Should we say "digg-effected" or "digg-affected"?

August 23, 2006 1:28 PM

One of the links in this FPP references a "digg-effected link." This is probably overly nitpicky and more a matter of curiosity than anything else, but would it be "digg-effected" or "digg-affected?" It's a link that fell prey to the "digg effect," but on the other hand it was "affected by digg." Thoughts?
posted by OverlappingElvis to Etiquette/Policy at 1:28 PM (44 comments total)

Possibly a stupid (or at least trivial) question, now that I think about it... but I still can't figure out which it would be...
posted by OverlappingElvis at 1:30 PM on August 23, 2006

I'll go first:
1. s/b "digg-affected"
2. pat yourself on the back or flag it and move on
posted by mattbucher at 1:33 PM on August 23, 2006

OverlappingElvis writes "Possibly a stupid (or at least trivial) question, now that I think about it... but I still can't figure out which it would be..."

How about both? Stupid and trivial. Does that work?
And perhaps it's drug affected.
posted by peacay at 1:34 PM on August 23, 2006

How about both? Stupid and trivial. Does that work?
And perhaps it's drug affected.

Aww... I was just asking a question...
posted by OverlappingElvis at 1:36 PM on August 23, 2006

Thoughts?

I think there needs to be a 5 month waiting period for MetaTalk posts on new accounts.
posted by jonson at 1:39 PM on August 23, 2006

I know that digg (and this post) puts my affect all out of whack.
posted by OmieWise at 1:42 PM on August 23, 2006

J_o_k_e

Someone had a good definition about the affect/effect bamboozlement the other day. I forget who/where.

It should be: digg affected and the digg effect, yah.
posted by peacay at 1:43 PM on August 23, 2006

OmieWise writes "puts my affect all out of whack"

So the lisp and husky voice have gone when you wear high heels and lippy?
posted by peacay at 1:44 PM on August 23, 2006

snark == MetaTalk, and therefore: really, you should have wasted an AskMe question for this.
posted by Kickstart70 at 1:48 PM on August 23, 2006

I'm sorry if I'm getting a little defensive here, but I wasn't trying to be smug, or snarky, or negative, or anything else. I was honestly curious and I thought it was a neat little question that probably belonged here. If there's one thing that sometimes gets me about MetaFilter (and believe me, I love this site), it's just how quickly people are willing to jump on somebody for a really innocuous thing. Like asking an (overly) earnest question.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 1:52 PM on August 23, 2006

digg-infected
posted by kirkaracha at 1:55 PM on August 23, 2006

I'm no languagehat, but it seems like "the dig effect" is a noun and hence would have no tense to it. Proper way to phrase that would probably be "Site affected by the Digg Effect" or just "Digg Affected site".

Feel free to use caps at will.
posted by bDiddy at 1:59 PM on August 23, 2006

Should be called the Digg Affleck. Suckage (in this case bandwidth) by association.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:03 PM on August 23, 2006

I would say "Digg-effected". The site has been affected by Digg, of course, but that's not what the post refers to, since it could be affected by Digg in any way at all. The FPP is talking about the site being affected by the "digg effect". I'd use "Digg-effected" like "offlined" or "killfiled" - the digg effect has happened to it, so it's been digg-effected.
posted by pocams at 2:03 PM on August 23, 2006

***ALERT ALERT ALERT***
META POSTER LAPSING INTO DEFENSIVENESS
SET ALL SNARK METERS TO HIGH GAIN
***ALERT ALERT ALERT***
posted by mr_crash_davis at 2:08 PM on August 23, 2006

"Digg effect" is a noun, sure. We have a long tradition in English of forcing nouns to work as verbs, for better or worse (see also impact and other biz-speakisms). When we do so, we use the rules of verb formation that seem appropriate.

In this case the compound noun "Digg effect" is used in a past simple sense, and it feels like a regular verb, so we simple add '-ed' to get Digg-effected.

Any other questions, class?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:20 PM on August 23, 2006

The adjective should be "diggdugg". As in a diggdugged link.
posted by smackfu at 2:21 PM on August 23, 2006

Wow, I was sure I was with the majority here, but I think pocams is right: if a site isn't "Slashdotted" it might be "Digg-Effected" (note the capital "E"). But in either case - whether it's the noun "Digg Effect" being made into a adjective with "-ed", or the noun "Digg" made into a attributive phrase with the adjective "effected" - the hyphen is necessary.
posted by nicwolff at 2:22 PM on August 23, 2006

Sorry, my answer was not only smarmy, but wrong.

