#finally algorithmic content I'm actually interested in

[chipped-chimera]

From my brief foray into looking at Facebook for once, I present to you - cursed Astarion Funko.

[getvalentined]

An open letter to @staff

I already submitted this to Support under "Feedback," but I'm sharing it here too as I don't expect it to get a response, and I feel like putting in out in public may be more effective than sending it off into the void.

The recent post on the Staff blog about changing tumblr to an algorithmic feed features a large amount of misinformation that I feel staff needs to address, openly and honestly, with information on where this data was sourced at the very least.

Claim 1: Algorithms help small creators.

This is false, as algorithms are designed to push content that gets engagement in order to get it more engagement, thereby assuring that the popular remain popular and the small remain small except in instances of extreme luck.

This can already be seen on the tumblr radar, which is a combination of staff picks (usually the same half-dozen fandoms or niche special interests like Lego photography) which already have a ton of engagement, or posts that are getting enough engagement to hit the radar organically. Tumblr has an algorithm that runs like every other socmed algorithm on the planet, and it will decimate the reach of small creators just like every other platform before it.

Claim 2: Only a small portion of users utilize the chronological feed.

You can find a poll by user @darkwood-sleddog here that at the time of writing this, sits at over 40 THOUSAND responses showing that over 96 percent of them use the chronological feed*. Claiming otherwise isn't just a misstatement, it's a lie. You are lying to your core userbase and expecting them to accept it as fact. It's not just unethical, it's insulting to people who have been supporting your platform for over a decade.

Claim 3: Tumblr is not easy to use.

This is also 100% false and you ABSOLUTELY know it. Tumblr is EXTREMELY easy to use, the issue is that the documentation, the explanations of features, and often even the stability of the service is subpar. All of this would be very easy for staff to fix, if they would invest in the creation of walkthroughs and clear explanations of how various site features work, as well as finally fixing the search function. Your inability to explain how your service works should not result in completely ignoring the needs and wants of your core long-term userbase. The fact that you're more willing to invest in the very systems that have made every other form of social media so horrifically toxic than in trying to make it easier for people to use the service AS IT WORKS NOW and fixing the parts that don't work as well speaks volumes toward what tumblr staff actually cares about.

You will not get a paycheck if your platform becomes defunct, and the thing that makes it special right now is that it is the ONLY large-scale socmed platform on THE ENTIRE INTERNET with a true chronological feed and no aggressive algorithmic content serving. The recent post from staff indicates that you are going to kill that, and are insisting that it's what we want. It is not. I'd hazard to guess that most of the dev team knows it isn't what we want, but I assume the money people don't care. The user base isn't relevant, just how much money they can bring in.

The CEO stated he wanted this to remain as sort of the last bastion of the Old Internet, and yet here we are, watching you declare you intend to burn it to the ground.

You can do so much better than this.

Response to the Update

Under the cut for readability, because everything said above still applies.

I already said this in a reblog on the post itself, but I'm adding it to this one for easy access: people read it that way because that's what you said.

Staff considers the main feed as it exists to be "outdated," to the point that you literally used that word to describe it, and the main goals expressed in this announcement is to figure out what makes "high-quality content" and serve that to users moving forward.

People read it that way because that is what you said.

*The final results of the poll, after 24 hours:

136,635 votes breaks down thusly:

An algorithm based feed where I get "the best of tumblr." @ 1.3% (roughly 1,776 votes)

Chronological feed that only features blogs I follow. @ 95.2% (roughly 130,077 votes)

This doesn't affect me personally. @ 3.5% (roughly 4,782 votes)

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

i finally decided to get off instagram (for the most part, still working on it) and twitter and last night i realized i didn't need to go on either after the grammys and it was SO freeing! highly suggest it to anyone still on twitter/instagram! i have just been focusing on how exciting the grammys are and taylor looked like she was having so much fun :D

this is just it.

I won't deny that I occasionally get the impulse to re-download Twitter because it used to be the easiest way to keep up with current events like the news, so when we're in a time of tumult, it was a good aggregate of reporting sources. But that has gone downhill since it was bought out, and it's certainly been a dumpster fire since the election. I had made the mistake of re-downloading it after the inauguration to kind of keep up with what was going on (and dipped my toes in the Swiftie waters again) but I finally deleted it again last week because it's just so, so bad. The algorithm is designed to enrage and it's designed to make you addicted and react to everything. Every single thing because an Issue but it's a tempest in a teapot.

(And candidly I think the revelations in a certain legal complaint about how social media is deliberately manipulated to flood feeds with certain opinions to cause harm should be eye-opening to everyone if it hadn't already been about how these platforms use your eyeballs to do their dirty work and recognize when it's happening.)

No discourse on twitter ever actually makes it to real life, and everything is replaced by a new scandal in 24 hours. Like I've said before, if online discourse had any measurable impact on real life, there would have been a much different election result. So I think folks need to take that same principle and apply it to their fandom stanning as well. Any perceived issue that arises against their fave (whether it's Taylor or Beyonce or whoever) never really matters, so why bother arguing with strangers on the internet? Just focus on what you love. Now, obviously there are some things that breach containment and become Real Issues, but... there are also people whose jobs it is to deal with those.

I had to back off Instagram in the last year because it was making me feel like shit -- I know Instagram isn't real life, but seeing my friends and acquaintances' lives (or even creators) while I'm feeling increasingly stuck in mine was making me feel even worse about myself than usual. And it sucks because as someone who loves content creation and photography it was such a fun way to be inspired and see creative work, just like it was a great way to keep up with what my friends are up to. And now that Meta has said the quiet part out loud and proudly, I'm not interested in giving its platform more of my time than needed. (I still occasionally use it, but I can't scroll like I used to.)

If you're into social media for fandom stuff, honestly, I can't implore people enough to consider eliminating or at least reducing the use of places like Twitter or TikTok in particular. They're preying on your attention and it's only going to get worse from now on. Stop worrying about what other fans or even antis are saying, and just focus on what you actually *like*. It's as simple as that.

Anyway that's a long-winded way of saying I'm so happy you enjoyed last night!!! May we all find such pockets of joy in these extremely bleak times!

[dreadnotau]

So, what the heck's been going on with Dread Not?

First off, kind of a big announcement, the twitter is officially GONE. As "twitter" (x?) added a policy that starting from November 15th, all posts made by users would be fed to their AI algorithm, both my personal twitter as well as the Dread Not twitter are deleted, to prevent my content from being used to feed some shitty AI algorithm. Tumblr isn't exempt from this bullshit AI fad either, but at least they gave you a toggle to opt out of it. It's a low bar and yet sites keep not clearing it. Don't be afraid, though, I've downloaded the archive of the official twitter account and if the fancy strikes me (and if there's enough of a demand for it) I might mess around with the html and make a downloadable version of the Dread Not Twitter for anyone interested in having it as a remnant of that bygone era. I'd just have to find a way to scrub all my actual personal data from that account first though, lmao…

On a more serious note, you probably noticed the comic itself hasn't updated properly since, what, June? And that was only one page. Before then the last update was in September 2023, so it's been well over a year since proper, consistent content for this comic has been made. For that, I am genuinely sorry. I made a lot of false promises and with the update in June I hyped it up with being "finally back" and then held up none of what I promised. That sucks and I wish I had anyone else to blame, but it's all me and my shitty nonexistent work ethic. I COULD'VE finished Act 1 during the summer, but with the way my motivation for art works, I got swept up in other projects thinking I could make up for lost time eventually, and then just didn't. This sucks and I wish it hadn't happened, but here we are.

