#its like how people tell people to curate their dashboard. fandom is the same

[oldcoyote]

Hey there! I just wanted to know your opinion of all these new people on tumblr that are making people who like posts feel bad. They’re saying that this is not instagram and that the likes do not help the original poster and they are on this high horse as if they’ve been here for so long saying things like “this wasn’t how it was supposed to be on tumblr, this is not how things were before” when they’ve been her just a couple of years (nothing against new people joining in, but you don’t have the right to tell people how to use a platform that is supposed to be a safe haven for many since its inception)… this is how it’s always been on tumblr. People like things to save them and they reblog things that catches their attention, many are acting as if the like option is new when it’s always been there and throwing shade to those that like stuff. Also it’s weird that people keep complaining when their post are liked and reblogged and get angry at people for that. I don’t know… tumblr seems like a hostile environment lately. I just got back after years (I asked for your opinion because we’ve been here for nearly the same time and we’re from the same tumblr time.) I don’t like that people are hostile lately and act as if throwing shade to other people is okay.

i'm very lucky that i haven't caught any of that hostility on my feed, i wasn't really aware that it was happening at all! i've been here 12 years now, if we're including the neaf blog, and liking things has always been an important function of tumblr. i think a huge part of the problem now is that notes are hidden away - previously, you were able to see the volume of people liking and reblogging your posts in notes on your dash and that would give you an immediate sense of response and reaction to what you were putting out there. we even used to have a function called like-spamming, where you would like a post repeatedly and the individual who posted it could see how many times you clicked like - hundreds of times, sometimes, for those who were enthusiastic enough to do it. it was often used for comedy but also just to show appreciation

now, notes are tucked away under the activity tab - and out of sight, out of mind. you have to go and check your post repeatedly to see what reaction there was to it - and that often can make you feel self conscious, checking to see if you've garnered the attention you desire instead of just having it presented in front of you

i absolutely do get why it's hugely important for artwork and artists specifically to reblog their posts because that's the only way the art is seen by more than a handful of people - it's vital to the survival of artists on this platform to reblog art you love. but everybody i know and follow on here does reblog the art they love, as well as liking it oftentimes, so i am missing a huge part of this discourse and can't really speak to it for that reason

i know i'm very lucky to have avoided that hostility because of how i've curated my feed over the years, and i'm so sorry that this has come up and caused frustration and stress for you now. but i will say, as someone who went through an enormous period of anguish and harm and was driven off a fandom-popular blog by people's cruelty way back when; tumblr can be and has been, in many of its alleyways, a hostile environment for a very long time.

my best advice is to curate a dashboard that brings you peace. it's a difficult thing to do and it takes time, but it's worth it. the peace i have on here now is everything <3

[sebastiianstan]

Tumblr content school: why you don’t always get notes and how to (potentially) get a bit more

So in recent weeks, I’ve seen quite a few posts floating around that centre around the same subject: content creators, mainly gifmakers, not gaining followers as quickly as they would like to and/or not getting as many notes on their original content as they would like to. Most recently I’ve seen people share their like-to-reblog ratio, with a call to users to also reblog content instead of just liking it, which would result in more exposure and recognition for the creator.

Now, while all of those feelings are perfectly valid and you’re obviously allowed to post whatever you like on your blog, the conversation around this is quite unnuanced and, at times, a bit uninformed. I’m not claiming to be some kind of expert, but having been a content creator (gifmaker) on this platform for quite a few years, with my own small share of popular gifsets floating around and having built both my own blog an two fansites/group blogs to at least moderate success, I do think I have a certain degree of insight re: getting notes, so I thought I’d put in my two cents. Please note that I’m not making this post to be condescending in any way, or even to tell you what to do/how to create content, but I thought I’d help as much as I can, based on my own experience.

Below the cut are 1. reasons why I think gifsets don’t always get the number of notes you wanted/expected them to, and 2. tips on creating and posting content in a way that will potentially get you more notes.

Why you might not be getting (a lot) of notes

So let’s start with some general trends re: gifsets not getting as many notes as you’d like/expect, and not as many as they would have maybe a few years ago.

