New Tricks: Get started on social bookmarking sites

You’ve heard the news! You can get some massive traffic and buzz to your stories through social media. But unless you’re Chris Brogan , Guy Kawasaki or even Rick Sanchez , you don’t have a ready-made buzz machine.

How can you get traffic? Social bookmarking sites, of course, like Digg, Mixx, StumbleUpon and Reddit. Here’s how you can get started:

1. Sign up for Digg , Reddit , StumbleUpon and Mixx . Try using the same user name for each, just to maintain consistency. (Also, check out niche sites like Tip’d , which is a site just for business stories.)

2. Once again, fill out your profile. Completely. You don’t have to say you’re with a mainstream media organization; just don’t lie about it if you’re asked.

3. Start browsing, but don’t submit anything just yet . The way to get noticed is to leave smart comments on people’s posts.

4. If you can, find the site’s search function and do a search for your news outlet.

5. Befriend people who submitted stories from your site. But before you do, check to see the last time they submitted. There’s no use becoming friends with someone who hasn’t been on the site in over a year.

I will admit, this can be a time suck if you’re not careful, but it’s good to make yourself known to the community. Don’t worry about building up a power profile on each, but it’s good to become part of the conversation .

If you want, you can find me on StumbleUpon , Mixx , Reddit and Tip’d . Add me and I’ll add you back!