Tumblr posts

Filed under: Blogging, Social Software, iPhone

Take a sneak peek at the new Tumblr iPhone app

by Jay Hathaway Oct 19th 2009

Tumblr is a quick and flexible blogging platform, which makes it well-suited to the iPhone. The Tumblr iPhone app has been in need of an update for some time now, though, so avid tumbloggers will be happy to hear that version 1.1 of the app has been submitted to the App Store and should be available soon. One of the developers of Tumblr for iPhone has posted a sneak preview of the new features in 1.1 on (what else?) his tumblr.

Although the flashiest new feature is video uploading, this update also addresses a lot of the gripes I have with the current version of the Tumblr app. There's finally a built-in web browser, so you don't have to go to Safari and lose your place in the dashboard every time you click a link. There's also a bookmarklet for easier tumbling, although the developer hasn't revealed how it works. Even basic posting is better, with a native editor and access to advanced options.

If you've been reluctant to use Tumblr on your iPhone because the app wasn't up to par, this update makes it look like a good time to reconsider.

Tags: blogging, iphone, preview, tumblr, video

Filed under: Business, Developer, Internet, Blogging, E-mail, Web services, web 2.0, Web, Lists

Tell DLS: What are your Top 10 Web Apps?

by Nik Fletcher Sep 28th 2009

We're continuing our Tell DLS column by leaving the desktop and heading to the web. There's tonnes and tonnes of webapps out there -- however here's just 10 that I use day-in, day-out. If you're got any other favourites, be sure to leave them in the comments!

Tags: basecamp, facebook, flickr, instapaper, lists, tumblr, upcoming, web-applications, web-apps

Filed under: Web services, Social Software, web 2.0, Web, Microblogging

Tumblr rolls out even more theming options

by Nik Fletcher Sep 24th 2009

Last week the folks at Tumblr hinted that some changes were coming for the platform, and the first signs of that are emerging with a huge update to how users can customise the look and feel of their Tumblogs.

For the less-technical minded there's now support for customised fonts, and images in themes that can be edited directly within Tumblr's Customise window and if you're a code-minded user, then the new options for Booleans will definitely come in handy, Having built a fair few Tumblr themes myself over the last few years, there's new options are some great additions to my favourite blogging platform.

As an aside, just last week competitor Posterous rolled out support for Tumblr's theme syntax. If you're using a Tumblr theme on Posterous, it might be a wise idea to check that the theme isn't using any of these new options as they won't work when ported to Posterous.

Tags: Posterous, Tumblr

Filed under: Blogging, Web services, web 2.0, Microblogging

Tumblr revamps New and Popular post pages

by Nik Fletcher Sep 15th 2009

I've made no secret of my love for super-simply blogging platform Tumblr in the past here at Download Squad, so you can imagine the dilemma I faced upon hearing that Tumblr launched a few (ahem) realtime features today to allow users to discover all-new content on the service. As always, the Tumblr Wire page is slickly designed and live-updating as more content comes in - though if you're looking for a slightly more moderated stream of content, the lower half of the page continues to show the week's top posts.

Tumblr say they're also going to be making a few design changes over the coming weeks which may leave some items 'out of place before everything is done', and the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice today's launch of a slightly sharper Dashboard design.

Tags: Blogging, Tumblog, Tumblr

Filed under: Developer, Blogging, Open Source, Web

Build your own Tumblog with Chyrp

by Nik Fletcher Sep 14th 2009

As a heavy (and admittedly very proud) Tumblr user, I frequently get asked "Can I self-install Tumblr on my own webspace?" and have answer "No". That's not a big deal to most people - it's possible to use custom domains with Tumblr, customise the look and feel of your site and more directly from within Tumblr - but for the slightly more technical, it can be a deal-breaker.

If you're wanting to self-host something similar, however, Chyrp is a light-weight blogging engine that allows you to self-host a Tumblr-style blog, right down to the specific Tumblr post options such as Link, Quote, Text, Video and Image. It's also pretty extensible, with extra modules and 'feathers' available for users to add and enhance their sites.

Chyrp certainly isn't for the average Joe, looking to set up a blog without any fuss - however if you're looking for the style and speed of a Tumblog, and want to delve into the code to customise its design and function, it might be right up your street.

Chyrp is available under the GNU General Public Licence (version 3) for your hacking pleasure, and requires a PHP5 / mySQL or SQlite compatible webhost.

Tags: Tumblr

Filed under: Blogging, Microblogging

Tumblr launches hashtags, Facebook integration

by John Burke Aug 18th 2009

Tumblr announced some big new developments they're working on. The first is an improvement to an existing feature, Tags. Now, tagged posts automatically generate #hashtags (much like the Twitter system) that collect similar posts into a group. The hashtags are displayed below your post and link to a page containing other posts with the same tag.

