Have you used StumbleUpon (or other Social Networks) yet or have you ever reading about it on other blog where S.U can bring more traffics. If you haven’t, you must try it. I used StumbleUpon and really enjoyed to stumble interesting topics and gain some benefit from it. If you an active stumbler then you must already download the StumbleUpon toolbar where you can configure all the S.U preference and other option depending on your interest. I don’t want to talk about the S.U or the toolbar, but more on the social networks power (StumbleUpon as an example) and how you you used it- either you only promoting or participated.

1 - Don’t just promote, please participate.
How do you used all the social network power, are you only promote or really participate in that social network. Give me your answer. For me the best way to get started with the entire social network and get the benefit from it, you must participated and not just promoting. Why? If you join all the social network and then you only promoting on your sidebar or blog post, then you won’t get any benefit from it, yes you will get nothing except the free promotion. But if you participated surely you will reap the ‘rewards’. Rewards here means you will get the entire traffic spill over from that site. Some attention and action must be taken from now if you only promoting all the social networks since the first day you join it.

So often I read other successful blog post about all the social network power and how they manipulated it to increase and attract readers. I also join most of the social networking but nothing special happen and the traffics low as usual. Hey!! It doesn’t works for me. Then I realize that I only join and promote it but never participated and get to know other users. That why I don’t get any benefit like what I read in other blog. There is no immediate way to increase traffics by only “promoting” the site. Below some of the action that I take to maximize the social networks power.

It greedily to say social network as an immediate way to reach significant audiences and thousand of traffic flow to your site. But there are ways to make it works by get involved and give something back to the community if you want something out of it. Simple words is “don’t just promote but you must participate” more. If you had great content don’t keep it walled in but allow other to see it by participate. To participate you had to start first. If you use S.U, try to stumble other first, add other as friend and write a review to other. If you do this, you slowly build your own network, sometime if you start first other will return the flavor back - hope so it works.

2 - Extending your reach
You must consider the reach wider audience and users, not only target small portion of user from your home country (StumbleUpon user from my home country are really small). Get to know other wider audience from other country. Don’t target your small home country audience since all social networks are opened to world wide audience. A thousand hit from your home country user + thousand of hit from other wider audience will slowly grow the traffics graph.

3 - Know what other want.
You must first know your audience and let them to know you, consider monitoring other user’s profile. What they like to know, what they want to read, or how they interact or participate in the site. Then you will know what content can attract attention.

4 - Don’t just write a Review
Actually a review is a review and nothing more than that but you can change the review to something useful and can benefit you. For an example, if you really like a site in S.U, you can write a short review about it, get used of this feature by write a good review and useful. For me a good and useful review will encourage other users to get know you more.

5 - Make more friend.
Try to find and adding more friend to your network profile, huge friends likely can help you to reach much more audience and give more exposure to your blog.

How do you gain all the benefit from Social Networks that you currently join, I just realize all these social networks benefits after 3 month I start blogging. Maybe not to late for me. If you had something to share, you can drop a comment below or you can help Stumble my post.