For those just venturing into the world of freelance writing, an understanding of social media is essential. Most people are familiar with the most popular social media tools, namely Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace.
However, there are quite a few other tools that freelance writers can use to network, connecting with other writers and sharing articles. Setting up a profile with StumbleUpon will put aspiring freelance writers in contact with professional writers and editors sharing content, and can greatly help increase exposure of articles.
What is StumbleUpon?
StumbleUpon is a networking tool that members use to share articles and links with one another. Signing up for an account is free and a quick process. Much like Facebook, users can then set up a profile with a bio and personal information, and befriend other "Stumblers".
The purpose of a StumbleUpon account is to collect and archive articles, websites, blogs, and any other media of interest to the user and share it with others. Many articles online will provide a StumbleUpon icon- blue and green with the "SU" logo- near the bottom of the page, so adding the article to an account is as simple as one click. (The icon can be found at the bottom of this article, underneath "Recommend Article."
Stumblers can add their own tags to articles to help keep them organized and easy to find, as well as to help other users find them. Examples of tags include pet-care, europe-travel, or reality-tv.
StumbleUpon "Learns" What Users Like
Users have the option of giving an article a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down", adding to its overall rating. Eventually, the system uses past stumbling history to offer suggestions on new content the user might be interested in reading.
Stumbled articles and other content are divided into 500 categories, so it's easy for a writer to find a targeted audience for their published work. Most stumblers install the free toolbar, which they can hit to refresh the screen and see new articles in their favorite categories.
The Benefits of StumbleUpon for Freelance Writers
Developing a presence on StumbleUpon can greatly increase a writer's exposure to a targeted community. For example, if a freelance writer specializes in technology and the latest gadgets, he/she can befriend other fans of the same topic on StumbleUpon. Each time the writer publishes a new tech-related article, picture, or video, he can "stumble" it by clicking the SU icon or entering the URL on StumbleUpon, then rate, review, and add the appropriate tags.
Instantly, his material is easily accessible to hundreds, if not thousands of viewers who are interested in technology. These use rate, review, and stumble, passing it on to hundreds of new viewers. Using StumbleUpon is a great way to help an article go "viral".
Use StumbleUpon to Promote Writing
Like any other social media tool, StumbleUpon will be the most beneficial to users who are active on the site. Stumbling articles is quick and easy, and freelance writers who publish content online will find that it's a tremendous tool for developing a following for their work.
To get started, visit How to Create a StumbleUpon Account.
For more tips on using social media to promote freelance writing, check out:
Why Twitter Can Benefit Freelance Writers
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