September 17, 2007
The Secret to Massive Digg/StumbleUpon Traffic Without Spamming
ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 9:25 am
A Lesson from Lifehacker
You noticed something was different. You did the research. You organized your thoughts. You wrote a blog post that delivered quality content to your readers. You do that every day, right?
But today in your stats, you see something that looks a lot like this:
and it goes on page after page . . . after page.
Or you see the Digg equivalent.
Before you start feeling like the brilliant star that you are — STOP. Think. No matter how hard we work. No matter how well we write. We didn’t do THAT alone.
The Secret to Massive Digg/StumbleUpon Traffic
Someone else did a big chunk of the work when he or she Dugg or Stumbled the story. He or she might have IM’ed some of their Digg/SU friends, to invite them to participate.
What if that fan Dugg or Stumbled your next great story? Who wouldn’t want a fan like that as a regular reader? We could all use more quality friends that we haven’t met yet. After all, relationships are what social networking is about. Isn’t it?
I know this is going to sound “too Liz” easy, but the answer is simple.
Just say, “thank you.”
Yep. That’s it. Say, “thank you.” Find a way to show your appreciation. That Digg/StumbleUpon User probably sends tons of traffic to a number of sites every day. Yet, rarely does someone stop to say “thanks for the effort.” Be that someone. Do right — the way your mom taught you — and you’ll be that little bit remarkable. You also might make a true and influential friend.
How to Say Thank You to a StumbleUpon User
It’s easy to say a simple “thank you” on StumbleUpon. Send a message.
-
1. Become a StumbleUpon User. If you’re not one of the millions of users, open a StumbleUpon account and (download the toolbar).
2. Find the person who shined the light on your story. To find the Stumbler, go to the story (your post), click the white speech bubble in the toolbar. You’ll see the list of people who stumbled your story and on the upper right hand side (in a blue box) you’ll see the reader who originally stumbled your story.
3. Send a Personal Message to the person who recognized your work. Click on his or her avatar (the picture.) Use the “Send a message” button to send your thanks. Say a simple few words to let the person know you appreciate the time he or she invested in you.
4. Become that person’s fan. Press the “Add him (or her) as a friend” button on the profile.
How to Say Thank You to a Digger
Thanking a Digger is a bit more complicated. Digg doesn’t have an internal message system. But it can be done
-
1. Become a Digg User. It only takes minutes
2. Find the reader who championed your story. The avatar of the person that Dugg your story is found right beneath the story on Digg.
-
3. Befriend him or her. Click through to his or her profile. Then click the green “add friend” button under the avatar on the right hand side of the profile. It’s not the same as sending a personal message, but it is a direct sign of friendship.
4. You might also look at the profile section for the Digger. Diggers often list their website, email, or other contact information, which is a nice way to get in touch and write them a personal note.
The Secret to a 5-Star Thank You
Here are even more advanced ways of letting folks who’ve done you a stellar favor know that you appreciate them.
-
1. While your story is still popular, link to your champion’s profile from your story. Place your link at the top of the story. That shows your thanks in a highly visible way.
That link back also might send a ton of Digg/SU Users to your recommender’s profile. Chances are that will increase your his or her number of fans. You can bet a “thank you” like that will be noticed. Even LifeHacker takes time to thank their Digg friends.
2. Find your supporter’s blog. Read a while. Digg or Stumble a post you find while you are there. Make sure it’s one recommend highly. No backrubbing or playing up to the stars. That’s just not cool.
In StumbleUpon, click the About tab. Find the link to their real blog — most users have one. (If they don’t, it’s okay to link to their SU Blog.) Click through to the blog. Click the permalink of a post you’ve read and recommend. Click the thumbs up, in the toolbar. Fill out the form to review it and add aStumble.
In Digg, click the Profile tab. Click through to My Website. Click the permalink of the post you’ve read and recommend. Click the Digg button to review or add a Digg.
