How to Use StumbleUpon

StmbleUpon is an increasingly popular web tool that allows users to choose preferences for Internet surfing and view websites that fit those parameters. This article will show you how to sign up for a StumbleUpon account, what the account is for, how to download and install the StumbleUpon toolbar, how to use the StumbleUpon toolbar and how to write a review for websites you visit, using the StumbleUpon toolbar.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Visit the StumbleUpon website and sign up for an account. During the account process StumbleUpon will prompt you to install the StumbleUpon toolbar. Follow the directions onscreen for this.

2. Now that you're StumbleUpon toolbar has been installed, it's time to stumble. Click the "Stumble" button located at the left of the StumbleUpon toolbar. On first use, StumbleUpon will prompt you to select your interests. When you "stumble" you will only stumble onto pages that relate to your choosen interests. For instance, if you said science was an interest of yours, some of the sites you StumbleUpon would be science sites.

3. Now that you've stumbled onto a site you've more than likely never been to before, let StumbleUpon know if you like it or not by clicking either the thumbs up or thumbs down button on the StumbleUpon toolbar. If you'd like, you can also write a review of this website by clicking the "talk bubble" just two buttons away from the thumbs down button. Add your review to the list of reviews.

4. From the StumbleUpon toolbar you can also email your friends about the website you are visiting by clicking the "send to" button on the toolbar.

5. Clicking the green double arrow on the StumbleUpon toolbar will allow you to Stumble through certain sites, such as Blogger. If you select Blogger from this list, whenever you click the stumble button you will be brought to a blogger page. To switch back to random websites, click the Earth button.

6. Clicking the button on the toolbar containing the two people will allow you to view websites that your friends said they liked. To do this though you must have added friends to your account. If you don't have any yet, no worries you can go back to StumbleUpon and do this. Simply allow StumbleUpon temporary access to your email account to pull email addresses and send invites or search for friends of yours that might already have a stumble account.

7. Other buttons on the toolbar include: the newspaper button, which will show you news item sites; the image button, which will show you sites with images as the main theme and it will show you images on Flickr or other public image hosting sites; and the video button will show you a video at StumbleUpon.

8. Also included with the toolbar is the tools drop-down menu, which allows you to invite friends, sign in and out, and more.

Tips & Warnings

• When you type a web address and go to a website, it might not be listed on StumbleUpon, so say you like it, (or say you don't) and StumbleUpon will alert you if you have discovered this new site. And you will be featured as the discoverer, and you will write the very first review!

• "Stumbling" can become addictive.

Resources

• StumbleUpon