Stumbleupon…Author Platform Rock Star?

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turndog

This post goes out to all those writers using, or thinking of using, Stumbleupon. 

It’s a great service for both sharing and finding content. When you’re building an Author Platform both of these aspects are a big deal.

You need people to come to your website

You need people to read your books

You need people to discover who you are

Simply put, this is what an Author Platform is all about, and there’s no doubt, Stumbleupon offer some great features. But…does it work?


Being Stumbelupon

I’ve been using Stumbelupon for nearly a year. I’ve shared over 700 webs pages and liked a further 1,100. As you can see, I’m a huge fan and tend to spend a few minutes every day using it.

However, does it do anything for my author platform?

Like anything, you need to use it properly. Until I started following other people and sharing posts other than my own, it was a worthless exercise.

Once I began using it properly, it did bring some good aspects with it. Below I offer 3 positives and 3 negatives. I hope they help you decide whether Stumbelupon is right for you.

 

The Positives:

Lt’s begin with the good side of Stumbleupon:

1: You Find Great Content

Generally speaking, we all read the same websites. We have our blogroll and these are the sites we check on a daily basis. We do this because time is limited, and we trust what these sites offer.

However, there’s other great content just waiting for us. Stumbleupon offers a quick and easy way to discover greatness. I’ve certainly found some interesting sites.

 

2: It Brings Traffic

In the last 3 months, only one site has brought more traffic than Stumbleupoon (twitter). It’s a great way to bring extra traffic your way and potentially improve your SEO.

Quick warning, though. If you only share your own content, your account will be deleted. You’ve been warned!

 

3: It Introduces You To New People

Over 90% of the people who come to my site via Stumbleupon are New Visitors. And when I use the platform to find new content, it’s often on sites I’d never heard of.

You will meet new people. They won’t all be great, but it adds tremendous value to your author platform.

 

 

The Negatives:

And now onto the dark side of Stumblepon:

1: It Brings Crap Traffic

Although it does bring traffic, it generally isn’t very good. The average time spent on my site is less than 30 seconds. When you compare this to Twitter, which has an average time of nearly 3 minutes, it isn’t too stellar.

It opens up the debate of quality over quantity. Stumbelupon can offer mass traffic, but the quality is rarely good.

 

2: It’s Very Passive

As a writer, you know better the most what passive can mean. It doesn’t excite people and you tend to find yourself skimming. This is what Stumbleupon is. It’s a platform to click many times until something interesting pops up.

Few people will actually read what you have to say. Instead they’ll scan and make assumptions. This is great for some website, but as writers, it kind of defeats the purpose.

 

3: I Requires Investment

Don’t worry, it doesn’t require any money, but it does ask for your time. If you only want to share your own content, save yourself the hassle now.

The time it requires isn’t huge, but as a busy writer, you no doubt have an author platform full to the top already. But to get the most out of Sutmbleupon, you need to search, follow other people, and share content other than your own.

 

Is Stumbleupon good for an Author Platform?

I personally enjoy using it, and yes, I do think it brings more positives than negatives. However, I’m under no illusions. This won’t bring masses of people to buy my books.

Is this worth the time I spend on it? Yes, I think so. Every share takes 10 seconds and it helps me share content that I like (be it my own or someone else’s). It’s certainly worthy of a place within my Author Platform, but it might not have one in yours.

If you hope it will bring you sales and immersed readers, I fear you’ll always be left disappointed. If your aim is to connect with new people and find great content, Stumbleupon can work.

 

Do you use Stumbleupon?

Do you have a success story?

Share your thoughts in the comments below, please.

Turndog Millionaire – @turndog_million

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