Don’t Disappear too Quickly
The biggest part of any conversation is listening. Once you’ve sent your thank you, remember that the person at the other end is an individual, allow him or her to have an individual reaction.
One digger told me, “I’ve had a bunch of people add me to IM just to say thanks and then disappear.”
I asked, “Is that a good thing?”
The answer was, “well you it depends, sometimes you just want to say thanks, and leave it at that. Sometimes you want to take it yet another step forward and start a new relationship.”
So give the Digger a chance to respond. He or she might not, but on the other hand, you might find that a conversation has started.
That’s the Secret
Go out of your way to say, “Thank you.” Remember the time someone spent to help your work get noticed was time he or she didn’t spend doing something else. So a thanks isn’t out of order. It’s thoughtful acknowledgment of a favor.
Once you have a couple of good Digg/StumbleUpon friendships, traffic to your blog will never be the same. More than that, you’ll be making relationships that keep the blogosphere strong and growing. So you’re helping your blog and the blogosphere at the same time.
If you are a Digg or StumbleUpon friend who stopped by to read this, please know that we welcome your advice and your comments. If you know other ways to say “Hey, thanks!” to Digg/StumbleUpon Users, would pass them along?
Thank you! You’re not a stranger anymore.
Bookmark this article at del.icio.us »
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
Filed under Strategy, Successful Blog |
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170 Comments to “The Secret to Massive Digg/StumbleUpon Traffic Without Spamming”
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Kirk M said
Morning Liz, (Toss that moderated comment away. I typo’d my name of all things. The typo king strikes again.)
Now this has happened way too many times to be a coincidence. I was trying to find a way to let a couple “Stumblers†know that I appreciated their “Stumbling†a couple of recent posts and there you are with the answer! No wonder I couldn’t find it. Doesn’t exactly pop out and say “here I am†now does it.
Ironically enough, Stumble Upon was the first social network I joined way before I ever thought about having a blog and used it only to find interesting sites unfortunately so I never did get into the workings of it. I even had their very first toolbar installed on IE 6.0 for heavens sake.
Shame on me then…
Thanks again for riding the same wavelength that I was. Thought I’d had some great company lately.
Viv King said
Thank you SO much for this - I have been stumbling for about a month or two and never knew I could see who stumbled me - I will get out the thank-you notes right away!
ME Strauss said
Hi Kirk!
You and I had the same typing teacher, I think.
It was just recently I found I had time to really go exploring, and well once I get on a quest I really want to know how the little nuts and bolts work. (Maybe it’s the teacher in me. [shrug] Maybe it’s the learner.)
I’m delighted that this was a help.
ME Strauss said
Hey Viv!
Welcome! I know where you’re at. It took me the longest time to figure that little bit out.
Lara said
Excellent post, Liz! Leave it to you to explore relationships this way!
You need to add this one to a “featured posts” section on your homepage or something… really important for blogging success!
ME Strauss said
Hi Lara!
Thank you! I wanted to get in and see how people were really using it.
Wayne Smallman said
This is the kind of advice that should be obvious, but somehow doesn’t get acted upon as often as it should.
I for one have been remiss in the past, so it’s as well to be reminded by reading articles like this.
More and more, the web is about about Social Media and Social Networking. And in simple terms, that’s just a fancy way of describing a web-based conversation.
Saying thanks is just one part of the simple pleasantries of good ‘Netiquette we all forget from time to time…
ME Strauss said
Hi Wayne!
Welcome!
We all need this kind of reminder — online and off. It seems we’re in such a hurry that we take our thank yous for granted. Not a good or conscious practice to be sure of.
Half of the time, I write these to make sure I remind myself.
Viv King said
Hi - I don’t seem to have a white speech bubble option - can you help?
ME Strauss said
Hi Viv!
The toolbar on my laptop does that. First check under the tools menu that you have the reviews option checked. If so, then hit refresh until it comes back — at least that’s what I do.
Avinash said
Thanks, Liz, for writing this truly wonderful article! I enjoyed reading each and every line and learned a few things. Glad that Yoav sent the article link.
