Everything that I have learned from Tumblr

When people think of Tumblr, the usual responses are that the website is built for teenage girls who still obsess over One Direction, or young adults who are too attached to delete their teenage Tumblr memories. Me, I am a young adult, twenty-one years old, and I still have and use my Tumblr actively.

Now, this post could be about what Tumblr taught me over the past six years-going back to when I was a newbie learning the Tumblr basics about what the dashboard buttons meant and how I could not insert more than ten pictures at time on photo post. Instead, this post will be about what Tumblr taught me, the stuff that I can carry with me even after my account is long gone and deleted.

Basic HTML

I cannot even explain the importance of knowing what <b> this code means </b>. If you did not already know, this is the code for bolding letters. Over the years knowing simple HTML has truly helped me beyond being able to create awesome Tumblr bio descriptions with one-hundred words randomly italicized, underlined, hyperlinked, and bolded.

Knowing basic HTML in my Computer Literacy class in college put me a step ahead above some of my classmates who like me were not Computer Science Majors, saving me hours of learning little combinations of the greater than sign, or brackets, and other random character symbols. In addition, knowing basic HTML has made me even interested in computer programing enough to triple major in Multimedia and Digital Culture, a major built partially on using the computer to produce digital objects that may use HTML.

Followers

Looking at those zero to thousands of little account “watchers”, Tumblr has also taught me about the importance of followers. On Facebook and similar social media sites, many people know many of their “friends” personally and can assume those people will share their posts. On Tumblr, I personally know two people, my best friend and a girl I met on Tumblr who just happened to attend the same college as me.

For me, I cannot rely on personal relationships to get my content across the site, I have to create something worth being shared. My followers are key to being published and without pleasing them, I cannot truly enjoy one of the coolest parts of Tumblr, seeing my stuff shared by others in my Tumblr niche and seeing what people think about it (even if it’s as silly basic graphics or a fake, sarcastic chat post.

Branding

Followers also tie in with branding, something I am constantly working to create for myself on Tumblr. As a Tumblr dedicated to sports in Pittsburgh, sometimes just hockey as well, I know that part of keeping consistency with follower growth and page views is my ability to keep consistent with what I post. Beyond just keeping my “brand” aimed toward sports, I also know that branding is also about branding who you are. Through hours of Tumblr and photo edits, I work to make my Tumblr account page and posts match. In addition, my experience with branding, like HTML, has helped me within classes I have taken in college.

My Dream

Lastly, Tumblr has taught me what my dream is. As a kid, I always watched sports, went to sporting events, and played sports, but I never thought it was something I could do anything in without being an athlete. After discovering and using Tumblr, I’ve seen the side of sports that isn’t being the athlete: it’s being the journalist.

Now, I strive to be a journalist, hopefully in sports, because there is nothing I would rather do than watch, write, and talk about it. In chasing my dreams, Tumblr has motivated me to do more toward my dreams beyond posting on Tumblr about sports.

When I was sixteen, I joined Tumblr on a whim because my best friend told me about it. Five years later, I still love and use Tumblr. However, I use Tumblr now as a learning tool for life.