StumbleUpon

From: http://www.mahalo.com/How_to_Use_StumbleUpon_Like_a_Pro = =
 * Social Bookmarking with StumbleUpon **
 * Guide Note** This page contains information and tips on how to use the downloadable StumbleUpon toolbar.


 * Table of Contents**
 * [|Introduction]
 * [|Step 1: Join StumbleUpon]
 * [|Step 2: Explore the Toolbar]
 * [|Step 3: Set Up Your Profile]
 * [|Step 4: Make Friends]
 * [|Step 5: StumbleVideo and StumbleThru]
 * [|Step 6: Enable SearchReviews]
 * [|Resources]

Introduction

 * [|StumbleUpon] is one of the most fun and addictive ways to discover the web. The downloadable toolbar acts like a smart remote control. One click of the **Stumble!** button, and you'll be taken to a cool website that matches your interests. [|StumbleUpon] also lets you rate and share quality websites based on your personal interests.

Step 1: Join StumbleUpon and Install Toolbar
//Note:// You can hide your [|StumbleUpon] toolbar whenever you're not using it. Choose **Toolbars** under the **View** drop down menu of your browser and click on **StumbleUpon** to hide and unhide your toolbar. In Firefox, you can do the same thing by pressing Ctrl+F11 on a PC or Apple+F11 on a Mac. 
 * Installing the [|StumbleUpon] toolbar is free and easy to do. It is, however, only compatible with the [|Internet Explorer] or [|Firefox] web browsers. You can download these browsers by visiting the [|Internet Explorer] or [|Mozilla Firefox] homepages.
 * 1) Go to the [|StumbleUpon] homepage.
 * 2) Click on the **Join StumbleUpon Today** button.
 * 3) Enter your email address and birthdate.
 * 4) Choose a username.
 * 5) Type in the verification word into the field provided.
 * 6) Set your privacy and information preferences by checking the appropriate boxes.
 * 7) Click on the **Join and Download Now** button.
 * 8) Click on the **Install Now** button. The [|StumbleUpon] toolbar installation will happen automatically. (You may need to close and reopen your browser for the toolbar to appear following installation.)
 * 9) Go to your email.
 * 10) Open the verification email from [|StumbleUpon].
 * 11) Click on the verification link.
 * 12) Now you're ready to start stumbling!

** Updating Older Versions of StumbleUpon **

 * [|StumbleUpon] is always updating its toolbar and recently introduced new features to its [|profile pages]. If you are working with an older version of [|StumbleUpon], consider installing the most recent version of the toolbar and [|switching your profile type] to take advantage of [|StumbleUpon's] wide range of features.
 * To see which version of the [|StumbleUpon] toolbar you have:
 * 1) Click the **Tools** button in your StumbleUpon toolbar.
 * 2) Select **About StumbleUpon** from the drop down menu.
 * 3) Click **Toolbar Version**.
 * 4) Compare your toolbar version to the most recent version listed in the [|StumbleUpon Toolbar Changelog].
 * 5) A link to the latest version of the toolbar, should you need to reinstall it, is located at the top of the [|StumbleUpon Toolbar Changelog].
 * To use the newest version of [|StumbleUpon's] profile page:
 * 1) Log into your account by visiting the [|StumbleUpon] homepage.
 * 2) Click this [|Try New User Profile] link.
 * 3) Click the **Try it now** button. (If you are already using the latest version of the profile page, this button will read, "You are using the new profile page.")
 * 4) Your profile layout and features have now been updated.

Stumbling with Alternative Browsers

 * While there is no downloadable StumbleUpon toolbar for the Opera and Safari browsers, you can take advantage of StumbleUpon's stumbling capabilities by using [|Digital Inspiration's "virtual toolbar."]
 * 1) Click on the following Digital Inspiration [|StumbleUpon Viritual Toolbar] link.
 * 2) The virtual StumbleUpon toolbar will stay at the top of your browser for the length of your session.

Step 2: Explore the StumbleUpon Toolbar
//**Fig. 1a:** StumbleUpon Default Toolbar Frequently Used Buttons////**Fig. 1b:** StumbleUpon Default Toolbar Additional Buttons//
 * The [|StumbleUpon] toolbar gives you all kinds of options when it comes to discovering, rating and sharing websites that relate to your interests. It even has a social component which lets you create relationships with like-minded stumblers by adding them as friends. The toolbar is fully customizable and easy to use.