Because there's 650,000+ posts being published daily, Tumblr allows you to sort these by relevancy including most liked and most reblogged with a cool slider. The feature is still in development so the Tumblr staff say you may find a bug or two. Additionally, the central hashtag directory is not yet complete.

Additionally, Tumblr is working on direct integration with Facebook. Tumblr is set to introduce a new feature that allows your Tumblr content to be posted directly to Facebook pages and profiles. The content will automatically be formatted properly based on the type of post.

Tags: directory, facebook, hashtags, integration, tumblr

Filed under: Productivity, Social Software, web 2.0

Tumblr introduces Submissions for community-powered blogs

by Jay Hathaway Jul 9th 2009

There's a growing genre of really popular blogs that rely on reader submissions for content. I Can Has Cheezburger, Cute Overload or Texts from Last Night are just a few of the community-powered sites to catch on over the past few years. Some have handled submissions manually through an email address, and some have set up their own submission systems. Since the staff at Tumblr noticed that folks were using their platform for this kind of material, they decided to make it easier and introduce Tumblr Submissions.

You can turn on Submissions from Tumblr's Customize screen to enable readers to drop posts into your submission queue via email or a modified version of Tumblr's regular posting interface. The queue is accessible from your dashboard, and you can clean it out or approve posts from there. Submissions aren't going to be useful for everyone, but if you were thinking of starting some kind of themed blog with user-generated content, Tumblr should be your go-to platform.

Tags: blogs, submissions, tumblr, user-generated-content

Filed under: Design, Features, Blogging, web 2.0

Ten Tumblr themes that rock

by Jay Hathaway May 17th 2009

One of the best things about Tumblr as a blog platform is how easy it is to try out new themes on your Tumblog. There's a wide selection of built-in themes, some of which are excellent, and many more that you can find elsewhere on the web and plug in with a quick copy-and-paste. Just go to http://www.tumblr.com/customize, turn on custom HTML, and plug in the code for your chosen theme, which you can usually find at the designer's page. Here are ten of my favorites to get you started:

Gallery: Tumblr Themes that Rock

Tags: design, themes, tumblr

Filed under: Social Software, web 2.0

Tumblarity: Tumblr introduces new stats page, to mixed reviews

by Jay Hathaway May 10th 2009

Tumblr's new stats page, Tumblarity, draws from a couple of major web trends. First, there's been a big demand for stats for everything, with people getting excited about new ways to visualize the numbers in your life. Nicholas "Feltron" Felton's Daytum is the most elegant example of this. Secondly, social networks are getting more competitive. From Twitter follower counts and Favrd to becoming the mayor of your city on FourSquare, networks are trending toward more public competition (or "popularity contests," depending on who you ask).

People have responded with overwhelming positivity to the stats aspect of Tumblarity, which shows your follower count, how many posts you've made, your numbers of likes and reblogs, and the kinds of posts you make. The competition aspect, which uses a Tumblarity score derived from some private algorithm involving a combination of these numbers, rubbed some people the wrong way. To be fair, Tumblr never said Tumblarity was a competition, but they did introduce global and local leader boards.

What do you think, Download Squad readers? Does competition on the social web make things more fun, or does it encourage some kinds of "popular" content and drown out others?

Tags: competition, social-networking, stats, tumblarity, tumblr

Filed under: Blogging, web 2.0

TumblrStats gives you the lowdown on your Tumblr

by Jay Hathaway Mar 1st 2009

Here's something that was practically made to be reblogged on Tumblr: TumblrStats, which generates some slick pie charts of your Tumblr activity. How many reblogs versus original posts did you make? How much of your content was photo, video or text? TumblrStats will also tell you how frequently you post to Tumblr, including a number for your peak posts-per-day.

Because of the quick and easy nature of Tumblr, you'll probably see everyone you follow posting their Tumblr stats soon. If you're curious about your favorite Tumblr user's stats, though, you don't have to wait. All of this information is public, so you can use TumblrStats to get info on anyone's Tumblelog.

Tags: charts, graphs, statistics, stats, tumblr

Filed under: Blogging, Freeware, Social Software, iPhone

Tumblrette becomes Tumblr for iPhone

by Nik Fletcher Feb 25th 2009

You may remember Tumblrette as the fantastic Tumblr iPhone application I told you about way back in November. It was (and remains) a super-slick and stylish way for iPhone users to post to Tumblr, however today the folks at Tumblr have announced they've bought Tumblrette: and made it their own free "Tumblr for iPhone" application [App Store Link].

Not content with setting the application free (though its original $1.99 price was hardly bank-breaking), the folks at Tumblr have also added support for the iPhone-style Tumblr Dashboard and a bookmarklet so that you can easily post links right from the iPhone's Safari browser.

