Tumblr can do many, but not all, things well
Wondering what the whole deal with Tumblr is all about?
Part blog, part sharing platform and part social, Tumblr has seen serious growth in 2010.
To give a rundown of the platform, you have a choice of type of post: text, photo, quote, link, chat, audio or video. It’s a great multimedia-sharing tool.
Here are a few types of people it would work well for:
VISUAL CREATORS: Photos and images display beautifully in Tumblr. Because Tumblr is also social, it’s easy for a good photo to go viral through sharing with links back to your Tumblr. Downsides: Multiple photos are not as simple to post, unless you want to create a slideshow elsewhere and post.
THOSE WITH A SARCASTIC SENSE OF HUMOR: Tumblr is full of sarcastic niche blogs, such as “hipster puppies” (puppies dressed in hipster garb with snarky subtitles) and “On the Bro’d,” described as “every sentence of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, retold for bros.”
NEWS JUNKIES: Looking for the lighter side? Many large media organizations, including The Atlantic and Newsweek, have Tumblr accounts that link to interesting content, be it theirs or someone else’s.
SOCIAL MEDIA ENTHUSIASTS: You can follow your favorite Tumblr blogs, reblog others’ posts, and easily connect with other social networks.
If you have a longer or more complicated post than is logical for Twitter or Facebook, Tumblr is a good place to post that can automatically link to your social media accounts.
DESIGN SNOBS: Design-wise, it’s a better blog service than WordPress — you have a better choice of templates. However, WordPress handles text better (particularly for long posts) and has great mobile options.
SOME SMALL BUSINESSES: Share a photo of the day of your appetizing food or drink special or pose a question to get feedback from what your customers want. A video explaining a holiday program or special could be easily uploaded, and laid-back office jokes (the ones that can be told in public) can be shared in “chat” format.
But it’s not the best platform for everyone.
If you’re looking for your blog to be the destination and interaction isn’t important to you, Tumblr might not be the platform you want.
If you write long, eloquent posts with little to no visual accompaniment, WordPress would likely be a better fit.
