A few months ago, I finally succumbed to following celebrities on Twitter but only very specific ones. At the time, I was really getting into “Glee” so I figured, “Why not follow the cast?” I started out only following two cast members, but this number soon began to grow. The third cast member I began following was Dianna Agron: the actress who plays Quinn Fabray. At first I assumed I would gain nothing from following her – just the usual perks of following celebrities on Twitter – but I was very wrong.
Agron introduced me to a social medium I had not previously heard of: Tumblr. Tumblr is essentially blogging made easy – it allows users to “post text, photos, quotes, links, music, and videos, from your browser, phone, desktop, e-mail, or wherever you happen to be.” As I am still exploring this social medium, I feel I am not quite at the level to give a “How to” post on the subject, but I do feel I can give a few tips on how to get your tumblog (tumblr blog) off the ground.
1. Choose an excellent/exciting/enticing/eccentric customized URL.
This is one of the first things required of you when creating your tumblog. You want your URL to embody you and to be short, snappy and easy to memorize. It can be satirical, a movie quote, a name, a place: really anything that describes you best. I like the idea of having my URL be ohbravenewworld.tumblr.com because 1) Brave New World is one of my favorite books. 2) This is a portion of a quote from Shakespeare’s The Tempest which I happen to love. 3) This quote from The Tempest embodies how I look at the world: with satire. 4) With a URL like “Oh, Brave New World,” I can have posts focus on the present, future and past, as it taps into all of these realms of time. I like to view the world through a lens that sees the present while looking in the past at history simultaneously, making this the ideal URL for me.
Now think of a URL that embodies you and stick to it.
2. Be sure to “reblog” as soon as you create your tumblog.
Reblogging is essential for developing your Tumblr community. According to tumblr, it is quite all right to repost another Tumblr user’s content to your page; in fact, it is actually encouraged. You have many options to build your community on Tumblr, but reblogging seems to be the one most point to as the best. Reblogging is when you see a post on another tumblog and you repost it to your own tumblog. While this may seem unethical to those of us who have taken a course on journalism ethics, it is actually ethical in this context. Tumblr has a “reblog” button on the main toolbar, allowing one to reblog someone else’s post. The original post-er is then notified that they have been reblogged and are made aware of the other tumblr user’s presence. As I said, reblogging is one of the easiest and most effective ways to build your community on Tumblr, and I highly recommend it.
3. Post a lot of media
Whether this be videos, photos or links, be sure to post a lot of media to your tumblog. Images naturally draw viewers toward your blog: That was actually the original reason I began following Agron’s. With tumblr, you have the option of having your archives appear as images sans text, with the date appearing when you scroll your mouse over it. While there are hundreds of themes one can choose from on tumblr, I suggest one that highlights the images on your blog. Tumblr is considered a “light-blog,” and is meant to be more casual and colorful. So, post lots of color to yours via media you see fit.
I hope this post helps you get your tumblog off the ground and running smoothly.
What tips do you have for using tumblr? Was this post helpful?
¡adventure is out there! 