Tips on using Tumblr

[KennethLopezJr921]

I kinda wish I had my my art blog as my main blog when creating a tumblr rather than having my comic blog be my main blog.....ah shit

[VibrantFox]

there's still the opportunity or ability to change it in the settings (i forget which coz it's been a while)

but it has been useful for me to have different sideblogs for specific stuff like fandoms or rambles and other stuff since i feel like it both helps keeps my posts in order but also kind of keeps me organized so all stuff related to x thing can go in one blog or the other or be shared between whenever needed

[KennethLopezJr921]

apparently you can do that by changing the url but it doenst seem to be working for me. At this point I feel like it would easier to just delete my account and start over which I dont want to do.

Also, does tumblr have an algorithm similar to instagram and other social media sites? (Posts made at 10am-1pm gain the most traction)

[VibrantFox]

apparently you can do that by changing the url but it doenst seem to be working for me. At this point I feel like it would easier to just delete my account and start over which I dont want to do.

logging in to check how to do it coz it's dirt brain hours but i'm p sure it's simpler than this will edit when i have the answer

edit: officially there isn't a way to do it but this sites "long way" seems like a decent option

How to Change Primary Blog on Tumblr in Easy Ways - TechOwns

if i'm not mistaken i think it's what i did when i was trying to sort out main and side blogs in terms of the whole swapping urls and then redirecting ppl where were following to go to the other one and then switching posts over

tumblrs own export function may work but tbh i've never used it nor do i know how

Also, does tumblr have an algorithm similar to instagram and other social media sites? (Posts made at 10am-1pm gain the most traction)

tumblr is free from the so called algorithm or more accurately just doesn't operate on one like those other sites. posts from a decade ago could show up on your dash with the same relevance as one from ten minutes ago and it wouldn't make much difference

i have heard that stuff posted on gremlin hours (so like afternoon night time) and especially on the weekends do well but honestly with proper tags and enough reblogs things can take off on their own

but like in general you can post whenever and there isn't much difference and it's not really meant to be stressed either, just go ham

[RedLenai]

You've only posted... like... barely anything to be honest, so you can simply change your account name, create a blog with your Series name and then start posting your series content in there. You don't need an impeccable, flawless blog, a lot of people start that way and then switch things or get organized in the long run.

Don't be afraid of making mistakes, not tagging stuff "properly" or whatever, nothing will explode (Not that I know) also you're learning so cut yourself some slack and avoid trying to nuke as a solution.

And regarding your question about the algorithm, here are a few answers to that:

A small explanation by laptoparmageddon

[VibrantFox]

the bare bones is always "likes are like a bookmark, reblogs are what get posts moving and tags is where the conversations/replies are happening"

on most platforms its the shares that get things goin and tumblr especially relies on the community/ecosystem all workin together to sustain itself (something i think i'd share on the side and not the main purely for language in the post but yeah)

[KennethLopezJr921]

So if you reblog other people's work, your work will get attention then? I think thats what Im getting from this and in that case, I really hope its not as bad as artfol.

Also I did change the names of my blogs so now my "primary" is given the secondary title and my "secondary" is my primary. I could just nuke the content on both and reupload them on the opposite accounts so that my primary is actually my "primary" but I've always been anal about deleting shit....I guess I just have to deal with it? I dont know. I can make this work I hope

[RedLenai]

If you reblog content from others, that's how they get their content seen. If you want to get your stuff seen, you gotta encourage others to reblog it. Again, there is no "algorithm", so it is basically team work. If you reblog something from another, that'll another will be benefited by being seen by those that follow you, and viceversa.

I don't understand what you mean, you can edit the name of your account, blog name, content entirely, you can delete posts if you want to clean everything up without nuking the account. I don't understand what are you struggling with.

Edit:

[KennethLopezJr921]

I just saw the fact the your first blog is your main one and got annoyed with myself over not realizing that until it was too late. Because now that one has a star next to it that says primary and I guess that even added to my annoyance with myself. Also, I take that reblogging is the equivalent of retweeting?

[LunarScyphozoa]

It’s how you get things to be seen, when you reblog something all your followers see it and that’s the only way to make people see it pretty much

[RedLenai]

Then you can simply change your username, keep the posts, make a small announcement to redirect to your comic properly (You can delete posts too if you like, this ain't twitter)

And yeah, is not that complicated, it functions exactly as retweet or simply as sharing something in your profile on facebook. Still, no algorithm, don't go around thinking that because you follow/reblog/like something that'll increase your chances to appear as a recommended blog, or your post will be seen more or appear in someone's feed.

It's all pretty much what I and others have explained already, not hidden magic or formulas

[thepenmonster1]

If you want to get your stuff seen, you gotta encourage others to reblog it

After reading this thread I'm curious: How does that work with zero followers to begin with? Hoping a person you reblogged does you a solid and returns the favor?

[LunarScyphozoa]

Wizards, Clearly. Or someone stumbling upon a post you made and deciding it’s good

[RedLenai]

Basically, is like making friends in the real world.

You start first checking stuff in Tumblr, see what you like, meanwhile you post your stuff, then you eventually find something you like then follow it, you reblog it, interact with it, then you start chatting around with the other bloggers whose content you like, either provide to the OG idea, add a joke, or exchange opinions, whatever.

I don't think engaging for the sake of expecting favors works, basically those are ulterior motives and if you only focus on that, then you'll likely end up in a "nice guy" situation.

