Digg is a social networking website where people share online content with others:
“Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. From the biggest online destinations to the most obscure blog, Digg surfaces the best stuff as voted on by our community. We’re here to provide tools for our community to discover content, discuss the topics that they’re passionate about, connect with like-minded people, and make some new friends in the process. By looking at information through the lens of the collective community on Digg, you’ll always find something interesting and unique. We’re committed to giving every piece of content on the web an equal shot at being the next big thing.”
If you examine the share icon on most websites, you will discover that Digg is one of hundreds of options available. Facebook and Twitter are two others, but Digg keeps a running tally of the number of times articles and other things posted on the Internet are “digged” by readers and then publishes the results on its website by category. Today, in the “Top News in Politics” category, the top five postings are:
- New Book Claims That Richard Nixon Was Gay
- Houston’s Nine Members of Congress: Net Worth of Almost $400 Million
- Three Myths About Ron Paul
- Why We Must Put Our Bodies on the Line to Fight Against the Right-Wing War on Women
- Top 10 Game-Changing Progressive Moments In 2011
By simply clicking on the title, Digg enthusiasts are able to see what others are saying, and if they are part of the Digg community, they can add their two cents worth. For example, the first item listed deals with a recent book that claims President Nixon was gay. What Nixon was or wasn’t isn’t the issue. The point is that the item listed, or more precisely the item’s title, is a launching pad for the Digg community to sound off on an issue, and what they have to say is revealing because the comments provide a glimpse into what people are thinking and saying.
Digg readers had these things to say, among others, about the Nixon piece, and the comments are verbatim:
“Bleh. I call bulls**t. This mudslinging is no better than the conspiracy trash pushed by various other mouth-breathing dolts.”
“Look up bohemian grove! Its not bulls**t!”
“Everyone is gay except gay people. They are the straight ones.”
“I’m a lesbian trapped in a man’s body.”
“In the future, this will be a nonissue regardless of who is being discussed. Lol”
“Such an intelligent comment. I mean that seriously. I await the day when what you said comes to fruition.”
“Move along, folks, this isn’t news. It’s no surprise because all Republicans are in the closet”
“of course they are, someone said it about a republican so it has now got to be twisted around to be about democrats. just like everything else. you guys are so predictable.”
If you want to know what people are thinking and saying about the “gay rights” issue at this moment, Digg is a great place to start, but it’s not the only place you can go to put your finger on the pulse of the public. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube provide similar information, but they don’t publish their results the way Digg does.
I became aware of the power of social networking while I was writing a book titled Falsely Accused. It’s about a young woman named Cyndi Marchbanks who was charged with double homicide in Anderson County South Carolina after she shot a pregnant woman who broke into her home to beat her to a pulp or worse. The intruder died instantly, but the baby was delivered postmortem and kept alive on machines for 40 days before she died.
The facts of the case reveal that no law was broken. It was a clear-cut case of self defense. The facts also show that the investigation was shoddy. From start to finish, detectives spent less than two hours investigating, and the prosecutor was running for re-election in a heated campaign. This was a high-profile case that was tailor-made for a politician who needed to show the community that she was tough on crime even though no crime was committed.
People living in Anderson never saw the facts. All they knew was what they read, heard, or saw on television. In their eyes, Marchbanks was a hideous monster, the cold-blooded killer of a mother and her unborn child because that’s the way she was portrayed. To this day, you can read about the case on topix.net, another social networking website. The last comment on topix.net was posted in March 2011, four and a half years after the shooting. To date, 971 comments about the case have been posted on topix.net and most of them are off-the-wall, but we live in a world where facts don’t matter. Those comments, as ludicrous as most of them are, have more influence on people’s thinking than the facts ever will.
A jury acquitted Marchbanks in near record time because the evidence for self defense was overwhelming, but to this day she remains a cold-blooded killer in the minds of most people living in Anderson thanks to social networking. Don’t underestimate the power of social networking. We live in a world where perception is everything, and people who understand the power of social networking are using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Digg, and other social networking websites to shape perceptions and win others over to their points of view regardless of the facts.
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other social networking websites were used as tools to promote the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street. They were used in 2008 by candidate Obama to win the hearts and minds of voters, and he’s using them again this go-around for everything from fundraising to promoting his positions on issues.