I’ve been pretty active @ StumbleUpon since this past March and have received a few ‘Thanks for stumbling my article/blog’ messages.
A few people had to join StumbleUpon to thank me and I can’t explain how glad I was to read the messages. Unfortunately, there are too few people who really take the time to thank you.
In my own case, I’ve thanked a few people for stumbling my articles and even added ‘em as my friends, thumbed up their SU profile + blog. But I gotta admit that I’m not able to thank everybody ’cause of the lack of free time.
I’ll like to suggest that whenever (well, you can’t thank each and every person) someone stumbles your articles/blogs, take a few minutes to review the stumbler. You can also rate a few of his/her reviewed articles. By doing this, you’ll be increasing his/her StumbleUpon Karma.
Rick Cockrum said
I just found out last week you could see reviews about a page using the little bubble. I didn’t notice you could see who first stumbled it there. I’ve been trying to figure that out for months. Thank you! This post is suitably bookmarked and given a thumbs up.
ME Strauss said
Hi Rick!
The whole thing becomes so much more interesting and friendly when the little nuances become clear. I so want to write the manual.
Rick Cockrum said
A blogger’s guide to StumbleUpon (or Digg) would be helpful.
Now if I could find out how to cull a list of all my posts that have been stumbled from StumbleUpon I would be an even happier camper, though I did finally figure out how to pull it out of Google Analytics.
Stumble Gods :: Our Thumbs Move Masses » Blog Archive » How To Say Thank You On StumbleUpon said
[...] the full article, click here to jump. « Know Thy Gods: Stumbler AnitaBeth Commands Massive Fan [...]
James said
Great post Liz. Great advice from someone who follows it. You probably lead the rest of the blogging community in this.
ME Strauss said
Hi Rick,
I know what you mean about having a list of the posts that I’ve had Stumbled. That would be so cool.
ME Strauss said
Hi James!
Like anyone else, I need a reminder too.
Tal Siach said
Hi Liz,
First of all I must admit that today was the first time I ever saw your blog, and I’m happy that a friend of mine referred me to it, because it’s simply awesome!
I really enjoyed reading the post, and I’m looking forward to the upcoming ones.
Secondly, I couldn’t agree with you more on the fact that a warm thank you to a user (whether or not they are your friends) may boost your visitors again in the near future. Besides the business opportunities that it might bring, it’s vital for us to act like this as a community of human beings that need to be nice to one another. Lately I found myself spending many hours a day on Stumble Upon, and it amazes me daily that I can meet new people around the world.
We are all very similar and have similar problems, whether it’s love, business, or any other common issue. When you become a true friend and ask people how are they feeling today? How is the progression of their blog? etc., then you get to know them and become their real friend. In my opinion the true value lies in the “Get to knowâ€, because not only can business opportunities arise, but actual true friendship as well.
Paul said
Liz,
Thank you
Mike said
Maki over at Dosh Dosh has written an excellent guide to StumbleUpon which I thoroughly recommend. Well I Stumbled it, didn’t I?
ME Strauss said
Hi Mike!
Maki does everything wonderfully. I can rest from that idea now!
ME Strauss said
Hi Tal!
Welcome and I’m delighted to meet you too!
I love hearing what you say about a community of human beings interacting. I couldn’t agree more. By the way, “be nice” is the only rule that we have here on the blog.
People is what the world is about. If we don’t take the time to acknowledge each other, we start make each other invisible in little ways. I can feel it in how grateful people are when I listen. How much does it take to stop what we’re doing to pay attention to another human?
You’re right. We are more the same. There are so few of us that do not love our children and want the best for them. If we only start with how we love the beauty of the world we share. We might have something.
You’re not a stranger anymore, Tal
ME Strauss said
Paul,
Welcome . . . and you’re welcome.
Wayne Smallman said
The other aspect of being a regular ‘blogger — certainly one of note and with a regular following — is that being polite, reaching out to thank people and generally being nice about your audience helping promote you, we’re managing our personal brand.
