Happy Birthday to Growmap by the way!

Cheers, Chloe
Chloe @ Ben 10 Toys´s last blog ..Motorcycle Toys – Where Do I Start?

StumbleUpon does put an image to the left now which it didn’t used to do; however, you can add one or more images to the review itself. Their system manages multiple images automatically now. (We used to have to copy/paste to get more than one into a post.)

You can see examples of reviews with one or more photos by looking at my GrowMap StumbleUpon account.

If you highlight text on a page before you click the thumbs up icon it will put that into your review in quotes with From the Page in front of it. You can type your own review into the box (in addition or instead).

Click through to look at your post and you’ll see what is in it. You can cut/paste to rearrage the images, excerpts and review text. That is also where you want to make sure there are tags and also make sure the post is in a category.

Traffic from SU comes from people stumbling and also from anyone visiting an SU account that has a review of your post or going to pages that exist for each tag. Those cause residual traffic and get your site stumbling again.

Imagine you add a post. It gets stumbled for a while. Others give it a thumbs-up or review it. That gets it some more impressions. It ends up on the pages for the tags you used. Someone sees it there and thumbs it up or reviews it again and it gets more traffic.
Internet Strategist @GrowMap´s last blog ..Success IS a Numbers Game

Anyway I digress – I’m a bit confused by what you mean about right click and PhotoBlog It in SU. I can do this from an image in my post but how is this submission process any different to the normal one?

I’ve just submitted my latest post in this way to give it a try (boo hiss at self submission!! oh dear) and I’ve done a longer review than I normally would with an excerpt like you said.

It also put it’s own excerpt in and only put tags on my review not on the post link so I don’t know what I did there.

On the review page within SU now it has an orange rectangle that says ‘Featured Review’ which is a new one on me – what does that mean?

What is the deal with the image? As SU has one for each submission anyway do you just mean in reviews. I’ve just gone back and added an image to a review I made previously but it doesn’t show up on the review page so what is the point or have I done it wrong?

Are your points (1) to (4) about self submissions? If not, how does SU drive traffic for you?

I’m so sorry for the number of questions but I thought I knew a bit about SU and apparently I don’t!!

Am looking forward to your SU post!

Cheers, Chloe
Chloe @ Ben 10 Toys´s last blog ..Battle Strikers – 10 Things Every Parent Needs To Know

That’s technology for you: sometimes it saves you time and sometimes it eats up time. Glitches are just another part of it. I don’t know anything about Ben 10 toys – had never even heard of them before I met you online – but the green color just seemed very appropriate for boy’s toys and that particular green is really unusual.

I am happy to offer tips to anyone who is interested. It takes so long to learn so much and there is always more to research, implement, and test. There is no way one person could do it alone. That is why I keep encouraging people to collaborate. We simply must share what we learn.

StumbleUpon is the best Social Networking site for driving traffic. I will write a post on why and how to use it but here are some quick tips:
1) ALWAYS use tags – as many as apply
2) Make sure the site has a category – these are limited so pick the closest
3) Add an image using the tool (right click & select StumbleUpon PhotoBlog It)
4) The best method is to include an image, personal review, and excerpt – their algorithm favors longer reviews, reviews with images, and reviews with personal comments)
5) Click on the tags to go to a page on that subject. Find the people interested in it and connect with them.
6) The more you use SU the more “juice” you get. Build a power profile there by putting great content there. I don’t actually Stumble – I just click thumbs up and then the cloud to add a review.
7) Make your profile about your niche. Stumble lots of things about toys and also about subjects those who would buy them are interested in.

The post that went “mad” probably got reviewed by someone with a powerful SU account. Watch for my new post on SU for more details. Oh – and go back and add images to any posts you already have there. They will help. Just right click, SU PhotoBlog It and it will add the image to your review. Much easier now than when I used to do that manually!
Internet Strategist @GrowMap´s last blog ..Local Search Directory Taps the Power of Television

While Social Networking is certainly important many do not have realistic expectations about what it does for you. It is far better for growing significant relationships and identifying resources and who is exceptional at each specialty than it is for generating any immediate business.

StumbleUpon is the best for getting traffic. I’ll be writing more on that soon.
Internet Strategist @GrowMap´s last blog ..ppcSummit Seminar Discount Extended to Sept 1, 2009

This Webinar is now available as a free download at Lyris Resources.
Internet Strategist @GrowMap´s last blog ..ppcSummit Seminar Discount Extended to Sept 1, 2009