Today, President Obama is ranked number 7 on Twitter’s list of “The Top 100 Most Followed on Twitter” with 11,677,598 followers. Those ahead of him on the list include Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears, and Shakira. Those closely trailing Obama include Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Ashton Kutcher. Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, and the other GOP hopefuls aren’t even listed in Twitter’s Top 100. For comparison purposes, Bill Gates is ranked 42nd on the list with 4,917,575 followers, and the New York Times is ranked 59th with 4,198,774 followers.
When the votes are tallied in November 2012, the winner of the presidential campaign is likely to be the candidate that understood and used social networking most effectively. At this time, the Republican field has a long way to go before they catch up with Obama. This may seem to be a trivial point, but as I said, don’t underestimate the power of social networking.
This SnyderTalk editorial first appeared as a blog in American Thinker on December 30, 2011.
To see other SnyderTalk editorials, click here.
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Thomas Jefferson
“For here we are not afraid to follow the truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.”
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Jeremiah 36: 32
Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the son of Neriah, the scribe, and he wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them.
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Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided. They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Hosea 4: 6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
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Stand! is a gripping novel about the subterfuge surrounding the global warming debate. It lays out the facts concerning climate change through an exciting story that pits a college professor and his research collaborator against corrupt university administrators and radical environmentalists. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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- Read SnyderTalk the way you would a newspaper.
- Scan the headlines and read the articles that interest you.
- Be sure to check out the pages in the column on the right.
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- Moshe Dayan’s colossal blunder
- Obama’s foreign policy failures have yet to explode, but when they do …
- 5,500 Reports of Honor Attacks This Year In UK
- The Narrative of Perpetual Palestinian Victimhood
- Senior Egyptian Politician Rejects Peace between Egypt, Israel
- The Age of Race- and Politics-Based Law Enforcement
- IDF’s unparalleled record of sparing civilians in counter-terrorism operations
- Mona Charen: The Wrong Kind of Minority
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Top 5 diggtm articles yesterday:
- Bachmann’s Iowa Campaign Leader Quits to Join Ron Paul Campaign
- Florida Abortion-Ban Bill: “Personal Liberty Is Not a License to Kill”
- Republican Nonsense on Regulation
- Michigan: Suspicion-Based Drug-Testing For Welfare Is Likely
- Beyond DNA, Difficult Tests for the Justice System
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The Jerusalem Post:
- Arab League monitor in Syria: We don’t aim to topple Assad
- UK slams ‘provocative’ J’lem building plans
- ‘Secret peace talks nixed in wake of Quartet plan’
- Erdogan pledges full probe of deadly Turkish raid
- Iran to fire long-range missiles during Gulf drill
- IAF strikes rocket launching squad in Gaza
- Army rabbi: IDF is no place for mistreating women
- Haniyeh, Mashaal meet Sudan’s Bashir over J’lem
- ‘Ex-SLA member stones wife to death in Safed’
- Rally for their right, or challenging status quo?
- Eichler slams ‘coordinated’ anti-haredi campaign
- Jewish Democrats doubt Republicans’ Israel support
- U.S. Reassures Israel over Saudi Fighter Jet Deal
- Israel’s Anti-Missile Iron Dome Successful in Downing 75 Percent of Rockets
- Hamas Denies It Is Halting Attacks Against Israel
- Hamas Denies Report of Ceasefire with Israel
Haaretz:
- A Kinder, Gentler Hamas?
- Hundreds of thousands rally in Syria as 32 reported killed
- IDF Chief: Nuclear Iran a threat to entire region, not just to Israel
- Iran announces long-range missile test amid Strait of Hormuz row with U.S.
- IDF chief: Gaza war against Hamas was an ‘excellent’ operation
- Soviet envoy warned Nixon and Kissinger against Mideast war in 1973, documents reveal
- One ultra-Orthodox woman who did not stay silent
- New book reveals stunning information about capture of Adolf Eichmann
- Assad can force end to Syria crisis but wishes to avoid bloodshed, Lebanon official says
- U.S. cautious in face of mounting criticism on Arab League monitors in Syria
- Syrian forces kill 25 protesters as Arab League monitors reach cities
- One killed as IDF hits Gaza militant squad about to launch rocket into Israel
- Palestinian pardoned by Israel put back on wanted list
- Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox protesters riot in flashpoint town of Beit Shemesh
Other:
- ‘Our ties may be second only to the relationship with the US’
- The Israeli military prepares for a new type of war
- Burning books in Cairo
- Syria Renews Bloody Crackdown in Homs
- Syria: Arab League Attacked for Ignoring Scale of Violence
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What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Business:
- Survey Participants See Higher Gold Prices Next Week
- Gulf deep drilling thrives, 18 month after BP spill
- Wall St near flat; S&P on track to end in black
- Oil Heads for Third Annual Advance in a Row
- Spain says deficit bigger than expected, hikes taxes
- Contraction in China’s Manufacturing Boosts Easing Case: Economy
- Ford’s U.S. Sales of Namesake Brand Top 2 Million for First Time Since ’07
- BofA ‘Three-Ring Circus’ Posts Worst Showing in Dow Average
- Tribune Bankruptcy Case Likely to Extend to Summer
World:
- Syria: Clashes, Protests & Monitors
- Will ‘supreme leader’ Kim Jong-un take a shot on North Korea’s future?
