I love Tumblr.
If you know me, you know that Tumblr is like a life line for me. I have two blogs on the site — one for endless reblogging of One Direction and the other I consider an “aesthetic” blog for equine and fashion related content (that one I like sharing!) Tumblr is a drasticly different website than WordPress. When I first heard that we’d be blogging for Sociel Media class, I thought “Like on Tumblr?” but then I realized the stark difference.
Tumblr was started in 2007 by David Karp and is categorized as a “microblogging” site. I like to call it a never ending abyss. There are a lot of things you can do on Tumblr:
- Reblog
- Post text, photos, videos, quotes, audio, and links.
- Communicate with other bloggers (Thanks for the chat feature…kind of.)
But I think the coolest thing about the site is that you can find your niche. Tumblr is famous for be a safe haven for fandom. When I first became a fan of One Direction, the first thing I did was make a Tumblr because I heard how fun it was to follow and reblog from other people who liked them as much as I did. Little did I know that it would be the source of all news about the band and other developments in what the band is doing.
The other thing I find beautiful about Tumblr is how fans/users have made it their own. For me, I love HTML/CSS. I love how Tumblr allows you to be creative and customize your own blog in any way you want. There are talent coders all throughout the site that give you permission to use their codes on your blog to make it as unique as possible. There have been times I’ve had to code for myself to get a feature to look a certain way. At one time, it was cool to have a hover drop box at the top of your blog that had a whimsical picture that floated down to realize links and texts. That trend has since died down. The other fascinating thing about Tumblr is an ongoing outlet for fanart and graphic design. In the One Direction world, it’s cool and popular to make “edits” of photos using Photoshop. I’ve tried my hand at it and failed miserably because some of the other bloggers are just so talented at what they do. I admire their skills!
There is a big difference when I log onto WordPress. I would never in a million years type out long posts like this one on my Tumblr blog. It’s just not what the site is for. WordPress is the traditional site I think of when it comes to blogging. It’s also very limiting in the design realm because you cannot use your own HTML/CSS without forking over money. It’s okay, though. I still love it dearly.
Nothing comes close to Tumblr, however. I love scrolling through my dashboard and seeing funny posts, other like-minded individuals, and beautiful design. I love the community it creates for people who love bands, TV shows, movies, art, or whatever your heart desires. If you’ve ever wanted to make an account on it, I promise you it will change your life. As distracting as it can be, there have been times when I have gone on to Tumblr and been cheered up when I’m sad or calmed myself down by finding a fanfic to read from a post. It’s like a safe haven of sorts. I’ve found a niche there both in horses and bands and I quite like it. It’s comfy!
xo,
blondinthesaddle 