Before You Begin Stumbling

 * Before you beginning stumbling, you need to let [|StumbleUpon] know what your interests are.
 * The first time you click the **Stumble!** button in your [|StumbleUpon] toolbar you will be taken to a page which asks you to choose the types of sites you would like to visit.
 * 1) Mark the checkboxes next to the topics that interest you.
 * 2) Click the **Save My Settings** button. Now you're ready to stumble.
 * If you are not automatically taken to the [|StumbleUpon] topics page the first time you click on the **Stumble!** button, you can reach it in the following way:
 * 1) Log into your account on the [|StumbleUpon] homepage.
 * 2) Click the **Home** tab.
 * 3) Click the **Preferences** link immediately to the left of the sidebar.
 * 4) Click the **My interests** link underneath the **Preferences** header.
 * 5) Select the subjects that interest you.
 * 6) Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click the **Save my interests** button.

**Stumble!** Button
//**Fig. 2:** Stumble! Button// 
 * With one click of the **Stumble!** button, you'll be taken to a site recommended by other [|StumbleUpon] users that relates to whatever topics you've chosen. Click again, and you'll be taken to a completely new site.
 * You will occasionally stumble upon a [|"sponsored stumble."] This means that an advertiser has paid to bring you to their site. A sponsored page is indicated by a green-shirted person icon in your toolbar. You will not see more than one sponsored page per fifteen stumbles, and you will only see sponsored pages related to the topics you're interested in.

**Thumb** Buttons
//**Fig. 3:** Thumbs Up and Down Buttons// 
 * Use your **Thumbs Up** and **Thumbs Down** buttons to indicate whether you love or loathe a site you've stumbled upon. The more you rate pages, the better [|StumbleUpon] gets at predicting the types of sites you're going to like.
 * 1) Click the **Stumble!** button in your toolbar.
 * 2) Land on a page you like, click the **Thumbs Up** button. This page will be saved to your [|StumbleUpon] list of favorites.
 * 3) Land on a page you don't like, click the **Thumbs Down** button.
 * 4) Land on a page you're indifferent to, click **Stumble!** again.

**Send To** Button
//**Fig. 4:** Send To Button// 
 * The **Send To** button lets you email a link to a friend whether they use [|StumbleUpon] or not.
 * 1) Stumble upon a cool site by clicking the **Stumble!** button in your toolbar.
 * 2) Click the **Send To** button.
 * 3) Choose **New Email Address** or **Import Contacts** from the drop-down menu. (StumbleUpon allows you to import contacts for your Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail or Facebook accounts.)
 * 4) Enter an email address or fill in the appropriate username and password for your email or social networking account.
 * 5) Write in or the choose the address you'd like to forward a page to.
 * 6) Fill in a subject line if appropriate.
 * 7) Click **Send**.

**Review** Button
//**Fig. 5:** Review Button// 
 * The **Review** button lets you write a review of any site you stumble upon. Your reviews will help other [|StumbleUpon] users decide whether a site is useful or not. You can help drive traffic to great sites or steer it away from bad ones by writing a review.
 * 1) Stumble upon a site by clicking the **Stumble!** button in your toolbar.
 * 2) Click the **Review** button. [|StumbleUpon] will bring you to a Review page related to that site.
 * 3) Click the **Review this page** button.
 * 4) Write your review.
 * 5) Add a tag (keyword that describes the site) from the drop-down menu.
 * 6) Click the **Add my review** button.

Channels
//**Fig. 6:** Channel Buttons// 
 * The **Channels** section of your toolbar lets you decide which of your preselected topics or types of media you'd like to stumble upon.
 * 1) Click the **Globe** icon to stumble upon sites related to all of your preselected topics.
 * 2) Click on the **Film** icon to only stumble upon videos.
 * 3) Click on the **Friends** icons to only stumble upon sites saved by your [|StumbleUpon] friends.
 * 4) Click on the **Photo** icon to only stumble upon images.
 * 5) Click on the **Topics** drop-down menu to discover other searchable topics or change your preselected topics by clicking on **Update Topics**. (The **Topics** drop down menu will read **All** as a default.)
 * 6) Click on **Search** in the **Topics** drop down menu, enter a search term into the pop-up menu and click **OK**. You will now only stumble upon pages related to that search term. To return to stumbling upon all of your favorite topics, click **All** in the **Topics** drop down menu.

**Favorites** Button
//**Fig. 7:** Favorites Button// 
 * The **Favorites** buttons with the **Star** icon will take you to a list of all the sites you've given a "thumbs up" to.