- Egypt assures US no more raids on democracy groups
- Germany summons Egypt ambassador over NGO crackdown
- Funerals Held for Civilian Victims of Turkey Airstrikes
- Turkish president, PM saddened by air raid deaths, offer condolences
- Graft law chaos sums up India’s challenges
- Nigeria: Christmas attacks death toll rises to 42
- Pakistan Court Approves Coup Memo Investigation
- Saudi F-15s tip of $123B gulf arms plan
- Bomb Blast Kills 8 in SW Pakistan
- Doctors Without Borders Say Two Staffers Shot to Death in Somalia
- US Weighs Releasing Taliban Commander From Gitmo as Part of Peace Talks
- Five dead in Afghan bomb attacks
United States:
- To the Wire: 2 Iowa Polls Show Santorum Moving Ahead of Gingrich into 3rd; 2 Show Romney Leading; 1 Shows Paul; 1 Shows 3-Way Tie
- ‘None’ Beats Obama in Gallup’s ‘Most Admired’ Survey
- Ron Paul: Iran Would be Justified in Closing Strategic Waterway in Response to Sanctions
- ‘Fast and Furious’ Linked to Immunity Deal Between U.S. and Sinaloa Cartel, Trafficking Defendant Alleges in Court Papers
- Gingrich Among Co-Sponsors of Global Warming Bill With ‘International Agreement on Population Growth,’ But Now Says Backed Only Part of Bill
- Foreign policy could be the sleeper issue of 2012
- Iowa poll: Santorum surges as Gingrich fades, Romney leads
- Shot Marine used fingers to plug bullet holes
- Obama administration delays request for debt limit increase after Congress objects
- Election 101: How an Iowa GOP caucus works
- Muslims Skip NYC Mayor’s Event to Protest Spying
- Surveillance Law Upheld While Lawsuits Allowed to Proceed
- Question about court decision stumps Rick Perry
Townhall Opinions:
- Lincoln Brown: Gutless and Heartless is No Way to Run the GOP
- Brent Bozell: Profanity and Pop Music
- Jonah Goldberg: 2011: You Can’t Win For Losing
- David Limbaugh: Blind to their Liberal Biases
- John Ransom: Mr. Crony Went to Congress: Subpoena Soros, Buffett, et al.
- Suzanne Fields: The Social Medium, Not The Message
- Linda Chavez: Coulter’s Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
- Jeff Carter: Isolationism, Protectionism Lead to War
- Mike Shedlock: Race Baiting and Ron Paul
- Bob Beauprez: Survey: Docs No Fan of ObamaCare
- Crista Huff: A Portfolio of Companies Tied to Obama I won’t Invest In
- Matt Mackowiak: The Political Winners of 2011
- Daniel J. Mitchell: What’s Worse, Being Endorsed by a Racist or a Communist?