Moving forward is going to be difficult because of this. As mentioned, I have other projects I'm working on now, projects I'm arguably more invested in than Dread Not. If Dread Not was EASIER to make, it'd be less of a problem, but I've set up a kind of impossible standard for myself of putting my everything into every page. This makes it look phenomenal, I can't deny it, the last few pages have been some of my best work and I still look at them very fondly, but there's also an aspect of… what it is that I'm actually putting so much work into. I don't mean to diminish my own fiction here, but Dread Not was kind of made on a whim, and while it has themes I find interesting it's not as… deeply significant as some of my other work is, or at least is MEANT to be.

To use a metaphor to illustrate, Dread Not is like popcorn that I've painstakingly made a giant ornate bowl to serve it with, while my other projects are fully planned meals that I need to find a good way to serve, and if all my energy is spent trying to figure out how to make my popcorn snack presentable, what time does that leave to the Actual Full Course Meal I'm planning? I hope that metaphor makes sense, because popcorn is still good! It's tasty! You can make it really nice and spicy, but at the end of the day that's not a gourmet meal, and I'd like to try my hand at more serious (culinary) projects. Projects that require me to work not just physically, but also mentally, to explore more difficult themes that mean a lot more to me. And, don't get me wrong, Dread Not HAS interesting ideas in there, it's just that I haven't reached them yet because I've been so preoccupied with this fucking BOWL. The popcorn is cold now and I still haven't finished painting it's goddamn container. There's a reason you usually serve this stuff in a paper bag.

And, paper bag analogy is right, because if you've seen my latest art dump on my art blog, you might've seen a couple of different styles in one place. Flat colours, monochrome colours with an emphasis on shading, a general complete lack of backgrounds, etc. What I want from you, dear reader, is to tell me what YOU want from Dread not. There's no way for me to finish act 1 in a reasonable time frame without downgrading the art, so I want to know what kind of downgrade you're willing to put up with. My personal ideal would be if I could just release the remaining pages as just line-art with minimal shading, but I understand that's probably not what people want, so…

Here's a forum for you to weigh in! (I recommend filling it out after you read this whole post)

On a different note, I want to heavily stress that I'm not abandoning the project, it's just morphing into something different now. It kind of HAS to in order to survive. Originally, working on Dread Not was something I did between classes, it was my only real "organised" artistic outlet if you could call it that, but now that I'm going to school FOR art, something as demanding as a full comic is less an outlet and more a chore. Even WITH downgraded visuals, that's still time spent on something that's not getting me grades or recognition, and while it's fun I'm kind of planning on doing art as a career now, so fun projects have to be REALLY fun for me to still invest so much time into (again, refer back to how my shitass art motivation works). This is why Act 2 is now planned to be entirely text, like other fics I actually work on in my spare time as a Break from visual art. It's a continuation of Act 1 still, just as originally intended, but I'll be adjusting my original script for Act 2 to fit into the new format. I'm sorry if this is disappointing to anyone (if the visual downgrade for the end of act 1 wasn't enough), but this is the most reliable way I can get myself to actually work on Dread Not since, again, I don't think a "passion project" should be draining to think about.

All of the technical stuff about the comic/AU/fic ASIDE… I want to give a huge shoutout to everyone in the Dread Not Discord server. Despite all the hiatuses and despite all the Lack of content I've given them, the server's been decently active and we've even made stories and characters completely divorced from Dread Not or even Deltarune as a concept! It's a really nice group to be a part of and I'm eternally grateful that something I made attracted such creative and thoughtful and SKILLED people into one place to share new ideas and discuss old ones. It's just a great time all around, and I don't think I'd be where I am today if it weren't for that server, as corny and stupid as that may sound.

I'm sorry this ended up being kind of a damper of an announcement, but seeing the state this blog is in I think it's a little necessary to make a proper post addressing all the stuff that's been going on behind the scenes. I hate leaving ya'll in the dark, but I also know that these posts are really long and probably really boring so getting something like this every other week would probably be even more annoying than complete silence.

Again, thank you all for your patience and, by all means, weigh in on what you think should be done with this AU going forward.

-Kooki

PS - I'll announce my other projects when they're in a more presentable state, for now you'll have to wait for those too, sorry.

[literaryxbones]

Where I've Been

So, I am officially back from my hiatus. I'm planning to return to Tumblr at least part-time in the middle of college courses and work. (I got a new job!) I also am planning on launching my first business! I'll reveal the concept for it soon, I think it's pretty cool. I've got a lot of things going on, so my activity may vary.

Addressing The Elephant In The Room

My mental health has improved considerably. I've made new friends in college, and I have somebody in my life I can talk to about my dissociation and heightened emotions. Our experiences are both different, but it's nice to know somebody I can relate to. Offline and online, I haven't had to worry about the voices as much. They've been unusually quiet, which is a great relief to me. I've also noticed that I'm not getting triggered as much.

This probably has something to do with my change in environment. I'm no longer in highschool, which was a traumatizing place for me. I now have a job that I like that feels meaningful. Classes are more aligned with my interests and my life has a general, vague sense of direction now.

And finally, I have a friend who gets me. They mean the world to me, and I love them dearly. Before meeting them, I had never felt a sense of safety, security, and comfort with another person before.

I've had lots of friends, both in-person and within digital spaces, but I didn't feel truly connected or comfortable with them.

In terms of therapy, I still need to contact Mental Health Services, complete my intake, and see a therapist qualified to treat adults. The trouble is, I'd have to answer the same questionaries over and over again, revealing personal information about myself and my past. My progress in being evaluated for my memory loss and dissociation would completely restart. I would still have to see somebody that doesn't know me, my history, or anything about me. It's a long process, but one I'm still willing to go through. I'll probably need something in the room for emotional support while I'm taking my call. And once I do that, my health company would actually have to have a trauma specialist available that's familiar with dissociation.

This is just the surface of my journey with therapy, but I'm counting on it! I haven't given up just yet, and my trauma will be addressed. I promise you that.

What's Happening to Goth History?

I'm still continuing Goth History, but I can no longer keep up with publishing series installments every three days. Between business, work, and school, spare time is limited. Instead, I'm switching over to a weekly or bi-weekly schedule. Saturday will be the designated posting day for episodes.

New Series

A while ago, I released a poll asking what content you ghouls would like to see. Some of you expressed interest in music recommendations, reviews, and analysis. Music is an important part of the goth subculture.

Social media algorithms tend not to prioritize music content when it comes to the subculture, but I hope to change that. Bands deserve to be discussed alongside fashion, aesthetics, and horror flicks. I'm considering a monthly schedule for this new series. "Macabre Music of the Month" maybe?

Out of a month's listening, I'd choose a band, album, song, or artist that stands out to me in the subculture.

These are my plans so far, and it'd be awesome to kick this series off in January!

