Blogs: Where Are They Now
Who remembers the good old days, when social media didn’t exist and blogs were the most popular thing on the web? Well the good news is, blogs are still around and their new modern updates make them a lot more fun to use.
Blogs began as long editorial posts, and it was limited to talented writers. As blogs began to evolve over time a new phenomenon came into play, microblogging. Microblogging consisted of a variation of blogs and favors short-term mixed media posts. These types of blogs were for the average joe, who wouldn’t call themselves a writer, but wanted to blog anyway.
One of the most popular microblogging websites is Tumblr. Starting out in 2005 by — — this website blew up and is one of the few blogging websites that is still around today. Over the years, they have obviously improved with modern time, but have always kept the same idea and that’s what I believe is nurturing their continued success. One of the first screenshots listed below was the very first Tumblr homepage in 2007. It had all your basic features including a plain white background, three clickable links, not much scrolling, and a short description.
Now, looking at Tumblr, just a year later in 2008 we can see major differences. The graphic design and layout is changed, the Tumblr logo is made, longer description, some blogs are featured, and it’s easy to sign up in just 10 seconds.
2008 was a big year for the internet. Many people started going online as a reliable source of information, and wanted to find what they were looking for fast. According to the Pew research center 74% of internet users went online during the 2008 election. US News refereed to this as the Facebook election because he won nearly 70 percent of the vote among Americans under age 25 — the highest percentage since U.S. exit polling began in 1976. He was also the first to have won a presidential election on the web. Tumblr would be a great place for people to share what’s happening during the election so it was important that users are able to log on quick and with ease.
Jumping to 2013 we start to notice the advancement of the internet. Facebook had announced that they have 1.1 billion people use their site every month. YouTube had 1 billion, twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat had over 100 million. The internet was literally taking over the world, and Tumblr was right there with everyone. The updated homepage of Tumblr, shown below, includes how many current blogs and posts they have active. Once again, Tumblr specifies how fast it is to join their site, and they use their users blog posts as their homepage background.
When we really compare Tumblr in 2007 and to 2016, we are able to see how much the internet has grown. The last screenshot below, is the current state of Tumblr where you can now scroll down 6 pages to find out all you need to know about the website. The graphic designers have made it more colorful, fun and easy to navigate. The writers used text that is informal and laid-back, also using millennial jargon to appeal to the younger generation.
Tumblr in 2016 really goes along with current times, and it has adapted with it’s target audience. People who use Tumblr now are millennia’s, and we are fast paced individuals. We need to know what a website is right away, and what is the quickest way to sign up. Appealing to our language is a plus and using cool artsy pictures as a homepage background also helps. Tumblr has stayed strong for years, and I’m excited to see what the future brings.
