Tumblr

It took me a while to warm up to Tumblr, I’ll be honest. It’s kind of a weird mash-up of Twitter updates and actual blogging. And if the current setup of Twitter has taught me anything, it’s that these sorts of setups tend to get too cluttered. Everyone’s following everyone and since the emphasis is on brevity, many people rapid-fire updates throughout the day. My friend even made a tumblelog to document this phenomenon. Don’t get me wrong, I love a quick diversion from work, but when I say quick, I mean quick. Yeah, sure, I can skim through those updates, but I don’t want to miss one – and honestly, I try to stay away from the Web at home (you know, so I can socialize, face-to-face, rather than socializing through a social networking site).

Ultimately, skimming wins and I don’t get to take full advantage of every Tumblr post, but such are the risks one runs when having a life outside this series of tubes.

So what *did* get me into Tumblr? Tumblr is useful beyond its simple “distraction at work” element. To quote Wikipedia:

A tumblelog (also known as a tlog or tumblog) 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, tumblelogs are frequently used to share the author’s creations, discoveries, or experiences while providing little or no commentary.

I dig it. I don’t need commentary, I just need to know what’s up. And multiple forms of media make this geek happy (remember, this geek is a creative writer/web geek/music & art enthusiast) – making Tumblr a pretty perfect fit, even if it took me a while to warm up to it. Tumblr keeps me up do date with current trends in media – and what’s not to love in that?

Plus I find that Tumblr is a great way to share that youtube video you think is HILARIOUS without being the obnoxious co-worker who emails everyone in the department. No one wants to be that guy.

Did I mention that Tumblr is ridiculously simple to use? the only thing I found complicated was learning the reblog function (after I discovered, sadly, that there are no comments on Tumblr. Though, if I had read the Wikipedia article on tumblelogging sooner, I would have known that commentary is discouraged in tlogging). Your options for posts are simple: Text, Photo, Quote, Link, Chat, Audio, Video. That means everyone can find something to share. Even my parents could use Tumblr! (And I wish they would… I’m sure their posts would be hilarious).

Until my geeky but deliberately un-hip(ster) parents decide to sign up for Tumblr, you’ll have to be content with my updates – http://neongolden.tumblr.com