1. Tumblr is past its peak

Based on experience, I’d say fandom Tumblr reached its peak in 2015-2016, and was riding that out in 2017. I’ve mainly been a Marvel blog in recent years, so I can’t speak for other fandoms, but Tumblr was... wild in the lead-up to and aftermath of Captain America: Civil War (2016). Wonder Woman (2017) was a similar situation on the DC side of things. 

New Marvel releases (like Ant-Man & The Wasp, Avengers: Infinity War and probably most notably, Black Panther) still get a lot of traction and fandom definitely isn’t dead on Tumblr, but I feel like 2015-2016 were definitely peak years. I only recently returned from a year-long hiatus; I stopped being active in late 2017 and even then my dashboard wasn’t quite as active as it was a year before that. Upon returning here about a month ago, most of my mutuals from back in the day had also become inactive and a lot of gifmakers I used to follow were not creating content anymore.

So it boils down to this: I think it’s very likely that the amount of active users within your fandom has diminished significantly as compared to two years ago. A set that may have gotten 10k notes within a few days in 2016 might now only get half of that.

2. The URL thing

This is a sad truth, but it does seem that having a semi-canon or canon url does at least help with getting a larger amount of notes on your content. I have no tips on getting a canon url (I got very, very lucky with this one), but this is a simple observation I have from over the years. Url trading/selling has basically become a genuine business due to this - canon urls are in high demand.

More importantly, what I can say is that it’s smart not to change your url too often. Becoming a popular content creator on this platform is basically the same as building a brand - and a brand has an easily recognized name. Once you have a url you are happy with, try to stick to it for a while. When you change your url, links break on reblogs of your old gifsets, by the way.

3. The like-to-reblog ratio has always been unbalanced

For as long as I can remember, posts have gotten more likes than reblogs. If your ratio is 2-to-1 or 3-to-1, trust me, you are doing perfectly well for yourself! Again, as with my first point, this might have gotten a bit more extreme since 2016, but it’s not a new thing.

4. Popular users support each other

Obviously there’s nothing wrong with this (in fact, I love that we all support each other), but yes, in general big/popular blogs are friends with each other and tend to reblog each other’s content, which can be discouraging for smaller or aspiring content creators on the platform.

However, please be aware that these big blogs built up the following they have by posting content for years and it just takes time. Also, know that most users on here actually really enjoy being tagged in your posts - so if you gif a movie or tv show you know a popular user (that you follow) likes, tag them in it and if it’s high quality content (I’ll touch on this later), they’ll probably reblog it.

Tips on getting more notes

Alright, on to part two: my personal tips on getting more notes. These are strictly based on my own experience, and as a repeat of my disclaimer earlier: I am genuinely trying to share my knowledge; none of this is with the intent of being a condescending know-it-all.

1. Don’t look like you’re complaining

No matter what the intent behind your post about your lack of notes and/or followers is, it’s very likely you’re going to come off entitled or ungrateful. I’ve personally unfollowed multiple users who post consistently about reaching their next thousand, who make angry/frustrated posts when their followers don’t increase as quickly as they’d like to, when they lose followers, etc. I understand that the hustle is frustrating, but posts like these are really quite annoying for your followers; you’re complaining about followers you don’t have to followers you do have, who are then more likely to unfollow you because it looks like you’re complaining. Your mutuals might understand why you’re posting this, but others probably don’t.

When it comes to posts about like-to-reblog ratios, which I’ve seen a fair few of recently, please consider a couple of things. 

When you ask people to reblog your post instead of liking it, you are essentially telling them what to put on their own blogs.

A lot of users on here have carefully curated content; while some users simply blog about everything they like, others stick to a certain set of subjects/movies/tv shows. If they see a post they like that doesn’t fall into those categories, they’ll give it a like to keep track of it and show their appreciation, but won’t put it on their blogs. You can’t tell people to reblog something they don’t want to.

