As it tries to navigate a perilous economy, the social news site Digg is cutting back its staff and making a mad dash for the land of financial safety: profitability.

The San Francisco company announced on Thursday that it would cut 10 percent of its 75-person work force and refocus on building an advertising infrastructure that will help it to get to profitability in 2009. Thus far, the company has depended on an advertising relationship with Microsoft for most of its revenues. Now it hopes to supplement that income with targeted advertising it can sell itself.

Just four months ago, Digg raised $28 million in a venture capital round and announced plans to expand globally and translate the site into other languages. Those plans are now on hold, as are Digg’s anticipated move to larger offices.

“We need to start investing in areas that could counteract what looks to be a pretty bad economic climate this year,” said Jay Adelson, Digg’s chief executive. “The answer to having a high value is profitability as soon as possible. It’s not about phantom valuations, it’s about proving yourself with your revenues.”

The company will also focus on expanding its relationship with its publishing partners (which include The New York Times) and on completing its much-anticipated integration with Facebook Connect in the next two months.

Mr. Adelson addressed the possibility that Digg may be in danger of being eclipsed by Twitter, the microblogging service that also allows people to serendipitously discover news items they might not have otherwise encountered. Hitwise, the online measurement firm, posted data this week that showed Twitter was catching up to Digg in traffic.

But Mr. Adelson said he did not believe the companies competed. Instead, he said, they can be used somewhat harmoniously.

“Twitter is another source of reporting or content that ultimately also needs to be collaboratively filtered. How many people do you want to follow before it becomes noise?” he said. “I see Twitter as a form of content that still needs to be bubbled to the surface.”