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I don't mean to be negative, but this is hardly a 'UX analysis.' All three "insights" -- ability to have a 'hidden identity', firehose approach to content, and

by jmduke 14y ago

I don't mean to be negative, but this is hardly a 'UX analysis.' All three "insights" -- ability to have a 'hidden identity', firehose approach to content, and follower count as a valued metric -- are also applicable to Twitter. I'd argue a much more interesting look at Tumblr would take into account: - how corporate tumblrs are incredibly effective compared to often-terrible corporate Twitters (part of this is sort of predestination: if a person is smart/savvy enough to have a Tumblr, he'll probably have a higher level of social media acumen overall) - the theming system of tumblr. before tumblr became large enough that it's userbase was attractive on its own merits, the customizability was a huge selling point, and attracted the graphic/web vertical to contribute both as developers and users - the overall shift of tumblr from production to consumption, with stuff like the in-dashboard compose form and the relatively new emphasis on reblogging

smith7018 14y ago
On your first point, do you think the corporate tumblr's have lead to commercial success? All I've seen so far as far as company tumblr's go are Denny's and National Geographic so I don't think I could make a valid assertion on the subject. I know that company Twitters usually seem very hollow so I'd love to be pointed to some great company tumblrs if you have them! I thought about your second point, but I personally determined that the intense amount of customizability wasn't a real reason for tumblr's success with its user base. Many tumblrs use the same 20 themes and those who overly-customize it lead down a MySpace-esque road. I've actually found myself being more annoyed with the immense amount of customizations. Please remember that I wrote this in an attempt to understand why users used tumblr, not discussing every aspect of the site. Finally, I joined a month ago so I imagine I missed the "overall shift" of posts, so I apologize for being unable to write about that!
jakerocheleau 14y ago
Definitely the theming is a huge aspect to why I use tumblr. The site also has a tremendous userbase, very creative people from all walks of life. And many users will run more than 1 blog focused on different topics. Follow enough people and you can build an incredible dashboard which updates every 5-10 minutes with new content. Or some more professional users have the ability to stick with a basic design, keep a low follower count, and publish resources/important news updates. It's a great system for anybody getting into blogging or just interested in trying a new method of social media sharing.

by jmduke 14y ago

smith7018 14y ago

On your first point, do you think the corporate tumblr's have lead to commercial success? All I've seen so far as far as company tumblr's go are Denny's and National Geographic so I don't think I could make a valid assertion on the subject. I know that company Twitters usually seem very hollow so I'd love to be pointed to some great company tumblrs if you have them! I thought about your second point, but I personally determined that the intense amount of customizability wasn't a real reason for tumblr's success with its user base. Many tumblrs use the same 20 themes and those who overly-customize it lead down a MySpace-esque road. I've actually found myself being more annoyed with the immense amount of customizations. Please remember that I wrote this in an attempt to understand why users used tumblr, not discussing every aspect of the site. Finally, I joined a month ago so I imagine I missed the "overall shift" of posts, so I apologize for being unable to write about that!

jakerocheleau 14y ago

Definitely the theming is a huge aspect to why I use tumblr. The site also has a tremendous userbase, very creative people from all walks of life. And many users will run more than 1 blog focused on different topics. Follow enough people and you can build an incredible dashboard which updates every 5-10 minutes with new content. Or some more professional users have the ability to stick with a basic design, keep a low follower count, and publish resources/important news updates. It's a great system for anybody getting into blogging or just interested in trying a new method of social media sharing.