The ever-slick (and now free) application is available in an AppStore near you!

Tags: blogging, iphone-app, tumblog, tumblr

Filed under: Audio, Blogging, Apple, iPhone

iPhone Blogging on the go with Tumblrette

by Nik Fletcher Nov 9th 2008

If 'Portable' blogging apps aren't your cup of tea, and you're looking for something that's a little more mobile, the Tumblrette application for iPhone and iPod touch might be right up your street. Tumblrette [App Store link] is a mobile client for the very excellent Tumblr tumblog service - if you're not familiar with Tumblr be sure to check out our previous coverage here.

Tumblrette not only allows you create entries in any of the post types allowed by Tumblr, but also allows you to save draft posts to come back to later as well as write posts using Markdown formatting. The latest release sees the addition of a nifty record-and-upload feature that allows you to use the iPhone or 2nd-Generation iPod touch's built-in microphone to record a message and upload it to your Tumblog.

The application is both well thought out and beautifully designed. Best of all, it's something of a steal if you need to be blogging on the go: costing just $1.99 in an App Store near you now.

Tags: iPhone, iPhone OS, IphoneOs, ipod touch, IpodTouch, Tumblr, Tumblrette

Filed under: Developer, Blogging, Productivity, Social Software

A different take on lifestreaming: SweetCron

by Jay Hathaway Jul 20th 2008

SweetCron is a bit of self-hosted lifestreaming software from Yongfook, the creator of opensourcefood. It's kind of like a hybrid of Tumblr and Friendfeed. While SweetCron hasn't officially been released yet, Yongfook is already using it on his own blog, so we have a pretty clear idea of what you can do with it: feed in photos, videos, status updates, bookmarks, etc, each with a distinct look, so a reader can distinguish content types at a glance.

If this sounds a bit like Tumblr, that's probably because part of it uses the Tumblr API. SweetCron is customizable and extensible via new PHP classes, though, and it lives on your own domain, so you have greater control over the data you're feeding into it. The basic theme can be seen on Yongfook's blog, where he's testing it out, but he says you'll be able to develop your own themes through a template editor. If you're interested in SweetCron, sign up to be notified when it launches.

[via ReadWriteWeb]

Tags: blogging, lifestream, SweetCron, Tumblr, Yongfook

Filed under: Internet, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Social Software, web 2.0

Posty: Adobe AIR client for Twitter, FriendFeed, Pownce, Jaiku, Tumblr

by Brad Linder Jul 14th 2008

There's no shortage of desktop clients for Twitter and FriendFeed. But Posty goes a few steps beyond popular clients like Twhirl and Alert Thingy by adding support for Jaiku and Tumblr as well as Pownce.

Posty's main window features a list of supported services with check boxes next to each. Just enter a status update and select the networks you want to send the update out to, and you can post simultaneously to all 5 places. You can also select the individual tab for each service to see recent updates from your contacts or from the public timelines if they're available. You can also respond to comments or send direct messages directly from Posty.

One of the only complaints we had with Posty is that while the window is resizable, it starts out at 550 pixels wide and there's no way to make it smaller. Bigger, yes. But smaller? Not so much. So it takes up a fair bit of screne real estate.

Like most applications built on Adobe AIR, Posty is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux.

[via Sarah in Tampa]

Tags: adobe-air, alert-thingy, friendfeed, jaiku, pownce, tumblr, tweet-this, twhirl, twitter

Filed under: Blogging, Social Software, web 2.0

Posterous: it's like Tumblr via email

by Jay Hathaway Jul 2nd 2008

Posterous is a new blogging service that's being touted as even simpler and easier to use than Tumblr. The process is extraordinarily simple: send something to post@posterous.com. Hey, look, you've started a blog. When you want to add something to it, send another e-mail to the same address. Simple as that. Supported attachments include everything from JPGs to PDFs to Mp3s.

It's not as if Tumblr is extraordinarily complicated, but Posterous presents some interesting possibilities. You can post your cameraphone pics and other moblogging material via e-mail, and have comments sent to you and reply to them on the go (again, via email). Also, we're not complaining about a blogging service that lets you skip past all those annoying signup processes. You already have an email account, so what do you need yet another login for?

Posterous obviously has to be careful about security, since forging email addresses isn't all that difficult. Michael Arrington offered a free TechCrunch t-shirt to the first person to forge a post on his Posterous blog, and the challenge was over pretty quickly. Posterous addresses these security concerns in their FAQ: "If we think it might not be you, we ask you to confirm the email before we post it. No matter what, you always get an email notification of every post we put online for your blog, with an easy link to remove the post if you didn't do it."

Tags: blogging, email, moblogging, Posterous, Tumblr

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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