StumbleUpon Gets a Makeover and Becomes More Brand-Friendly
StumbleUpon, a Web site that finds and recommends Web content to its users, launched several new changes yesterday as part of a major overhaul. The renovations include a rebranded logo, a redesigned Web site, and a new “Channels” feature that let users subscribe to content streams curated by brands and celebrities.
"Discovery is becoming a bigger part of how people spend their time online," said StumbleUpon CEO and cofounder Garrett Camp in a statement. "The new StumbleUpon makes it easier than ever to discover new and interesting things from across the Web."
Founded in 2001, the San Francisco-based company helps people discover online content based on their selected interests. Users click a “stumble” button to find new Web sites and then have the option of voting and commenting on the selection.
The site currently has more than 250 channels. Audi, ESPN, Yelp, and Vanity Fair are some of the brands that have their own channels, as well as actress Nicole Kidman and venture capitalist Mark Suster.
By "following" a Channel, users receive updates based on their interests rather than all of the Channel's content.
In addition to giving brands a home, StumbleUpon also added a function called the Explore Box that lets users enter keywords to search for a specific topic rather than just a broad category. According to a company statement, more changes will be rolled out in the coming weeks.
StumbleUpon was acquired by eBay in 2007 for $75 million. Two years later, Camp, his co-founder Geoff Smith, and other investors bought the company back and took it private again. In October, the company announced that it had reached 20 million active users and had more than 1 billion “stumbles” per month.