Website discovery service Stumbleupon, which was just referenced on WM’s new Big List of Social Media Sites, has received a rather substantial update (rolling out through the day apparently) which focuses on the site’s design and adds a new channel feature.

For those unfamiliar with the service, StumbleUpon enables Web users to discover and share content based on categories. Users “stumble” recommended content and then have the option of voting and commenting on the selection. While I personally have questioned the value of the content discovery service in relation to conversion rate, the service now boasts 20 million active users with over 1 billion “stumbles” per month. So regardless of how well it performs to general sales, it’s a popular service that demands the attention of digital workers.

The service’s navigation tool, the Stumble bar, has been updated to display fewer buttons which makes the voting button more prominent. The Stumble bar has also integrated Explore Box, a feature the company added back in August of this year that allows users to search through more specific categories.

Perhaps the most important enhancement to the service is the addition of Stumbleupon Channels, which provide users with a way to explore content from sites, celebrities and brands. There are upwards of 250 existing channels currently which are curated by the brand (and authenticated by Stumbleupon). Early reports indicate that channels are separate from SU’s current discovery algorithm.

Related news on Stumbleupon from Website Magazine:
- Stumbleupon Refers More Social Media Traffic than Facebook
- Stumbleupon Releases an Explore Feature 
- New Publisher Tool from Stumbleupon 
- Stumbleupon Launches New Social Media Brand Advertising