Techno Craze: New blogging website gains popularity

Jayne Durnin/Staff Writer

There are many social networking websites out there, but rising in popularity in 2010 is Tumblr.

Tumblr is essentially a blogging website. You can post quotes, videos, audio clips, photos and links, and your followers will see it on their dashboard. You can also reblog and “like” things that other people post.

“I just write what I feel, and post pictures and quotes that I like,” sophomore Rachel Sharkey said.

According to the Tumblr website, “The average Tumblr user creates 14 original posts each month, and reblogs three. Half of those posts are photos. The rest are split between text, links, quotes, music, and video.”

When you first start out on Tumblr, it’s best to have one or more of your friends follow you. Eventually more people will notice when your friends reblog your posts and will start following you.

In terms of finding people to follow, you can use the directory to find different blogs that people recommend for specific categories, such as: art, fashion, music, news, and travel.

“My favorite Tumblr to follow is Melina Gotera’s,” Sharkey said.

There is also a special category called “Book Deals.” All of the blogs in this category have had books published with the material used in their blogs.

In addition to following different blogs, you can also manage several blogs from one user name and create a private blog that is just made up of you and your friends. One example of this a blog from the Waterloo area where locals just post their own picture each day and maybe add a little caption.

You can also send messages on Tumblr and set your posts and reblogs so that they will show up on other people’s dashboards on a more regular basis.

“My favorite part about Tumblr is being able to use my creativity to get my feelings out. I also love looking for unique photography and quotes,” Sharkey said.

You can customize your Tumblr page as much as you want using different themes and you can even create your own domain name. There are also no advertisements on Tumblr to crowd your dashboard, and most importantly, it’s free.

Tumblr is also available as a free Facebook and iPhone app and a dashboard widget for Mac users.