Thank you so much for reading. Divider graphics are F2U.

-SORDID

[gwynndolin]

Independent Album Review:

3D Country by Geese

I still have plenty of asks from people about music to review, but I figured there's plenty of room to talk about stuff I've been listening to independently!

So in my exploration into getting back into Apple Music, I decided I would not initially import all my previous music from Spotify, in attempt to get a new swing at the algorithmic content it would send my way, and it's worked certainly! The first song I heard by Geese was actually off their first album Projector, and I ended up trying to listen to that one for a little while. My final thoughts on Projector was that it was entirely interesting, but unfortunately not very memorable at first blush, but it showed a lot of promise. When I had told my girlfriend that I had started listening to them, she had noted that she recognized the 3D Country album art and said she'd heard at least one or two songs and thought that they were pretty good, so I jumped in pretty much immediately. And I'm glad I did!!

3D Country starts off with Cameron Winter's isolated voice, followed up shortly after by the blues rock number "2122". I think Cameron's voice is one of the most interesting things about Geese by far; it's extremely hard to tell what his default range is? He tends to sing in a slightly baritone register for the most part, but he's certainly not afraid to get up into his head voice, and it just works! The difference between where he's singing in the track "3D Country" and then in "Cowboy Nudes" nearly feels like a completely different singer. Honestly he sort of reminds me of Julian Casablancas, whereas Julian usually sings higher and occasionally goes lower.

Geese is one of these really exciting sorts of bands that I would lump in with BCNR, Black Midi, Maruja, and King Krule... I feel that, at least in the genres that I tend to listen to, there's been a lot of stagnation, and these bands feel like they're at the forefront of some well welcomed movement in the scene. And I always feel like you can really tell when this is happening when descriptions of these bands tend to offer like five or six different genres to attempt to give someone an idea what to expect.

To me, this reads as us being on the precipice of a new genre, or at the very least, a new subgenre, which is always very exciting to me. Obviously, genre is most often used descriptively instead of prescriptively (or at least, it is typically sought to be), but even in this, genre labeling, I feel, often allows for more focus into a particular sound, so to say that genres should only ever be descriptive seems a little reductive.

With that being said, while listening to this record, I kept thinking to myself "This is just Funkadelic for white people". Which was completely a joke, in my typical style of saying really broad statements about music that are reductive, but as I went on through it started feeling more real to me. "I See Myself" could honestly just be a track on Maggot Brain.

Anyway, I highly recommend giving this album a shot, and to keep an eye on Geese throughout the future, this is definitely a top 2024 album for me (even though it is a 2023 album..).

A VERY solid 8/10 for me, I think the album is pretty front loaded, but all of the tracks on it are all well enough and fitting for the album in their own right, and if Geese keeps moving like this, their next album might be an all timer for me..

Fave tracks: 2122, 3D Country, Cowboy Nudes, Undoer, Mysterious Love, Tomorrows Crusades, St Elmo

[blazehedgehog]

I WILL CHOKE ON THESE SOUR GRAPES TIL I'M IN MY GRAVE

I left this open in another tab, meaning to watch it like a week ago. It's an official video published and promoted on the Youtube Studio dashboard, about common misconceptions around their recommendation algorithm and what the truths really are. .

And now, finally watching it, that white haired dude, Mr. "Youtube Liason", is the guy who told me the algorithm ignored one of my videos because "maybe it just wasn't very good."

Famously, and something I will never ever shut up about when given the chance to mention it, I put out a video about Jurassic Park games just before Christmas, expecting it to slot in and do decent numbers, just like all of my other videos do. Since Youtube earnings tend to spike around the holidays, this was going to be how I paid for Christmas presents that year. It was something I'd done at least twice before. Instead, the algorithm completely ignored the video because it was outside my usual wheelhouse of Sonic content.

This is shockingly relevant to the very first topic they cover: whether a single "off-topic" video actually matters with regards to how the algorithm sees your channel, and the general answer from the Youtube technician is "No." You don't gotta tell me.

When I put my full weight behind a video, it easily breaks 10k views, even 50k or 200k+ views. Some of my most popular videos have cracked the multi-millions!

So when this dude spells out in plain english that the algorithm effectively ignores one-off videos? Yeah, no shit. I'm living proof of that. Across the first two years, that Jurassic Park video struggled to break even 2000 views. Only by paying out of my own pocket for multiple promotional campaigns and constantly complaining about its lack of performance has it struggled to hit just over 5000 views, some four years later. The algorithm knew it was way outside my regular wheelhouse and treated it like poison.

And this liason clown had the balls to tell me "well maybe the video was just bad, sorry bud" only to, two years later, sit down with this technician that spells out exactly what I was knew was happening and was trying to explain to him.

Except now, of course, it's being spun as a positive: "don't worry, a one-off won't hurt your regular content" as opposed to the "we didn't notify anyone about your one-off and it became stillborn" I experienced.

I have sat down and thought very intently about this Jurassic Park video. Obviously, if I make a stink about its performance, tell people the algorithm made a poor judgment call, I'm going to get patted on the back and comforted that yes, the video is good. Don't worry. The mean old algorithm is just dumb. Right? And Youtube unflinchingly believes in the power of their algorithm as this perfect shining golden standard to drive viewership, the thing that can never, ever be wrong about guys like me.

I appreciate the comfort and support of friends and colleagues and even random strangers who are inherently distrustful of the algorithm. But I also know that feels like an echo chamber.

So then what, do I trust Youtube? Absolutely not. At the end of the day their algorithm still made an unfair judgment call and despite their claims above that any old video can get picked up by the algorithm at any time, my video has never recovered. I've tried more interesting thumbnails, I've spent almost $100 on Google Adsense promotion -- one of which, I should note, was the same week that Jurassic World 3 released, and the other being E3. Both should have been extremely lucrative times to run ads. And I got crickets.

I like the video. I stand by the fact I think I did a good job on it. I remain proud of it. It's as good as any real-effort-content I've put out in the last five years. The echo chamber tells me it's a good video, too, even if I literally can't buy views.

So my only recourse is to sit here and stew in my bitterness towards this algorithm. The shining, ultimate example as to why you should never let a computer make a qualitative judgment call. And I will be frustrated and angry about this until I draw my last breath.

[crooked-wasteland]

As much as I dread seeing Tumblr die, am I the only one who doesn't like jumping to another popular platform like Bluesky in panic? Don't get me wrong, it looks like a cool site and also has similar features as Tumblr. However, it hasn't been a year since it came out and Bluesky is already imploding. It feels like Twitter 2.0 to me!

As I've gotten older, I realize what I wanted was not only to use a very popular site but also where it's pretty accessible to me (no cancel culture or widespread censorship) — and I know this sounds cheesy — but also hopefully find friends and opportunities along the way. My overall experience online hasn't been super great and I can't help but feel less safe.

I may be too late for the party when I finally joined Tumblr but at least it's gotten a lot better compared back then. I'm also a bit skeptical of this "OH NO TUMBLR IS DYING" shtick because ain't no way a $3 million website is just gonna poof away instantly unless everybody stops using it. As someone said, it's just another case of a collective delirium.

I think maybe some respectable company/individual who actually cares about the site could buy it or Tumblr could try hosting official events IRL.