Whether a ‘blogger is aware of it or not, we have a personal brand…
ME Strauss said
Hi Wayne,
Yeah, I always kind of smile at the term personal brand. I think, “How would I explain that to my dad?” To my dad, that would be “who you are” end of story. [grin]
I kind of like it that way. I can tell you do too.
Welcome, Wayne. You no stranger anymore.
Wayne Smallman said
Every day, billions of people perform some kind of pnoea.
That’s a fancy word for breathing. Do we have to explain that to our parents?
I see your point, but the point I was making is that this article is one essential aspect of Personal Branding, which all ‘bloggers do: “whether a ‘blogger is aware of it or not.”
ME Strauss said
Hi Wayne!
Ah, don’t misunderstand. [grin]
My dad and I were of the same mind. The sun rose and set on my head and he hung the mooon. . . . Read My Blogging Goal and my reference to him will make more sense. He was born in 1907 and he died in 1984. He was a special guy. I like to think about what words he would use.
I agree we are our brand and we put it out there whether we are aware or not. We are as we do.
10 Simple Ways to Show Reader Appreciation » Reader Appreciation Project said
[...] However, Liz Strauss points out the benefits of thanking that Stumbler or Digger. [...]
Speedlinking - 19 September 2007 said
[...] Liz shares the secret to massive Digg and StumbleUpon Traffic without spamming [...]
Chris Lodge said
I quite agree.
I wrote a post the other day, highlighting 20 of my best Stumble friends, and linking to their profiles and blogs if they had them - it was quite an eye-opener in a couple of places, as although they’d been Stumble friends for ages, and I appreciated what they sent me, I’d never visited their actual sites.
Everyone should do it!
Wayne Smallman said
With his outlook on life and the neo-Luddite tendencies, my dad could have been born in 1907, but he was born in 1938 instead.
If I can get a “techie” idea into his head and have it stick, it’ll work with / on anyone…
ME Strauss said
Hi Wayne!
I hear you! I have a few folks I know who are enough like that.
Alister Cameron // Blogologist said
Liz.
Well done. Well done indeed.
You saved me a post!
What I have seen lacking in many previously published how-tos on Digg and SU is a focus on the relational aspect.
And as you and I are always saying, it’s about the people!
Great stuff
-Alister
Dave said
I didn’t realize your could see who stumbled a given site .. thanks for the tip! I rewarded you with a stumble
ME Strauss said
Hi Chris Lodge (#31)!
Welcome!
I know what you mean! It’s so easy to think that friends behind that wall don’t want to be appreciated out here, but everyone enjoys a link to their blog.
ME Strauss said
Hey Alister!
As we say, it IS all about the people! People care and when they take the time to be nice, being nice back is a good thing.
It’s great to see you!
ME Strauss said
Hi Dave!
Welcome! As I said, it took me a while to figure out who stumbled me — I’m a curious sort. I was determined to find out.
Glad I could share. Thank you for the stumble back.
Wow! How cool is that?!!!
Misty said
Thanks, Liz!
I’m just starting to learn about the bloggosphere and this was very helpful! So now I’m a Dig and Stumble member and I will take your great advice as soon as I’m lucky enough to have someone dig or stumble upon my site.
Best regards,
Misty
ME Strauss said
Hi Misty!
Welcome!
I’m glad something here helped. That’s what I spend my time trying to do.
You’ll be writing great content and people will be finding it soon. Bet on it!
Rob Scott said
Sending thank you notes is a good idea. My grandma would definitely approve too - and there’s not much on the internet that she would approve of!!
This post is Dugg. And Stumbled
No thanks necessary.
CatherineL said
Hi Liz - Thanks for the tips. I do not have the hang of digg at all, and I’m totally clueless when it comes to stumbleupon, so this post has been useful.
