Every blogger concerned about his blog’s exposure and traffic levels has a StumbleUpon account, right? Oh, you don’t? Then you should. But never mind that, let me tell you about some less happier experiences on StumbleUpon.
I’m one of those StumbleUpon users that usually discovers and votes on pages when he has time, when he finds something really interesting, or to help out his SU friends. But sometimes, being friendly and willing to help is not enough, sometimes, somebody has to take it over the top. Here are 5 guaranteed ways to piss me off on StumbleUpon.
Method One
You visit my profile, do a bit of research and message me, telling me how much you love my stumbles and my blog, and how much you’d love to be SU buddies. Flattering right? After reading the message I’m checking if that person has added me as a friend and I find that he didn’t.
So why would you expect me to add you first when you’re the one approaching me? Add me, and If I’m convinced I might add you back. That’s how it goes.
Method Two
Starts exactly like method one, messages and flattering included. Only that this time, the user added you as a friend. That’s pretty nice, let’s add him/her back, which you do. Two days later – surprise! – you’ve been removed by that user from the friends list. This basically means you’re his fan now, while he/her is some kind of a SU god. Dirty move right? You know what to do next.
Method Three
We’re friends, and as friends do, I like to help out. You ask me once to discover a story, ask me if I can review a page, all good. But with time, you see that I’ve voted on most of your stories, so you start sending 6-7 review requests per day, 2 or 3 out of the same website, and probably you’ll throw in a discovery too. OK, when was the last time I’ve asked you to help me out? 2 weeks ago! Let’s keep things fair play.
Method Four
We’re friends and you send me stories to stumble and review. I’m OK with that, and sincerely, most times I take the time to check the page out and post a SU review too. I know it helps a lot.
When my time comes to ask for you help, you hurry to hit that thumb up button. Good, I can understand that once, twice, but every time? A review for a thumb sometimes does not seam like a good deal.
Method Five
We’re friends and the friendly SU activity goes just great, but there’s something that you do that I really hate. I understand that we’re best friends and all that, but do you really have to send me “hug” and “thank you” pictures and messages every 30 minutes? Once is nice. Twice is flattering. More is spam.
And to understand why this attitude is so frustrating check this: StumbleUpon sends email notifications when you receive private messages, which is great. The problem is that the only link contained in that email is a link to their sponsorship page (smart isn’t it?). From there to my inbox I have to click 2 more times only to find a message saying the same thing as the one before and the one before that. And that’s frustrating.
Respect Your Friends
So, dear friends and StumbleUpon users, be careful how you treat your friends because that “Remove from friends” button is pretty accessible. Give without asking anything in return and you’re guaranteed to receive more than you would have expected.