People were talking about Tumblr dying back in 2010. In 2018 with the adult content ban, the sight almost legitimately died and lost 30% of its user base. It hasn't at all seen that kind of mass abandonment as a site and I think it's easy to forget that perception is more noticeable than reality. The site says it is actively growing and recently hit a population milestone where 50% of the user base is Gen Z and those in charge insist that as much as 60% of new users are also Gen Z.

I'm not sure what has got you feeling like the site is dying, but Tumblr reminds me a lot of Ff.net or AO3. Neither site functions on an algorithm, so when your particular niche interests start losing favor with a community and people stop posting for it, you naturally see the decline in activity. But that doesn't inherently reflect the state of the site as a whole. From my understanding, it is chugging along just fine.

But also, Business insider is a joke of a news source. It's a recent article, however, and it has some brief interviews with people running the show. Despite Gen Z's puritanism, the only time any social media site has essentially died is when it bans sexual content. Looking at Fanfiction.net for that one. When Twitter and Tumblr also cracked down on sexual content, they saw their usage collapse and they eventually rolled back on trying to be advertiser friendly.

Tumblr has this "intention market" approach as opposed to the "attention market" of every other social media website, whatever that means. But Tumblr survived Ad-megeddon, so I don't think it'll actually be going anywhere soon. Even if marketing sounds like it's desperate. You're right, the only way it dies is if we stop using it.

[runawaydr3amerao3]

🎙️Idling In the Impala's 🎂Birthday Episode & Giveaway 🎉

Okay, now that the festive season is mostly in the rearview (hope you came through unscathed—

... oh, sorry, I always forget about you guys), I'd like to say an enormous, heartfelt

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY, @idlingintheimpalapodcast! 🥳

I'm a little late, of course, since it was actually on December 28th, but they forgive me because, uh...well, presumably because I'm adorable, I dunno. 😇

Anyway, they made a birthday episode! Check it!

Podcast Ep: 🔴 YTube 🟢 Spotify

There's lots of interesting chatter about the journey the podcast has taken, what it's evolved into, how it's fit into their lives, and who's been there along the way. 💖

The other super-fun exciting thing is...

THE KO-FI SUPPORTER GIVEAWAY!!

🤩🎊🎁🪅😍

For being a supporter of all of the podcast's amazing content for as little as a buck a month, you'll go into the draw to win a mega cool Idling In the Impala-branded notebook!

(Plus the usual perks, of course, or all of them for just a few dollars more, including: access to NSFW podfics, behind the scenes info, episode outtakes, input on future episode content, a digital goat wearing pyjamas, etc. Who doesn't want a digital goat? Mine's named Emuri. 🐐)

Just think, you could write a bunch of fucknasty SPN porn in your shiny new notebook, giggling to yourself all the while that maybe it'll end up discussed in an episode of the podcast one day!

That's the kind of meta shit we love, right? 😄

Don't dawdle, though, the giveaway closes on the 31st of this month (Jan 2025). 😱

Finally, on a more serious note, Sandra @talltalesandbedtimestories and Kasey @sam-is-my-safe-word, my beloveds, you and the podcast have come so far and done so much in what seems like a short time to some of us, but I'm sure seems to you like every day of those three years considering all of the hard work you put in behind the scenes!

Thank you for the dedication you've shown and the stupid-long hours you sacrifice in your personal lives to bring us the amazing meta, commentary, author and artist interviews, fic recs and reviews, and every shared grin, cackle, gasp, aww, and cringe along the way.

Here's to the next three!

Don't forget that likes, comments, and subscriptions on YouTube and Spotify are super helpful for the podcast in battling the algorithms. They also support the team to continue bringing us this excellent content, and content creators keep the fandom turning, so let's show them all the love we can! 🫶🥰

[catherine-clover]

I follow 750 people, and about 20 of those are mutuals. I joined almost ten years ago at this point, way before there was an algorithm like the for you page (which is like two years old, max). Back before they started generating a feed for you the only ways to see posts at all would be following users to get posts on your dash or by exploring tags. Exploring tags constantly can get annoying so I followed people.

I only have about 200 followers total but I've had multiple posts breach containment - to keep my sanity I just turned off push notifications entirely except for when I get a dm. If you really want to stop a post from clogging up your activity feed while it's blowing up, the mute button has never really worked well according to reports - but you can delete the original post if you want. You'll never get a reblog in your feed again.

The reason I follow so many people is because I do like being able to see as many posts as I have time for - I follow a large amount of artists, some who only post once or twice a month, so that alone would truly be an empty feed. And on top of that I'd estimate at least 150 of them are dead blogs that haven't updated in five years because I don't have the heart to unfollow people who've moved on. I like to reblog a lot - before a lot of people flooded in from other social medias, reblogging was "the thing" you did on tumblr to a post you liked. It was really common for a post to have more reblogs than likes, with likes functioning more like bookmarks than anything. I haven't really changed how I view interacting on tumblr in a long time, but the culture here sure has changed around me. When I'm in the swing of things, I run a queue of 45 reblogged posts a day. I prefer to see posts to reblog as they get posted and reblogged by people and blogs I know, instead of always seeing posts from strangers. In my head the same post can have a different flavor coming from different users reblogging it. I enjoy having a lot of posts on my dash but I don't want the tumblr algorithm (which has a history of being flaky, making nonsensical decisions, and not giving you enough control over what you see) to be in charge of the content, I much prefer to see stuff curated by people I trust and share interests with. I hope this makes sense. Good luck with the too many notes! Tens of thousands really gets overwhelming at times.

If you really want to stop a post from clogging up your activity feed while it's blowing up, the mute button has never really worked well according to reports - but you can delete the original post if you want. You'll never get a reblog in your feed again.

Finally, someone who actually addressed the issue! Thanks!! Though I kinda wanna keep the post on my profile as functionally a souvenir, lol. Maybe I'll take it down if it bursts again.

before a lot of people flooded in from other social medias

When was this btw? What was the tipping point? When did likes become more common than reblogs? I always make sure to reblog/queue a bunch because I was told about that immediately. There have been a few movements to and from Twitter, TikTok, and Reddit.

before a lot of people flooded in from other social medias

Ack, why 45? That's so close to 50, the limit!

Good luck with the too many notes! Tens of thousands really gets overwhelming at times.

Yeah, thanks. Have fun in the processing vortex.

[thepapergirlandthespiegelman]

Hazbin Hotel isn't good, I just really wish it was

And so I bit the apple, and evil spilled forth into the world

This review contains spoilers for Hazbin Hotel.

I wasn't going to watch Hazbin Hotel. I've always gotten kind of a negative vibe from it ever since it first appeared on my radar years ago. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what put me off it when so little content had even been released, but I guess it just struck me as very crude and "edgy" in this juvenile and kind of offensive way; plus I had heard some vague criticisms that the creator was a not-so-great person, though I wasn't sure how true those rumors were.

But since the Amazon show came out in January, the algorithm has been pestering me nonstop to watch this show with advertisements, memes, recommended videos.

It makes some sense; as someone who enjoys both Lucifer and Disney princesses, you might think that I'm the target audience of this show. And there's not a huge amount of crossover between those two groups, so if I won't watch it, who the hell will?