Brian Auer said
The stats picture is too funny. I’ve been looking at the same thing for the last two days straight. Somehow my article made it into the buzz page on StumbleUpon, and the traffic just kept on coming at an ever increasing rate. I hadn’t realized the true power of the StumbleUpon community until this happened. I mean, I’ve been Stumbled before (and I’m also a very active user), but I’ve never seen 5000 visits within 24 hours from them.
Oh yes, and props to Mr. Darren Rowse for “Discovering” the article and starting the domino effect. This reminds me… I need to shoot that guy an email and thank him again.
Great article here. As a Stumbler, I sure don’t mind seeing a thank you or two every once in a while — and it HAS actually happened a few times.
Jayne said
Wow it’s so simple, but it makes sense. It never occured to me to thank people for stumbling my sites. LOL. I feel like a jerk now!
~Jayne
ME Strauss said
Hi Rob!
The more I interact with people, the more I understand that we all want to know that other folks see us. We’re a generous lot. It’s a generous thing to notice each other and say that we do.
ME Strauss said
Hi Catherine!
Welcome!
It takes a little courage at first to go exploring around the social networks . . . sort of as it did when I got my first computer, but in the same way, nothing breaks or blows up. That’s how I learned the first part of what I know. Then, I met a friend who taught me the ropes. Doesn’t that sound like everything else we ever learn?
ME Strauss said
Hi Brian!
It’s fun to see some action in the stats. I’m trying to keep that fresh and find ways to pass on that feeling . . . saying “thank you” is one way.
Now sending the traffic to visit other folks is another.
ME Strauss said
Hey Jayne!
If you feel like a jerk, then a whole lot of other folks have to feel that way too. So let’s all just agree to call it a bonus when we remember to say thanks!
We’re all wonderful that way.
John said
So simple idea but still just a simple and polite thing to do!
But I think no one is using it…or very few
Maybe from now on people will thank more
John
vijay said
That’s a great advice.
Actually I observed that SU and Digg can have significant spike in your traffic.
You just need to convert that traffic well into your regular readers. Your content should take care of this!!
ME Strauss said
Hi Vijay!
Welcome!
I agree . . . SU and Digg do make important surges in traffic, but you’re right, if they’re not sticky a blog ends up right back where it was.
Content is what carries the day. Thanks for thinking this blog can do that. I think so too.
ME Strauss said
Hi John!
Welcome . . . yeah, it’s simple, so simple. We often miss the obvious, don’t we?
Even in the 3-D world, we don’t say “thank you” enough.
Dr.Mani said
Liz, excellent post, thank you for sharing that mini-how to. I recently wrote about how I’m re-discovering how blogs are conversations - and you’ve shown me a way to take that ‘conversation’ to a higher level, by making it the first step in developing a relationship, even a longer lasting friendship.
All success
Dr.Mani
ME Strauss said
Hi Dr. Mani!
Welcome!
Relationships go a long way with people no matter what venue of communication. We all care that we care about each other. Relationships last longer than links. That’s the coolest part of all.
Joseph Ratliff said
Thank you for this insightful post.
I am going to link back to it. Two words that can bring traffic to your blog.
Thank you.
Amazing.
Joseph Ratliff
The Secret To Massive Digg/Stumbleupon Traffic Lies In These Two Words… said
[...] it. But there is more to it… Read more details about the secret on Liz’s blog here. [?] Share [...]
Hernan said
I am new SU user and I know I have to say I am sort of adicted to the button that give me random pages (I reach you in that way).
Excelent point of view. As su user I would like to recieve the thanks word from publishers.
Stumbleupon list of articles said
[...] power account A guide to driving traffic using stumble upon Stumbleupon: Exposure that lasts The Secret to Massive Digg/StumbleUpon Traffic Without Spamming The Mighty Stumbleupon Social media marketing with StumbleUpon generates easy traffic boost [...]
ME Strauss said
Hi Hernan!
Welcome! I’m delighted that the SU button brought you around to see me! Thank you for visiting. I hope to see you again — randomly or on purpose!
ME Strauss said
Hi Joseph!
