Five Reasons Why You Might Not Want to be a Top Stumbler

2007 November 26
tags: , , , , , ,
by Teeg

http://www.sucomments.com/wp-content/Images/Top%20Stumbler/ts.jpgA year or so ago, I was totally focused on becoming Top Stumbler. I was in the third position, behind two veteran stumblers, Wiggy (who has since left StumbleUpon) and Starspirit (who has been one of the very top stumblers as long as I have been on SU).

Thanks to a friend who noticed I was getting too caught up in being at the top of the list, and called me on it, I seriously cut back on my Stumbling activity for a while, and when I came back to StumbleUpon, I noticed I was having fun with it again, instead of stressing about always finding good articles to post.

http://www.sucomments.com/wp-content/Images/Top%20Stumbler/our%20community.jpg

So, here are my top 5 reasons you might not want to push to be Top Stumbler:

http://www.sucomments.com/wp-content/Images/Top%20Stumbler/thumbup.jpg It doesn’t really bring you that much more real StumbleUpon traffic. It might bring visitors from outside SU, but it doesn’t bring loads of new SU visitors. In fact, many times I’ve written to friends to congratulate them on being a top stumbler and they hadn’t even realized it.

If your goal is visitors, your time would be better spent in more community involvement on SU instead of striving for Top Stumbler.

It does increase the amount of spam that you get though. Thankfully with the way SU works that’s still not a lot, but I did get requests to thumb up pages (which were usually ignored or thumbed down, depending on how I was asked and what the page was) and the occasional job offer.

http://www.sucomments.com/wp-content/Images/Top%20Stumbler/thumbup.jpg If you hope to do more than appear at the bottom of the list occasionally, you need to be consistently thumbing up new and interesting discoveries. This can become as much work as a regular job if you’re not careful. There were many days when I’d thumb up more than 100 pages a day (sometimes more than double that) and times I’d post 40 – 50 reviews in a day.

http://www.sucomments.com/wp-content/Images/Top%20Stumbler/thumbup.jpgYou need to focus on finding undiscovered material. Each time that you give a thumb up to a page that someone else has already discovered you’re hurting your chance to become a top stumbler. I can’t say for sure, but from my own experience and reviewing the Top Stumblers on the list now, you probably want at least 50% or better of the total pages that you liked to be pages you discovered.

http://www.sucomments.com/wp-content/Images/Top%20Stumbler/thumbup.jpg It discourages mutual sharing of web pages among friends. When your friends send you pages, they are usually hoping you’ll add a thumbs up and maybe a comment, not just read and forget about them. Since these pages are almost always already thumbed, giving them a thumb up hurts your percentages. Unfortunately, it can be a source of lost friendships. :(

http://www.sucomments.com/wp-content/Images/Top%20Stumbler/thumbup.jpg This one is a small one, but probably drove me up the wall more than any other. Not thumbing up already discovered pages means you can only thumb up the pages of brand new stumblers, and not stumblers who’ve been around a while. I knocked myself off the Top Stumbler list one time because I finally got so frustrated with this and gave a thumb up to all the stumblers whose pages I liked. Eventually, for my own happiness I decided that I’d thumb up stumblers I like regardless of whether it affected my being on the list.

So there you have it, my top 5 reasons to think seriously before you try to get on the Top Stumblers list. Now I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you think being on the list is worth it? Why or why not? (LOL that sounds like a high school essay question. ) :)

from → Posting, StumbleUpon, Thumbs, Top Stumbler

  • Hi Teeg,
    You've probably answered this question somewhere between your posts, but anyways...
    I use entrecard and sometimes on their forum we have like "I Stumble you while you Stumble me" sort of thing. One day someone stumbled me (just one person) and my traffic went to the roof almost immediately, I'm talking about thousands of people coming from StumbleUpon! On the other days I tried to do it again, even with more people involved and no actual return compared. Was it because of THAT person in particular, was it because of the time of the day or else? I haven't got a clue, have you?

    21stcenturyman's last blog post..Love lure used to spread mobile malware
  • Teeg
    Eddie, I changed your comment from all caps since that is considered shouting online. :)
  • EDDIE
    Seems like a symptom of an addictive personality. Unless money is involved, realize that a top stumblers position means absolutely nothing. Ive never even checked the list or knew there was one. Every now and then i get a email in my stumble inbox thanking me for checking out their sight and always thought it to be somewhat strange. I suppose that you are not hurting anyone so do what you wish but it is a sign of something greater going on that you might want to keep an eye on.
  • Top Stumblers? Haven't found that yet. Trying to figure this site out, not having much luck, like cruising it though, great place to get ideas.

