🚨 FIGHT TO SAVE THE TUMBLR WE LOVE 🚨
Look, I know over the years, Tumblr has rolled out various changes and pointless features that we’ve hated. And we moaned and groaned about many of them for a few days before getting over it and accepting the nonsense. This latest update to the notes feature is not that.
WE NEED TO PROTEST THIS. WE NEED TO BE LOUD AND FREQUENT ABOUT IT. WE NEED TO FIGHT TO SAVE THE TUMBLR WE LOVE.
Reblog culture and community aren’t just two facets of Tumblr, they are Tumblr. And this new update effectively slaughters them both and kills the Tumblr we love and actually want.
If you don’t understand why this is such a big deal, I urge you to go to the original announcement post and read through the comments and reblogs from your fellow users. See why we are so up in arms about this.
This new feature is bad in so many ways:
First and foremost, it spits in the face of creators. An original poster will no longer be able to see all of the engagement on their beloved work. If I post a story, and you reblog it to screech at me, and then one of your followers sees it, reads my story and loves it, then reblogs your reblog to screech at me, I WILL NOT GET A NOTIFICATION ON THEIR REBLOG (or the note for it), YOU WILL. So now, creators, who are already experiencing the worst engagement drought in a very long time, are literally having engagement–and credit for their work!!–taken away from them by the very makers of this hellsite. I truly cannot even. It makes creating and sharing anything here literally pointless.
They are killing community, which is the #1 reason why so many of us are here. Those lore posts we all love that wind up on your dash every once in a while with their millions of notes and hilarious add ons? GONE. The ability for OPs to keep track of how their posts move around Tumblr and how folks respond to it? GONE. The basic function of being able to connect with others through reblog culture–the reason why SO MANY OF US ARE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE (AND NOT ON TWITTER OR THE LIKE)–GONNNNE.
The new user interface is ugly, confusing, and tedious to deal with. Check out this silly chain of posts between myself and a mutual. Look at how it goes on and on and is broken up by a stupid notes tally bar at the bottom of every single reblog, totally disrupting the flow of the chain. It’s stupid, ugly, and just…WHAT ARE STAFF THINKING? HOW IS THIS AN IMPROVEMENT?!?! Not to mention we are now losing the function of aggregated note counts (which so many of us love). As an example, check out this post to see the nonsense firsthand.
This is an invitation to spread misinformation and harassment. Since reblogs now silo a post into a new post, it means you lose access to how a post may have evolved, such as fact checking or corrections, important updates, links to new information or resources that may have been later added. This is just going to lead to so much more hatred and harassment.
Maybe you’re thinking, “Well, I’m not a creator, so why should I care?” YOU SHOULD CARE. I assume you’re here because there’s content on Tumblr you enjoy. How long do you think those creators and blogs are going to stick around and continue to create the content you love when they no longer receive engagement or credit for it? When creating and posting is pretty much useless now? 🤡
As a writer myself, I am seriously considering walking away from Tumblr over this. This change makes it POINTLESS to share your work here. Literally. They have killed the core function that so many of us love and that makes this hellsite thrive.
I am begging you to please, please, please protest this change. If you enjoy Tumblr, if there are creators here that you love, content that you love, if you avoid all other social media but Tumblr is your vibe–SAVE THE VIBE!
Here are some practical actions you can take to fight back against this insidious change:
Comment and reblog with your feedback on the original announcement post AND the Changes reblog. Be sure to tag @/staff @/tumblr @/changes (minus the slashes). Bombard their notifications, make them hear you. Supposedly the Changes reblog is the post staff is monitoring and “responding to” although I have yet to see any replies. BE SURE YOU ARE ENGAGING ON THOSE SPECIFIC POSTS. DUE TO THIS NEW DUMBASS CHANGE, THEY WILL ONLY RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS AND SEE YOUR COMMENT/REBLOG IF YOU INTERACT ON THOSE POSTS, NOT SOMEONE ELSE’S REBLOG OF THEM. Also, if you have the time and bandwidth, hit them multiple times a day, don’t stop. (I have some copy below you can use if you struggle with what to write. As a writer, this is the only time I will ever condone and actively encourage others to use my words as their own.)
If you have Tumblr Premium or some other paid subscription, cancel it immediately, and then comment on the two posts linked above, tag all the staff accounts, and tell them you canceled due to this change. We need to hit them where it hurts, and money speaks louder than anything else (unfortunately).
Go to your device’s app store and leave a 1-star rating and review telling folks that this update, which is effectively killing Tumblr, is why you are giving them one star.
Send asks to the staff accounts to protest this change, again, we need to blow up their notifications and bombard them with the consequences of this stupid ass change that no one asked for and no one wants. Just copy/paste whatever original comment/reblog you used. Make this as simple for yourself as possible. I believe it’s volume, more than the actual messages, that matter most right now.
Vote on this poll while you’re at it to boost the numbers and show staff data they can’t ignore.
(I left out sending a Feedback help ticket submission because staff are not reading or responding to them, and the auto-email response just redirects you to the Changes reblog to share your feedback.)
Sample comment/reblog copy you can use:
Please roll back the new notes change. This update destroys the reblog culture and Tumblr community that we love. It harms and disincentivizes the very creators you claim to support, the creators who are the backbone of this site. If they no longer receive engagement and credit for their original work, what is the point of posting and being here at all? Not to mention the new UI is confusing, ugly, and not user friendly in the least. It is a HUGE step back in functionality and actually stifles engagement and connection, which is the whole point of being here. We don’t want Tumblr to be like other social media platforms, we want it to be Tumblr. Please listen to your user base and roll back this update, otherwise, you are effectively killing your own community and website, and it’s a very sad day for us all.
If you’ve read this far, you’re a real one, and I love you ❤️ I can only hope that together we can fight to protect the Tumblr we love, and that staff will admit they made a mistake and roll back this nonsense.
Tagging some folks to try to get the word out...
@buckets-and-trees @biteofcherry @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory @foxgloveprincess @stellar-solar-flare @darkficsyouneveraskedfor @labella420 @quantumbarnes @epiphanyrogers @thezombieprostitute @bigtreefest @krirebr @ghotifishreads @holacia3 @babiiface95 @behindthesehazeleyes27 @before-we-get-started @eulalielatibule @gifsbysimplysonia @golden-ariess @gremlin-girly @indigo-jungle @jtargaryen18 @matildasloves @monstersflashlight @needlereads @our-marvel-universe @queenoftheworldisdead @rainbowkisses31 @rodrikstark @ronearoundblindly @thepebbleinyourshoe @undutchable11 @vonalyn @veltana @vals-lente @worksby-d
