#tumblr for newbies

[charlizekkelly]

FRIENDLY REMINDER to tumblr newbies; change your profile pics, add a header and bio.

a lot of us will block and remove you because 95% of faceless and default accounts with no personalisation are bots. so please, change your profile by hitting the 🎨 button

[jessiarts]

[Shut off last version of this post to avoid possible continual spread of misinformation that was corrected by staff. Reposting clean with corrected info]

So I'm sure almost everyone knows about the porn bot problem by now, so here's a post detailing why it's a problem, and what we need to do about it.

First off, yes, always block the porn bots. Don't be mislead into thinking they're ok to keep around because they 'inflate your follower count.'

Firstly, no one cares about, nor can anyone even see, your follower count. Be free from the shackles that are the bullshit other socials told you was important. Don't let your ego be tied to a number. Having a lot of followers won't earn you any clout here.

Secondly, bots only follow blogs to try and legitimize their malware (and other dodgy) links. This post goes into more detail about that.

Now that that's out of the way, you'll need to know how to recognize a porn bot. This round the template seems to be:

A profile photo of a pretty lady or guy, usually in their underwear, with a similar header photo.

A bio with some combination of: [Age] // [Name] // [Location] // [Emoji] // [Top Bullshit% OnlyFans]

URL consisting of a name followed by a number (i.e: firstlast999)

Typically an empty blog, or if there is content, it's all dodgy links. Visible, but empty, Likes Tab, & occasionally a visible Following Tab.

You likely recognize the pattern.

So, what you want to do is, first, report the blog as spam On mobile it'll look like this:

On mobile you'll need to report spam first, and then go back to the menu again to block.

On desktop it will look like this, and unlike mobile, you'll be able to report spam and block in the same motion:

If I remember correctly,* be sure to "Report Spam", not "Report sexually explicit material" to feed the bots to the proper channels. Because the blog is empty, they haven't posted anything explicit that would violate TOS. However, staff can recognize a bot, and if you report the blog for spam (the actual problem) they'll take a look, more than likely find that the blog is posting or DMing dodgy links, and dispose of it.

And I think that's it. Here's wishing you all a happy and safe blogging experience!

[UPDATE: It was suggested on another post that the bots track your IP if you click on them to send more your way. However, someone from staff corrected and said this is incorrect. They also corrected the 'guilt by association' myth that bots following you can get your blog flagged by tumblr.

That said, that trail all led to another, easier, way to report/block the bots all from your Follower Tab instead of visiting each blog separately, unfortunately it only works on desktop:

(For newbies, click on the little person icon at the top right of your screen and scroll to find the Followers tab under the blog/sideblog you need to block a pornbot from.)

*I remember this information from a blog that used to be all about taking down the pornbots. Unfortunately I do not know if that blog is still active, nor can I remember the URL. If anyone knows what blog I'm referring to, and/or if they're still active, please feel free to tag them so others can follow them for more tips!

[heywriters]

if you reblog something and add a ton of tags to boost it, that doesn't do anything. your heart is in the right place, but tags on a reblog are for organization or commentary. they don't bump it up in the tag feed or count towards "trending."

it doesn't harm anyone to do this! it's just not something you need to spend time on.

i know I've said this before, and i wanted to recycle my old post(s) about it but can't find it.

[zafyrus-owo]

I'm eating well so far

[lunar-wandering]

saw people suggesting to get off tumblr for a day/leave tumblr to make them not roll out the collapsing reblog chain, and im just gonna say this now, but like...that's not gonna work.

people did actually leave, back when the Ban happened, as a form of protest. very obviously did not work.

y'know what did work?? everybody reblogging staff's post, or making their own posts LOUDLY protesting the "swap to an algorithm", which made staff literally have to make a post to tell us that no, they're not doing that, actually.

they heard us then, why would they not hear us if we did the same thing now???

just post about it. get it trending. message them through the tumblr support box. THAT is the only thing that could possibly work in this scenario.

[phantomrose96]

Fun bit of etiquette difference between Reddit and Tumblr is if someone misuses a word on Reddit (wrong "their", "peak"/"pique", whatever) it's common to see someone in the replies correct it and the OP will be like "oh thank you. edited my comment to fix grammar error"

If you do that on Tumblr you get mauled with teeth.

