StumbleUpon Exchange Crackdown?

Hi Peeps --

I have been noticing the growing number of StumbleUpon exchanges here and am amazed at just how popular this nifty tool has become. However, I am also a bit alarmed as most threads soliciting the trading of stumbles are clearly in violation of SU's terms of services.

Specifically, SU says the following about this practice:

Are incentive programs allowed? Someone asked me to rate their web-site?

StumbleUpon does not allow personal accounts to be used for the purposes of incentivization or promoting sites. This would be considered a breach of our Terms.

The practice of sending PM's encouraging or inviting other stumblers to rate/review sites in exchange for reciprocal reviews/ratings, monetary, or any other form of reward is strictly forbidden.

The practice of actively soliciting a rating or review for a site is also forbidden. Should you receive a PM, or encounter forum postings that breach this rule, you are encouraged to report this via feedback.

Accounts participating in such practices will be deleted and banned, and the related sites deleted and banned from the system.
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Ouch! While SU hasn't yet cracked down on stumblers en masse (at least to my knowledge) you could be leaving yourself vulnerable by participating in such a scheme. One way around it is to simply offer to stumble sites without *any* reciprocation required (see my signature for one example). This is something that I do and it always results in a boost of stumbled-sent traffic for me.

Be forewarned,
MattKNC

 

Cool, I added you as a friend. What do I do now?

 

Hi Podja. I stumble on a daily basis and sometimes for 1-2 hours, time permitting. To date, since I launched my personal no reciprocation campaign, I have stumbled through 18 stumblers' sites.

When I stumble someone, I leave a personal review, comment wherever I can, and then I notify them via SU what I have done. Unlike other schemes out there, I don't ask for stumbles in return so that we can remain within SU guidelines.

I've got quite a few people ahead of you, so if you are active with SU I will eventually get to you. You can read all about my campaign to find out what I am doing.