#Premium Features

[pillowfort-social]

Site Update - 11/27/2023

Hi Pillowfolks, 

We hope you are safe and healthy.  Our Developers released a small site update today which addresses recent bugs that appeared after our Drafts update. Thank you for your patience while our team patched these bugs. Please let us know if you are still experiencing issues. 

Also, we wanted to take another moment to thank our community for your support during our End of Year Fundraiser. Can you believe we’re at 67% of our goal with over a month remaining? You have made it very clear you believe our Platform deserves to exist and we will continue to work hard to keep our platform online. 

We will be revealing fundraiser rewards very soon! 

New Features / Improvements

Premium Frames Update - Add a little color to your avatar with three new premium frames inspired by synthwave, vaporwave, and citypop. These frames were designed by our Customer Service Manager, Midnight!

Fundraiser Pop Up - We’ve added a notification banner for our End of Year Fundraiser. (Psst: There is still time left to help us meet our goal!) 

Bug Fixes

Infinite Posts in Communities -  Fixed a bug where the last post in a Community repeated infinitely. 

Drafts Tagging - Fixed a bug where posts that were published from Drafts wouldn’t show up in the tag search results despite being tagged. This change will also retroactively fix posts that were affected by this bug since the release of the Drafts feature, though it may take some time for these changes to populate. Please wait a few hours before checking if your published posts that were not previously showing up in tags have been fixed.

Gaps in Home Feed - Fixed a bug causing temporal gaps in the home feed when loading more posts. This also fixes an issue where some posts would display twice in the home feed.

Dark Mode Drafts Improvements - Fixed a bug that caused the site’s dark theme to fail to display properly when viewing the Drafts index page.

Community Index Fixes - We improved the efficiency of Community browsing, so searching for communities via the Community index should now be faster. We also altered the search so that it no longer sends a data request if no search term has been entered and the search sorting method is set to “Relevance”.

[darnellclayton]

Interesting tweet by @photomatt. I am thinking that @Tumblr could replace Twitter if they actually embraced Matrix & the Fediverse.

But then there is this:

Note: I am providing screenshots here just in case Twitter disappears!

Okay, so Automattic is trying to make Tumblr self sustaining by offering premium features that people would be willing to pay for.

Premium features that Tumblr currently offers are:

Vanity blue check marks

Premium custom themes

Tumblr Blaze (basically paying to promote your post to other Tumblrs)

Pay for ad free browsing

Apparently this is not enough, so what other features could Tumblr offer that users would be willing to pay for‽ Here are a few a few suggestions:

Actual verification (yes, seriously)

As people flee Twitter, they will look at alternatives & Tumblr will receive a massive amount of traffic (which will drive up the cost of the site). This includes celebrities, businesses, politicians, other government officials, etcetera.

Offer a real verification service that is open to everyone—celebrities, businesses & normal people—but would require:

A real world ID (passport, government ID, drivers license, etcetera).

An annual fee (between $100-$300 depending on the person or organization, government official, etcetera) in order to combat spam impersonation

A video phone call from Tumblr / WordPress staff (Facetime, Telegram, WhatsApp, etcetera) to confirm the person/organization is legit

Forget the checkmark (twitter ruined that) & use something else (maybe dancing emoji’s around the profile picture‽ Make it unique to Tumblr).

Federation with ActivityPub

I honestly would prefer that this would be a free feature, however the sad fact remains that people could easily be overwhelmed with spammers, trolls, scams, etcetera, outside of Tumblr & not know how to deal with it.

I solo host on Darnell.one & I have encountered spammers, trolls & scammers on Matrix & Mastodon (latter uses ActivityPub).

While I have the patience to deal with the unfettered interwebs attempting to harass me, most people will feel overwhelmed with spamtroll@armageddon.whocares sending them unsolicited messages on the daily.

Making it a premium feature would reduce the chance of spammers using Tumblr to harass the world (resulting in Federation blocks), as well as preventing people from being harassed by the world.

Price should be between $5-$10/month

Into The Matrix

I am already on Matrix (I am @darnell:shh.darnell.ooo for those interested) & I think integration would be key with one caveat: make it a replacement for messages on Tumblr.

So I could then use @darnell:tumblr.com to securely communicate to other people on Tumblr as well as Matrix users for free.

However, those who pay Tumblr could also use their Matrix/Tumblr messenger to communicate with other people on Facebook Messenger, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, etcetera, via bridging, which would appeal to power users.