So after seeing some stuff that intrigued me, I finally decided to give the show a shot and at least watch the stuff available for free (that's the pilot, episode 1, and the first 10 minutes of episode 2). This review is based on that content as well as other clips, the soundtrack, and what I've read online about the story going forward. If that makes this review null and void to you, feel free to stop reading. I generally like to experience the entirety of a thing before reviewing it, but I'm not eager to throw money at Amazon without cause, and in this case, I feel that a lot can be said based solely on this limited content.

My initial impression? To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe that's because my expectations were through the floor, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. Both the pilot and the Amazon series have serious problems, but they have some strengths as well, in my opinion.

Starting with the pilot: I'll admit that it presents a very cruel, ugly world full of frankly unrealistically shitty people. The humor is juvenile and often tasteless. The dialogue can be pretty clunky, and the "insults" levied are often so pathetic that hearing them oscillates between boring and infuriating. The worldbuilding is poorly conveyed and hard to follow.

But if you can get past all that, and I acknowledge that that's a big ask, there are some interesting things about this pilot.

Angel Dust is an interesting character. One of the things I really can't stand is when media portray literally everyone as evil, but even in the pilot, it's made pretty clear that Angel Dust is not actually a bad person. First off, what exactly are his "sins"? Being gay and doing porn? Sure, he shows the capacity to be at least somewhat mean and violent, but you can tell from his interactions with Charlie, Vaggie, and Cherri Bomb that he's not actually malicious or sadistic. In the limo, he says, "I owed my girl buddy a solid; isn't that a 'redeeming quality'? Helping friends with stuff?" And like...he's correct! Vaggie dismisses this out of hand, but it shows that Angel Dust is able to care about other people, and this is reinforced later when he almost goes to comfort Charlie but gives up. There's a setup here for a story about someone who is good at their core but looks bad, either because they engage in behaviors that are socially taboo even if they're not actually harmful (e.g. homosexuality, sex work) or because they engage in behaviors that are actually bad (e.g. being mean and violent), but only because those behaviors are normalized or arguably required by their environment (I mean, what was he supposed to do? Just let his friend get blown up?). It would be genuinely interesting to see Charlie and Vaggie reckon with their own biases and black-and-white view of morality and come to see the good in Angel Dust, and then to see how Angel Dust might grow and change as a person when he actually feels seen and respected.

Alastor also has a lot of potential. His design and theming are genuinely interesting, a mix of ancient horned beast and 1930s transatlantic accented radio presenter. He's clearly a character intended to elicit intense fear, which means he can serve as an exploration of what scares us most. The "radio" theme presents some really intriguing ideas for this exploration. Alastor represents something that can be heard but not seen; not only this, but he can't even really be heard. We only hear his voice through the low-fidelity transmission of a radio, suggesting that what we're perceiving is at least a bit off from reality, somehow inauthentic, and that makes us wonder what horrors could be lurking in that gap.

It's obvious to me that Angel Dust and Alastor are the strongest characters in the show. Charlie feels like a cardboard cutout by comparison, and Vaggie is totally devoid of flavor. Angel Dust makes far more sense as a protagonist, so why does the show center around Charlie?

Hazbin Hotel feels like a show centered around a gimmicky premise: what if Disney princess, but in Hell? Ooh, how subversive, how funny! But it doesn't really know what to do with that premise. It doesn't really know who Charlie is, and it doesn't really know what Hell is. But it does know who Angel Dust is and who Alastor is, or at least it has the spark needed for those ideas to blossom into fully-developed characters, so why not start there?

Moving on to episode 1 of the Amazon series. Immediately, I was surprised by the direction in which they took the show. Based on the pilot, one of my biggest concerns was that the show would be solely about individual self-improvement and "redemption" and fail to address the systemic/environmental problems that are the ultimate cause of evil. I figured the show would likely center around individual sinners trying to improve themselves and then, after the necessary amount of struggle and conflict, they would succeed and prove to both Heaven and Hell that they were worthy of ascension, without anyone ever questioning why this system of sorting people into good and bad exists in the first place or how it can possibly be seen as ethical, even if people are ultimately allowed to move between the two. I figured Heaven would be portrayed as not evil but simply misguided or small-minded, and that, having rectified those inadequacies, the system would continue on largely unchanged. Happy ending, woooo.

Episode 1 makes it very clear that that is not the direction that this is going. Heaven is pretty clearly portrayed as evil, which was mostly a positive for me. I find the whitewashing of stuff like mass murder pretty fucking gross, so it's nice that the exterminations of Hell's citizens aren't being framed as morally justified.

Unfortunately, this does result in some narrative problems. The show depends on Charlie believing that Heaven can be reasoned with, and that if she works hard, they'll eventually see the light. But after being brutally rejected by Adam like that, why would Charlie continue to think that these are good, reasonable people who are just misguided? Not only does Adam deny her in the most explicit terms possible, he's totally pigheaded and unempathetic.

We're now getting into stuff that I haven't seen firsthand, but from what I understand, Charlie continues running her hotel and trying to negotiate with Heaven. She's able to prove that a sinner can improve themselves, but she's unable to get them into Heaven, and ultimately has to resort to trying to stop the exterminations with brute force.

If that's the case, then why have this reveal that Heaven is evil in the very first episode? Delay the reveal until closer to the end, have Charlie work hard to accomplish her dream under the impression that her work will ultimately pay off, only to have Heaven reveal that it was never about being a good person at all and merely about their desire to consolidate power for themselves. Then have Charlie reckon with that, how she's been putting all the burden on herself and her people to prove themselves, when the system was never fair to begin with and the people in power were just exploiting a narrative for their personal gain. Now THAT'S a spicy story.

I think it's my desire to see that story play out, and my respect for Hazbin being willing to make Heaven the bad guys (even if it obstinately refuses to say the G word), that has kept my interest in the show despite its obvious flaws. Somewhere in this tangled-up mess there is a story about questioning and resisting the moral narratives fed to us about ourselves by people who do not have our best interests at heart. There's a story about claiming your power and fighting back against oppressive systems.

Is Hazbin Hotel with its Disney XD-esque style and middle-school humor woefully unequipped to tell that story? Well, yes, yeah. And I guess that should have been obvious to everyone from the start. But it feels like a shame.

A similar problem with narrative trajectory occurs regarding Lucifer and Alastor. If we compare Charlie to the Disney princess formula, we see the obvious issue. We know that while Charlie's parents are very powerful, she's alienated from both of them (Lilith because she's missing and Lucifer because they have a bad relationship) and so doesn't have access to their power. In the pilot, we see that Charlie doesn't officially make a deal with Alastor, but she does allow him to work at the hotel. So we sort of have a Chekhov's deal situation here, where if Charlie was pushed to her limit, she might be tempted into making a deal with the devil. Triton won't let Ariel go to the surface, so Ariel makes a deal with the sea witch instead.

But what happens if Ariel reconciles with Triton before getting to that point? Well, then Ursula wouldn't have a tentacle to stand on.

