Tumblr’s “reblog” feature was a reaction to YouTube’s crappy comments. #roadmapconf
I’m paraphrasing heavily here. But I took Tumblr founder David Karp’s comment to mean Tumblr designers thought beyond the obvious notion that every platform should allow comments. Rather than follow YouTube’s model (enabling the creator to have voice and commenters to become trolls) Tumblr instead says, hey, if you want to be a contrarian do it on your own stage. Create your own Tumblr and react. You can reblog anything and add your own commentary, but don’t hijack someone else’s Tumblr with your negativity.
It’s a powerful approach. There is no thumbs down, only a “like” and a “reblog” option. Both foster positivity, but leave room for negative commentary if a person is motivated enough to speak from their own Tumblr.
Via http://punchcut.com/perspectives/posts/sketching-roadmap