Another bonus is that paying folks could also create their own mini zoom like video calls, without having to use Zoom (which would appeal to people on Tumblr). I would make it so that paying folks can initiate a call, but anyone else on Tumblr can join for free (in order to increase appeal).

Price range would be between $10-$20/month (as this tech is not cheap!).

LiveStreaming

Instead of relying on YouTube, Tumblr should offer this feature for free—with a catch.

People should be able to live broadcast in standard definition for free, but if they want the broadcast in high definition as well as saved then they will have to pay for storage (otherwise the streamed video is deleted after 24 hours).

Premium users could also have the “broadcasted on Tumblr” watermark/label removed, as well as the ability to automatically upload their video elsewhere (VideoPress, Vimeo, YouTube, etcetera).

Price range should be $10/month

Tumblr Prime‽

Tumblr should also offer a combination package on all of the above except verification (for obvious reasons).

Call it Tumblr Prime or Tumblr Pattycakes for all I care, but for around $20/month they should offer:

ActivityPub federation

Matrix Integration for messages (including bridging, video conference calls, etcetera)

Live-streaming services

Of course Auttomattic should look at the economics of these features to see if they are feasible, but I think they can come up with a workable solution that is deemed valuable.

That is all folks!

Those are my suggestions, & if you made it this far after reading this post, congratulations! If you have any suggestions, refutations, or questions feel free to comment below or message me via Tumblr.

[staff]

✨Ad-free Browsing is becoming Tumblr Premium ✨

You read that right: We’re upgrading Ad-free Browsing to a bigger, better package—based on your feedback and wishes. We hope you like it!

So, what’s in the box?

Alongside the beloved ad-free dash, every month, Premium subscribers will get one free Blaze and a free item in TumblrMart (except Premium itself, and some of the badges you have to earn)—to gift or use for yourself—as well as increased posting and liking limits and early access to experimental features like Communities and Patio! All for $6.99/month or $69.99/year (that’s 15% off when paying annually).

Check it out!

Are you a current ad-free browser? You’ll get an email from us about the price change and have 30+ days to decide if you want to keep your subscription. In the meantime, you’ll have Premium at the current price. You can manage your subscription right now here.

Questions? Visit the Help Center or let us know over at Support.

[fytko-mobile-specs]

Vivo to Launch V27 Series in India with Curved Display and Enhanced Night Photography

Vivo is preparing to launch the Vivo V27 series in India with two models, the Vivo V27 and the Vivo V27 Pro. According to a report by 91Mobiles, the launch could take place before the end of February 2023. 

The Vivo V27 Pro is rumored to feature MediaTek's latest Dimensity 8200 processor, but the processor for the vanilla Vivo V27 is still unknown.

Both models are expected to feature a curved display, which is a first for Vivo in its smartphone lineup. 

Additionally, they are expected to come with high-end Sony primary camera sensors, enhancing their night photography capabilities. A color-changing back panel is also being considered for both devices, adding a unique design element.

The Vivo V27 series will also include a third model, the Vivo V27e, to be launched at a later date. All models in the Vivo V27 series are poised to offer premium features and designs to meet the needs of today's tech-savvy consumers.

[dipnots]

Top 10 Motorhome Models: A Guide to the Best RVs on the Market

Top 10 Motorhome Models: A Guide to the Best RVs on the Market

Motorhomes, also known as recreational vehicles (RVs), have grown in popularity in recent years, as more and more people are looking for ways to travel and explore the world in comfort and style. There are many different motorhome models available on the market, each with its own unique set of features and amenities. 1- Winnebago View: The Winnebago View is a popular choice for those who want a…

[pillowfort-social]

Premium Features Suite Update February 2023

Good Day Pillowfolks!

We hope you are staying safe, cozy, and healthy. 

Our development team has made significant progress since December 2022. We’ve gotten the majority of the work on the features themselves done already, and they are currently in testing with our QA specialist. We’re excited to share a preview of the multiple avatar premium feature with all of you today!

Description: A preview of the Multiple Avatar Premium Feature on the User Account Setting's Page. Four Avatar Images are showcased in this preview. Users will have the ability to edit and upload multiple avatars. Multiple Avatar Premium Feature will be a paid feature.

Description: A preview of the Multiple Avatar Premium Feature during post creation. Users will have the ability to choose an avatar in the post editor. Multiple Avatar Premium Feature will be a paid feature. 

