#support financially if you can

[avaantares]

I wrote a long response to a blue-checkmark drama post, but between the time I clicked "reblog" and the time I finished typing, OP apparently turned off reblogs for that post. So GUESS WHAT, y'all get my diatribe anyway. (Sorry; I know most of you aren't the problem. But I did actual math, so I don't want it to go to waste.)

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The old axiom still applies:

If social media is free to use, it's because YOU are the product.

What that means, for the adage-averse, is this: Sites and services that appear to be fully free to users (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Google, et al.) are collecting your personal data and selling it to advertisers to pay for the (in some cases) hundreds of millions of dollars it costs to run such sites.

Tumblr doesn't do this. Tumblr hasn't done it, despite a monthly deficit of literally millions of dollars, which is why it's repeatedly been sold at a massive loss to new owners.

To give you actual numbers: Yahoo! acquired Tumblr in 2010 at a cost of $1.1 billion. After taking enormous losses, they later sold it to Verizon for an undisclosed amount. After trying (and failing) for two years to make the site pay for itself, Verizon sold it to Automattic (its current owners) for just $3 million. [Source]

For those who don't math, that means Tumblr's market value dropped by $1,097,000,000 in just nine years, or (averaged out) devalued by approximately $10 million per month. In short, nobody is looking at this as a worthwhile investment to hang onto long-term.

So why didn't it make money for its various owners, despite promising user statistics and a then-unheard-of initial sale price to Yahoo? Precisely because it wasn't leveraging your data to offset its running costs. The algorithm-free advertising format simply isn't viable for a site this big, which requires massive amounts of data storage and bandwidth (all those multimedia options you love cost a fortune on the back end). While there is a modicum of value for companies to hold a loss-generating property for tax purposes (which is pretty much what Verizon did with the site during its ownership), there is a finite period to reap those tax benefits. More relevant to us, if the site's only purpose is to show a loss on paper, there's little incentive for the owner to improve the service or keep its user base happy. We, the users, get thrown under the bus.

So how did Tumblr, under Automattic, try to run as a free site that didn't harvest user data? Tumblr served ads to try to generate revenue. But users complained about the ads. So Tumblr offered ad-free subscriptions at a very reasonable introductory rate of $3.33/month. But users complained about the subscriptions ("It's always been free! Other sites are free! Capitalism is evil!") and refused to pay. So Tumblr offered post-Blazing and tipping and physical merchandise and a variety of other optional features, most recently dashboard horse games and parody blue checkmarks, and instead of seeing these as a desperate attempt to stop the site from hemorrhaging money opportunity to support their online community, users just keep screaming about the moral failings of corporations that charge money for literally anything and insist that "we must keep this site unprofitable at all costs!"

Guys. Sites like this cost millions of dollars -- sometimes tens of millions -- to maintain each month. With the influx of new users from Twitter and elsewhere, that number is only going to increase as server load and bandwidth increase. And because of its history of losing value on a jaw-dropping scale, there will not be another company waiting to take ownership if Automattic decides to stop throwing money into the blue fires of this hellsite. If Tumblr is unprofitable for long enough, it will shut down. Period.

So either chill the $%#@*& out about the blue checkmarks or whatever, or pony up the monthly subscription fee yourself to help support the site. At the very least, stop attacking those who choose to give something back in exchange for the service they receive. Because they're the only reason this site has lasted as long as it has.

[canisalbus]

i've returned for 2 seconds to tell you that they're not leaving my head. (sort of unrelated but i've been thinking as well. what if vasco died before machete ? what would go down)

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[sukibenders]

Bridgerton states from season one, through Simon and Lady Danbury, to season two, with the Sharmas, to Queen Charlotte, from the beginning episode to the end spelled out clear as day, that racism exists in this world and many of the characters of colors have been impacted by it in some way. And, supposedly, I'm supposed to believe that Marina, that Kate and Edwina, that they all had more privilege and power than Penelope? No, I don't think so, a lot of things aren't right with that statement.

[jell-o101]

Guess what finally came out in HD?

Time to bomb y'all with NOTHING BUT SCREEN CAPS, BABYYY

[rogueddie]

Unfriendly reminder that quite a few members of the stranger things cast and crew have been openly supportive of Israel and the murder of thousands of innocent people. A few pr statements to try and appease fans for no reason other than making more money does not change anything!

