Tumblr roundup for January

[growyourwings]

Hi!   I'm excited to contribute a monthly summary of the visual rollercoaster that is Tumblr.   Each month I hope to share some lovely eye candy from across Tumblrland.   
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For those of us who have been on LJ for quite awhile Tumblr is an exciting place to explore.  It can also be overwhelming and confusing.  Several months ago I began to venture

Comments

[twasadark]

Thanks for this! Great info!

[growyourwings]

You're welcome. :)

[galwithglasses]

I'm just starting to figure out tumblr. I like the way it is so visually driven and it's easy to find images from any topic imaginable. I find it frustrating because it isn't easy to have a conversation with anyone about what I see. On LJ, it's easier to get to know the person behind the blog, fic or art. It's also a lot easier to comment about a specific part of an art or fic that I liked. It seems that as the creator, people would want to know what viewers and readers liked and why. On the other hand, on tumblr, it looks like you can get a work out there very quickly and the number of "likes" and reblogs can get huge, so lots of exposure quickly. Just from the little bit of time I've been on tumblr, it seems like a lot of the SPN fans are recent ones and they have skipped over LJ entirely. It will be interesting over time to see what communities form there and how they interact. I really agree that both have a place in fandom. I did come away from tumblr feeling old.....

[growyourwings]

Your observations are similar to what I've felt about Tumblr. I attend 1-2 cons a year and have posted photos from them on LJ. On Lj, I get anywhere from 0-30 comments on the posts. After the last con I attended I posted a few photos on Tumblr - and via reblogs, some of them got up to hundreds of "likes or reblogs". It's a bit heady and addictive. Of course, Tumblr makes it much easier. And to a certain extent it's a bit superficial. It does look like some online relationships are forming/have formed, but to me they just don't feel as in depth as those I've had formed on LJ

[raloria]

I agree. There's plenty of room for LJ & Tumblr to co-exist. Like you pointed out they each have their pluses & minuses

[growyourwings]

Hi there! :)

"It's not an easy place to communicate, mostly because if someone does leave you a comment there's no easy way to reply back as there is with LJ. It's all a one-sided communication. " <--THIS. I keep thinking there *must* be a way to respond to a post. But I've yet to figure it out

[raloria]

I've had a really hard time finding my place in Tumblr-land, unlike LJ where I've made so many friends. I love getting likes and reblogs of my stuff on Tumblr, but it rarely happens. On the other hand I sometimes wish LJ had a Like button which would show me people like the post, but would spare me from getting bogged down in comments I often don't have time to reply to (I know, I'm never satisfied).

I've had a few of my convention photos crop up on Tumblr uncredited, but the same could be said for LJ. For the most part people will reblog with credit and like you said, it's always very flattering. :)

[growyourwings]

Do I already follow you on Tumblr? Sheesh, I cannot even remember. I try to follow the folks I know on LJ, but Tumblr is still somewhat unintuitive for me.

I keep reminding myself that back in 2006 when I first started using LJ, I also felt a bit lost at times.

[ash48]

This is FANTASTIC honey! Thank you so much.

You've given me a little more confidence re Tumblr. Knowing that it IS a visual rollercoaster (and not just me seeing it that way) makes me feel better about it all.

Thanks for the links. I think it help knowing where to start. <333

xoxox

[growyourwings]

Thanks for asking me. :)

I am looking forward to hearing from other LJ users of Tumblr to hear what sites they've found to love. Part of my challenge around Tumblr is the "MySpace-likeness" of it. Tumblr's that have very busy backgrounds, play music in the background (one of my pet peeves, I *always* leave a site immediately if music starts playing), or that have very busy layouts. I love it when I find a Tumblr that has content I love (SPN or otherwise) and is also one that is visually pleasing to the eyes. I want to find more of those.

[missyjack]

I think this is a great guide to both sites. I think one of the reasons that tumblr has become so popular is that t is very mobile device friendly.

I try and link to a lot of LJ content esp fic and art and meta on my tumblr, as I know many Tumblr fans find LJ impenetrable. If they don;t find the newsletter than its almost impossible to find what content you want. Building a network takes a lot longer.

Oh and there are FIERCE shipping wars on tumblr.

[growyourwings]

Another good point about Tumblr - the mobility factor.

Are you also missyjack on Tumblr?

"as I know many Tumblr fans find LJ impenetrable" <-- I find this interesting. And perhaps encouraging? I mean encouraging in the sense that perhaps it's not that the users of Tumblr aren't interested in LJ, it's just that, like us, they are confused by it and don't know how to engage? I admit that I have little idea about how to actually engage with folks on Tumblr. Have you been able to have conversations there?

"there are FIERCE shipping wars on tumblr" <-- I figured there was as I have seen glimpses of it. I do tend to gravitate to the visual. Plus I find the format of conversations on Tumblr a bit hard to decipher sometimes.

One thing I am sure of is that Tumblrers are very vocal about their passions. Perhaps a manifestation of the youthfulness of Tumblrers? Or of the format? Or both?

[missyjack]

When you think about LJ, there is no way to just hop on and look at what you are interested i because it lacks the tag system (imperfect as it is on Tumblr) and the search facility sucks. I think LJ will remain the centre of fic writing (for now), and lots of fic on LJ is linked to on Tumblr.