You’re essentially asking people that you do not really personally care about to do something for you. Most of the likes you get on your post are likely from people that you do not follow yourself. I’m not saying that you hate your followers or don’t care for them, but you can’t really ask anything of a user that you don’t even follow yourself.

Look at it this way: Tumblr is basically a mini society, with its own market in the form of content creation. The ones who have a few thousand followers, and who get a few hundred or a few thousand notes on their posts are already the lucky ones. If you’re a user who gets hundreds/thousands of notes on their posts (even if it’s not as many as you like or deserve), you should keep in mind that the vast majority of users on here are small blogs that don’t have the traction that you have. If you post a screenshot of the like-to-reblog ratio on a post that has 2k notes, they’re going to think, “what on earth are you complaining about?”

Posts like these can really only backfire. I don’t think it’s likely that a lot of users will suddenly start reblogging instead of liking because of them. I know those posts are getting traction, because your mutuals and fellow content creators understand your frustration (believe me, I do too!), so they reblog/like/comment on it, but you’re essentially in an echo chamber of content creators. Anyone outside of that circle will not understand it and might unfollow you because of it.

2. Quality

Another disclaimer: I’m not implying that the people who have made posts about notes/followers don’t make HQ gifs. This is simply the “tips on getting notes” section of this particular post, so that’s what I’m doing. Veteran gifmakers can skip this section because I won’t be presenting anything new here.

Here’s the thing: high quality gifsets get notes. I know that what constitutes a HQ gif is subjective, but there is a consensus on this amongst big blogs, so I will summarize it below.

Make gifs from high-quality video sources. If 1080p is available, use that. Don’t gif from videos below 720p. Also, the larger the t*rr*nt file, the higher the quality. If a 1080p t*rr*nt from a movie is under 2GB in size, it’s probably not decent enough to gif from.

Use the new dimensions. Tumblr changed from 500px to 540px over 3 years ago now I believe, and all the big blogs use these dimensions. I rarely see sets like this anymore, but some users do still hold on to the old dimensions. Obviously, you should do what you like, but know that you’ll get more notes if you make the switch.

Do not skip frames. If you use screencaps, extract 25 frames per second. If you are an ‘Import video frames to layers’ kinda gal, like me, import all frames.

Sharpen your gifs! It makes an insane difference. My faq section links to a sharpening action.

Your frame delay should be 0.05. If you have a low amount of frames, you can get away with 0.06, but do not make your gif any slower than that. It will look unsmooth.

Go for natural coloring, where you simply brighten up the gif and enhance the colors (beware of whitewashing tho). I know that using PSD’s from resource blogs is tempting, but it’s very likely they will not work for the particular scene you’re giffing. It’s best if you learn to color yourself and adapt your coloring for every set. Also, it’s up to you what you think is pretty, but extremely vibrant and extremely pale coloring isn’t very popular anymore. Natural is the way to go. (This is with the exception of those gorgeous color edits people have been making recently. Y’all are queens & that shit is hard to make yo!)

If your gif is larger than the 3mb limit, NEVER sacrifice colors in the ‘Save for web’ window. Always delete frames to lower the size of your gif.

Just saying, but Photoshop CS5 has been known to make the best gifs.

For beginners out there, please don’t be discouraged. I’ve been making gifs for years, and they were absolute shit in the beginning. It just takes time to learn, but if you stick to it, you’ll get there.

3. Concept over quantity

Allow me to draw a comparison with YouTubers here - I think we all prefer YouTubers who post one well fleshed out video a week (for example, Safiya Nygaard) over YouTubers who post an okay video every day.

I think a lot of users think the way to get notes and followers is to post a gifset every day. This probably does work to an extent, but I personally think it’s better to come up with original concepts that you post every few days.

When you watch a movie, you can make five gifsets out of scenes from that movie, or you can come up with a concept. For example, parallels between scenes, parallels with other movies, the best lines of a certain character, etc. This takes more work, but sets like these are highly appreciated because they’re original, and they tend to get more notes.