"Digg-affected link" is a noun phrase, and the the past participle of affect is affected, to which we add Digg- to get a longer adjective "Digg-affected".

I need coffee, and I'm hanging my head in shame.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:28 PM on August 23, 2006

I thought maybe Dig 'Emed would work.
posted by kosem at 2:30 PM on August 23, 2006

In this case the compound noun "Digg effect" is used in a past simple sense, and it feels like a regular verb, so we simple add '-ed' to get Digg-effected.

Any other questions, class?

Ooh, ooh! Sir, wouldn't it be prudent, regardless, to consider rephrasing in order to avoid the ambiguity present in this specific case, assuming the author isn't aiming to intentionally foster ambiguity?
posted by cortex at 2:39 PM on August 23, 2006

Can't we just say that we Dugg it?
posted by Kickstart70 at 2:40 PM on August 23, 2006

Also, one typically refers to "The Slashdot Effect" and "being Slashdotted"—not "being Slashdot-Effected"—and so the comparison seems rather by-the-by. One could argue in favor of "Digged" or perhaps "Dugg" rather than any variation on "Digg-Effect", and barring some strong community usage of the construction "The Digg Effect" that differs considerably from the Slashdot situation, I can't see any argument for why someone would be using "Digg-effected".

So, uh, yeah. And stuff.
posted by cortex at 2:43 PM on August 23, 2006

And what he said.
posted by cortex at 2:44 PM on August 23, 2006

Is the phrase "anal-retentive" supposed to have a hyphen?

;)
posted by marxchivist at 2:47 PM on August 23, 2006

Diggified, diggerated, diggusted, digg-down, diggonated.
posted by sfenders at 3:06 PM on August 23, 2006

Undiggnifried.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:09 PM on August 23, 2006

Diggled pink.
posted by cortex at 3:09 PM on August 23, 2006

Or "Digglered."
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:10 PM on August 23, 2006

I thought it was a neat little question that probably belonged here

You were wrong. Look at the top of the MetaTalk page, it clearly states this part of the site "is a discussion area for topics specific to MetaFilter itself." Your minor question clearly isn't, and belongs in AskMe, if anywhere.

*shrug*

Live and learn.
posted by mediareport at 3:22 PM on August 23, 2006

Diggfucked, obviously.
posted by signal at 3:47 PM on August 23, 2006

To truly actuate the full market potential of the phrase, it needs to be amended to utilize "digg-impacted" or, more impactfully, diggImpacted!, which, when actively focus-groupped, I am certain will reveal has no (negative) dental associations with the major majority of the normative consuming individuates.
posted by bonehead at 3:49 PM on August 23, 2006

DirkDigglered
posted by jonson at 3:51 PM on August 23, 2006

I already Digglered, jonson.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:54 PM on August 23, 2006

Not sure I actually needed that comma...
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:55 PM on August 23, 2006

bonehead: please refrain from "verbing" our trademark. Digg is a noun, not a verb.

Wrong: "I love that site! I've diggImpacted! it."
Right: "I love that site! I've noted my fondness for it at the social productivity site Digg."
posted by cortex at 4:00 PM on August 23, 2006

Diggfucked, obviously.
posted by signal

Diggystyle?
posted by Kickstart70 at 4:07 PM on August 23, 2006

My vote is for diggdugg, after the arcade game, which I am told is quite violent.
posted by yeti at 4:10 PM on August 23, 2006

"DIGGDODONGO DISLIKES SMOKE"
posted by iconomy at 5:58 PM on August 23, 2006

Diggystyle?

I eagerly await their hip-hop news subsite, the pun for which cannot be contained in this margin.
posted by GuyZero at 6:08 PM on August 23, 2006

That's very indicative of particularly restrogrssive attiude young cortex. Studies suggest that you program with-get to advance in the normative manner.
posted by bonehead at 7:08 PM on August 23, 2006

Hot diggity!

Personally I tend to think of Digg fanboys in the same way as I see Ruby on Rails fanboys -- "we're the future, we're putting the last nail in everything else's coffin"... boring and monotone.
posted by clevershark at 8:44 PM on August 23, 2006

Digg: it gives you an effection, it wins the election..
posted by fleacircus at 9:01 PM on August 23, 2006

...

what?
posted by cortex at 10:14 PM on August 23, 2006