Even if you don't have enough time to blog, surely you have time to tumble.
Blogging tool Tumblr refreshed its web service today, adding gobs of new features, a total visual redesign of the publishing system and a nascent social feature that will likely be grown into a platform for group-blogging.
For an in-depth look at the new Tumblr, check out founder David Karp's post announcing the enhancements. Also, scroll down for a list of the new features and some screenshots. Also, read Epicenter's coverage for the business goings-on behind the relaunch.
The company's name is a play on "tumble log," a sort of blog with a very short attention span, a list of links populated with quick hits of content. Unlike a microblogging service like Twitter, Tumblr is just a little more robust. It supports pictures, videos, links, quotes, short snippets of text and any of the random stuff you encounter on the web. As a service, it's rediculously easy to set up and use. Hosting is free, and there are a minimal number of settings to tweak.
On the surface, Tumblr seems really lightweight and fluffy. But that's sort of the point. It's blogging reduced to its absolute minimum -- like Twitter with pictures. And for busy people (or lazy people) it's a godsend. I switched my personal blog from Movable Type to Tumblr a few months ago. I started slacking on my personal blog as soon as I took up blogging here at Wired News. My friends gave me a hard time about never updating my site, so I tested out Tumblr as a possible solution. Turns out it's the perfect fit for a life crowded with information, and I can't see ever going back. Tumblr has made blogging fun again.
New features in Tumblr 3.0:
- New dashboard redesign -- looks great on the iPhone.
- New archive page showing a "microfiche" view of all past posts. Here's the history for snackfight.com.
- Better quality image compression.
- You can host videos now via a partnership with Vimeo. No reason to post to YouTube first, though YouTube embed codes are still supported.
- Post one MP3 per day. Files are wrapped in a Flash audio player.
- New "channels" let you share links and content with a small group of invited individuals. Later, this feature will be expanded to allow multi-author blogging.
- Support for hidden posts.
- Support for backdating posts.
- New themes and a new CSS/theme editor.
- Improved API with the ability to put a list of your recent posts onto any blog or site.
Screenshots:
The new dashboard for Tumblr 3.0.
The archive view.
The new Tumblr theme editor.