And this is what happens in Hazbin. In episode 5, Lucifer is introduced and reconciled with Charlie in the very same episode. Lucifer is shown to be basically infinitely more powerful than Alastor and is genuinely and totally devoted to Charlie, so she no longer has any reason to depend on Alastor. He's lost all of his leverage over her and no longer presents any real threat, so...what the hell is his role in this story now?

I'm not saying Hazbin Hotel needs to copy the story arc of a Disney princess movie just because Charlie is inspired by Disney princesses. I'm perfectly fine with the show wanting to do its own thing. But it turns down a totally viable arc in favor of...nothing. Why?

The pilot so heavily teased the mystery of Alastor's character, what terrible consequences might result if Charlie were to make a deal with him. So like...let us see that! Hell, this could even be easily connected back to the main storyline that I was talking about before. Have Charlie be totally demoralized by the revelation that Heaven isn't actually good and that the world is deeply broken in a way she never even imagined. Maybe even up the stakes by making it more personal, like having Heaven threaten to specifically target her girlfriend or one of her friends in the next extermination. Push her to complete desperation and then have Alastor swoop in and offer her a way out. Still alienated from her father (or perhaps after attempting to get closer but being once more rebuked), she feels like she has no choice but to accept, and ends up in a bad situation. Then Lucifer sees her in trouble and shows up to save her, making her realize that he does actually care about her; and Lucifer, seeing how Charlie and her friends genuinely care for each other, is shown that sinners aren't just hopelessly wicked. Alastor gets his chance to shine and the reconciliation with Lucifer feels earned and meaningful.

This show has such potential to be both interesting and emotionally impactful, but it's hindered by its unwillingness to take itself seriously and thoughtfully plan out its narrative and character arcs.

It would be one thing if the show was just complete garbage. I know that a lot of people see it that way, but I really don't think that's the case. There is something here.

I'm not currently planning on watching the rest of the show. That could certainly change, especially if others tell me that it's worth it despite the problems. If you've watched the show (or even if you haven't), I'd be very curious to hear your thoughts on my evaluation.

[frogsandfries]

I'm so....... done. Sick. Exhausted. I'm tired, I'm fed fucking up. With algorithms. I'm fucking done.

For example, let's say last Wednesday, I went on a true crime jag. Now all the YouTube fucking algorithm wants to suggest to me is fucking true crime. I'm done with true crime; now I want to watch booktube. YouTube clearly does not know on a human level how to handle the variety of interests I've expressed to it, making it so that I have to put more labor into finding the content I'm actually presently interested in, which defeats the purpose of having a fucking useless algorithm AND causes me to go elsewhere for whatever content that I'm actually looking for today. But that's fine with me. I love listening to audiobooks.

My core interests may not change from one day to the next, but what I actively want to focus on today does. I'm a human; I'm not a computer.

Sometimes it's nice to be presented with, say, an issue or topic that I wasn't aware of that has nothing directly or apparently to do with my interests.

My final point is, I find short videos annoying, especially when it's not necessary but they loop anyway. Short videos do not lend to the kind of in-depth exploration that I'm used to and prefer.

Frankly, if I haven't made myself fucking clear. I'm done with algorithms. I spit on your stupid, useless algorithm.

[omentaker]

i am BEGGING people to finally stop diagnosing themselves with autism for being slightly nerdy, shy, or interested in anything remotely weird. do you know what the words "developmental disability" even fucking mean? the tiktokification of autism has made it harder for people with actual disabilities to be taken seriously. 6-7 years ago getting a job was like "oh you have paperwork for this? well ok, as long as you can do the job" and that was that. now i go to submit ADA documentation and my boss and supervisor are like "omg i'm also soooo autistic! neurospicy girls let's go!" while also not doing anything at all to make the workplace more accessible. hot take from an actually autistic adult: if you've spent your whole life just being a bit odd but having no actual, you know, traits that disable you in day-to-day life, and then decide you have a developmental disability after scrolling through some short-form content designed to feed algorithms, you are actually annoying as fuck and are causing autistics' social standing to regress

[toomanyassassins]

Where will you go after tumblr is a difficult question. And only you can answer it. But here are some of the places I have gone to maintain a digital presence outside of Tumblr:

Discord

Probably the most popular place I’ve seen people jump ship to, it has some distinct pros and cons. Pros: you can invite exiting friends to a server to continue talking, the interface works fairly well, it allows you to join communities of people that like things you like, and it allows you to retain some anonymity (though nothing at this point is more anonymous than Tumblr). Cons: you have to be in servers (servers are not that hard to find, but they do have to be found), because it’s a bunch of private servers people can get very “weird high school group chat” about things and end up with private channels to talk in the main server, it is less of a social media site and more of a messaging site—it’s harder to engage with passively.

BlueSky

This is a more traditional social media app if you’re interested in that aspect. Pros: it’s a newer social media site so it’s a little less evil. Cons: it’s a traditional social media site.

Reddit

In traditional fashion, you can always switch to Reddit. It, like tumblr, threatens to not work all the time and has had people jump ship to Tumblr before. Pros: it isn’t as private as discord while still having designated communities for each topic, you still have anonymity, and it can be easier to navigate between topics (though the search function is broken). Cons: it’s Reddit. The culture there is all over the place and, because there’s a little bit of an algorithm, tends to feed the trolls and boost toxic content more frequently than this hell site.

Finally, if you’ve made friends here in DMs, see if there’s somewhere else they’re willing to be contacted. Some of my oldest friends here have moved into “real people” status, so I have their phone numbers (keep in mind your internet safety and all of that when giving out identifying info), but you can also use alternative messaging apps that keep some separation with your real identity to keep in contact if you’re more interested in keeping friends you have than the social media aspect of tumblr or the ability to meet new people by moving to a different app.

thank you for all these suggestions! ☺️ I have created a Bluesky account and tinkered around a bit with it but I'm having trouble adapting to the format since Twitter never worked well for me before either. like you said, there's not many places that have the same anonymity as Tumblr anymore!

I've also used Reddit in the past, sparsely, but I've fount it a decent place to get fandom and topic-specific content. I think it works well as an additional source of content, but I have no experience making any friends over there.

I've only ever used Discord for the annual terror camp live chats, but I could see if being maybe the closest in terms of feeling like you're hanging out with your friends/mutuals and seeing whatever random content they find fun or interesting. I've just never actually been part of a real Discord before since I have little experience talking to people directly while online (like with DMs and such). I also don't like that it shows when you're online, it feels too much like entering a room and having everybody staring at you expecting you to say something.

I don't know, maybe I could be more active on AO3? but you can't really "reblog" stuff there you can only create fanfics or comment on them. and I left Deviantart a long time ago because of their policies. Artstation has the same problem as AO3.

I think the main thing I'm struggling with is seeing the internet I grew up on wilting away. 😓 I have such fond memories of being on here 2013 to about 2017 or so. Tumblr and Deviantart were some of the only places I had as a teen telling me it was okay to be queer. they were absolutely vital to having a place where I could be myself. I guess I just never thought it would change so drastically in such a short amount of time!

[laurafaritos]

HDMS029. The Paid Media Playbook: How Comedians Can Use Ads to Get Booked & Sell More Tickets

Aiaiai!!! I'm back with yet more Digital Marketing Strategy insights from Harvard Business School combined with my own experiences as a comedian. Remember how we talked about the ways comedians can include paid, owned and earned media in their portfolio???