    It's not unusual to get addicted to sites, they are going to have to open up a cyber addiction clinic wing at the Betty Ford Center.
  • Bracey
    God man... I stumbled onto this page and please why are people so bothered about being the top this and the top that. Do you realise how geeky it sounds? Get outside kick a footy about, drink a pint, have a laugh. You never know when it might be your last day and you shoudnt be wasting most of them in front of your comp worrying about your online "rep"
  • Teeg
    @Mortal Light: I didn't add reviews into the equation here, although a friend recently mentioned that I should have. Photoblogs may be different also, I don't know.

    @Ayopeju: You didn't mention your SU page, so I'm not sure if this fits or not, but I think if you ask yourself the question, "If I didn't have a blog, how would I use StumbleUpon?", and use it that way even as a blogger, you'll probably find that the spam question is moot. Traffic from SU is often more of a sideways issue than a straight forward push to gain more traffic. As you immerse yourself into the SU community and make real friends, you will probably find that traffic to your blog grows naturally without having to be pushed there by you.
  • Teeg
    @Xtine: I didn't notice that the number of visitors I received increased a lot, but I did notice that the quality of visitors I received changed. I don't remember visiting any that posted lesbian porn (perhaps because I have mine set to a G rating) but I did rapidly learn not to return a visit to everyone after seeing a few with pictures I still wish I could remove from my memory. I also learned that a G rating sometimes just means not enough people have complained about a page yet to have it set to R or X.

    LOL I know what you mean about hitting the SU button. I was thinking today that outside of looking up a specific topic I was interested in, I haven't actually "stumbled" in ages.

    Uggh...your final thought is scary...and easily foreseeable too. :(

    @Matt Ellsworth: That's the way it should be, I think. :)
  • In the end, it is a pure number game.

    People being around for a longer time have the advantage of a) having the network of getting new stuff to be submitted (you rather want to have the powerful stumbler to stumble it) and b) the experience and the ease to deal with it.

    But in the end 'power stumbler' only means something to me, if that is in the area I am interested in, and for somebody being able to stumble and process a lot, this tool has some very hard limitations.

    So it is a balance between what you want to get out of it and what it brings you.

    And Michael: Yes, some people do earn money with social media, but it is not that they earn money because they are on stumble upon. It is because of what they do and are good at that they earn money, and SU is just a part of that toolbox.
  • I would have to disagree that it is "work" being on the top stumblers list, I just happen to spend a little time most days websurfing. I do find a lot of original content, but I thumb up other people's stuff too! I agree with Mortal Light, I don't think it has hurt my ranking. I just enjoy the process. I think Stumble is the greatest thing ever.

    If this were my blog post there would be only one reason not to want to be a top stumbler, and that is increased spam in my inbox. I don't know anyone who enjoys getting that.
  • Never really considered being a top Stumbler, but this article has helped me better understand how the system probably works. At the end of day its better to thumbs up what you like and not just to do it to get to the top.
    You are right that its better to spend time in the community if you want to increase traffic figures to your site.
    Doing this without being considered a spammer would be another important angle to consider.

    Ayopeju Falekulo's last blog post..Paper Money Collecting: The Australian Banknotes
  • Mortal Light
    I don't think that thumbing up already discovered pages hurts your top stumbler rating. I also don't think reviews matter. I'm currently the number 5 top stumbler and I rarely leave reviews and I thumb up any page I like, whether it is new or not.
  • I don't worry so much about being a top stumbler as I do about having fun...

    Matt Ellsworth's last blog post..Searching Pownce has never been faster
  • I've been on and off the top stumblers list. Sometimes it's fun being up there, sometimes not.
    Times I've been on it I got a lot of visitors and messages, which can be good and bad.
    I had a lot of visits from folks who had no avatar and used numeric code for their usernames. I gave up visiting them because all they posted was fake "lesbian" porn shots, which is not my cuppa.
    Despite my ticking the box indicating I only want private messages from friends and top stumblers ('only friends' would be nicer), I often got begging msgs from newbies wanting me to give their (invariably useless) SU pages a thumbs up. Pfui. They either got ignored or I visited and thumbed 'em down, with a "sea of spam" tag.
    I've also made some great friends who may never have found me otherwise, given the sheer number of our fellow stumblers.
    When I've been off the list, I still get plenty of visits and messages from friends, and they send me 50+ great sites a day. I've always thumbed up the ones I like, and thumbed down or blown off the ones I don't.
    I send my friends stuff I think they'll like, whether I've "discovered" it or not. I think that's why I've been on and off the list. Some days all the good stuff I find is sent me; other times I gotta find it myself.
    Sponsored stumbles? Honey, all I ever do is check out what my friends send. I no longer hit the SU button to kill bordom or time, only to see what my pals have seen fit to send me. I haven't seen a sponsored stumble since I was a newbie myself.
    I do, however see a lot of stumblers whose intentions are obviously purely commercial or self-promoting. Lately when I report a spammer I get a snide message from some snotty mod. So much for the TOS.
    I'm afraid some idiot's coming who will call themselves HitBox or SpyLog (I've seen close) and post nothing but ways to put mal-, spy- or ickware on the systems of people who visit blogs.
  • Teeg
    @Maki: Thank you. I do see a purpose behind the Top Stumblers list, although I'm not sure that it's applicable anymore. Since the list has been a part of SU as long as I've been a member, I suspect that the purpose behind it was to encourage people to want to add new material (instead of always hitting the Stumble button) back when SU was getting started. Of course, I think they shot themselves in the foot a bit by not telling anyone what the real requirements of the list were (one of the ongoing fusses about SU has been that they don't like explaining what some things (such as top stumbler and the now defunct audience score) represent.

