Last week marked the five-year anniversary of popular news website Digg. A cross between social networking and news, the site fills a niche role allowing users to decide what sort of content is worth viewing. Launched as an experiment in November 2004, it was met with explosive growth and has continued to expand. It is now a large part of the modern web, and has a huge impact on news sites around the world.
Digg's success hasn't come from nothing. The site has overcome failed partnerships, buyout rumors and companies attempting to use its system for their own advantage. Those obstacles have not dented Digg's mounting popularity, and it should be around for years to come. The site is nearing profitability, its traffic has nearly doubled since August 2008, and it reportedly sees click-through rates up to 100 times more than standard display advertising.
For more information on what Digg has accomplished, take a look at TechRadar's brief history of the site.