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One of the least-understood or discussed elements of the New Media Release was the inclusion of the Digg "button." Here's the idea:

Each New Media Release should be able to stand on its own as a source of content; thus it could be as relevant as an article in the mainstream media. For example, if Intel releases news about an upcoming microchip, there are lots of people ranging from business reporters to engineers to bloggers who would likely be very interested. Similarly, if Martha Stewart put out an announcement about a "to-die-for" new recipe, there would be a population segment who'd be just as rabidly interested.

Whether or not a "traditional" reporter or a blogger decided to write about the Intel chip or Martha Stewart recipe, the New Media Releases would still exist in cyberspace, infinitely "findable" to the layperson via a simple Google search on terms ranging from "semiconductors" to "recipes."

In the Olden Days (say, 6 months ago), these laypeople might find the news, use it for their own purposes, email it to friends, etc. --- but ultimately any news release that did not pique the interest of a journalist or top blogger would soon perish.

But with services like Digg, Newsvine, the new Netscape, et al., a layperson who likes a piece of content --- whether an article or a news release --- can "vote" for it and in doing so expose the content to thousands of other people who might otherwise never have seen it. The News Release can become a user-promoted News Story.

And lo' --- any content that rises through the ranks of a service like Digg can become truly newsworthy, i.e., to the mainstream reporter who might have otherwise ignored it. This tidbit from MediaPost speaks to the potential:

"While Digg is far from a mega-mainstream Web destination, it has disproportionate influence on search-engine results and blog memes ... Moreover, Digg's tendency to periodically extend beyond its core audience by uncovering and virally launching niche content into the mainstream is certainly compelling."

Everyone (myself included) talks about the democratization of media, i.e., anyone can be an author. Services like Digg represent the "Meritocracy of Media," i.e., anyone can be an editor.

Tags: digg, new+media+release, social+media, press+release, public+relations, marketing, PR