Hey Fred, good post. What if Tumblr freed this thing up so anybody could integrate the reblog button on their sites - it would be very cool here, for instance.
I've also seen other blogs use clipmarks to good effect.
I think this thing has legs - it turns your blog (or mine, or ours) into more of a wire service, and makes us desk editors in addition to bloggers (to use an old school analogy).
whitneymcn
· 1 year ago
What's interesting about the Reblog button (and Tumblr as a whole, for that matter) is that it takes the creative "vices" of blogging and transforms them into virtues -- which in turn makes blogging more accessible.
In the "normal" blogging world, bloggers who just republish stuff created by others, rather than getting scoops or generating new content, are widely disparaged; in a Tumblog this behavior is explicitly encouraged via Reblog. You like what someone else posted, but don't have anything in particular to add? Cool, no problem, reblog.
Similarly, the "strongly typed" nature of Tumblr reduces the friction associated with blogging. As I wrote a month or so ago:
"The Internet is littered with long defunct, three-post blogs in large part because 'blogging' is generally viewed as 'writing,' and therefore every blog must apparently carry the burden of high school English classes: What’s my thesis? Have I developed my arguments? Spelling counts! Jeez, haven’t I written 500 words yet? Tumblr tries to eliminate some of that friction by scaling down the ambitions of blogging; if you just want to post a picture, post a damn picture and don’t worry about whether it constitutes a 'blog post.'"
I'm really looking forward to seeing how Tumblr and its community evolve.
Joe Lazarus
· 1 year ago
I like the idea you mentioned about opening the reblog feature up to sites other than Tumblr. I posted some more thoughts on that particular point on my blog...
If I'm lucky, someone will reblog my reblog of your reblog post ;)
sull
· 1 year ago
don't forget about the simple purpose of using the bookmarklet to post anything you want from anywhere on the web.
the reblog feature is a cool intratumblr feature but the bookmarklet suffices for everything else. no?
in either case, human filters are key.
Greg
· 1 year ago
Superb post.
"When we are done, we will have a more efficient and higher quality media experience for everyone."
The above text struck me as odd though. When are "we" done, or at least how would you define "done?" And please explain the difference between "we" and "everyone." What implied distinction are you making between we/everyone?
Fred Wilson
· 1 year ago
greg
good question
we means all of us, the consumers who are taking control of the media distribution system.
as for being done, i think that was the wrong word to use. i don't think we'll ever be done.
fred
teaandfeathers
· 1 year ago
Why don't you try soup.io It has what tumblr lacks.
shadowfirebird
· 1 year ago
I'm afraid I can't agree. It's just as easy to hit the bookmarklet than the reblog button; arguably easier, since that's what you do with non-tumblr sites. That makes the feature an also-ran, at best.
In the same way, it is considerably more convenient (for me at least) to "follow" someone by adding them to my RSS reader than to click on the "follow" button.
When I see "you have n followers" or "n people reblogged your post" in the Tumblr dashboard, I know that the numbers don't mean much.
Steve Poland
· 1 year ago
Fred -- tumblr's homepage could become like a techmeme of sorts; indexing the page daily, and keeping an archive of each day [possibly multiple times per day].
I'm sure they're working on this [and I'm sure you may know about it ;)], so look forward to seeing it. It'll be a great daily "newspaper" -- by the people, for the people :) Maybe there's a way for this to also start providing localized versions in the future [to get your localized newspaper concept]. Tumblr + Outside.in = localized newspaper.
hankjmatt
· 3 months ago
Don't forget about the simple purpose of using the bookmarklet to post anything you want from anywhere on the web. The reblog feature is a cool intratumblr feature but the bookmarklet suffices for everything else. Club Penguin Cheats
Resume Builder
· 2 months ago
Too bad you have to end newcritics, well I really had enjoyed reading your reviews for movies, song, books and many more hope someday all of the bloggers on new critics will blog again
Baby Bassinet
· 2 months ago
It does seem to be a very cool feature since so many blog topics become relevant again down the road. Your content can be relived forever and hopefully picked up by all the bookmark buttons.
What is the special thing of this site and i want to know more about this, thanks.
Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes
· 1 month ago
Superb post.
"When we are done, we will have a more efficient and higher quality media experience for everyone."
The above text struck me as odd though. When are "we" done, or at least how would you define "done?" And please explain the difference between "we" and "everyone." What implied distinction are you making between we/everyone?
All Comments
I've also seen other blogs use clipmarks to good effect.
I think this thing has legs - it turns your blog (or mine, or ours) into more of a wire service, and makes us desk editors in addition to bloggers (to use an old school analogy).
In the "normal" blogging world, bloggers who just republish stuff created by others, rather than getting scoops or generating new content, are widely disparaged; in a Tumblog this behavior is explicitly encouraged via Reblog. You like what someone else posted, but don't have anything in particular to add? Cool, no problem, reblog.
Similarly, the "strongly typed" nature of Tumblr reduces the friction associated with blogging. As I wrote a month or so ago:
"The Internet is littered with long defunct, three-post blogs in large part because 'blogging' is generally viewed as 'writing,' and therefore every blog must apparently carry the burden of high school English classes: What’s my thesis? Have I developed my arguments? Spelling counts! Jeez, haven’t I written 500 words yet? Tumblr tries to eliminate some of that friction by scaling down the ambitions of blogging; if you just want to post a picture, post a damn picture and don’t worry about whether it constitutes a 'blog post.'"
I'm really looking forward to seeing how Tumblr and its community evolve.
http://joelaz.com/post/24732775
If I'm lucky, someone will reblog my reblog of your reblog post ;)
the reblog feature is a cool intratumblr feature but the bookmarklet suffices for everything else. no?
in either case, human filters are key.
"When we are done, we will have a more efficient and higher quality media experience for everyone."
The above text struck me as odd though. When are "we" done, or at least how would you define "done?" And please explain the difference between "we" and "everyone." What implied distinction are you making between we/everyone?
good question
we means all of us, the consumers who are taking control of the media distribution system.
as for being done, i think that was the wrong word to use. i don't think we'll ever be done.
fred
In the same way, it is considerably more convenient (for me at least) to "follow" someone by adding them to my RSS reader than to click on the "follow" button.
When I see "you have n followers" or "n people reblogged your post" in the Tumblr dashboard, I know that the numbers don't mean much.
I'm sure they're working on this [and I'm sure you may know about it ;)], so look forward to seeing it. It'll be a great daily "newspaper" -- by the people, for the people :) Maybe there's a way for this to also start providing localized versions in the future [to get your localized newspaper concept]. Tumblr + Outside.in = localized newspaper.
Club Penguin Cheats
hope someday all of the bloggers on new critics will blog again
Regards
http://www.medost.com/forum/
"When we are done, we will have a more efficient and higher quality media experience for everyone."
The above text struck me as odd though. When are "we" done, or at least how would you define "done?" And please explain the difference between "we" and "everyone." What implied distinction are you making between we/everyone?