- Gary Shapiro: Our Government is Failing Us
- John Browne: 2012 Offers Few Reasons for Optimism
- Tim Gilmore: Most Ridiculous Lawsuit of 2011 Announced
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/
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- Romney prepares aggressive Iowa finish
- Payroll tax cut raises worries about Social Security’s future funding
- China rules
- Egypt’s unprecedented crackdown
- N. Korea tells S. Korea not to expect change
- Federal judge accuses SEC of misleading court
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- Habibi hesitant to sign up for elections
- Iran’s non-oil exports approaching $32 billion
- Iran sanctions hit millions of dollars to Canada
- Bahrain arrests anti-regime protesters
- Empty hands of Egypt’s young revolutionaries
- Iraq’s leaders must reach a consensus
- Iraqi politicos need to promote coexistence
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If You Voted for Obama in 2008 to Prove You’re Not a Racist, You Need to Vote for Someone Else in 2012 to Prove You’re Not an Idiot explains why voters in the United States need to elect someone besides Barack Obama to lead them. Whoever is elected President of the United States in 2012 will have to contend with the monumental problems that Obama’s misguided policies have caused both at home and abroad. One thing is certain, though. It should not be Barack Obama. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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http://www.americanthinker.com/
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- Our Growing Police State
- Division By ZerO
- 2012: The Mess Gets Messier
- To Get Ron Paul’s Insanity, You Have To Understand Libertarianism
- Tintin vs. Walter Duranty, Stalin Stooge
- Unhappy New Year
- Don’t Underestimate the Power of Social Networking
- Americans identify with GOP positions more than Democrats
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- The Center for American Progress’ Jihad Against the Free World
- New York Times Ridicules Gingrich on Sharia
- Five Easy Steps to End ‘Islamophobia’
- Islam’s War on Christmas
- Women’s Rights and Double Standards
- Obama’s Loyal Allies
- Israel Stands Up to Gender Extremists
- Voices of Palestine: Abbas Zaki
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http://www.weeklystandard.com/
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- Mitt Romney and the Music Man
- Iowa: Santorum Surges, Romney Stable, Paul Dropping
- Happy Hour: A Distant Obama
- Egyptian Forces Raid NGOs
- Report: Petraeus Considered Resigning Over Afghan Drawdown
- New Iowa Poll Shows Paul, Romney, and Gingrich Tied at 17%
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- Will the euro survive 2012 intact?
- Progressivism: Old and tired
- ‘Tis a pity they are whores
- Brazil’s oil industry, Dominican-Haitian relations and the Falkland Islands
- 2011 in nine charts
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- North Korea: ‘Expect no change’
- Syria activists urge mass rallies
- Russia submarine fire ‘contained’
- Jamaican opposition wins election
- US rejects Chavez cancer comments
- Hungary threat to central bank
- Recession ‘to return’ to Europe
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- The Freedom to Cross a Border
- The Federal Government Can’t Even Run a Veterans Cemetery
- GM’s Chevy Volt Costs Taxpayers $250,000 Per Vehicle
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- Report: US Pushing Israel to Free Barghouti
- Isreael brings gifts to the world
- Who really burned the mosque?
- Gil-White takes on Conrad Black
- Vile Jew-Hater Qaradawi, Key Mediator In U.S.-Taliban Talks
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http://samsonblinded.org/news/
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- Hey, Hey Woody Guthrie — We Celebrate Your Music, But Not Your Politics
- Meet Your SEIU Babysitter and the Left’s Scheme to Unionize Everything
- The Iron Lady, The Grocer’s Daughter, The Candidate of Character
- Mullah Ron Paul
- America’s Two-Front War
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http://rubinreports.blogspot.com
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http://www.jewishworldreview.com/
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http://www.nationalreview.com/
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- What else was nailed to Jesus’ cross?
- Syria activists plan more protests
- Pakistan testimony doctor shot dead
- Midwife delivers own baby using mirror
- U.S. Strategic Competition with Iran
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Yahweh to Jeremiah—Jeremiah 16: 21
“Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.”
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If you haven’t been there already, you should take the opportunity to visit Natural Healthcare Store. Each product selected for sale at Natural Healthcare Store undergoes rigorous research to make sure that it is the highest quality at an affordable price.
Natural Healthcare Store carries skin care, hair care, and oral care products. Be sure to check out the Dead Sea products imported from Israel and support the Israeli economy with your purchases. Natural Healthcare Store carries makeup, deodorant, and detoxification products. It also carries supplements, weight loss products, and loose leaf tea. Rounding out its product mix, Natural Healthcare Store carries natural household cleaning products.
Katie and I believe strongly in healthy living, and we use the products. We’re proud to say that our daughter Melanie owns the store.
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http://www.commentarymagazine.com/
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- Ron Paul: Where Left Meets Right
- Turkey Not Interested in Justice
- The Nominee Matters, Not the Field
- Good Year for Fox News
- Perry’s Ignorance is Not A Virtue
- So Much for Hamas’s Change of Heart
- Obama’s Childish Playacting
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His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important. It’s available in eBook format and in paperback.
God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.”
Exodus 3: 15
