Social bookmarking is a popular way to get your blog posts out into the broader online community and StumbleUpon is one the most popular bookmarking sites available. However, if you occasionally thumb your own posts, be careful you don’t end up in the Stumble graveyard.
StumbleUpon can really provide your blog with a boost in traffic. When it comes to social bookmarking, get a couple of thumbs up and if your lucky, you will get a steady stream of traffic. However, to get that traffic the thumbs up or ‘stumble’ has to be done the right way.
I have seen many good posts killed because they were not stumbled correctly. The person who ‘discovers’ your post by thumbing it has to also provide a review. If they fail to write a review, the stumble ends up in the graveyard. There are many theories as to why this happens but the general consensus is that for the first stumble, a review is required. If no review is offered then the stumble sits in limbo continuing to wait for that first review. Social bookmarking is fine, if everyone follows the rules.
If you get one of your social bookmarking friends to ‘stumble’ one of your posts, make sure they also write a review. If you stumble it yourself, don’t be afraid to write that review. Some bloggers seem to shy away from writing reviews for their own posts, however this is the easiest way to kill the post.
Social bookmarking is a great way to meet people and promote yourself. It can also cause problems. I am waiting for the day that individuals start to abuse this stumble gliche to effectively kill posts from their competition. Perhaps the powers that be at StumbleUpon can find a way around the problem.
