Tumblr for Dummies

For those of you who haven’t heard about Tumblr yet: you’re behind.

A recent survey showed that people in the 13-25 age range regularly use Tumblr more than Facebook, 59 percent to 54 percent, respectively. In the past few years, its popularity with youth around the world has risen meteorically.

So what is it?

Tumblr is a blogging platform that also acts as a form of social media. You can post pictures, videos, quotes, writing, songs, links, GIFs and almost anything you can think of on your individual Tumblr URL.

What sets Tumblr apart, though, is the unique way in which its users can interact with one another.

People on Tumblr have a feed, much like Facebook, on which posts from blogs they choose to follow show up. They can then like, respond to or even reblog these posts.

It’s easy and intuitive to use.

Basically, Tumblr combines the best aspects of Facebook, Twitter and Blogspot to create a social media blogging mutant.

It’s addictive, it’s young, it’s fast and it’s huge. You’ll probably see people scrolling through their personal Tumblr feeds, called “dashboards,” in class today.

Another key to the site’s success is its variability. There are niches for almost every interest. Although Tumblr started off more popular among college students and the alternative/artistic community, it’s now also heavily populated by high schoolers and teens.

For every Tumblr devoted to fandoms, nerdery, humor, serious art and writing, or some variation of the URL “fuckyeah(insert whatever adorably geeky thing someone could be enthusiastic about here).tumblr.com,” there’s probably also one devoted to pretty pictures of bland girls with long hair and pastel-colored manicures, or to GIFs of puppies running down hallways.

It can be as original or as unoriginal as its users want.

Because of the reblog function, it can be an amazing platform for writers and artists to gain popularity and has led some people to actual success and fame. It can just as easily be just a glorified version of Pinterest.

And like Pinterest, sourcing things on Tumblr can sometimes be a pain. Many artists, musicians, writers and just general bloggers on Tumblr have found that it’s easy for people reblogging their work to erase the source and pass it off as their own. If you’re very protective of your original content, beware.

And watch out for people who reblog lots of porn.

Believe me: there’s nothing more embarrassing than following what you thought was a harmless blog and then having naked people pop up on your dashboard in the middle of class. Surprise!