Well, today we’re diving into paid media—aka, spending money to get people to notice you. If you’re a comedian, creator, or performer, chances are you’ve never thought about running an ad in your life. Maybe you think ads are only for big brands or influencers who are already famous. Maybe you think paid promotions feel cringe. Or maybe you’ve just never had the budget to even consider it.

But here’s the reality: the internet is crowded. Your Instagram clips, your show posters, your podcast promo—it’s all getting buried under a never-ending stream of content. If you don’t have a strategy to break through the noise, you’re relying on luck.

So in this post, we’re breaking down:

What paid media actually is (without the marketing jargon).

How comedians & creators can use it to book more gigs, sell more tickets, and grow an audience.

When paid media works (and when it’s a waste of money).

A simple way to test ads without feeling like you’re selling your soul.

By the end, you’ll finally understand how ads work and how they can be a tool—not a sellout move—to get more gigs, more fans, and more control over your career. Let’s rock and roll babyyyyy!!!

I. Paid Media 101: What It Is & Why It Matters for Comedians

Paid media is exactly what it sounds like: media exposure you pay for. Unlike organic reach (where you just post and hope for the best), paid media guarantees that your content gets seen by the right people—whether that’s potential fans, bookers, or industry folks.

Traditionally, paid media meant things like TV commercials, newspaper ads, and radio spots. But digital marketing changed the game. Now, paid media includes:

Search ads – When someone Googles “best comedy shows near me,” and your show ad pops up at the top.

Social media ads – The Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook ads you scroll past daily.

Sponsored content – Paid promotions on YouTube, blogs, and newsletters.

Streaming ads – That unskippable ad before your Hulu show or Spotify playlist.

If you’ve ever seen a stand-up special trailer pop up while scrolling YouTube or an event listing on Instagram for a comedy show in your city—that’s paid media in action.

So here’s the thing: the internet is FLOODED with content!!!!!!!!!!!! The days of just posting a flyer or clip and expecting people to show up are OVER!!!!!!!!!! The algorithm ISN'T your friend, and only a FRACTION of your audience sees what you post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trust me. I know it sucks. I wish it wasn't that way. But it is. And since that's the way it is, we have to figure out how to reach people. This is where paid media comes in and cuts through the noise!!!! It ensures that the people who actually want to see your content GET TO SEE IT!!!! I can't stress it enough. Paid media (when done right, that is) can quite literally determine whether potential fans discover your clips or local comedy lovers find your next show.

But before you start throwing money at Instagram ads, let’s talk about when and how to use paid media effectively—so you don’t waste your budget on ads that flop.

II. The Paid Media Landscape: Where Should You Advertise?

Now that we know paid media is essential for getting seen, the next question is: Where should you spend your money?????????

Paid media is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Each platform has its own strengths, audiences, and best use cases. Let’s break it down.

Search Ads (Google & Bing)

Best For: People actively searching for comedy shows, stand-up clips, or related topics.

Example: Someone types “best comedy shows in [your city]” and your show pops up at the top.

Why It Works: These people are already interested, like you’re just putting yourself in front of them at the right time.

Downside: You need good keywords & targeting; otherwise, you’ll waste money on random searches.

Social Media Ads (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Twitch)

Best For: Promoting shows, growing your fanbase, and getting clips seen.

Example: A 30-second stand-up clip appears as a sponsored post in someone’s TikTok feed.

Why It Works: Social ads let you target super specific audiences (comedy fans, locals, people who follow other comedians).

Downside: Algorithms change constantly, so ad strategy requires testing & tweaking.

Display Ads (Banners, Video Ads, Native Ads)

Best For: Retargeting and brand awareness.

Example: Someone visits your event page but doesn’t buy a ticket—later, they see a banner ad for your show on another website.

Why It Works: Keeps you top of mind for people who already showed interest.

Downside: Can feel spammy if not done right, and click-through rates tend to be low.

Streaming & Digital TV Ads (YouTube, Hulu, Spotify, Podcasts, OTT, CTV)

Best For: Larger shows, tours, and personal branding.

Example: A short ad for your comedy special plays before a YouTube video or Hulu show.

Why It Works: People actually watch/listen to these ads (especially podcasts).

Downside: Expensive & best suited for bigger campaigns.

Influencer Marketing & Sponsored Content

Best For: Tapping into someone else’s audience.

Example: A TikTok comedian with a big following features your clip or show in their content.

Why It Works: Feels organic & trustworthy, like people love recommendations from creators they already follow.

Downside: Influencer rates vary, and ROI depends on their audience engagement.

Bottom Line???? The best paid media strategy depends on your goals. If you want immediate ticket sales, search & social ads are your best bet. If you’re building long-term brand awareness, influencer marketing & streaming ads might be the move.

III. How to Make Paid Media Work for You (Without Wasting Money)

Now that we know where you can advertise, let’s talk about how to make sure your paid media efforts actually bring results. Spending money on ads without a strategy is like throwing cash into the wind—fun for a second, but ultimately useless.

Here’s how to maximize your ad spend and avoid common pitfalls:

Start with a Clear Goal

Before you even think about running an ad, ask yourself:

Do I want more followers? → Focus on brand awareness ads (video views, reach).

Do I want people to buy tickets? → Run conversion ads (event page clicks, sales).

Do I want people to watch my clips? → Optimize for engagement & shares.

Why It Matters: If you don’t define a goal, your ad won’t know what success looks like... AND NEITHER WILL YOU!!!!!!!

Target the Right People

You wouldn’t perform at a corporate gig for lawyers with the same jokes you use in a bar at midnight, right? Same logic applies to ads.

Geo-Targeting: Only advertise to people in your city (if promoting a local show).

Interest-Based Targeting: Target people who already follow comedians like you.

Retargeting: Show ads to people who already visited your page but didn’t buy tickets.

Why It Matters: If you target random people, you’ll burn through your budget with zero conversions.

Use Killer Creative (Hook Them FAST)

No one owes you their attention. Make sure your ad grabs them instantly.

For Video Ads:

Start with a STRONG HOOK (e.g., “This is the joke that got me banned from my mom’s house.”)

Use captions (most people scroll with the sound OFF).

Keep it short & punchy (15-30 seconds MAX).

For Image Ads:

Use a high-quality, eye-catching photo (you looking confident onstage > blurry screenshot).

Add a clear CTA (“Get tickets now!” “Follow for more stand-up clips!”).

Why It Matters: A boring ad = people scrolling past. You have 1-2 seconds AT MOOOOSTTT to stop them.

Test, Test, and Test Again

Ads are not a set-it-and-forget-it thing.

Always test different versions to see what works best:

Try different copy (“Get tickets now” vs. “Come see me bomb in real life”).

Experiment with different creatives (video clips vs. still images).

Adjust audience targeting (are your ads reaching the right people?).

Why It Matters: What works for one comedian might not work for you. Testing helps you find that #sweetspot!!!!

Optimize & Scale What Works

Once you find an ad that works, put more money behind it. But don’t throw cash at ads that aren’t converting.

If an ad is doing well? → Increase the budget.

If an ad is flopping? → Adjust or kill it.