Personally, I simply didn't care about engagement, I saw posts from my favorite fandoms then began to interact with the posts, with the previously mentioned. Most of the people that follow me on Tumblr, mutuals mostly are into the Supernatural fandom, obviously, my non-SPN content is not touched by them, and I don't expect them to interact with it, I know that I'm out of touch with the webcomic community, but the same method applies too.

So of course, you can try and be as interested as possible with the hopes someone will "return the favor" or get interested in your stuff after seeing you in their notes quite frequently, and maybe a mutual interest will be generated, but... yeah, Tumblr is like friendship.

[thepenmonster1]

I saw posts from my favorite fandoms then began to interact with the posts

I will admit that the platform seems very fandom focused. If you have zero interest in doing free advertising for a company's IP is there a place for you there?

[LunarScyphozoa]

Weird way of saying it but yeah not everything is fandom.

[thepenmonster1]

I'll go digging around. Maybe I'll find my tribe in some dark corner there.

We can dance around like the bee people in that No Rain music video.

[RedLenai]

Of course it is, as I previously mentioned: Tumblr works as a friendship that starts with a common interest, it's a mutual interest that needs to be born in order to build something up. Bust just because you're nicely reblogging stuff, commenting or similar doesn't guarantee people will be as equally as interested, that's why focus on it being genuine, and not a shallow relationship to obtain something in return. Aka an old version of the sub x sub.

That interest can be anything, "Art" can be a fandom, "webcomics" can be a fandom, "Original character" can be a fandom, literally anything. The thing is that you have to engage, you have to go back to your early stage of being that kiddo who just got access to the internet and wanted to interact, consume and engage with everyone and then someone would come around and be interested in you as well.

There are a lot of artists who post original content too, some have been there since I was 13.

really the two keys to posting art is 1. knowing how to use tags, and 2. having a dedicated art blog

This is from cozylittleartblog

tumblr only tracks the first 20 tags on a post, everything after that is Just For Funsies. tracked tags will show up in search, both for the whole website and on your blog.

if you're not sure what tags to use, see what other popular posters are using! i think i mentioned this in my tumblr guide post, but generally you want to tag fandom, characters, ships (if applicable), and any AUs or similar things. oh, and content warnings if those apply, too. then if you want you can try stuff like mediums and other general tags, that'd be your #art, #illustration, #fanart, #fanfic, #digital art, #(program you used), etc etc. you don't really have to use those, but if you want to keep your blog Super Extra Organized or if you're posting original content with no fandom tags to lean on then they are good options. (you can use things like #ocs, #original characters, #character design, #concept art, and genre tags for those!)

If you consider that you should gatekeep your feelings of what you like because you don't want to """""do free promotion"""" then... you won't succeed either when it comes to other people's work, other people's content be it they are new, veterans, unpopular, popular, etc.

[thepenmonster1]

gatekeep your feelings of what you like

I don't. I just don't approach these things the way most fans do.

A few months ago people got angry because CBS(?) tried to sell some Star Trek NFTs. To my mind the anger was akin to getting angry at a leach attaching itself to a leg. It's just what parasites do and everyone seemed to have forgotten they're swimming in a dirty pond.

I understand why there's always pushback against the fact that fandom is simply an extreme form of consumerism. Fans invest a lot of themselves into their entertainments and grant it more meaning than it actually delivers. But if treating as commodity as if it's something deeper is the price that has to be paid for using Tumblr then it's clearly not the place for me.

I'm going to use it though. I figure I'll find some more cats who are doing great work of their own and give them the appreciation they deserve. I already found one person who uses color beautifully. I'm taking notes.

[VibrantFox]

i'm going to briefly regurgitate an opinion i'd shared on some thread on here in that i really really need people to be kinder about fandom because not all fandoms even center around content produced by company A or brand B but sometimes are centered around the original works of some person on the internet and even if something is attached to some franchise it doesn't lessen the value of the works people are pouring their hearts into and is insanely insensitive to say so

if that's not what you mean then cool but it's reading like that so like...maybe chill???

getting back to original content tho if you want to find folks making that then you have to do the work to find them. people aren't just gonna come knocking on your door and instantly form a friendship it's more like going to the local cafe and if you're lucky building a bond with other visitors and maybe becoming a regular

I can't say what tags or blogs are guaranteed to land you in those circles much less help you garner following within them but if you do enough dedicated digging you can find stuff

like as an example even tho i follow a ton of sonic related blogs (coz i love that lil blue bastard) i also follow a lot of folks working on original content whether from here on tapas, on twitter or tumblr itself and they center around things like character design, writing, wordbuilding and the like. there's also a lot of just general character design, environment painting, photography blogs and other pages i follow but it's coz i've browsed around on the internet long enough to find em. That's like I also follow folks who are fellow fans of other original content creators like Worthikids (Big Top Burger), Joel G (ENA), or Toby Fox (Undertale/Deltarue) just to name a few

Again, I get there are folks who are hard set on this sort of purist mindset in terms of what people make and what for but like if someone enjoys something to the point they'd make stuff about it there's no reason to be anal about it. Plus these character are still technically someone's oc too they just happen to be associated with xyz company ¯(ツ)/¯

edit: also wanna add to that last thought there are literally people who i've followed in years past that made fanart for a certain franchise and are literally now working for those companies and making new characters for them. like I love and adore Evan Stanley who spent years working on an original sonic fancomic Ghosts of the Future and now literally works with Sega/Sonic Team in their lore department, has done work on the official Archie Sonic solicitations and now with the IDW Sonic comics. Plus they still have other original works one of which is this western thing with cowboys and ghosts n stuff so there's also the potential to find original stuff alongside fan content you just gotta give folks a chance