In order to release the first set of premium features on Pillowfort, however, our team still needs to finish development & testing on the workflow & tools related to the creation, updating, and management of the new subscriptions system, plus calculating all existing payments from users who have donated in the past to add as credit to their account. Due to the fact that this update will involve handling money, we want to be extra careful that the subscription system will be well thought-out, implemented, and tested. With this in mind, we want to apologize for the length of time it is taking us to complete this much-anticipated release, but we hope you understand the need for us to be thorough in our approach to this feature.

It is no secret that we are significantly behind on our original development timeline, largely due to the obstacles we experienced in 2021 as well as the extended development of the UI overhaul last year. We have been triaging our development priorities based on many factors such as user feedback, security & functionality needs, and our long-term needs as a small business that requires money to operate. Unfortunately due to funding, our team only has limited hours to work on Pillowfort each month, but the release of the premium features suite is an important step in getting our revenue stream more reliable in the long term, and development will hopefully get back up to speed as our financial situation improves. Thank you for being patient with us as we complete this important step in Pillowfort’s growth.

Going forward, we will do better at level-setting expectations with our community going forward on time frames for features. We will also communicate more frequently on the progress of features currently in development in hope you will not feel like you have been left in the dark.

Also, we want you all to know there will be items included in the next update that will be available to all users, including a few site optimizations, bug fixes, and new profile badges such as the MLM pride flag. 

Let us know if you have any questions and we will answer them to the best of our ability in the comment section. Have a great weekend.

[simandy]

Dude i CANNOT recommend ibispaint enough. The really just added an AI disturbance filter. WHO is adobe protoshop

[sergle]

anyone who isn’t on twitter but enjoys watching things turn to ash, today’s news: you gotta pay for twitter to use basic security features now

[getvalentined]

Got an email to fill out a survey on the concept of tumblr Premium and related features, and while I'm assuming that I'm not supposed to talk about it too specifically in case some things mentioned in the survey aren't fully implemented, the features listed as possibilities sound pretty solid. Limit increases, monthly benefits (both for the user and as gifts for others), special badges and decorations, etc.

There were no features listed that are already available for free, so they're genuinely looking at offering new features for paid users rather than following in Xitter's footsteps and locking existing features behind a paywall. Likewise, nothing listed would be obtrusive to the current tumblr experience or unfairly favor a paid user over a free user any more than dropping a few bucks on a Blaze already "favors" the person being Blazed. (Which is up for debate, since that whole feature is literally "LOOK AT MY POST, BOY" and is one of the most tumblr things that tumblr has ever done.)

I was extremely leery going into the survey, because "premium" features these days are generally not premium at all, but I'm feeling very positive about the upcoming features now. Overall—and I say this as someone who has worked in webdev and digital marketing, used to pay for icons on LiveJournal for multiple RP accounts, currently pays for ad-free here, and has been doing beta testing for so long I once had the personal email addresses of both the founders of deviantART—it sounds genuinely good! Nothing anyone can't live without, but a good number of fun things that would actually be of interest to the tumblr userbase.

Now I'm just waiting to see how many of the features floated in the survey wind up in the final package, and how much that package is going to cost.

[kingcaspian43]

not spotify trying to put lyrics behind a paywall

corporate fucking assholes

[mouseclangen]

Unrelated to clangen but what program do u use to draw also what brush?

[wandering-aloneo-o]

so we all agree this needs to die immediately, right?

[why-the-heck-not]

there should be a ”it’s 1am, are u sure this is the right time to download a new planner app? Sleep might be more helpful rn” notification

[lifemod17]

Have you heard Rio by G Frequency yet? If you hadn’t heard Hozier did a side quest and is featured on a funky hip hop track. It apparently came out a week or two ago and he hasn’t said anything to promote it.

It has a 90’s/early 2000’s Hip Hop vibe, and I think they used his voice well with the production.

I did in fact know about this and it was (still is) ON REPEAT!!

It made me so happy upon discovering this track because I grew up on hiphop, amongst many other genre of music. But especially around my early teen years, that was the height of me being passionate about all things hiphop, and it's also when Take Me To Church came out and I was so ecstatic to have found Hozier.

So the fact that its been 10yrs now and my worlds are colliding to bring together this fucking amazing track?!? I am OVER THE MOON. This genuinely made me so incredibly happy!!!

I've yet to listen to the rest of G Frequency's discography but I did listen to this album, Soul Focus, and holy smokes, it is right up my alley of funk and groove and rap amalgamated into one incredible record.

ANYWAY! If anybody reading this hasn't done so yet, please do yourself a favor and give it a listen