There are over 11,088,296 members – it’s a free service that allows you to like or not like when you read something on the web.
Oprah Magazine says “ Stumpleupon is the greatest things ever invented. The site makes the internet and by extension the world seem both bigger and smaller. Infinite in it’s Possibilities yet totally accessible.”
This is what they say about themselves:
Take a tour
How Does it Work?
StumbleUpon uses / ratings to form collaborative opinions on website quality. When you stumble, you will only see pages that friends and like-minded stumblers () have recommended. This helps you discover great content you probably wouldn’t find using a search engine.
Searching vs. Stumbling:
Using search engines to locate relevant content typically means hunting through pages of results. Rather than searching for quality web sites, StumbleUpon members are taken directly to web sites matching their personal interests and preferences.
Combats Information Overload:
Information on the Internet changes rapidly. StumbleUpon is a dynamic approach to keep on top of this ever-evolving pool of knowledge. StumbleUpon filters through the vast amount of information on the web to direct Stumblers to high quality web sites which are relevant to their personal interests. An obscure but interesting site can be immediately shared with other like-minded users. Old or low-quality sites can be removed if their ratings become too low. The participation of community members helps maintain a database of the most up-to-date and highest quality sites possible.
People-Driven Technology:
Using a combination of human opinions and machine learning to immediately deliver relevant content, StumbleUpon presents only web sites that have been suggested by other like-minded Stumblers. Each time the ‘Stumble’ button is clicked, the user is presented with a high quality web site based on the collective opinions of other like-minded web surfers.
Easy, Community-based surfing:
The StumbleUpon Toolbar is integrated with the user’s browser to allow for one-click access to quality web sites. A simple 2-level rating system gives users the opportunity to pass on or give their opinion on any webpage with a single click. These ratings also connect people sharing unique combination of interests. Stumblers share their favorite web sites and interact with other users to further improve their web surfing experience.
A Personalized Browsing Tool:
StumbleUpon offers nearly 500 topics which users may choose to indicate their interests and preferences so each Stumble produces only the most relevant content. StumbleUpon delivers increasingly relevant content as the Toolbar learns what the user has liked in the past and continues to present quality web sites in the future. Get the StumbleUpon Add-On for Firefox
This is what I say about them, since discovering what a wonderful tool it has been for me here’s what kind of resources and help I have received:
- I have posted over 81 likes or dislikes from using Stumpleupon
- New readers and visitors
- Can find guests writers or Bloggers on topics of interest for my sites
- Find out what’s HOT and what’s NOT to write about
- Deepened my relationships with people who follow me and do JV’s with other people by sharing content
Come join me and read how posting on Stumpleupon can help you My Favorites.
I invite you to join me for a 30 Day Blogging Challenge starting Sept 6 – Oct 8, 2010 – it will all take place on Heart@Work’s Facebook Page.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Mari-Lyn,
Great post. I have had resistance to stumbleupon given everything I have going on. However you have inspired me. It sounds like a great resource for great content as well.
Faith
My recent post Living a Video Integrated Life- Brings Us All Closer Together
It's like anything..you add tools once you master ones that are working for you. TEST, TEST, TEST. Not every tool works for everyone.
What was I doing wrong? Maybe I hadn't discovered how to limit what StumbledUpon sent me to sites that were truly relevant to me? In a brief membership, I got the most useless stream of irrelevant junk I've ever seen — worse than any search engine I've ever used (i.e., Google). What's the secret?? Linda
My recent post Wild & Crazy Art Projects 1
That's a great question Linda..you aren't doing anything wrong – NO's are great answers – because the more NO's you get I have found that you'll get better Yes's. I have not found I get a lot of junk – if you write great content you will build an audience.. keep being persistent with it.
I joined SU awhile back and know firsthand its ability to drive traffic to a site. I'd like to point out however that the traffic it sends is often low quality, meaning visitors rarely repeat, and they usually bounce away quickly. It depends on the site perhaps, but so far it can give quick big traffic numbers, but this traffic is weak in the staying department.
Thanks Paul.. for your comments, what I like about it is developing a better connection with the people that view my site and who follow me. Most Bloggers are establishing a relationship with you, that's why you will have a higher bounce rate. I look forward in meeting or chatting with all of them sometime.
Mari-Lyn