andyjoejoe on Tumblr

My recreational web time had slipped into a rut and become wonky and work-like. I went in search of a counterweight--someplace fun but not entirely frivolous, a playful site that lacked the competitive dickishness that pervades some gaming communities. I eventually landed on Tumblr, a "micro-blogging" site that can satisfy the hunter/gatherer impulses familiar to eBay junkies and entertain with the light touch of Twitter. When compared to sites like Pinterest and Instagram, Tumblr's community seemed to post a broader and deeper array of stuff. It also skewed young and didn't shy away from grime (or smut). It seemed rich in content that wasn't reaching me through other networks, so I dove in.

Screenshot from the AJJ archive

A couple observations:

1) Tumblr’s design and image-heavy nature make international exchange easy. My blog consists of infrequent and idiosyncratic posts, attracting relatively few visitors. I know almost none of the people I 'follow' in real life, and the same goes for those who follow me. While most come from North America, a surprising number are based elsewhere.

Google Analytics, visitor location and frequency, andyjoejoe.tumblr.com, Nov. 2011-July 2013

2) If you follow enough people, they will deliver you hundreds of images (and videos, articles, etc.) per day. The number pictures I've chosen to then add to my own tumblr is probably less than one percent of that stream. Looking back on my selection, I may have revealed hidden preferences for things such as:

Portraits of people with roosters

All-girl chess parties (throughout the ages)

Teletubbies acting out Jason Bourne fan fiction

Politicians who don't know the rules of Fight Club

Crumbling oil rigs and abandoned castles

 Surprises

Graffiti written on metal
(Mike about 4:30 and I cut my hair for you)

See, I'm not the only one playing this game.

Some have even discovered evidence of past lives.

Other random notes
I don't wish to leave an idealized impression of Tumblr. I call the company out for being yet another data-harvesting machine here. Also, you can read about how the site has begun segregating its naughtier users here. Update: Tumblr has responded to the censoring NSFW criticism here.

Practical tips: Here's a brief post about Tumblr shortcuts. Scrolling through your dash with the J key (next post) and K key (previous post) rather than scrolling with a mouse is particularly useful. If you would like to view your 'liked' post in an archive-like view rather than a linear scroll, check out this project.

Photo sources from top to bottom, left to right: Rooster 1, Rooster 2, Rooster 3, Chess 1, Chess 2, Teletub 1, Teletub 2, Fight 1, Fight 2, Oil Rig, Castle, Boy, Cat, Door, Seat, Ancient Elvis, GPOYx2