This post is a little lessoned learned in social networking: A couple of weeks ago, I compromised my Digg integrity. That is, I unwillingly voted for a Digg post after being solicited three times from a colleague of mine (you know who you are, Ace). I did it as a courtesy even though I didn’t “dig” what was being asked of me to Digg. There wasn’t anything wrong with the post, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

The same thing happens when people you barely know bug you with LinkedIn invitations. I occasionally get an invitation from someone and think to myself: “Dude, I can’t vouch for your work. I don’t even know you.”

The take-away? There’s nothing wrong with asking for a Digg, recommendation, social networking action, or whatever, but ask once and once only. People will act if they appreciate what is being asked. In the case of Digg, put a request out there and only expect people to Digg what they like. That makes the whole process authentic thus enabling the social bookmarking tool, or any voting/recommendation tool for that matter, to work more effectively.