STUMBLING AND SOCIALIZING THE INTERNET TYLER BEGGS

WHAT IS STUMBLEUPON? StumbleUpon is a discovery engine that finds and recommends web content to its users. StumbleUpon allows the user to discover and rate novel web content such as videos, photos, music, blogs, etc. that have been personalized to their tastes using techinques based on peer-sourcing and social networking. StumbleUpon was launched in 2001 by Garrett Camp and Geoff Smith

HOW DOES IT WORK? StumbleUpon uses a technique called collaborative filtering. Collaborative filtering is an automated process combining user opinions and input with automated learning of personal preference. This process creates virtual communities of users with similar interests. By rating a web site using either a thumbs up or a thumbs down button, users alter the parameters by which the site is stumbled upon. If user 1 likes topics A, B, and C and likes the site but user 2 likes topics A and C, but does not like the site, the site becomes more likely to stumble upon for users who also like B.

STUMBLING INTO GROWTH In December 2002, StumbleUpon had 1 million users. As of December 2009, StumbleUpon reports having almost 9 million users. This number has grown even more since then with the site now boasting over 12 million users and over 8 billion “stumbles.”

HOW STUMBLING AFFECTS THE REST OF YOUR INTERNETS StumbleUpon draws on other sources to discover content it thinks you would like. StumbleUpon is often linked to Facebook accounts and the “stumbling” algorithm factors in the things the user likes on Facebook to expand the amount of web content it can present to the user. Users who have the StumbleUpon web tool which allow users to stumble whenever they want from any web page have their web and cookie history scoured to find more appealing content for users. Facebook uses information about the user’s stumbling history and likes and dislikes in conjunction with likes on Facebook to create interest-tailored ads.

OTHER STUMBLE PROJECTS StumbleThru - which allows users to “stumble” through video sharing sites like Vimeo, DailyMotion, and Youtube as well as stumble through more article-based websites like: BBC.com, Blogger, Break.com, CNN.com, Collegehumor, Flickr.com, FunnyorDie.com, Howstuffworks.com, HuffingtonPost.com, Metacafe.com, Pbs.org, PhysOrg, Rolling Stone, Scientific American, The Onion, Wikipedia, Wired.com, Wordpress,BBC.comBloggerBreak.comCNN.comCollegehumorFlickr.comHowstuffworks.comHuffingtonPost.comMetacafe.com Pbs.orgPhysOrgRolling StoneScientific AmericanThe OnionWikipedia Wired.comWordpress

DEMO OF CREATING A STUMBLE ACCOUNT Tailor interests to that of the class and see what stumbleupon finds.

HOW THE NEWS WENT SOCIAL THE RISE OF DIGG AND REDDIT

SOCIAL NEWS Social news websites like Digg and reddit allow users to decide which stories get the most attention. Social news websites have been equated to YouTube in the way they make news stories go viral depending on the user consensus. The ability of users to decide the relevance and the publicity each story gets supposedly presents a more unbiased view of world events. However the users of reddit and Digg have their own biases and thus result in a news feed with technology, humor, and youth-relevant articles making up the majority.

VIRAL NEWS The progression of news from sources who choose which stories make the front page to news being pushed into the public eye based on the interests of a few opens the door for smaller, local stories to be heard on a larger scale. A story on a natural disaster may take a backseat to a story about a panda sneezing solely based on popular opinion.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN!?!? Soon, the web presence of content will be solely based on popular opinion and web –based feedback. Also, the overall web experience will be based on the interests of the individual user. This will allow for a more targeted ad experience and for web results which fit the users needs.