Friends Button
//**Fig. 8:** Friends Button// 
 * The **Friends** button will take you to a page with all of your [|StumbleUpon] friends listed on it. It will also give you the option of importing your email contacts to find out who already uses [|StumbleUpon] and who you might invite to become a user.
 * 1) Click the **Find your friends** button to import your contacts from AOL, MSN Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, Facebook or Gmail.
 * 2) Click the appropriate email service icon. (You can also enter the email addresses of friends you'd like to invite to use [|StumbleUpon] by clicking "enter email manually.")
 * 3) Enter your email username and password.
 * 4) Click **Find my friends**.
 * 5) Mark the checkbox next to your friends who already use to [|StumbleUpon] to make them your [|StumbleUpon] friend.
 * 6) Mark the checkbox next to your friends who do not use [|StumbleUpon] to invite them to use the service.
 * 7) Click the **Connect with friends now** button.

Inbox Button
//**Fig. 9:** Inbox Button// 
 * Your [|StumbleUpon] **Inbox** button contains messages sent to you by your [|StumbleUpon] friends and the [|StumbleUpon] administrators.

Tools Drop Down Menu
//**Fig. 10:** Tools Drop Down Menu// 
 * The **Tools** drop down menu offers you several toolbar options and account shortcuts.
 * 1) Click **Report Last Stumble** to report a problem with a site you've stumbled upon.
 * 2) Click **Toolbar Options** to set your toolbar preferences. You can drag and drop toolbar icons, add shortcuts and configure your stumbling.
 * 3) Click **Profile Preferences** to update your [|StumbleUpon] profile picture, email, stumbling preferences and account settings.
 * 4) Click **Update Topics** to update the topics you stumble upon. Simply click on the checkboxes next to the subjects that interest you, and click the **Save My Changes** button.
 * 5) Click **View Suggested Topics** to see which subjects [|StumbleUpon] thinks you would enjoy exploring. Click the checkboxes that interest you, and click the **Save My Settings** button.
 * 6) Click **Invite Friends** to import your email addresses and invite your friends to try [|StumbleUpon].
 * 7) Click **Change Password** to change your password.
 * 8) Click **Sign In** or **Sign Out** to sign in and out of your [|StumbleUpon] account.
 * 9) Click **Toolbar Guide** to visit the [|"Getting Started with StumbleUpon" tutorial].
 * 10) Click **Help** to visit the [|StumbleUpon FAQs].

Optional Toolbar Icons
//**Fig. 11:** StumbleUpon Toolbar Options//
 * Some of the additional icons available via the **Toolbars Options** menu that you might consider adding to your toolbar include:
 * 1) **Profile Icon:** Will bring you directly to your [|StumbleUpon] profile.
 * 2) **Tag Icon:** Will bring up a pop-up window which allows you to assign up to five keywords to a site (to make it easier to find later in a list of your favorites).
 * 3) **Search Icon:** Will bring up a pop-up window that allows you to stumble upon only those websites which match the search term you supply.
 * 4) **Matches Icon:** Will bring you to a page of suggested friends based on your location and profile's demographic information.
 * 5) **Network Icon:** Will bring you to a list of a your friends and groups.

Step 3: Set Up Your Profile

 * In addition to being an amazingly addictive way to discover the web, [|StumbleUpon] has a social networking aspect that allows you to make like-minded friends and influence people. Your [|StumbleUpon] account includes a public profile page and even a blog where you can post short messages for your friends and other users to see.

How to Set Up Your StumbleUpon Profile

 * To take advantage of [|StumbleUpon's] social networking options, you will need to set up your profile to let others users know something about you.
 * 1) Log into your account on the [|StumbleUpon] homepage.
 * 2) Click the **Home** tab at the top of the page.
 * 3) Click on the **Preferences** link immediately to the left of the sidebar.
 * Alternately, choose **Profile Preferences** under the **Tools** drop down menu of your [|StumbleUpon] toolbar.
 * 1) Fill in your name, email address and location.
 * 2) Upload a profile picture.
 * 3) Choose your privacy settings, stumble settings and whether or not you want your birthday to be displayed publicly.
 * 4) Click **Save my preferences** button at the bottom of the page.
 * 5) Click the **Public profile** link underneath the **Preferences** header.
 * 6) Write a short description of yourself, select a color theme for your profile and select as many or as few things you'd like other users to know about you.
 * 7) Click the **Save public profile** button at the bottom of the page.
 * 8) Your [|StumbleUpon] profile has been created. If you'd like to see your profile as the public sees it, click the **View page as others see it** button in the sidebar.
 * 9) Edit your profile at any time by choosing **Profile Preferences** under the **Tools** drop down menu of your [|StumbleUpon] toolbar.

