Get The Most Out of Tumblr: 20 Tips, Tricks & Tools
Tumblr is a social blogging platform that allows users to upload multimedia posts, follow other users with similar interests and be part of a community. It is an effective tool for bloggers who are into visual aids rather than lengthy text posts.
As of November 27, 2013, the number of blogs hosted on Tumblr has broken the 151.2 million mark, adding up to 68.2 billion posts. With such staggering figures, it’s not difficult to see that one would need some specific know-how in order to really stand out from the Tumblr crowd.
To that end, we have got for you today 20 tips, tricks and tools to help you get the most out of your Tumblr blogging experience. Whether you are new to or familiar with Tumblr, these tips and tools should come in handy for you in growing your Tumblr blog.
Recommended Reading: 20 Tumblr Blogs For Inspiration
Tips & Tricks
Avoid Reblogging Long Posts As Links
Tumblr is programmed to reblog long posts as links. But some of your followers may want to read the entire post on the dashboard without being redirected to another page. The solution is simple: just reblog the post as Text instead of Link. The drop-down menu gives you the option to change the format of the post. Choose Reblog As Text to reblog the entire post.
Use Keyboard Shortcuts On The Dashboard
There is an efficient way of going through your dashboard that would save you both time and effort. Below are shortcuts you can use for browsing on your dashboard.
Shortcut | Action |
J | Scroll forward |
K | Scroll backward |
L | Like the current post |
N | See the number of notes |
Shift + E | Add post to your queue |
Shift + R | Fast reblog |
Z + Tab | Quickly switch between dashboard and blog |
Z + C | Quickly compose a post |
Space | View photoset in a lightbox or start playing a video post |
Allow Users To Reply To Your Posts From The Dashboard
Sometimes you may want your followers to reply to your post. To do that, just add a ? at the end of your post and an option of Let People Answer This will appear at the bottom (see screenshot). Enable that option by checking the box and your followers will be able to reply to your post.
Customize Follow & Share Buttons
Make it easier for your readers to share your Tumblr content just by adding a Share button. Go to Buttons to view the options for customizing the Follow and Share buttons. Once you have chosen a design, a code will be displayed. Now, open Tumblr on a new tab and go to Settings and click on Customize Theme. You will be redirected to a page that allows you to Edit HTML. Copy the code for the Follow and Share Buttons and paste it in your Tumblr Theme code.
Send Asks To Other Users From The Dashboard
Previously on Tumblr, to ask a user a question, you would have to go to their blog to do so. Now you can do it from the dashboard simply by hovering your mouse cursor over the user’s icon. Click on the gray figure and you’ll see 3 options – Ask a question, Send fan mail, Ignore. Choose the "Ask a question" option and a text box will appear for you to do exactly that.
Recover Old Themes
Just click on this link to revert to any of the themes you have used in the past. Click on Revert and your blog’s theme will go back to how it was previously. You may have to spend some time playing around with the settings to get it right though.
Mass Edit Posts And Tags
By providing the option to Mass Edit Posts, Tumblr has made it easy for its users to add a certain tag to all their posts. When you’re on your dashboard, look over to the right side of the page and click on Posts. Under Customize, a link that says Mass Post Editor will appear. Click on the link and you can edit/add tags and delete posts all in one go.
Queue Your Posts
Tumblr allows you to schedule your posts over a period of hours or days. It is an easy way to keep your blog active and consistent. Under Settings, you can edit the number of posts you want published from your Queue as well as the time settings.
When you want to add a post to your Queue, click on the arrow next to Reblog Post. A drop-down menu will give you the option to Add To Queue. This post is saved to your Queue list and will be published later.
Delay Your Reply To Asks
There may come a time when your followers bombard your Askbox and you will be replying to them one by one. As a result, instead of having colourful posts on your blog, you will have a ton of gray boxes with your replies. So, what can you do? You can stop the replies from being posted one after another by delaying them. When you are answering a question, just press and hold down the Alt key for options to: Queue or Save As Draft. Choose Queue for your reply to be published at a later time.
Play Around With Tumblr’s Logo
Ever wanted to use Tumblr’s logo on images, collages or as your icon, but searching for Tumblr’s logo on Google never seems to give you the right size or color? Tumblr is kind enough to provide its users with its logo. Click here to look at the different designs. You can now download the logo and use it on images, as part of your Tumblr theme, as your Tumblr icon, etc.
Bonus: 10 Must-have Tumblr Extensions
Missing E
Tweak your dashboard, sidebar, shortcuts, mass editor, etc. with this add-on for Chrome, Firefox and Safari.
XKit
An extension package that includes various add-ons that can easily be added and removed from your blog. It is available for Chrome, Safari, Opera and Firefox.
Add A View Count
Curious to know how much traffic your blog is generating? Keep track of the number of people visiting your blog by using TotallyLayouts. Choose the "Tumblr" option and click on Create Counter to get the code.
Add A Music Player
Add a music player from SCM Music Player to make your blog more lively and interesting. Choose a skin and proceed to Edit Playlist. You can add songs in 3 formats: MP3 links, SoundCloud tracks and YouTube addresses.
Get A Dashboard Theme
Bored of your default blue dashboard theme? Download the Stylish extension for Chrome or Firefox and then visit UserStyles to view available themes.
Endless Scrolling
It is always easier to browse through a blog and not have to press Next Page after every 10 posts or so! There is a way for your blog to automatically scroll non-stop. Visit Customize My Tumblr to get the code.
Add A Twitter Follow Badge On Your Blog
Visit Go2Web20 to link your Twitter account to your Tumblr blog.
Share Content Via Bookmarklet
Sometimes you may come across something you find elsewhere that you want to share on Tumblr but not exactly sure how to go about it. Just click on Apps (bottom right of your dashboard). Then, click and drag the Share on Tumblr oval up to your bookmark bar. Now whenever you would like to share content on Tumblr, you can just click on Share on Tumblr (which can be found on your bookmark bar), and the post will be displayed. Click on Publish and the post will be published on your blog.
Customize Your Mouse Cursor
Why go for the default mouse cursor when it can be any item you want! Browse for mouse cursors at TotallyLayouts and choose a design.
Customize your Scroll Bar
Make your blog even more appealing to your followers by customizing your blog’s scroll bar at TotallyLayouts.
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