Quick guide to the Tumblr NSFW Apocalypse
Alright, by now plenty of you are aware that Tumblr has decided to axe (most) NSFW content from its site. Hereâs their statement, in case you havenât seen it yet. Figured Iâd address some of it before I start migrating.
Tumblr is drastically altering its policy on NSFW content. The change will be enacted in December 17, 2018.
Is all NSFW content forbidden now?
Not quite - their new terms state that all sexual content featuring real people (i.e. photos and videos of a sexual nature, including non-artistic nudity) is forbidden. However, illustrations are only explicitly stated as forbidden if they âdisplay sexual actsâ. Written erotica is specifically mentioned as allowed.
So, written smut, and NSFW art that doesnât feature sex acts would in theory still be allowed. Weirder fetish stuff that canât immediately be catalogued as explicit could also fly under the radar.
However, the site has also seen a change to its search and tagging functions, which means that even if you continue to produce the above-mentioned allowed content, you are likely to have your blog tagged as explicit, which would take it off search results (both through tumblr search and via google). In practice, even if your NSFW content is not outright banned, thereâs no incentive to post it, as you will likely gain no followers.
The official statement mentions a desire to foster a more welcoming community and a safer place to be yourself, yadda yadda. Also, this would supposedly be something theyâve been planning for a long time.
The more likely explanation, however, is related to Tumblr recently being kicked out from mobile apps due to their blatantly incompetent job at monitoring adult content - specifically the presence of child pornography, though the massive influx of porn spambots has also been mentioned.Thereâs a good chance they found proper monitoring too expensive, and cutting off NSFW content entirely had the added bonus of making the site more ad-friendly, which is desperately needed in a company that has failed to turn up a profit after being bought by Yahoo.
Any chance theyâll retract?
Unlikely. I mean, Patreon did recant an extremely impopular announced change to their payment system due to massive user outcry, so itâs not outside the realm of possibility. Feel free to contact Tumblr support about it (be polite, but if you plan to stop using the site due to this change, make sure to say so). But I wouldnât put my money on it.
Thatâs the question! A lot of alternatives have been mentioned in the past few weeks. I might do a follow-up on this post later with some more details, but for the time being, here are some alternatives:
PILLOWFORT is a tumblr-like platform thatâs currently still in beta. In addition to that, by the time I was writing this post their site was down due to maintenance. However, Iâve seen some good things said about it, so if they manage to get the site running soon, give it a try. You need a $5 key to enter the beta, though you can find some folks giving them away here and there. Try checking the notes on their Tumblr page (lmao)
TWITTERÂ is also a popular option. A lot of your favorite NSFW artists might be posting there already (hereâs mine!). Twitterâs image compression and timeline format make it far from ideal for posting art, but these problems tend to be offset by the massive audience.
MASTODON is largely known as âtwitter minus the nazisâ. Iâve found the interface a bit tricky to get into, but itâs something to consider if you want more control over your timeline, since it has some features that could be pretty useful if you want to keep your horny off main. Still nowhere near the userbase Twitter has, though.
Booru galleries like Gelbooru or Danbooru offer huge amounts of views, but posting your own content is frowned upon, reposting other peopleâs works without credit is rampant, and engagement is extremely low. I donât particularly recommend them.
If by any chance youâre a furry NSFW artist, youâre probably in a better position than, uh, non-furries. Skinnies. Humanies. Fur muggles. Iâm not in the furry community myself, but most NSFW artists know that furry sites offer much better engagement than most NSFW sites open to the general public. Then again, itâs extremely unlikely youâre not already a member, so Iâll skip mentioning them. Feel free to add them in the notes if you think itâd be helpful!
NEWGROUNDS allows NSFW content with no particular restrictions. However, bear in mind that its current userbase is far removed from the community you might have been accustomed to on Tumblr.
HENTAIFOUNDRY is a site for general adult art. (hereâs mine!) Despite the name, itâs open for all drawn smut, regardless of style. However, keep in mind it has a quality filter (and corresponding submission queue), its userbase has been declining as of late, and, just like Newgrounds, might not be an audience fit, depending on the content youâre creating/interested in.
If getting started on all these sites seems overwhelming, I suggest giving POSTYBIRB a try - itâs a simple program that allows you to post on multiple sites simultaneously, saving you a lot of time.
Thatâs all for now! Uh, be sure to reblog this if you think itâd be useful, since this post wonât show up on searches.
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