this is tea for new tumblr users about how REBLOGS work. they're different from retweets in some important ways.
retweets are an extension of the original tweet that is to say:
they only exist as long as the original tweet exists
you can only retweet a single tweet once
they take the place of your own tweet, meaning they can clog up your feed
they can sometimes SPAM the original tweeter with notifications and thus be a bit annoying
reblogs are their own post separate from the original:
they are a COPY of the original post, now posted on your own blog
you can reblog the same post, including your own post, infinitely
they will live on even if the original post is DELETED
they are considered your own post and therefore do not clog up your feed
the original poster has control over whether they continue to get notifications for them
reblogs are an essential part of tumblr culture
you share things you like with your audience and give each other a boost by reblogging. it's normal and expected to reblog a ton on tumblr.
this is why tumblrinas are annoyed that new people quote "don't reblog". reblogging is considered good tumblr etiquette.
this structure devalues likes
because reblogging is considered normal (and is also considered the way to share posts with your own followers), likes have less value on tumblr.
your post becoming super popular can therefore be hell for you
your post will become a mummified version of itself, getting reblogs, likes and shares forever. if this happens and your notes are making you want to die simply delete your original post. your content will live on without you, in infinite bliss.
a note on tags
when you reblog, the tags from the original post don't stick with it unless you check a box that says "keep original tags":
sometimes keeping the original tags is ok
other times, the original tags will include things like "my art", or other personal tags used on the original posters blog to denote their own posts. reblogging with these tags can be confusing for your followers and theirs
generally, i would recommend adding your own tags or simply omitting them. reblogs are for sharing, so unless you think there's a tag that hasn't seen the post for some reason, the original tag should do the job of sharing it.
the original post will continue to collect notes (unless it is deleted, at which point each reblog will individually collect notes), which means by reblogging you not only make your own post sharing the content, but the original also gets a boost.
you can comment on reblogs (similar to quote tweets)
on twitter, you can "quote retweet" a post to add context or more information. on tumblr, you reblog the post and add some text of your own. tumblr lets you choose if this text goes on the top or the bottom of the reblogged post.
this means that reblog chains are common (where a bunch of people add something in each reblog and you get a long chain of edits).
this means that sometimes you will see multiple reblogs at different stages of the chain on your dash. people will comment and add context, text IDs for visually impaired or deaf folks, opinions, anything you can think of. it's cool!
you can also comment in the tags
want to comment on a reblogged post without the intensity of adding text? say something in the tags!
on tumblr you can write tags as long as you want, with spaces. it's NOT GOOD to add unrelated tags when they're meant for sorting and organizing (i.e. don't add #art if it's not art), but you CAN write stupid long tags that no one would search for to leave a little note for your followers or the original poster.
I HOPE THIS HELPS!
you should reblog this post, as practice, totally as practice. and, also, add a note so i can see what you think of it, or maybe if you have a question or something to add.
