picture credit to Xarj.net

StumbleUpon is one of those quiet, behind the scenes social networking sites that can drive an amazing amount of traffic to your site and help you build up some great relationships. I’ve known people who actually ended up getting jobs simply by connecting with the right people on the site.

If you’re new to StumbleUpon, it can be rather confusing. It isn’t nearly as straightforward as, say, Twitter, so you’ll need to make sure you understand what you’re doing if you want to really succeed there. Recent changes in some of the policies on the network have caused problems with many users, but overall, it’s still a very useful networking option.

I’ve scanned the internet for recent guides on how to use StumbleUpon successfully and these are the five best ones that I found. Whether you are new to the stumbling scene or have some experience under your belt but could use a little more help, these articles will be very useful. If you have any other great resources, I would love to hear about them!

1. StumbleUpon Etiquette Guide and Best Practices

From Techipedia, this is a very comprehensive article on how to behave yourself on StumbleUpon. Tamar shares her insights on how to be a good stumbler and not annoy everyone who befriends you. All of her points are excellent and everyone using StumbleUpon needs to read this article.

2. How to Get Traffic from StumbleUpon

Short and to the point, this article tells you precisely how to boost your traffic coming in from StumbleUpon. Some of the ideas are what you’ll hear anywhere, but there are a number that are quite useful. Unlike some articles, this one is quite succint, making it easy to read even when you’re short on time.

3. A Travel Blogger’s Guide to Using StumbleUpon

If you’re sick of reading about social networks on SEO blogs, this is a refreshing change! Adam is a young man interested in traveling, who wrote this post on not only how to start up with SU, but how to use it to promote your website, whatever that may be. There are some good, straightforward tips here that beginners and not-so-beginners can use.

4. 3 Essential Tricks to Do with StumbleUpon Toolbar

If you’re getting frustrated with StumbleUpon, this post offers some interesting insights into what you can do to make the entire process easier. There are just three tips, but these are good ones!

5. How to Get Started with StumbleUpon

This is a very long blog post, but well worth the read. Dave Saunders takes you through everything you need to know to get started and then some with this popular social media network. From signing in to changing your password and making friends, it’s all here! Be aware that this is a slightly older post, but I still feel it is a good one for beginners.

What are your tips for using StumbleUpon?