That is the question I’ve been kicking around the past week or so. I’m sure most of you know what a Tumblelog is and if not; Wikipedia says:
A tumblelog is a variation of a blog, that favors short-form, mixed-media posts over the longer editorial posts frequently associated with blogging. Common post formats found on tumblelogs include links, photos, quotes, dialogues, and video. Unlike blogs, this format is frequently used to share the author’s creations, discoveries, or experiences without providing a commentary. One of the many tumblelog sevices is tumblr.
So with that being said I love the idea behind the simplicity and quick shots to your page; especially from my mobile. But the #1 thing holding me back is comments. There isn’t any. Comments are a huge deal to me; both receiving and giving. I mean first off, I love leaving comments on your blogs, even if it’s just to say “hi, nice post”. It lets you know I was there, I read it, and to me that’s important. Visa versa with comments on my site, it lets me know you were there, and that means a lot to me.
So I guess the point of this post is to see what your thoughts are on this. Would you be more inclined to read a blog if it were simpler? If it were just shots through out the day. One thing I’ve noticed with these is people seem to post more often than a normal blog. For those of you out there currently using a tumblelog as your primary blog, what do you feel it’s missing? What can they improve on?
Technorati Tags: clintus mcgintus, tumblelog, tumblr
I’m all about the comments as well. I appreciate them and they are a kind of validation. I’ve been kicking around the idea of starting a Tumblr account too. I can see people posting more to their Tumblr because it is a no brainer. There’s no pressure to come up with the backstory to go along with the link or the photo etc. However, I think the best way to use a tumblelog is in conjunction with your blog. Kinda of a cross promotion of sorts. Let the two work together.
I have a tumblelog, but I never really post to it. It just collects all my various RSS feeds from my blog, twitter, Digg, del.icio.us and who knows what else. It’s the one stop place to get all my stuff. Oh, it at http://tinkr.tumblr.com if anybody cares.
Hey..Tumblr is the way to go, especially if you’re a lazy blogger, which I am. 1) it’s dead easy to update, with just a few clicks you have quotes, pics, txt and vid on your site. litereally clicks. no logging in bullshit…just use the bookmarklet they provide you. band. updated. 2) it pulls in my twitter/flicker feed. my whole digital life, on one page. 3) i’ve never had downtime or trouble updating. this is due to the fact that it’s not a popular service yet.
As far as comments go, it sucks, but not a killer, at least for me. my blog is mainly for people like my family/friends…thye can just call or email me.
thanks, Clintus. I’d been toying around with the idea of doing a tumblog mashup of my clipmarks, flickr photos, twisters, etc, but hadn’t thought through the pros and cons yet.
What I realized reading this is that I already have a tumblog in the form of my facebook feed. Another might be overkill!
I’ve got http://ericskiff.com lying around at the moment. I think I might put a big blip player with my videoblog in it at the top, and a tumblog of all my feeds below. Hmm…
Hi, Clintus — I recently switched my blog, which for years was a Movable Type, then a Wordpress blog, to Tumblr, which I’ve had the privilege of seeing develop before my eyes (they share office space with Next New and developed our own NNN publishing platform). I talked about the reasons here: http://tim.shey.net/post/13415582
I would suggest just playing with it on a separate url for a while and see how you like it. Re the comments thing, there are some hacks you can do to add comments to your tumblelog, and also I believe the Tumblr team are working on something that addresses some of your concerns, though it won’t be comments like we’re used to. You might want to wait for the next big Tumblr release to make your decision.
It really just depends on what sort of site you are trying to make. I have a tumbler blog, which I call my Video Bathroom, where I post videos that entertain me for various reasons (most of the time, the reason is not that they are good!).
So because I didn’t make the videos, I dont feel a need for people to comment on them: http://schlomo.tumblr.com
I like Schlomo’s use for tumblr. Bathroom.. good stuff.
I setup a tumblr blog a couple weeks ago. It is cool if you are looking for something easy and fast to do light weight blogging on. In my mind it is no replacement for wordpress which has more features and scale than god.
Personal preference I think is what it comes down to. That and what good is blogging if you can’t leave me a comment about how bad I am at grammar and spelling?
good post Clintus!
I’ve been debating the same exact thing lately. My tumblr blog is: zadi.tumblr.com — testing it our for a while before I decide what to do. I do like having my own personal long-form blog though.
I’d say, if you want to start a tumblelog, go for it, but don’t make it your main blog. Comments are great, and that’s what’s great about a blog. Tumblelogs are great one way streets. It’s a wonderful for being your stream of consciouness. The hacks to add comments are always ugly, ads and extra logos everywhere. I hate seeing that.
Hmmm, for me - I like the interaction between blogger and reader. I also like that someone is “listening” and actually values what I have to say…
Why not just make a new blog and link it to here?
(new reader BTW…)