Tumblr Makes Blogging Blissfully Easy

By Paul Boutin

Have you always wanted to blog, but never found the time to set up a site? Stop reading me and click through to Tumblr, a free blogging site that makes it effortless not only to type in text, but to share photos, links, music and videos. There’s even an instant-post button to include quotes from other blogs.

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Setting up a Tumblr blog takes about 35 seconds. I timed it. You hit the site, click on “Sign up,” then type in your e-mail address, a password and a name for your blog. Click once again and you’re up and running.

Besides being easy to use, Tumblr has a very eye-pleasing layout with a minimalist Web-2.0 look. You can customize it, but why bother? When you log in to add content, a row of giant buttons atop the page gives you one-click access to simple tools to insert text, a photo, a quote, a link, a chat session, an audio clip or a video clip.

Much like Facebook or Twitter, Tumblr handles all the formatting for each type of content automatically. The less you think about it, the better Tumblr works.

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Abdullah Anwar March 14, 2009 · 12:03 pm

Indeed. I tried it out. It’s very easy and intuitive. I would like to see more people using it.

Pablo Manriquez March 16, 2009 · 5:14 am

So true. I’ve tried most of the currently mainstream blog platforms and Tumblr is definitely the one I find the most intuitive to use for collecting, organizing, and sharing content. Also, as you mention, Tumblr blogs are easy on the eyes and are only getting more-so as the platform continues to attract and incorporate a community of visual artists to contribute to its “Garden” of free themes.

But ultimately, what this post missed is Tumblr’s greatest asset as a publishing platform–its community. Tumblr appeals to artists more-so than any other blog platform I’ve found. It’s easy to “follow” your fellow tumblr’s content streams, and exquisite content streams are a dime a dozen. Other platforms I’ve used tend to optimize widget installation, or comment solicitation, or monetization through ad placement. Tumblr optimizes that mutually-beneficial and ancient art of sharing (and re-sharing) with someone else something that’s important to you.

I didn’t really get into the platform until about two months ago; but since then I have yet arrive at my dashboard without finding something beautiful to favorite or reblog into my own site, or something completely unexpected to read, watch, or listen to that gets me thinking in a new direction. It’s the sort of online experience I value most in that it builds you while you build it.

Robert Renman May 20, 2009 · 3:17 pm

Indeed, tumblr is a great, great tool for publishing content.

It is very easy to use and has a great community too.