By M.Christian

YNOT – Not too long ago, the name of social network Digg became synonymous with “poor redesign.” A recent re-redesign in response to losing ground to rival Reddit seems to have taken Digg in another direction and may infuse the service’s flagging fortunes with new life.

As reported by Search Engine Watch, the latest enhancements include Digg Newsrooms, which allow users to follow content organized by topic. While Newsrooms represent an improvement, the effort remains a bit shy of similar offerings from current category leader StumbleUpon. However, Digg plans future expansions that could give it a significant leg up.

Additionally, the new Digg gives users an option to allow voting on their submissions using a Facebook-style thumbs up or down.

More importantly, however, the new Digg displays employs social media optimization to catalog and display “Social Proof Counts,” allowing posters to see what’s generating interest — and help submitters learn what works and what doesn’t.

The new Digg also features Foursquare-type badges to reward users and build brand loyalty.

The badges are “…available in different levels/quantities for Newsroom submissions/promotions, read stories, Digg/Bury votes, comments and replies,” Search Engine Watch’s Angie Schottmuller noted. “In essence, it’s a loyalty program rewarding frequent and engaged Digg users.”

Some pundits argue that Digg’s changes are too little too late, but others maintain the upgrades may be just the thing to revive the site’s relevance. Only time will tell.