[matomai]

Bonus references I took in DTI to help me draw the last fanart lol

[dont-leafmealone]

some etiquette tips for quotev migrants

If you enjoy a post (piece of art, text post, writing, gifset, etc) interact however you would have on quotev!

Reblogging is like reposting an activity, but with a permanent link to op, and you can add your own thoughts in the tags or on the post itself. Very nifty. It's that little 🔄 symbol at the bottom.

Likes are a good short-form validation, and also a way to save posts so you can find them again later.

Comments are good for sharing your thoughts without having the post on your account for whatever reason.

Tags are optional, but useful for both organization and extra commentary that will stay on your blog (unless someone likes your tags. Then they may copy/screenshot and add to the post, or copy them in their own tags.)

if you trigger tag something, don't censor the trigger. That will only make it harder for people who have that tag blocked to avoid it.

"Copying is ok" rules for tags don't apply to art; art is to be reblogged, not copy-pasted, unless given permission from the artist. It's also polite to credit an artist if you use their art for a header/pfp, and/or ask beforehand!

That said, gifs are free game pretty much, since they have built-in credit to whoever uploaded them.

When posting images it's helpful to use the alt text feature to add a description, or add one in the body of the post below or above the picture, since A; it's helpful for those who use screen readers, and B; sometimes pictures don't load and the description is sometimes vital to tell what the heck's going on, screenreader or no.

Ask boxes are for things you don't mind being publicly viewed; messages are for private discussions.

Anonymous asks are optional, meaning some people may have them turned off. Anon hate is unfortunately common and many people opt to avoid it.

Block and report bots on sight. Report for spam/bot violations; even if they're an nsfw bot, reporting for sexual content won't do anything to get rid of them. Bots are pretty recognizable when you know what to look for, as their blog will either be blank/have a insta model pfp and generic URL, or...be full of untagged porn.

Bots come in waves; there'll be a lot at once, then they'll die off to a handful, then eventually come back. It's a neverending battle!

You can block tags to avoid seeing content you don't like. To do this you go into "account" in the settings menu, and type whatever you wanna block in the content filters section.

Turn on timestamps! That way you can know if info is outdated, or just in general have a time frame for when something was made.

Block rather than argue. You'll be happier in the long run. Hell, even if someone just kinda gets on your nerves or yucks your yum, but especially if it's serious, since reporting does next to nothing and arguing just won't change someone who's stuck in their ways, and it's not your job to fix everyone who's wrong. Block their account and if you want, block their name on the filtered content. Chances are they won't even know or care so don't worry that it's rude.

Most of all, have fun!

That's all I can think of for now. My askbox is open if there are any questions!

[symphonyofhearts]

Would you meet me there, where the river meets the forest? In the middle of the hazy mist, everything so mysterious and mystical, where the angels' melodies can be heard, the warmth of your hands, the light that shines in your eyes in this gloomy haven of nature—let's write our own fairytale, a tale that'll be ours.

[treeembrace]

I'm shocked, flabbergasted, and flattered by the reception on my refrigerator post. I've been on the big blue hellsite for about 3 weeks now and I've somehow amassed over 80 followers and over 900 reblogs. I have over the last 3 days received more positive messages and warm welcomes and all sorts of feel good stuff then ever before. Thank you, everyone who has reblogged, liked, or just read any of my posts.

Unfortunately, with 85 adopted children at the time of writing this, I'm no long able to afford to feed all of you and will henceforth be appearing on a daytime talkshow before abandoning you all in the woods. Good luck.

[gingerxdoll]

New here 🥰 talk to meeee

[jessiarts]

Icons for Newbies!

So I made a poll to see if I should draw some profile icons for newbies, and you guys said yes, so I whipped up this little set real quick!

Wasn't sure what to make so just went with some simple monochromatic designs based off the tumblr colors. These are free for anyone to use, but made mostly to help newbies not look like bots (because keeping the default icons and empty blogs make you look like bots, and if you look like a bot you risk your favorite blogs blocking you by mistake!)

Also, here's a free header- mostly because it amuses me, but also because it further helps signal you're not a bot. (So will making a post or reblogging literally anything. Even just making a post saying you're shy and/or just lurking for now helps wonders to keep people from mistaking you for a bot!)