    @Benjamin: Thank you. :)

    @Ange: Thanks Ange. You've mentioned some of my favorite parts of SU also. Plus I love how easy it is to share things with friends that I think they'll enjoy. :)
  • Teeg
    @Ozegold: The SU community has always been great! Even for an introvert like me, it's easy to get involved.

    Another weakness I see with the Top Stumblers list is that some of the most helpful Stumblers are never mentioned on there.

    @Michael: I must have missed it...I didn't see any posts on Sphinn about stumblers getting paid to stumble. In fact, according to StumbleUpon's TOS, both the stumbler and anyone involved in hiring a stumbler to thumb up pages can be banned:

    "StumbleUpon does not allow personal accounts to be used for the purposes of incentivization or promoting sites. This would be considered a breach of our Terms.

    The practice of sending PM's encouraging or inviting other stumblers to rate/review sites in exchange for reciprocal reviews/ratings, monetary, or any other form of reward is strictly forbidden.

    The practice of actively soliciting a rating or review for a site is also forbidden. Should you receive a PM, or encounter forum postings that breach this rule, you are encouraged to report this via feedback.

    Accounts participating in such practices will be deleted and banned, and the related sites deleted and banned from the system."

    SU has some other safeguards built into their system, and any stumbler who values their "karma" (how much strength their thumb up carries) will only rate sites that they do like and that will be of value to other stumblers.
  • Teeg
    @ thedesktop: I think a lot of people look on it as a status symbol or think that top stumblers are someone special.

    @N#gg: SU advertises itself as a channel-surfing site. I do thumb up pages that I like, but SU really isn't a bookmarking site. Del.icio.us is better at bookmarking as it's easier to find posts later.
  • This is very interesting. Thumbing up pages means you like them, even if they have been stumbled already, and a great way to save bookmarks. I love the Stumbleupon experience and enjoy the community spirit too. I especially like that I can get some interesting photo's on their too. It adds to the variety.

    Buzzing with Ange's last blog post..Inspiring Story for Life
  • Great post.

    @Michael, I guess I am being a little dense, but how are they making money if their traffic is not going up? What am I missing? Thanks.
  • Interesting site... this is the first time I've come across it. The whole StumbleUpon top stumblers list is obviously hand-edited and I don't see any point to it. The whole thing is a carrot created to be dangled in front of stumblers, encouraging them to use the service...so eBay and possibly sell more sponsored stumbles (cynical but hey). :)

    I wrote a similar post:
    http://www.doshdosh.com/how-to-become-a-top-stu...
  • There's something you guys are missing. Go to Sphinn and check it out. There is a new field called social media that these guys talk about quite often. These top stumblers are actually making $$$$. If you want proof check it out yourself. The site I mentioned is a hub for search engine optimization as well as social media people. The top Diggers as well as top social media people do well. I've hired many for various projects and am not in the field. I just use that site to find them and watch them debate.
  • The great thing about Stumble is the community aspect!

    To me, a 'Top Stumbler' is one who stumbles interesting pages and is easy to get along with! Having the highest number of stumbles doesn't count as far as I'm concerned!
  • N#gg@Please
    So why do people would want to be a top-stumbler in the first place?

    It does nothing for you but getting yourself on a list nobody looks at. Not thumbing up pages you might like just because there thumbed up before you seen the page is the most stupidest thing I ever heard.

    I thought SU was meant to be your bookmarks online that you'r able to share. Not some silly contest who can find the most unthumbed pages. If that really is what top-stumblers do then there a pathetic bunch. There better ways to waste your time than trying to be king of a social bookmarking site.

    Remember kids: Quality over quantity… always!
  • For me, it's hard to perceive why anybody would want to become a top stumbler. You're basically shouting to the whole world "Hey everyone! I have nothing better to do all day than visit randomly-selected pages on the internet!"
  • I don't think thumbing an already discovered post hurts your chance to become a top stumbler, I think I reached it once by 'botting', randomly submitting pages and thumbing up/down pages. Might have changed since I last did it, so I'm not sure anymore.
  • Teeg
    LOL Muhammad Saleem (http://msaleem-stumbl.stumbleupon.com) would be the one to ask about that. I've been playing on Digg for a while, but mostly used it to find new posts for SU.
  • This sounds backbreaking! Yikes! So how does one become a Top Digg'er? (lol)
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