Welcome!
Thank you.
Genesis said
Thank you very much for this post. I have had a couple of commenters tell me that they have stumbled me, and I send them an email saying thanks. However, I never realized that I could look them up, which is really quite silly of me as it seems pretty simple! Great post. Thanks.
ME Strauss said
Hi Genesis!
Yeah! It’s a LOT easier hitting that little white bubble than having to find emails etc.
So glad to be able to save you some time.
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Speedlinking - 19 September 2007 said
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BlogBuzz September 22, 2007 » Webmaster-Source said
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Rob Scott said
I found your link back from my original comment. I’ve never had a comment so verily appraised!
I think you are right - yes, it’s new technology, but that doesn’t mean one has to deviate from old-fashioned values of courtesy and decency. If anything (regardless of it helping you in the long run or not) saying thanks and spreading a bit of positivity makes people feel better.
There’s so many times when I get negative comments; huge reams of spam through both email and comment boxes (on various websites); and other things that make running active blogs and websites a frustrating, and above all else, not as fun as it should be.
Saying thanks to people, in one way or another, fosters a sense of togetherness and community which can often be lacking in the faceless anonymity of the internet.
God, I sound like a raving hippy! I’m not.
ME Strauss said
Hi Rob!
I thought what you had to say in your earlier comment worth bringing out into the light of day! I so agree with your (nonhippy) statements about how a simple “thank you” can go so far to make the spammers and rough comments seem less dreadful.
Even your comments about the subject help a lot!
John said
A timeless wisdom - it is always best to show appreciation to others. Thanks for sharing this. It gets a stumble from me.
ME Strauss said
Hi John!
Thank you. I couldn’t agree more. Gratitude is a powerful gift in any currency.
Subconscious Mind said
great tip, THANK YOU!!!
7 Ways to Use StumbleUpon as a Discovery Tool | Dipping into the Blogpond said
[...] Strauss’ Secrets to Massive StumbleUpon Traffic is also a very worthwhile read. You’ll be surprised at how simple the solution can [...]
ME Strauss said
Hi Subconscious Mind!
Welcome and thank you! It’s great that you found it useful!
Passport Mentors said
Great Great Info. How many wonderful people you can meet by just networking together. Blogging may have different topics but overall we are all blogging either as a passion or to share a product or service.
Thanks for taking the time to remind me even though the internet is coming up with more automated systems not to lose the most basic steps. Great article
ME Strauss said
Hi Passport Mentors!
Thank you for the encouragment. We do need to hold on the most basic things to stay human and connected, don’t we? :
(My passport said to tell you hello.)
Bloggrrl said
Thank you. You absolutely just answered my question, “how do I find out who stumbled me” that I typed into Google.
I get quite a bit of traffic this way, and it’s time to say thanks!
ME Strauss said
Hi Bloggrrl!
Welcome!
It’s nice to know who did us a favor. It’s even nicer to tall that person “thanks1″ I’m delighted this was here for you to find it. I know the folks who stumbled you will be surprised and just as delighted to hear from you, as well.
DeMerchant said
Thanks for the tip on how to see who stumbled you… didn’t know that… will be nice to return some love like you say
ME Strauss said
Hi DeMerchant!
It’s such a relief to be finding out I’m not the only one who didn’t know.
Yohay said
Great post. Blogging, like life, is based on relationships. Thanks for reminding us to say thanks.
ME Strauss said
Hi YoHay!
Welcome and you’re welcome. Thank you for leaving a comment!
You’re not a stranger anymore!
Tal Galili said
You just got my stumble.
I liked your post, and your perspective.
if you wish to give a look at one of my english blogs, give a jump to:
http://www.humus101.com/EN
or
http://www.berlin101.com
I would also appritiate your help
cheers,
Tal.
ME Strauss said
Hi Tal,
Welcome and thank you for encouragement. I’ll take a look at what you’ve been doing it.
