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 Website Review: StumbleUpon.com
Simone Peinke
Fight information overload with StumbleUpon.
Searching for information on the web can be overwhelming. When ‘information overload’ seizes your brain, and holds your rationale hostage, the first instinct is often to abandon your search and surrender in frustration. StumbleUpon is a website aimed at combating online information overload, by signalling sites of quality that lie within your interests.
All you have to do is sign up and tick off your interests from an extensive list that is clearly organised, and therefore doesn’t take too much time. You can then begin ‘stumbling’ by using the thumbs-up or thumbs-down icons to rate web pages.
StumbleUpon helps users avoid the tediousness of web browsing, by filtering web pages according to your interests, and the page’s quality. As a ‘stumbler’ you can rate web pages, and if the web page receives a high enough rating, it will be recommended to other ‘stumblers’ to read. You can choose to share your favourite websites with friends, and interact with other Stumblers who share your interests.
The site is full of useful information, from Stumbleupons recommended technologies, their blog, their help features and useful features. Users can sync their Facebook account to their StumbleUpon account so that Facebook friends may view your favourite web pages and write you messages that will then appear on the StumbleUpon page.
The only thing lacking is page customisation, which seems to be on all other interactive sites and appears to be of growing importance to contemporary web users. However, you can upload pictures of yourself and personal information that you can share with other users.
Although the site mostly gets it right, at times you may be confronted with articles that you feel bear no semblance to your interests. However, this is rare. The big ‘thumbs-up’ for StumbleUpon is that the information you receive has been peer-reviewed, so that no matter what information makes its way to your screen, it is bound to be good.
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