The Log

This post will be my last here on Tumblr. I’ve finally built a new site using ExpressionEngine and am moving my writing there.

Details

If you’re a reader of the space, thank you! I hope you will continue to read my writing. You can subscribe to the new feed, or you can continue to follow here. All posts from the EE site will be posted as a link here.

Reasons

Over the past couple of years of using Tumblr, I’ve been a staunch defendant of the service. I still am. My reasons for this move are not downtime … not exactly anyways. I’m confident that the Tumblr team will put the reliability issues behind them, just as Twitter did.

My reason for moving on stems from two desires: one is to get some experience with Expression Engine. The second is to start writing more and to have more control over the entire experience. If there is one complaint I have about Tumblr it’s the archiving and search functionality. Finding older posts is a real pain.

Still, Tumblr is a spectacular service and makes posting content a breeze. It certainly met my needs for a time and is a great option. I’d recommend it to many folks.

But for this guy, it’s time for a change.

I have to stand up and again say a few words in defense of my favorite publishing platform. Khoi Vinh posted a good review of Tumblr, and Cameron Moll followed up. They both make good points — they are after all their personal opinions — but there were a couple of items I feel compelled to respond to.

First off, Khoi comments about the identity crisis inherent in Tumblr:

Tumblr discourages identity. Or, to be more specific, it promotes shallow identity. Moreso than other blogging systems like WordPress or ExpressionEngine, Tumblr blogs frequently offer only scant few details about their authors.

This may be true when spending some time perusing various blogs built upon Tumblr, but once again I believe it is a misdirected complaint. It is up to the author (or site owner) to make themselves known, not the platform. Tumblr offers a description element as well as pages to share more about yourself. In many authors don’t take the time to do so, we cannot fault Tumblr. I would offer my own site as an example: the links above will allow the reader to get to know me a little better.

Cameron, who uses Tumblr himself, raises two issues pertaining to the Tumblr Dashboard:

… the dashboard is virtually useless. If you’re following any more than a handful of active Tumblr users, you’ll be inundated with posts, not to mention trying to track down your own posts among the mix. Also, I dare you to try finding a link to the original Tumblr user’s post from within the dashboard. Not the index page of the user’s site or the media they linked to, but the post they created for that media or text.

Both of these are incorrect.

A Tumblr user can follow many folks if they choose to. But if they do not want a Dashboard full of other people’s posts, they can subscribe to those blogs they enjoy with a good old fashioned RSS feed that Tumblr provides with each account. And if you do follow people using the Tumblr service, you only have to click the link in the sidebar to see only your own posts.

And if you don’t like seeing all the notification as shown here, there is a preference to uncheck. You can have just what you want.

Lastly, the permalink for each post is not obvious, but it is available. Simply hover over the top right corner of each post in the Dashboard and watch for the page fold. I use this all the time as I prefer to read most posts in the design the author intended.

My apologies if I’ve misunderstood Cameron’s complaint, but I believe he was referring to the permalink for each post.

Dear reader, please understand — I am merely responding to the quoted sections above, not the articles in their entirety. I have much respect for the authors and their opinions. Nor do I wish to spend more time on the subject of comments. But I really feel the platform has nothing to do with the quality of the writing or content on a blog — it starts and ends with the person behind the site, not the tool.

You get out what you put into it.

Not only are big names in the design field moving to Tumblr — big time publications are as well.

[ via Gruber ]

I finally got around to finishing off a new design for this site, complete with a couple of pages. If you’re usually reading this site from your feed reader or the Dashboard, give it a look in your browser.

I’m still kicking the tires and tweaking a few of the post styles. If you have any suggestions or critiques, my apprentice level skills would appreciate hearing them.

They do more than just work on their product … from time to time they get involved with what’s happening in the world, and do what they can to make things better. It’s not the first time either.

Today I donated $5 to enable the “heart-of-BP-executive black” in my Tumblr Dashboard. Each $5 donation is matched by Tumblr and goes to one of three organizations helping to deal with the oil spill.

Even better, Tumblr sends you an emails with more details on how you can contribute to the situation:

There’s still more you can do to help:

• Spread the word. Make sure your friends know how much is at stake, and encourage your community to donate. You have a blog, don’t you?
• Contact BP and your local government. BP must devote any resources needed to clean up this mess. We can’t let up.
• http://www.votesmart.org/official_local.php
• http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/inquiry/2931/
• Help your community reduce its dependence on oil. Buy local goods and produce. Bike and walk more. Take advantage of public transportation.

Helpful, thoughtful information. The last bullet point in the list really echos my feelings — although BP should be held accountable for their shoddy practices, I can’t help but think this type of disaster could come from any of the other deep water rigs out there.

The best solution is for all of us to consume less. Period.

It’s the little things that endear you to a service or an application.

[ via email from Tumblr ]

One of the better Tumblr theme creators out there, Matthew Buchanan, has released two new themes today. One is Solaris, shown here.

Overall, a very attractive theme and — like all of Matthew’s work — it displays great attention to the little details. Also, it comes with both a light and a dark option.