Blog hopping

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I'm sorry blogspot, I was unfaithful.

Due to the growing epidemic of Tumblr blogs and the fact that most of my friends have one, I decided to create an account. Ten minutes later, I'm back.

Just because I am such a critic, I feel compelled to write a short review.


Tumblr.
Pro
1. Pretty layouts! And I mean really pretty. Being the amateur art-junky that I am, I felt my breath hitch at the wonderful-ness of some blogs that I stalked.
2. Great networking. It's like a fart baby of Facebook, Twitter, and Blogspot. The custom layout function draws upon the lost kingdom of MySpace. However, that does not imply that Tumblr is of the same caliber as any of the aforementioned stalking devices.
3. Clean interface. I think the theme of Tumblr is simplicity. Posting is quick and easy.
4. Better gadgets. Fun, fun, fun! Tumblr has more goodies than a Halloween bag on Christmas. (Okay, so maybe that didn't really make sense.) There's a facebook app, iPwn/iTouch app (which, if you have an iPhone with camera, is a godsend.), Twitter-style dashboard widget, audio post ♥!! and many, many more fun useless gadgets. After a thirty-second shift through the apps, my brain exploded. Twice.


Con
1. Too simplistic. When posting, only basic functions are available in the form of easy-to-access buttons: bold, italic, strikethrough, bullet points, list, quote, spell check, block text, link, image, html, and page break. I felt myself die a little inside when I realized that there was no button for highlight or text color.
Absolute atrocity.
2. Lack of personality. Although the layouts are very gorgeous and I adore the simplicity, Tumblr feels flat. Despite the fact that my Blogger blog is plain and white, it feels more at home. (Well, I suppose my fish contribute to that.)
3. No fun. For me, at least, part of the joy of blogging is eDiTiNg tHe tExT, hunting for pictures, google-ing for fun tweaks, and messing with the HTML like a true geek. The simplicity of Tumblr takes away all of that.
4. NO AUTOMATIC SPELL CHECK! Unacceptable.

Overall:

Tumblr is essentially a long-winded cousin of Twitter: the same wham bam, thank you ma'am business. Have a brain fart that's more than 140 words? Throw it on Tumblr. Want to make a portfolio of your pictures or art? Tumblr. See a cool street sign and want to share? Snap it and upload.
I would definitely recommend Tumblr for

• portfolios
• brain farts (Although that can be accomplished just as easily, if not better, with Facebook or Twitter)
• blogs about fashion, apps, etc. Anything that's short, sweet, and picture-heavy.
  Which is understandable, seeing as the new generation is quickly gravitating toward a multimedia-dominant culture and forsaking the art of words. Which, by the way, I definitely resent. I love visual art, but when it's replacing basic literary, no. A picture may speak a thousand words, but that doesn't justify an (however subtle) impending abolition of text.
• Attention whores. Network, network, network.

Horrible for

• Diaries
• Anything really text-heavy
• Fat blogs. The typical Tumblr layout is slim, which is perfect for easy viewing of short bursts of brilliance. However, for long-winded blogs or those with heavy graphics, Tumblr may feel a bit restrictive.

If you, like me, like to click "make a new post" and write a goddamn essay, Tumblr will frustrate, bore, irritate, annoy, exasperate, thesaurusrape you until you tumble back to Blogspot. Come on, ol' chum. Welcome back to the pack. :)

I may still use my Tumblr as a fashion or review blog, so keep an eye out! :)

New favorite song: It is absolutely amazing. With rainbow hearts, Unicorns, stars, and obsessive fairies. Yeah, it's that awesome.

I lovelovelovelove it.

I cannot express in words alone how much this song makes me smile and my heart tingle.
Phew. Listened to it at least ten times since I found it on iTunes, and can't stop listening. It's such a simple song, and her voice isn't particularly amazing (but it is beautiful), but the melody and lyrics are just magical. They're... me. Possibly the first time I felt this attached to a song.
My love for this song has transcended "I want to sing along every time I hear it" onto "I want to shut up and listen."
The Band Perry is going places.

 If I Die Young - The Band Perry ♥!