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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!