This slide struck me as being inconsistent with what I understood about social media. What does StumbleUpon have to do with social media its not a site like facebook or twitter where you talk to followers, friends and family.  Who knew that StumbleUpon was actually social media obviously I didn’t. But of course it is, people trawling the net vote with likes and dislikes for sites that interest them.  StumbleUpon then ranks and sorts these votes and delivers the urls in a semi random manner to interested stumblers. All pretty simple and relatively uninteresting until you consider some of the key aspects of  Seth Godin’s “Tribes” .(which I was listening to on the drive from Launceston to Scottsdale) . 

People are looking for tribes to belong and follow in the areas of interest to them. StumbleUpon helps these motivated individuals easily discover new and interesting stuff on the Web.  

Here’s where StumbleUpon really works with market leadership. Tell StumbleUpon what you like, and they’ll introduce you to amazing web pages, videos, photos and more that you wouldn’t have found on your own. Of course once you find something you like, share it on twitter, facebook, digg and all the other social media. By sharing the stuff you find on StumbleUpon, you establish a position within your own tribe, that subtly builds your credentials as a leader amongst your peers. Simply stumble upon a category of interest to your group today and start establishing a leadership role among your tribe right now.

I’m writing this while sitting in on a Social Media seminar by Michelle Frost held in Scottsdale Tasmania. An initiative of Business and Employment and presented by Michon International.