StumbleUpon: Slacking for Inspiration/Self-Promotion

I'm all out of Moleskines to post up. Also, I'm way too busy packing up my stuff to move to my new place this weekend, so new art from me will be pretty scarce for the next few weeks.

I do want to mention my new addiction on the InterTubes; StumbleUpon.

StumbleUpon lets you "channel-surf the Internet". You install a toolbar with the Stumble button and load up websites according to your specified interests. If you like a page you give it a thumbs up and you have an option of writing a review of said website. If you don't like a site you give it a thumbs down and SU will load up something else. There is also the act of "discovering" new websites - giving a thumbs up to a website not in SU's database and being the first to review it. This is something along the lines of discovering new bands and SU users build up their rank by discovering new sites. Along with this there's a social networking aspect to the site where you can befriend SU users and Stumble their favorites and be informed of new discoveries. You can join groups and talk in forums about favorite topics.

Because "Stumbling" is a response to visual stimuli, the majority of SU users are drawn to visual content such as photographs and artwork. There are members whose Stumbles have themes much like an art or photography blog would. I'm addicted to certain user's profiles and use their Stumbles to get the creative juices flowing. Here's a quick sketch inspired by a photograph found through StumbleUpon:



SU is also great for exposure. A few months ago a member of the StubleUpon community linked to one of my Moleskine posts and sent over 200 visitors my way. Same thing happened on my "Nude of the Day" blog. Since then I've been exploring StumbleUpon and it's potential to increase my blog's audience. Although my presence is still in it's infancy, I hope to become a regular when time permits. If you're a SU user feel free to check out my profile and add me as your friend.