This doesn’t apply to new releases, as you are probably among the first to gif a particular scene, but if you’re giffing a scene from a movie that’s been out for a while, you’re very likely not the first to do it. People will see it, realize they’ve already reblogged something very similar, and keep scrolling. But if you come up with a new idea, that’s what’ll get you more traction.

To give you a personal example; I recently rewatched all of the cap films. Now, I could have giffed popular scenes like “I could do this all day” or “I’m with you ‘til the end of the line”, but that’s been done before... a lot. Instead, I came up with this, and got 6.5k notes. I haven’t posted that many new sets on my blog recently, but posting content like that has gained me some followers and new mutuals.

4. Timing

All this requires is keeping an eye on your dashboard and taking note of when most of the people you follow are online. I sometimes see European content creators posting their sets smack dab in the middle of the day. Lemme tell y’all something: the Americans are sleeping.

I’m in timezone GMT+1. My dash wakes up around 5pm. I never post before 6pm - I’ll post anywhere between then and midnight, so feel free to convert that to your own timezone. The scheduling feature on posts comes in handy if you’ll be asleep or at school/work around that time.

If you post when Tumblr isn’t active, your set will drown in all of the other content, so be smart about timing.

5. Strategic tagging

It seems that a lot of users still don’t know this: only the first five tags on your post show up in tags on Tumblr. Anything past the first five will only be useful for your own tagging/archiving system, but will not show up in any tracked tags.

So first point: always use the most prominent edit tag for the fandom you’re posting in. Examples are #marveledit, #hpedit, #filmedit. These are frequently used, and often tracked by big blogs.

Second point: figure out who the big fansites/group blogs are, and if they track a tag, tag them. Make sure you follow them, obviously. If your post is funny, you might wanna tag bob-belcher (#bbelcher) as well - this blog is popular across fandoms and posts content from all over!

Third: tag users who you think will like your post. Don’t be thirsty with this. Again, only do this if you follow them. Tagging 2-3 users is ok, but don’t be out there tagging 8 to 10 blogs on your post. Not only is that a little pointless (because only the first five tags will show up), it also makes you look thirsty. Users might not appreciate this, and ultimately might not reblog your post because of that. Also, try not to tag the same users on every single one of your posts.

6. Popular content

If your fandom is niche, so is your content. That’s perfectly fine; don’t feel pressured to post about anything that isn’t your passion.

But if your goal really is to get more notes and followers, create content from fandoms that are big on the platform. Examples are Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, film blogs, etc.

7. Join a fansite/group blog

Every big fandom on Tumblr has one or multiple fansites/group blogs. I recommend you figure out who they are for your fandom, and apply to one that’s accepting new members. You’ll likely get in if your gifs are HQ.

I know this sounds a bit counterintuitive, as you’ll be posting content on another blog that will be getting the notes and followers from it, but it actually is a good way to gain more exposure. These blogs have large amounts of followers, and they usually allow you to reblog your own content to them, as long as you’re active. I think it’s a great way to get your content out there.

Alright, time to wrap up this post. I’m not personally calling out anyone who has made posts about followers, notes, like-to-reblog ratios, etc. I’ve seen at least 15 of those posts in recent weeks so I’m just reacting to a trend I’m seeing, by presenting a potential solution to a problem people seem to be having. 

My last tip is this: if notes and followers on Tumblr are making you feel down or frustrated, maybe it’s time for a little hiatus or a step back. In the end, you are not getting paid for this and your popularity on the platform has no bearing on your real life. This is supposed to be a fun outlet for your passions and interests, not a source of frustration and anger. Don’t take it too seriously! You’re doing amazing sweetie.

[caveartfair]

Tumblr Helped a Generation of LGBTQ+ Artists Come of Age

Laurence Philomene, me vs others - molly soda as me, 2018. Courtesy of the artist.

