Social media and social engagement is becoming more widely known to search marketers. Terms like “Power Users” and “Whales” are also part of the new age “lingo”. But what makes these top users any different from you and me? How much time is invested to get this status? An angle I don’t think many have explored for social activity is the amount benefits being at this level can bring you. Such as links to sites that are associated with you and interviews conducted by webmasters.

I have interviewed some of the most powerful users across the board, especially Stumbleupon, Digg, Mixx and Sphinn. I have asked:

Jansie SilentJay74 TheNanny612 Jeff Quipp Spostareduro

The 5 I have asked are top users in one or more of the four social sites I have listed, lets hear what they have to say:

Question 1 - How many hours a day do you spend on each social bookmarking website?

Jansie - Mixx.com, all day, as time permits, with breaks in-between work, as the mails come in, or if I find something interesting to post.
SilentJay74 - I would say I only spend in total about 3 hours a day off and on. I usually haunt Mixx.com. That is where I am most well known.
TheNanny612 - Well, I don’t have an allotted time I spend on each social bookmarking site. But, I do keep windows open constantly of my favorite social bookmarking websites that I frequent. And, since I spend around 19-20 hours online a day…. I guess I could be spending that much time on them.
Jeff Quipp- a) Digg (2 hours)
b) Stumbleupon (2 hours)
c) Sphinn (1.5 hours)
d) Reddit (10 minutes)
e) Mixx (1/2 hour)
Spostareduro – This is a funny question. Can I actually boil it down to a set amount of hours out of 24? Hmm..I’d have to say 23.59. It’s likely I’ll divorce before marriage.

Question 2 -Which is your most visited social bookmarking website?

Jansie - Mixx
SilentJay74 - I usually haunt Mixx.com. That is where I am most well known. I have been Social Bookmarking for over a year or so. I am also the co-host of Social Blend. It is a podcast about Social Media and Social Bookmarking. We also talk about Mixx.com a lot on the podcast.
TheNanny612 - My favorite Social Bookmarking website is Stumble Upon. It is the one I spend the most time on.
Jeff Quipp- No question, Stumbleupon. It holds the most potential for the vast majority of Clients, large or small. I also use Stumbleupon to help me keep track of everything my friends think is important in the industry that day. Lastly, I’ve reduced my TV time, and now dedicate that time to following my interests on Stumble.
Spostareduro – Oh, this is simple. Stumbleupon. I love the variation of personalities and interests there. Which can be found everywhere, but SU makes others seem more tangible, not just virtual. A home away from home (I’m a real nerd) If Sphinn were considered a bookmarking site, I’d say Sphinn because it’s there that I’ve gotten most of my niche education.

Question 3 - How long have you been using social bookmarking?

Jansie - My addiction started in 2007. I’m seeing someone about it though…
SilentJay74 – No Answer
TheNanny612 - Since July of 2007
Jeff Quipp- I set up my first account on Digg almost 2 years ago, but really only got into it seriously in the last 8 months. In the last 8 months though, its been a full-time job!
Spostareduro – I’ve been actively involved with social bookmarking for probably a solid 2 months now. (give or take a week or 2) I opened a few profiles a few months back, but didn’t pursue them at that time.
Question 4 - Do you have a preferred choice of content to submit?

Jansie - Yup, SEO stuff, totally off the wall comic stuff, self-submissions, for shameless link-building.
SilentJay74 - My preferred choice of content is tech news and crazy videos.
TheNanny612 - Depends on the social bookmarking site I am on at the time. They all have different content that works well on them. Any niche will do well on StumbleUpon as long as long as the content is good. Sphinn, another of my favorite social bookmarking site, is a social bookmarking site for SEO, Marketing and Social Media….. so of course that is the content I submit there. The community members of Sphinn are major players in SEO and marketing, so the content you submit there has to be excellent otherwise it won’t do well.
Jeff Quipp - I’m a science and technology junkie, so I love to read and submit about that stuff. These topics also have a relatively large following on social media sites, and really good potential to go `hot’.
Spostareduro – At first I began submitting mostly SEO/M articles. Because I was trying to keep up with SEO education for my site. (Learning SEO Basics) Then as I hung out in Sphinn which has a vast amount of SEO/M as well as Social Media news, I began obsessing over SM. Now I’ve expanded into allowing it to be more of a multipurpose zone. A place where I can express my human side..laughter, art, love of music, poetry, fellow bloggers, environmental concerns and sometimes even pain.

Question 5 - Are there any social bookmarking sites you don’t like and why?

Jansie - Not really. Not like is too strong.
SilentJay74 - . Right now I would have to say my least preferred Social Bookmarking site is Digg.com. A ton of things have been happening at Digg and they have been banning well known users who also happen to be friends of mine. What some Social Bookmarking sites don’t realize is that there is a sense of community, and you don’t want to hurt your community or make changes without consulting them and getting community feedback. Mixx however understands this and is extremely involved with their community. I guess that is why I appreciate Mixx so much.
TheNanny612 - Not really. I don’t participate in all of them…. I just can’t. I don’t have the time in the day to enjoy them all. I have a few favorites and stick with them. I can’t say that I don’t like one or the other. I seem to stick with my favorites because I don’t have the time for others at this point.
Jeff Quipp - Reddit … the user interface seems juvenile and uninspiring. Its not designed for ease of use. While I like the people there … its designed for machines, not people.
Spostareduro – I have a difficult time finding enjoyment in Reddit.

Question 6- Have you ever been banned from any social bookmarking sites and why?

Jansie - Well, there was this one time when I got flamed. It’s almost as bad as a ban. I promise!
SilentJay74 – No Answer
TheNanny612 - Nope.
Jeff Quipp - Yes … not necessarily because we were engaging in anything blackhat, but we wanted to test the constraints. IT WAS INTENTIONAL! People learn in two ways; (1) by failing, or (2) vicariously by watching others. We didn’t have the time to watch and learn.
Spostareduro – Why would someone wan to risk that?

Thanks for all who took part, some interesting answers there.