Liking and/or reblogging is appreciated if you use them, and will help other newbies be able to see that they're available if they can't find their own!

I'll probably make more later. Again, I'm not taking individual requests for these, but if you have a theme or fandom in mind you'd like to see, throw me an ask and I might make another set happen.

[oddthesungod]

I bought some gouache paints and they just arrived here today! So decided to break them out with a lil funky painting of one of my cats! 🐱💖

[sward-detcader]

Currently working on a photo set for @cordeliawhohung ‘s Touch Me Till I Vomit, aka the Pet!AU. More explanation about the piece is below the cut!

HEED THE TAGS AND IMAGE ID, MDNI

[ID] Soap stands behind Bonnie, his hand tightly holding her face/neck. Bonnie is very obviously in distress, crying, with bruises marking her shoulders and chest. Though not on screen, Soap’s gun shot wound is implicated with blood running down his face and dripping onto Bonnie’s shoulders.

[TAGS] If you don’t like Pet!AU you are not going to like this art. Keep scrolling, themes of abuse, blood, bruises, bite marks, collars, crying, DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT

I’ve been a horror fan for a while now, and especially psychological horror. Core’s AU has really tickled a brain worm for me, this fic has literally kept me awake at night after I first read it. I cannot express how infatuated I am with the horror element, if this was a movie I would be in the theater opening night. It gives me the same thrill movies like The Black Phone and Silence of the Lambs has. I just… god. Yeah. You don’t get a lot of fic writers who are willing to completely delve into the horror side and who are steadfast in their goal and who don’t bend when people are trying to push and pull them to make it more romantic. I love this, and I adore Core.

There are some things that I really tried to incorporate into the piece. I know typically if a mouth is overly detailed or teeth are shown individually it can induce a feeling of discomfort. I also wanted to really highlight the idea of Soap being a dog in this fic, hence the exaggerated canines and the bite mark. I know the color of the collars aren’t accurate to the fic, but in order to make them stand out with the deep red color pallet I opted to make the black more blue leaning than red/brown as one might see in a typical leather collar. I knew, especially after the most recent chapter, that I had to include Soap’s GSW somehow as that’s a key element as to how he also became a victim. I’ll probably do a more expansive breakdown of the art and its meaning later, but rn I need to get to work lol. Please share thoughts on this piece if you’re willing, negative and positive! I’m always looking to improve!

[aquilacalvitium]

Important tips for Tumblr newbies (especially if you're coming from Tiktok)

There is no algorithm

Likes do fuck-all, only reblogs put stuff on people's dashes

"This post doesn't fit my blog's aesthetic" make a side blog. Either for your aesthetic or the reblogs idc which

Reblogging is what we do here, if you apologise for reblogging lots or warn that you're going to then people will understand that you have no idea how tumblr works

No-one can see your follower count

No-one cares what your follower count is

There are no famous influencers here

Maybe famous posts though

And gods help you if you make a famous post

The bots are real and they will find you

When reporting a bot, report them for spam and NOT sexual content

That in mind, make sure your profile picture is NOT a tumblr default

Everyone will immediately assume that you are a bot if your profile picture is a default and you will be reported

REBLOG. POSTS.

I MEAN IT.

Tumblr literally runs on reblogs

The block button is free and easy and an important tool in curating your own experience

You will find people you want to block, other people will block you. Get over it.

There is no such thing as a reason that is "too petty" to block someone

Don't like this person's blog? Block.

Think this person talks too much about one topic? Block.

This person's vibes are off and you don't like seeing them on your dash even though they've done nothing visibly wrong?

BLOCK.

If you want to keep following someone but they post something you don't like, filter the tags they use or ask them to use a tag you have filtered

"I like this but if I interact I will see more of it." I literally cannot stress enough how that is not how tumblr works.

A like on Tumblr does one thing: telling the OP that you like their post

It does not affect your dash or OP's reach

And I seriously cannot get this point across enough...

REBLOG.

POSTS.

You don't need to comment or anything, just reblog them.

[neyugnyllvc]

Helow, I'm pretty new here, I hope you'll support me🗯️🗯️

Btw,meet my KinitoPet OC😶‍���️