StumbleUpon Ditches Toolbar

[engine]

StumbleUpon Ditches Toolbar [news.cnet.com]

On Tuesday night StumbleUpon is changing the way users interact with the service, ditching the need for a software-based browser toolbar in place of a small frame that loads on top of the Web site you're on. Users with the toolbar installed will still be getting the same experience, but the idea is that anyone can begin stumbling without having to install anything.

To get the Web toolbar to show up in the first place, users must now begin their stumbling experience from the StumbleUpon home page. The site is now broken up into categories. Once you've clicked on a link the experience begins, with the persistent toolbar following you from site to site and keeping track of your ratings to provide you with new stumbles.

[rogerd]

Interesting. Having to start at Stumbleupon sounds like a barrier, but I have to admit that their toolbar has been a mixed performer. On a few browser/PC combinations, I couldn't get it to work as expected.

[Quadrille]

How much do they pay us to identify these cool sites for them?

[no surprises there, then!]

[rogerd]

Actually, "stumbling" can be quite mesmerizing. When you are waiting for a download to finish or otherwise have a minute to kill, it's rather fun to blast through a handful of sites with the Stumble button. Not all are winners, but one click of the button brings you a new one.