Do not support stranger things! Cancel your netflix subscription! Do not stream season five! Do not buy official merch!

DO NOT SUPPORT ZIONISM AND THE ONGOING GENOCIDE! FREE PALESTINE!

[mueritos]

back to doing art full-time on my patreon! I will be opening commissions shortly as well ^-^ thank u to all of the patrons who have supported me over the years, I could not do art full time without y'all!

(commissions will be opening soon, but free/paid patrons will hear about it first!)

<3

[seagull-scribbles]

'Best man' can’t even tie a bow tie 💒

[dryadgurrl]

Hi all, I hate to shake my little tin can again after having just done so a couple of months ago, but I'm at the end of my rope and at the end of my funds. Full explanation is on the link, short version is that I'm going to have more month at the end of my money come January, and I'm trying to swallow my pride and ask for help before it's an actual emergency.

I do still have my Poshmark closet up mostly plus-size lady type clothes and some other odds and ends (and am going to be posting some more things there after this weekend) and my Ko-Fi shop is open (hoop-knit dice/deck bags and Tarot/Oracle Dice readings) funds from both of those also go towards my bills, but Poshmark fees are insane and Ko-Fi doesn't cover postage the way Poshmark does (for the bags not the readings obvs)

[a-gaime]

Chainsaw man oc who's just Denjis therapist and is a responsible and trustworthy adult who doesn't take advantage of him or his issues and trauma

[alaraxia]

mini me banner I made originally with the intention of using it for my ko-fi account, but I realized I don’t have the energy to keep something like that meaningfully updated, so now it’s just a general banner for my socials if I feel like it

[lopez-richter-fangirl]

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen a negative funds raised on the tracker before. We’ve got to fucking get it together

This graph is NOT the most accurate because it’s still early and can’t adjust that well for the boosts we tend to get in livestreams so I don’t want it to scare anyone but… they’re currently NOT projected to be likely to hit the goal

I see people talking about being excited for these events, and I have too because I want to be hopeful and I do still believe we can do it, but it will ONLY happen if they reach the goal. Otherwise, they get no money, likely lose money they’ve already had to put into preparing for this season, and suffer a huge setback that means we’re not likely to see anything of this scale from them any time soon if ever

[islamunderhell]

Hey Tumblr fam,

I hope this post finds you well. I'm reaching out to share a personal journey that I'm embarking on and to ask for your support in making it possible.

As many of you may know, the Gaza Strip is currently facing heightened conflicts with Israel, and the situation has made it increasingly unsafe for many of us living here. Amidst this turmoil, I've made the difficult decision to seek safety elsewhere, and my destination is Egypt.

However, the journey from Gaza to Egypt is not an easy one, especially given the current circumstances. Travel costs, for me and my family, are significant hurdles to overcome. That's why I've set up a GoFundMe page to help cover these expenses.

Before the conflict escalated, I worked as a rehabilitation engineer and assistive technologies specialist, dedicating my time and skills to helping persons with disabilities. It was more than just a job; it was my passion. Now, I find myself in a situation where I need assistance, and I'm turning to my community for support.

Your donation, no matter how small, can make a world of difference in ensuring my safety and well-being. EVERY EURO COUNTS.

Here's the link to my GoFundMe page where you can donate and read more about my story: https://www.gofundme.com/f/escaping-conflict-a-journey-towards-hope-and-rene

If you're unable to contribute financially, that's okay too! Simply sharing this post with your network can help spread the word and reach more people who may be able to help.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this and for considering supporting me on this journey to safety. Your kindness and generosity mean more to me than words can express.

Stay safe and take care,

Islam.

[plushiious]

It's really sad seeing so many artists I follow announce that they won't be doing art fight this year because they feel like they dissapoint so many people by not attacking back. The purpose of art fight is to have fun drawing other people's oc! It's not supposed to be a month-long art trade!!!

[junklish]

Emergency Commissions!!"

I put this on X days ago, but I'm also posting here. I got robbed and lost everything of value.

Everything is for $10 I draw sfw and nsfw. Human, humanoid and animals :)

Repost are very appreciated 🫶🏼

You can send me a DM on X or Instagram. I also answer here but is more faster on those apps. If someone wants to direct help me I have linktree tip's :)

[nitw]

where did you watch the puss in boots movie? none of my movie theatres are showing it :(

sorry for late reply!!!! anyway AaHEM aHERRM,,,,,,,,COUGH