Skip to main content

Tumblr revamps writing tools in ‘big’ update

tumblr revamps writing tools in big update
In an update Tumblr has described simply as “big,” the blogging service has introduced a bunch of new tools for creating posts.

The new features offer a more refined user experience, introducing more control over the creation of posts while maintaining the easy-to-use interface that’s long been popular with the Tumblr community.

Text posts can now be more easily formatted with a new tool bar that rolls out when a piece of text is highlighted, and new buttons make it simple to insert multimedia in any part of the text as you go.

‘Posts look like posts’

The New York-based team says that more than before, “posts look like posts,” in other words, the way your post looks to you as you create it is exactly how it’ll look to readers when you hit publish.

As TechCrunch notes, some of the changes appear to have been inspired by elements of Medium, a fast-growing publishing platform known for its super-clean interface.

Tumblr says the latest update to its service is so big that it’s going to take two days to fully roll out, so if you don’t have it yet, you soon will. It’s also released updates for its mobile apps bringing, for example, enhancements for notifications, as well as better integration with security apps 1Password and Authy.

Tumblr was acquired by Yahoo in May 2013 for around $1 billion. At the time, many Tumblr users feared the acquisition would result in the blogging service “turning purple,” though Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer was quick to reassure the community by promising “not to screw up.” It’s fair to say that till now at least, she’s kept her word.

[Via TechCrunch]

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Twitter CEO claims platform had best day last week
A stylized composite of the Twitter logo.

Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino tweeted on Monday that despite the current fuss over Meta’s new and very similar Threads app, Twitter had its largest usage day last week.

Subtly including the name of Meta’s new app, which launched to great fanfare last Wednesday, Yaccarino did her best to sing Twitter’s praises, tweeting: “Don’t want to leave you hanging by a thread … but Twitter, you really outdid yourselves! Last week we had our largest usage day since February. There’s only ONE Twitter. You know it. I know it.”

Read more
Meta brings cartoon avatars to video calls on Instagram and Messenger
Meta's cartoon avatars for Instagram and Messenger.

The pandemic was supposed to have made us all comfortable with video calls, but many folks still don’t particularly enjoy the process.

Having to think about what to wear, or how our hair looks, or even fretting about puffy eyes following another bout of hay fever can sometimes be a bit much, even more so if it’s an early-morning call and your brain is still in bed.

Read more
Twitter is now giving money to some of its creators
A lot of white Twitter logos against a blue background.

Some Twitter users are now earning money via ads in the replies to their tweets.

New Twitter owner Elon Musk announced the revenue-sharing program in February, and on Thursday some of those involved have been sharing details of their first payments.

Read more