40 is the New 20 | Copyblogger said
[...] The Secret to Massive Digg/StumbleUpon Traffic Without Spamming. [...]
will said
I found your post from the Article in comment 86.
Interesting idea and I really do believe that if you out others you will reap many times the benefit of your help. Saying thank you is realy easy….I liked your post and to say thank you I joined StumbleUpon too..now I just have to attract the right folks to my own blog…..
Will
ME Strauss said
Will,
Welcome.
I’ll tell you a secret. Attracting the right folks to your blog takes two things — time and serious, focused love for what thye love. Chose the people you want to come and make an environment they want to be part of. Then go where they hang and leave wonderful comments. When they follow you home . . . they will realize that home is indeed where they are.
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Jenny said
Now if only I had readers like that…But I’m trying!
ME Strauss said
Hi Jenny!
Welcome! Keep meeting people. If you meet folks they will come.
Come visit tonight at Open Comments and meet some more! YEA!
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Pinyo said
Excellent post. I like your “thank you” tip. I think I will be doing that in the future.
ME Strauss said
Hi Pinyo!
Thank you! It’s a great way to meet some terrific bloggers.
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WebHostinGuide said
Thanks, but it doesn’t boost traffic
ME Liz Strauss said
Hi WebHostinGuide!
I suppose if the idea is that a “thank you” sent today will get massive traffic to day, I would have to agree . . . not going to happen.
However, the “thank yous” I’ve offered have become relationships with people who watch what I write and stumble my posts on almost a daily basis, if they find a post useful or compelling in some way. Those same people, first met through a thank-you, have gone through my archives and occasionally revived posts stumbled months ago and I’ve enjoyed renewed vigorous traffic from those.
So I have to say that my “thank yous” have brought me massive traffic. I’m sorry to hear that you’ve not had the same experience, but if you keep at it, perhaps you will over time.
mike said
Thanks for the post
Here’s my blog post about yourDigg Secrets. I like getting different perspectives about Digg… One tip that I got was to “help the person who dugg you by digging his/her blog post… help him/her help you. Link back to them, digg them, etc… (and if you digg my post, I won’t complain
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Peter said
i actually thought saying thanks to people would seem a bit creepy, but after reading this i think your right. Definitely the way to go!
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Keith said
Dear Liz: This is a nice article, thanks. I have been a SU user for about a year now, however, it does matter WHO it is that gives you a thumbs-up and submits your website/webpages to dig, delicious, etc. Some people have low web popularity, while others have high web popularity. This is really what determines the increase in traffic, aside of good works. This has been my personal experience thus far on the web. Otherwise, some nice thoughts, indeed.
ME Liz Strauss said
Hi Keith,
My experience is that the folks on SU who have relationships with the folks they have made friends are the ones whose recommendations get followed.
It does matter WHO says go . . . a voice with credibility gets heard.
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Laurie said
Hi Liz,
I just started stumble upon and I am already addicted. LOL.
My theme at my blog is gratitude and this article hits the spot right on the head.
Good job,
Laurie
ME Liz Strauss said
Hi Laurie!
Welcome!
I think the theme of your blog should guide you toward making many friends and colleagues everywhere you go. Glad this helped.
Meanna Blog said
Great great post. It’s amazing that we sometimes forget that simple friendly actions of good will and rewarding those that go out of their way is so hugely important.
ME Liz Strauss said
Hi Meanna!
What makes it so powerful is how often most of us forget to say, “thank you.”
HART (1-800-HART) said
* you mean OTHER people actually stumble your own articles?? … he innocently replied
ME Liz Strauss said
Yes, HART, some people actually do that . . . I’m sorry you had to find out this way.
HART (1-800-HART) said
I’m always learning! I’ve been going out of my way to thank people who reply to me if I might SEND TO a request to stumble .. but, never actually thought to thank the initial stumbler …
I just wanted to comment and thank the lifehacker for teaching me something new today
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Jose said
Nice topic. I’m definitely going to add it to my website. Can this only work on blogs? Do you dig a link or stumbleupon a link or just a blog?
