Tumblr – The multimedia twitter?
I’m not much of a fan of twitter. Quite honestly I don’t see the point. But it seems some of the bloggers I’ve been following use it regularly and find it effective. I remember thinking that a full scale multimedia microblogging platform might eclipse twitter, as the logical extension would be to open up multiple channel sharing via photo’s, videos, audio and chat. That remains to be seen, as twitter seems to be fulfilling a (manufactured) need.
Enter Tumblr, a multimedia microblog for posting short snippets of content. Creating an account at tumblr enables your very own tumblelog, which ‘lets you easily and quickly post and share anything you find or create’.
You can post text, upload photo’s or via URL, add quotes (do people really share quotes?), links, chat dialogues, audio files (one a day) and of course, videos urls. Interestingly, you can upload your own video, although you will have to create an account with vimeo as it uses their platform.
Why might one use a tumblr platform when exisiting platforms such as Wordpress offer the exact same, if not enhanced functionality? The reason is ease of use. Tumblr uses built-in forms to easily post and display content on your tumblelog, as opposed to the more meticulous wordpress system.
I first read the story via Advertising Age, where they looked at how useful it will be to marketers. There’s also more reading via the omnipotent Wikipedia and also TechCrunch.
As the digital age becomes integrated into every aspect of our lives, I see why services such as twitter and tumblr will enjoy a healthy userbase and active participation. People want information quickly, don’t have the time to craft articulate thought provoking content and need a space to empty and share their digital lives.
But what happens to all that disjointed content? I don’t see how posting short snippets of multimedia ads any value in the long run. I think traditional blogging platforms are far superior in that respect. They are open to anybody and everybody and act as personal memoirs of ones life.
I would love to know if anybody looks back on their twitterings or tumblings and formulates value from their numerous posts. Or even if you use tumblr or twitter and find it easy and enjoyable, please share your thoughts.
Update: I gave in.
I use twitter because it isn’t like another blog, its just a short thought stream or IM. If it could handle multimedia content I would probably stop using it, because that is what my blog is for. Tumblr is cool, just not for me. :)
Tyler said this on November 19th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Hey Tyler, thanks for the comment. Yeah, I guess that’s the appeal of micro-blogging with platforms such as Twitter, its a different kind of thought stream as you say. Tumblr does look pretty cool, but its not for me either :)
Tristan Owen said this on November 19th, 2007 at 9:41 am