In last week’s article on the SEOmoz blog about Pinterest I compared the up and coming social network to the old Digg. Little did I know that with one change in the algorithm earlier today they would actually become the old Digg.
For those of you that aren’t familiar with the happenings in 2009, Digg decided to change their popularity algorithm to benefit the more powerful users. It was at that point that the site’s users made a mass exodus to other networks that provide newer content and a fairer playing field. In what came out of left field today (I’m still hoping it’s a glitch in their popularity algorithm) Pinterest has done the exact same thing.
For any piece of new content on Pinterest the most important element of getting repins or shared is its presence on the “category” pages within the site itself. The category pages have acted as a springboard to the popular pages since the site’s existence and have always given new users a chance to submit their content with a chance of it going popular.
However, it seems that is no more. For nearly 24 hours the only content showing up on the category pages is weeks or sometimes up to a year old. Not only is this unheard of, but it’s also quite ridiculous for any social network.
Currently, the only content receiving any promotion or repins is the content provided from the “Pinterest Juggernauts” that have over one million followers. Even if you have a few thousand followers, I’m afraid that it’s simply not enough to overcome this change in algorithm.
So what does this change mean for Pinterest users as a whole?
- New users do not stand a chance.
- New content will only be visible to your followers.
- The site will soon be flooded with old content and pins from “power” users.
- Pinterest will stop to lose its appeal.
The great thing about the old Pinterest algorithm was that it provided a level playing field for all users. It allowed the community as a whole to “vote” as to what would make the popular page, very similar to that of Reddit. Reddit is the ideal social network where good content is rewards and the spam is downvoted to oblivion. So why the sudden change in the algorithm? I think it’s fairly obvious by the headlines in the past 24 hours:
Yes, combating spam is a big issue and Pinterest did receive a rather significant black eye from the media today, however, their reaction has been detrimental to the community as a whole. Forcing users to view material that is months old will only lead to the decline of Pinterest. If things don’t chance soon, I’m afraid that we may witness a repeat of Digg in 2009. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that and they solve this issue before it’s too late.
Before any questions are asked, the following test were ran to determine if it’s indeed a change in the Pinterest algorithm:
- Different IP Addresses
- New User Accounts
- Established User Accounts
- Brand new, never before seen content
- URL shorteners
- Image Rehosting
- All of the above, all combinations you can think of
After nearly six hours of testing . . . nothing. Not once piece of content repinned and it was all buried beneath a pile of content weeks old. Pinterest is new, growing, and has the potential to become one of the most powerful social networks in history. However, they took a major step back today by censoring new content. If you’re a Pinterest user and care about the site and its content as I have for months, let your voice be heard.