Sarah Maxwell’s pink-hued, sultry illustrations look like Roy Lichtenstein paintings with a lesbian twist. But unlike Lichtenstein, who had an abundance of readymade heteronormative tropes to satirize, Maxwell’s work doubles down on sincerity. Her cigarette-smoking, lovesick queer girls are unapologetically dramatic, reveling in the spotlight. Maxwell, whose graphic novel-esque illustrations have appeared in Wired and Playboy, traces her inspiration back to Tumblr, which she joined over a decade ago. “I was always searching for lesbian visibility in the media, whether it was in TV shows, movies, or art, but there was hardly any,” she said. Encouraged by the growing LGBTQ+ presence on the platform, she began her drawing practice “to get the representation that [she] craved.”

Courtesy of Sarah Maxwell.

Courtesy of Sarah Maxwell.

Courtesy of Sarah Maxwell.

Courtesy of Sarah Maxwell.

Courtesy of Sarah Maxwell.

When Tumblr launched in 2007, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was in full effect, marriage equality across the U.S. was eight years away, and a mere 1.1 percent of regular characters on broadcast television identified as LGBTQ+. (Among them, so many were killed off, it became a running joke in the gay community.) The internet offered new means of connection for a group that historically relied on covert signals and underground bars to find each other. Tumblr expanded that digital haven, making space for more positive, deliberate depictions of queerness: loving illustrations of gay couples, binary-breaking self-portraiture, and eclectic zines and comics exploring themes long ignored by publishers.

Today, with increasingly streamlined social media platforms, spaces for creative expression and collaboration can already feel limited, but the landscape is especially suffocating for LGBTQ+ creators. Earlier this month, YouTube refused to classify homophobic comments as harassment. Facebook and Instagram’s notoriously stringent community guidelines have drawn criticism for marginalizing non-binary bodies. Tumblr, long seen as the zany cousin of these more buttoned-up social sites, has moved away from its irreverent roots, and incited ire across the web over a controversial decision last December to ban all nude content. Creators who use the body to explore gender and sexuality have had years of content suddenly removed.

Courtesy of Jua O'Kane.

It wasn’t the first time Tumblr alienated its loyal queer userbase. In 2013, just after Yahoo bought the platform, Tumblr blocked #gay, #lesbian, and #bisexual hashtags on their iOS app’s search feature, and, in 2017, a blip in a new content filtering system temporarily censored LGBTQ+ content. Still, despite these missteps, in its heyday, Tumblr defined a generation of artists’ coming-out experiences and understanding of representation.

Queer creators overwhelmingly describe Tumblr’s early community as close and intimate. Unlike Facebook, Tumblr’s tendency toward anonymity leaves users free to shape their identity how they pleased and, unlike Twitter, the commenting system is more contained, disincentivizing bullying and curtailing the spread of hate speech. Hobbes Ginsberg, a Los Angeles–based photographer who grew up in Nicaragua, believes the emotional openness fostered on Tumblr is rooted in the intertwining of images and text. “Because it was so multimedia, it lent itself to talking about things next to sharing images,” she said. “I made a lot of really personal and vulnerable text posts alongside my photo work.” Today’s platforms, she added, are not as conducive to that vulnerability. “You can’t free-flow, diary-post on Twitter.”

Courtesy of Hobbes Ginsberg.

Courtesy of Hobbes Ginsberg.

Courtesy of Hobbes Ginsberg.

Courtesy of Hobbes Ginsberg.

Courtesy of Hobbes Ginsberg.

Arvida Byström, a Swedish photographer, added that these longer text posts also allowed for political and social discourse to emerge. Nuanced discussions of identity cultivated vibrant and diverse LGBTQ+ subcommunities. When Nevhada, an illustrator who runs the zine queer-spirit, joined Tumblr around 2010, she wasn’t familiar with the lexicon of gender and sexuality, having been raised in a small Italian town. “I just knew what I had felt towards other people,” she said. On Tumblr, she found the words to describe what she felt.

What happens in may stays in may 1, 2015. Arvida Byström Annka Kultys Gallery

Such a culture laid the foundation for more mainstream inclusivity down the road. Alex Norris, the artist behind the popular comic Webcomic Name, noted, “Tumblr was the first place I saw accounts announcing their pronouns and gender/sexual identities at the top.” It was standard, Norris added, for many artists, not just those making art with LGBTQ+ themes.

