What Do You Think of Stumbling?
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I asked the other day in an article if anyone was using social networking sites. Well I have started to use them, in particular StumbleUpon, and here’s what I think about it:
StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon is a social bookmarking site similar to del.icio.us and lets you stumble your favorite content whether it is blog posts, websites, video’s, photos, people etc… and keep them all in the one place and to share with others. You can even add what you think of the site in a review.
Tool Bar
StumbleUpon also makes life easier by giving you a tool bar that you can download for either Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox browsers. You use the stumble button to ’stumble’ through the sites and then give them a thumbs up if you like the content, write a review (using the speech bubble in the tool bar) or send to a friend etc… You can also refine what you want to see by picking a channel.
If I am reading a blog and like the content I also look out for the share this icon somewhere in the post (I use it at the bottom of my posts). That will give the choice of several social networking sites that you can add the content too, in case you use more than one. Click on my button at the bottom of this post to see the options.
Traffic
Using social networking sites to generate traffic is another benefit and a well known traffic technique. If the StumbleUpon users like your content then you can receive some extra traffic as well as exposure.
I was put off from using social networking because of all the hype around them generating traffic for your blog. That may sound strange but it was the way people were promoting it that turned me off. Things like, ‘Stumble 2 minutes a day and receive huge amounts of traffic‘ I have learned that if it sounds too good to be true then it is!
But I think you can receive traffic from StumbleUpon users if you write good content, become active in stumbling and interact and help other users. In other words be social! Here is a good article from Daily Blog Tips that puts it better: Targeting StumbleUpon Users.
So what do I think?
My first impression is it is easy to use and the tool bar is very handy. And I also want to become a more active member and a regular user. I’m not saying it’s perfect and the one and only site to use, but it is a good starting point for me with social networking, and it’s fun. For me it has a nicer feel than del.icio.us and is probably better for those bloggers starting out.
I like the fact that I can find new blogs in my niche easily that could be potential sites to comment on, offer guest posts to or just learn a lot from. So stumbling could generate a wealth of networking opportunities as well getting to know new people, and that hadn’t occurred to me before.
And basically being able to help people by highlighting there content for others to see, share and benefit from is a great principle, and StumbleUpon lets me do that easily. And mutually beneficial to me if they repay the compliment!
If you would like to connect with me via StumbleUpon click here.
Mandy
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Site Search Tags:Daily Blog Tips, del.icio.us, stumbleuponComments
2 Responses to “What Do You Think of Stumbling?”
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I adore stumbleupon. It is my favorite - and yes, lots of traffic via stumble, no doubt.
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