How to Use Digg and StumbleUpon Properly

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 08:18:14 PST

Web 2.0 and social networking has permanently changed the way we use the internet. Now we can get in touch with thousands of people around the world, get fresh news feeds and updates straight into our browsers, and let our voice be heard throughout massive communities. Digg and StumbleUpon are two social networking sites that have strongly impacted the web and millions of people's lives. Here are some quick guides on how to use these sites properly (and with the right motives):

Digg

This website is a place where you can share any content with other people on the web. If you like a particular blog post, web page, news item, photo, or video, you can submit it to Digg where your content has the chance to be seen by other Digg users. The people who see your submission will be able to rate your content. If they like it, they will "digg it", and if they don't like it, they will choose to "bury" it. You can do the same for the links submitted by others. Website links which get the most "diggs" (or positive votes) will be posted on the front page of Digg.com, where millions of users can see it!

Some tips on how to use Digg properly:

Don't just blindly add friends. Choose Digg users who frequently post links that match your interests. You may also add people who particularly like your submissions. The more friends, the merrier!
Don't just post your own website links. The Digg community sees this as a selfish act and may cause other users to bury your submission easily. Rather, look for highly interesting news items all over the web and be kind enough to share it to the Digg community! If you really want to promote your OWN blog posts and website links, then have a friend submit it to Digg for you.
Enjoy the Digg experience by posting comments on other people's content and honetly speaking your mind! If you think a particular website deserves to get into the Digg frontpage, then vote for it, and shout it to your friends. If you think a certain webpage contains trash, then bury it and state your reasons for doing so. This will ensure that other people will receive only good content and steer clear of the bad ones. You are the judge!

StumbleUpon

When you open a StumbleUpon (SU) account, you will be prompted to install the SU toolbar. After you install it, you may now start "stumbling", or in other words, surf and discover websites that match your interests! This is a very good way to enjoy the internet. Each time you click the Stumble button on your SU toolbar, you will be taken to a random webpage that matches your interests and is recommended by other SU users as well. Once you see a particular webpage, you have an option to give it a "thumbs up" (if you like it) or a "thumbs down" (if you don't like it). Webpages which get more thumbs ups and reviews will have a chance to be seen by thousands of other like minded individuals!

Some tips on how to use StumbleUpon properly:

Don't focus on bringing traffic to your own website links, just enjoy the site! Use the SU toolbar and you'll be surprised to discover awesome webpages submitted by other users. It can really be a fun and educational experience.
If you want to share your own website links to the community, then simply send it to your friends by using the SU toolbar (there's a 'send to' option). Let others submit, judge and rate your own webpages.
Reach out to other SU users and make friends with them. Don't spam the system! Others simply send a friend request to hundreds of people at once. Nope. Rather, befriend the people who visit your page, who comment on your stumbled pages, and those whose interests matched your own (you can determine this by looking at the StumbleUpon compatibility tool).
Only submit high quality sites and get rid of the trashy ones. Period.

That's it. You will discover most of the other great features as you gain more experience with these two websites. Happy Digging and Stumbling!

Eight Amazing Websites That You Don't Know About

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 08:44:50 PST

Wisdom Quotes
There's nothing like a famous quote to spruce up an article, a report or a speech, but more often than not, finding quotes that fit the context are hard to come by. This site aims to help out in that regard. Neatly divided into more than 200 categories. Check it out.

IMSDB
This site has a large collection of English movie scripts - from Schindler's List to Die Hard, to Pink Panther, its all here. Categorized by name as well as genre, Internet Movie Scripts Database offers a useful search engine to find your favorite movie, as well as television, scripts easily.

Horror Masters
This site boasts of a large collection of stories that are bound to give you goose bumps: Vampires, ghosts, witchery and more, its all here. The site has a new story every night to please all you horror-buffs.

Anecdotage
This site is all about famous people and their funny stories. The resource is bound to keep you entertained with the wide array of topics, such as literature, sports, music, film, history, etc.

The Simpsons Quotes
Even if you aren't a fan of the popular TV series, The Simpsons, don't miss this one. The site complies some of the most hilarious quotes you'll ever read - all taken from the show. Great for a few chuckles.

Better Explained
This site is "of the geek, for the geek, and by the geek". Maintained by an ex-Microsoft employee, who goes by the name of Kalid, the blog-form resource endeavors to explain complex ideas in a simple and lucid manner. Divided into various categories including Programming, Web and Math, BetterExplained.com has some really simple-to-understand posts that will make you go Eureka!"

Atom Smasher
This site is a prankster's delight. Atom Smasher.com provides a number of customizable image generators. So, if you want to create a fake error message for your friend's window PC, or make a few funny road signs, then all you have to do is select the image, type in your message and choose how you want it to appear. Time to get back at your naughty sibling who always pulls a fast on you!