publishers the ability to more easily bring their content into the Digg ecosystem. These upgrades are a great way to get a head start on integration before the relaunch."

The new Digg buttons are in line with the site's new vision. The buttons no longer redirect users to the Digg site and clicking on them just adds up the counter. Most publishers should appreciate the fact that users don't leave their site when digging a story.

The buttons have also been redesigned. They feature a thumbs-up icon rather than the "Digg it" label like before. They also show the number of Diggs the story has gotten so far, much like most 'retweet' buttons that have been popping up on sites for the past year or so. Digg says all existing buttons should be automatically updated to the new design, but warns publishers to get acquainted with the changes.

The embeddable Digg widget is also getting a revamp. A notable change is that the story links lead to the publishers’ own web pages rather than to Digg. The stories will get the infamous Diggbar attached, though. The widget is also a lot more customizable, allowing publishers to get it just the way they like it without messing with the Digg API.