Step 4: Make Friends and Influence People

 * Making friends in [|StumbleUpon] is different than in other social networking services. Friendships don't have to be reciprocated or approved. Adding someone as a friend simply means that you are a "fan" of the sites they've saved. The reverse is true as well. If someone likes the sites you've saved as favorites and shares your areas of interest, they may add you as a friend - making them a "fan" of your stumbles.
 * Why make friends at all? The [|StumbleUpon] toolbar gives you the option of only stumbling on those sites saved by your friends. This is a great way to hone in some fantastic sites that relate to your interests.
 * To search your friends' favorite pages:
 * 1) Click the **Friends** icon in the **Channels** section of your toolbar.
 * 2) Return to searching pages saved by all users by choosing **All** from the **Channels** drop down menu in your toolbar.

** Browse People **
//**Fig. 12:** StumbleUpon Friends Icons//
 * If you don't know where to start, find friends by browsing [|StumbleUpon] users by location, age, interest or marital status.
 * 1) Log into your account on the [|StumbleUpon] homepage.
 * 2) Click the **Home** tab.
 * 3) Click the **Browse people** button in the sidebar.
 * 4) Choose the criteria by which you'd like to find friends in the sidebar.
 * 5) Click the **Search** button.
 * 6) Click on a users' icon.
 * 7) Click the **Add him/her as a friend** button in the sidebar of the users' profile.

Connect with Friends via Email

 * [|StumbleUpon] allows you to import your email contacts to find out which of your friends is already using [|StumbleUpon] and identify which you'd like to invite to use the service.
 * 1) Log into your account at on the [|StumbleUpon] homepage.
 * 2) Click the **Home** tab.
 * 3) Click the **Friends** tab.
 * 4) Click the **Connect with Friends** button to import your contacts from AOL, MSN Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, Facebook or Gmail.
 * 5) Click the appropriate email service icon. (You can also enter the email addresses of friends you'd like to invite to use [|StumbleUpon] by clicking "enter email manually.")
 * 6) Enter your email username and password.
 * 7) Click **Find my friends**.
 * 8) Mark the checkbox next to your friends who already use [|StumbleUpon] to make them your StumbleUpon friend.
 * 9) Mark the checkbox next to your friends who do not use [|StumbleUpon] to invite them to use the service.
 * 10) Click the **Connect with friends now** button.

StumbleUpon a Friend

 * Everytime you stumble upon a page, the user who recommended that page will be indicated in your [|StumbleUpon] toolbar next to the **Favorites** button.
 * 1) Click the **Stumble!** button in your [|StumbleUpon] toolbar.
 * 2) Click on the name of the person who suggested the site in the toolbar. You will be taken to their [|StumbleUpon] profile.
 * 3) Click the **Add him/her as a friend** button in the sidebar.

Join a Group

 * A group is exactly that - a collection of [|StumbleUpon] users interested in a particular subject. You can join a pre-established group or form your own. The group maintains a forum, and you can find friends by checking out the profiles of other group members.
 * To join a group, you must have been a member of [|StumbleUpon] for, at least, three days and have stumbled frequently.
 * 1) Log into your account on the [|StumbleUpon] homepage.
 * 2) Click the **Home** tab.
 * 3) Click the **Groups** tab. (The **Groups** tab will not appear until you have been a member for three days.)
 * 4) Create a group by clicking on **Start a new group**, or explore pre-existing groups by clicking on the **Popular**, **Newest** or **Suggested groups** links.

Blogging with StumbleUpon

 * While technically not a blogging service, you can add personal messages and text to your [|StumbleUpon] profile. They will appear in your **Favorites** list along with any reviews you have written.
 * 1) Log in to your account on the [|StumbleUpon] homepage.
 * 2) Click on the **Home** tab.
 * 3) Click on the **Post new blog** button in the sidebar.
 * 4) Enter text into the blog post field.
 * 5) Click the **Post new blog** button underneath the text field.
 * 6) Your blog post will now appear under the **Favorites** tab of your [|StumbleUpon] profile.

StumbleVideo
//**Fig. 13:** StumbleVideo//
 * In 2006, [|StumbleUpon] introduced its [|StumbleVideo] service. [|StumbleVideo] does not require the installation of a toolbar and is a great way to discover cool videos aggregated from [|YouTube], [|Google Video], [|Metacafe] and [|MySpace].
 * 1) Go to the [|StumbleVideo] homepage.
 * 2) Click on the **Stumble!** button.
 * 3) Watch a cool video.
 * 4) Rate the video using the player's **Thumbs Up** and **Thumbs Down** buttons.
 * 5) Stumble again!