Courtesy of Alex Norris.

Courtesy of Alex Norris.

Courtesy of Alex Norris.

Tumblr’s reblog feature made the platform less performative and more participatory. Users weren’t just posting for likes, but became curators of an ongoing, massive group exhibition that included artists’ work alongside found media. Subcommunities recirculated imagery from queer film classics like But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) and Paris is Burning (1990). Political commentary lived alongside GIFs from the show The L-Word (2004–2009), explainers about LGBTQ+ flags, and darkly humorous memes about coming out. Andre Cavalcante, a professor of LGBT media studies at the University of Virginia, described how this mixing and matching of visual imagery on Tumblr is better suited to queer communities, allowing users to craft an identity that is “patchwork, dynamic, and evolving,” and “express[es] an emergent identity in a way that sites such as Facebook and Twitter simply do not allow.”

Liberal Jane, Save the Binary, 2018. Courtesy of the artist.

Until 2017, Tumblr’s dashboard was chronological, affording everyone an equal shot at visibility. Rather than silo users off in algorithm-driven, interest-oriented echo chambers, the original dashboard facilitated the intermingling ideas and discovery of new subcultures. “It was usual to see that the person who reblogged that Lord of the Rings meme has a post about the difference between bisexuality and pansexuality or transgender rights in India,” Norris explained.

For artists posting original work, reblogs offered a way to find like-minded creators. Ginsberg was drawn toward the “sea punk” look—a Tumblr aesthetic that blended nautical motifs with ’90s nostalgia and spawned an art, fashion, and music movement. Her work was reblogged alongside artists like Laurence Philomene, who took cues from “the classic Tumblr aesthetics: the pastels, the still lifes, the slightly shocking but hyperfeminine,” they said (Philomene uses they/them pronouns). The artists, who became friends IRL, were similarly inspired by Tumblr’s visual trends, including “vaporwave” and “soft grunge.” They featured nostalgia-inducing soft palettes, moody gazes, and dreamy settings, contributing to the introspective, cinematic atmosphere that came to define the platform.

Laurence Philomene, commercial - editorial for polyester zine, 2014. Courtesy of the artist.

Laurence Philomene, me vs others - kiss (on being single), 2018. Courtesy of the artist.

Laurence Philomene, feminine id - antoine and asher, 2012. Courtesy of the artist.

Laurence Philomene, diary - billy with blue hand, 2016. Courtesy of the artist.

Laurence Philomene, dreamboats - graeme & pepto bismol, 2016. Courtesy of the artist.

Tumblr’s collaborative framework was also conducive to fan communities. For many users, fandom played an important role in the coming-out process. Maya Kern, an illustrator who makes body positive illustrations, got into Tumblr through digital comic fandom. “The character I felt most strongly drawn to was a lesbian, and I was like ‘hey, this is weird, what does this mean?’” Kern recalled.

But it was not all acceptance and community, Kern noted that even within the LGBTQ+ community, some identities were not treated with the same legitimacy as others. And on the quest for social justice and tolerance, “a lot of discourse that started with good intentions turned into a really weird mess of people fighting to be the most outraged person in the room.” Today, she said, the community has fragmented, polluted by infighting and hate speech.

Spurring on Tumblr’s demise is the sanitization of the site. Scrolling through Philomene’s abandoned page offers a glimpse of the consequences of the nudity ban. Littered between their photos are notes from Tumblr: a post containing “adult content” has been hidden from public view. Still, what’s left on their page—solo portraits featuring symbols of femininity: florals, hairbows, and bright orange wigs in Philomene’s likeness—reflect the kinds of representation that flourished on Tumblr during its prime.

The deterioration of Tumblr’s community marks the downfall of one of the last sites where the charm and adventure of the early internet still lingered. Social media platforms have become more homogenous, dominating over the web’s earlier eccentricities: DIY GeoCities sites, hyper-customizable MySpace profiles, rambling web forums. If Instagram’s purpose is to brand and sell your identity, Tumblr was founded as a space to question and explore it. In that way, it was always a little queer.

from Artsy News