My blog is on http://www.snailsonsteroids.co.za
Thank You and keep up the good work
Jose
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Shaun Rosenberg said
I like the idea of thanking someone for stumbling or digging your site. I never actually thought you could do that. It seems like a nice thing to do.
http://www.stocks-simplified.com
ME Liz Strauss said
Hi Shaun,
It’s a great way to build community and make friends around SU while you’re doing what you know is nice.
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Tony said
This is the most instructive post I have read about the usefulness of Digg and StumbleUpon. I have enjoyed the effect of Stumble on few occassion, but I have not understood how it worked and how I could catch in on the opportunity. Thanks for enlightening me. Regards.
Dave said
Great post! My site hits have jumped from 80-100/day to 2500/day overnight because someone stumbled on the site. This article is much appreciated
dave, http://www.TheHistoryBluff.com
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Pen Me A Poem said
Great advice Liz. Thank you. I’m definitely going to follow up with this plan of action.
ME Liz Strauss said
Thanks, Tony!
Sorry I missed your comment earlier.
ME Liz Strauss said
You go for it, Pen!
John said
Rick mentioned finding how to get Google Analytics to show which posts were stumbled. How? or how can I use StumbleUpon to do that? I can see traffic spikes from Stumble but not which pages were stumbled.
SuperB said
Simple Thank You can do the magic, right?
Thank you very much for the tips
hillybilly said
Well I used to autostumble my sites but stopped after getting warned!!! lol. Is it advisable to continue autostumbling?
Stumble Traffic said
Stumbleupon really is about the relationships. Many people falsely assume that they can sign up and click the submit their own pages and get a massive rush of traffic. Unfortunately, success with Stumble isn’t that easy. It requires growing your network of people who share the same interests as you and using the Send To: function to give your submissions some great momentum.
Yahoo Cash 4 Idiots said
I always thought that Digg was better when it came to links, but in the past couple of weeks, it seems that Stumble Upon is taking the lead.
Thanks for the great tips on how to get friends.
Philip Mansour
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babyshoot said
thanks for this topic,it’s useful.
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Jenny said
I think digg’s traffic is great. It is about 8 times comparing to splashdot. Digg is popular to the world including Western, Eastern, and Asian countries.
Thanks for sharing this great article.
Jenny.
Anders Holm said
Thanks for the post.
It’s kind of funny how people tend to forget those two words and in any area of your life how much impact they can actually make. If I am lucky enough to have a reader bring me any traffic, I will be sure to give my thanks.
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jan geronimo said
This is very helpful. In its simplicity it has eluded me.
I know of course the little bubble thing to check who first submitted my site to SU and the list of other stumblers who generously thumbed the post.
But instead of sending my thank you to the person, I’m more inclined to add him or her as a friend and subscribe to his favorites.
You’ve got a point there. Not every user is savvy enough you’ve thumbed up high quality post of his as a nice gesture of reciprocation. He might miss this as we’re all busy and might not care to check it out. Very useful stuff.
I will add it to my SU system. Splendid post. Thank you.
27 Must Read Tips and Tutorials for Bloggers [Day 6 - 31DBBB] said
[...] The Secret to Massive Digg/StumbleUpon Traffic Without Spamming [...]
Ching Ya said
Thanks Liz, your post prompt me to go and thank every Stumbler of my post. Although some I was unable to reach due to their message configuration. It’s still an ethical gesture that all of us should do.
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Michelle Green said
Wow! You know, I never thought to go back and say a simple “thank you” to those who have “stumbled” or “dugg” my posts, and now I have a job to do to go back and do just that! Thanks for a great post!
Quicksolver said
Thank you VERY much for this. Very useful info, and I’m fully putting it to the test. =)
It’s sad how people don’t take the time to communicate with their unknown benefactors. Even spambots now seem more warmer to me.
Jeff said
Yeahhhh ! You are good teacher. I need more visits to my site. I can pay. If you interest please contact me.
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