As a new user of the free blog platform Tumblr, I can honestly say that the service is quickly winning me over.

One of my favorite features is the ease in which multi-media elements such as audio and video can be added. As a guy who has been podcasting since 2005, I have a special place in my heart for audio content.

But the numbers don’t lie: text content is king. read more

With the announcement of the new Pico microblogging theme Six Apart now also stepped in to the microblogging game and wants its part of the pie. They also announced new features to simplify microblogging on the TypePad platform:

• “Post from anywhere” capabilities with email, iPhone, and TypePad bookmarklet
• New simple, professionally-designed, stylish themes
• “Post once, publish everywhere” with built-in support for Facebook, Twitter, and Friendfeed
• Control of your own advertising, your domain, and your personal brand
• All backed with support and training from TypePad One

These features might be new for Typepad users, I personally fail to see where they are new. Other than having ‘built-in plugins’ for the technically challenged people. Everything else, and much more, can be obtained freely via Tumblr and/or WordPress. For the minimum $4.95/month TypePad charges, I can host my blog on my own domain and have much more freedom.

Today, micro- or ADHD- blog service, Tumblr founder David Karp published very promising statistics for the free platform. According to Karp’s announcement Tumblr had more than 50 million visitors in July, 255 million impressions and averaged 650.000 post per day.
Numbers are disputed by Techcrunch and Quantcast ranks the service at 13 million visitors for July. Tumblr averaged 5000 new members daily in July. read more

If you’re looking to set up a new blog or revamp an old one, you’re probably looking at the standard platforms, WordPress, Blogger, MovableType, etc.

However, depending on the type of site you wish to set up, you may want to give Tumblr a second look. Though Tumblr isn’t right for every blog, for certain kinds of sites, it can be a very powerful time-saver and traffic-builder.

So even though it is easy to discard Tumblr as “just a microblogging service”, it’s important to not dismiss it so quickly. Underneath the veneer of microblogging service lies a powerful blogging platform that is more than adequate for some of the many popular blogs, including Keyboard Cat and Gary: Landlord of the Flies.

But is it right for your blog? That’s a question only you can answer but here might be some good signs to consider. read more

As we explore our blogs and clean out the clutter in this ongoing series on WTF Blog Design Clutter, we’ve looked at the pros and cons of blog clutter with too many “friend” pictures and badges, calendar archives, and most recent comments and shout boxes. Remember that clutter is in the eye of the beholder – the visiting user – not necessarily the blogger. What we see when we visit and use our blogs is not necessarily what the visitor and return reader see or experience. We need to explore our blog’s design through their eyes to help them use and read our blogs.

The usability factor in web design is critical. We often add design elements (widgets and gadgets specifically) to our blog for fun or novelty. We’re flush with the excitement of the latest and hottest whizzbang goodie and we want to share the fun on our blogs. If your blog is getting cluttered with a lot of WordPress Plugins, Widgets, Gadgets, Scripts, and whizzbangs, maybe it’s time to analyze these design elements to find out which ones are most important to your blog and its users – and which one are just clutter.

Today, I want to explore the pros and cons of microblog clutter on your blogs. Are you microblogging?
read more