StumbleThru
//**Fig. 14:** StumbleThru//
 * In 2007, [|StumbleUpon] launched the [|StumbleThru] service. [|StumbleThru] allows users of the [|StumbleUpon] toolbar to "stumble through" just one website. The websites you can currently "stumble through" include [|Wikipedia], [|YouTube], [|Flickr], [|The Onion] and [|BBC News] among others.
 * 1) Go to the [|StumbleThru] homepage.
 * 2) Click on the icon for the website you wish to "stumble through."
 * 3) Click on the **Stumble!** button in your [|StumbleUpon] toolbar.
 * 4) Visit a page within the website you've chosen to "stumble through."
 * 5) Rate the page by using the toolbar's **Thumbs Up** and **Thumbs Down** buttons.
 * 6) Return to searching the entirety of the web by clicking on the **Topic** drop-down menu in the **Channel** section of your [|StumbleUpon] toolbar and selecting **All**.

Step 6: Enable SearchReviews
//**Fig. 15:** Toolbar Configuration Tag: Web Search Options// 
 * [|StumbleUpon] recently introduced a form of [|social search] to its service called "SearchReviews." [|SearchReviews] actually integrates [|StumbleUpon's] reviews and ratings into popular search engines and websites like [|Google], [|Yahoo!], [|Ask.com], [|Wikipedia] and [|YouTube]. You'll be able to see which sites get [|StumbleUpon] users' seal of approval without ever leaving those pages.
 * To enable SearchReviews, you'll need the latest version of the [|StumbleUpon] toolbar. If you don't have that version, download it from the [|StumbleUpon Changelog] or [|Homepage].
 * 1) Click on the **Tools** drop down menu in your [|StumbleUpon] Toolbar.
 * 2) Click **Toolbar Options**.
 * 3) Select the **Configuration Tab** from the **Toolbar Options** pop-up window.
 * 4) Click the "Highlight recommended search results" box under **Web Search**.
 * 5) Click **OK**. SearchReviews are now enabled.

Sites Currently Included in SearchReviews
//**Fig. 16:** Google Search Result with StumbleUpon SearchReview//
 * [|Google] - [|Google News] - [|Yahoo!] - [|Yahoo! News] - [|Windows Live] - [|AOL] - [|Ask.com] - [|Flickr] - [|Wikipedia] - [|YouTube]

//**Fig. 17:** YouTube Search Result with StumbleUpon SearchReview//

Resources for How to Use StumbleUpon

 * ** [|Mahalo's Guide to StumbleUpon]

Important StumbleUpon Links

 * [|Getting Started with StumbleUpon]
 * [|StumbleVideo]
 * [|StumbleThru]
 * [|StumbleUpon Help]
 * [|StumbleUpon Screenshots]

StumbleUpon Resources

 * [|Unofficial StumbleUpon FAQ]
 * [|StumbleUpon Tricks of the Trade: SU 101]
 * [|Mr. Helpful's Guide to StumbleUpon]
 * Wikipedia: [|StumbleUpon]
 * Social Media Trader: [|The Definitive StumbleUpon Resource List] (December 27, 2007)
 * BBC News: [|Web 2.0 Wonders: StumbleUpon] (March 29, 2007)
 * DoshDosh: [|A Comprehensive Guide to StumbleUpon: How to Build Massive Traffic to Your Website]
 * MikeBogo.com: [|The Basics of StumbleUpon: What is it?] (April 2, 2007)
 * MikeBogo.com: [|Ultimate StumbleUpon Resource] (February 22, 2007)
 * Pronet Advertising: [|How to get StumbledUpon] (September 26, 2006)
 * SearchEngineJournal: [|StumbleUpon Defined vs. Digg, Google, MySpace and More] (February 15, 2007)
 * TechCrunch: [|StumbleUpon Posts]
 * Compiler (Wired): [|The Social Bookmarking Showdown: StumbleUpon] (October 13, 2006)
 * Read/WriteWeb: [|StumbleUpon Continues to Impress] (September 26, 2006)
 * CNET News.com: [|StumbleUpon picks up the pace] (July 13, 2006)
 * Village Voice: [|Surfin' Safari] (March 16, 2006)
 * TechCrunch: [|StumbleUpon Expands Social Search Across the Web] (October 22, 2007)
 * Lifehacker: [|StumbleUpon the best pages on the web] (August 6, 2007)

StumbleUpon Add-Ons and Cool Tools

 * [|StumbleUpon Buttons & Tools]
 * [|StumbleUpon Firefox Add-on]
 * [|StumbleUpon Sticky Helper]
 * [|A Greasemonkey Extension for StumbleUpon]
 * [|StumbleUpon CSS Templates Editor]
 * Lifehacker: [|Get the StumbleUpon Toolbar in Any Browser, No Installation Required] (February 12, 2008)

From: http://www.mahalo.com/How_to_Use_StumbleUpon_Like_a_Pro