Why It Matters: If you’re not getting results, don’t assume paid media “doesn’t work.” It just needs tweaks!!!!!

ALL OF THAT IS TO SAY that paid media can fast-track your growth.... if you do it right!! Set clear goals, target the right people, test everything, and only scale what works!!!!!

IV. Paid Media Strategies for Comedians & Creatives: How to Make It Work for You

Now that we know how to optimize paid ads, let’s talk about real-world strategies for comedians, content creators, and independent artists. If you’ve ever thought, "I should probably run an ad, but I have no idea where to start," this section is for you.

When to Use Paid Media (And When to Skip It)

Paid media isn’t always necessary, but here’s when it makes sense:

>> YES, Run an Ad If...

You’re promoting a ticketed event and need to drive last-minute sales.

You just posted a viral-worthy clip and want to boost it for more reach.

You’re launching a special project (a YouTube series, a Patreon, an album).

>> NO, Don’t Waste Money If...

You’re just starting out and don’t have a clear audience yet (focus on organic first).

Your social media is a ghost town—ads won’t fix bad content.

You haven’t optimized your website or ticket page (no point in paying for clicks if the page sucks).

Why It Matters: Ads work best when they’re pushing something people ACTUALLY want!!!!

Best Paid Media Platforms for Comedians & Creators

Not all ads are created equal. Different platforms serve different goals:

Instagram & TikTok Ads → Best for Getting Discovered

Use them for: Boosting stand-up clips, reels, podcast clips, or brand awareness.

Target: People who follow similar comedians (Matt Rife, Taylor Tomlinson, etc.).

Budget: Even $5/day can boost reach significantly.

Facebook & Eventbrite Ads → Best for Selling Show Tickets

Use them for: Promoting a live event (but ONLY if your page is active).

Target: Local audiences interested in comedy, nightlife, stand-up shows.

Budget: $50-100 per campaign for local events can drive solid conversions.

YouTube Pre-Roll Ads → Best for Promoting a Special

Use them for: Promoting a YouTube comedy special, podcast, or series.

Target: People already watching comedy specials similar to yours.

Budget: Higher cost per view, but good for long-form engagement.

Why It Matters: Each platform has strengths and weaknesses. You gotta assess what's right for you and pick the right one for your goal.

How to Create an Ad That Doesn’t Suck

Comedians fail at ads when they:

Use boring footage.

Have no clear CTA (call to action).

Throw money at ads without testing.

Instead, Follow These Rules:

Start with a STRONG hook → “This joke got me kicked out of a bar…”

Make it visually engaging → Bright colors, captions, and tight framing.

Keep it short → 15-30 sec is ideal (shorter on TikTok).

Have a CTA → “Follow for more,” “Grab your tickets now,” “Subscribe here.”

Why It Matters: Bad ads feel like ads. Good ads feel like content.

Retargeting: Your Secret Weapon

Ever look at a product once and suddenly see it everywhere? That’s retargeting.

If someone watched your clip but didn’t follow you → Show them another.

If someone visited your ticket page but didn’t buy → Remind them!

If someone liked your post but didn’t engage further → Hit them again.

Why It Matters: People need to see something multiple times before they take action.

Scaling Up: When to Spend More

Once an ad is working, increase the budget gradually:

Started with $5/day? → Try $10/day and monitor results.

Selling out a small venue? → Use similar targeting to expand to bigger shows.

Viral joke popping off? → Turn it into an ad campaign for growth.

Why It Matters: The best-performing ads deserve more money. If something’s working, double down.

Paid Media is a Tool!!!!!!!!!! It Is NOT a Magic Fix!!!!!!!!!!

Paid ads won’t make you funny or fix a bad set. But when used correctly, they can:

Sell more tickets

Boost your best content

Get your name in front of the right people

TL;DR: On Paid Media for Comedians

Alright, we’ve covered a lot in this post! Paid media is one of the fastest ways to get in front of new audiences, whether you’re selling tickets, growing your social media, or trying to get booked on bigger shows. We broke down search ads, display ads, social media ads, and even digital streaming ads, and we talked about how comedians can apply paid media without feeling like a sellout.

The key takeaway? Paid media is NOT just for big brands. If you’re strategic, even a small budget can help you find new fans, build credibility, and turn casual viewers into paying audience members. But not all paid media is equal, and you should always align your ad spend with your comedy goals—whether that’s growing your following, selling out a show, or getting on industry radars.

And of course, paid media isn’t everything. It works best when combined with owned and earned media, which we’ll continue to explore in this module. But before we move on, there’s one big question left to answer:

How do YOU know if your paid ads are actually working????

I'll see you in the next one. Tchau, tchau <333

[circular-time]

Most of this makes sense to me— I realize Tumblr has always struggled to be profitable, and an unprofitable website goes away.*

I understand why you're brainstorming ways to help creators become more visible. That's a good thing. However, Tumblr's USP is the chronological timeline and users feeling in control of what they see. We've already seen the new redditors coming in and complaining that Tumblr is refusing to let them customize their feed — they're stuck in "For you" hell and can't escape it.

I can see new users starting out with that as the default, and being able to change to "Following" as their default view once they've settled in, but if you enshittify Tumblr so we keep getting dragged away from what we're here for, it's just enraging and aggravating.

Believe me, I know. I've had the bug for years where Tumblr keeps making me follow random users, and in the four of five years i've fought it, I think I've kept only one of those unwanted blogs shoved drown my throat. As a disabled user, having to scroll past extra content I'm not here for is literally a pain.

So how else can we help new users?

The number one way is to fix Tumblr search so it turns up relevant, satisfying results. That would help tremendously.

Another possibility is to borrow a page from Livejournal (and reddit) and make easier for people to create blogs or channels dedicated to specific interests, fandoms, hobbies, etc, Instead of forcing content down users throats, make it easier for them to find content.

And a third, huge possibility is to let people submit posts on their own blog to be reblogged, instead of submitting trxt/artwork to someone else's blog. this would allow newbies to get involved in drawing prompts, challenges, or to respond to invitations for different types of creations, without having to give their content to somebody else, it would bring eyeballs to their blog, and it would connect visitors who land on the "hub" blog to many others — by choice rather than brute force.

Other possibilities: give new creators blaze credits, give other people blaze credits for reblogging art/posts by new users, make a concierge/reception desk/helpdesk for new arrivals.

another note about spam — I may be wrong about this but who actually read notification emails now? Most of us are bombarded with hundreds of emails a day. It goes right into the spam folder. is that really a good use of your resources? Then again, I sank abot 10 years into SEO, and finally decided the ROI for most of it was bunk: search engines, and the way people find things on the web keep changing so you are always optimizing for the algorithm of three years ago. Instead, concentrate on making a good website with lots of good content that people can find related to their interests. 

Tumblr’s Core Product Strategy

Here at Tumblr, we’ve been working hard on reorganizing how we work in a bid to gain more users. A larger user base means a more sustainable company, and means we get to stick around and do this thing with you all a bit longer. What follows is the strategy we're using to accomplish the goal of user growth. The @labs group has published a bit already, but this is bigger. We’re publishing it publicly for the first time, in an effort to work more transparently with all of you in the Tumblr community. This strategy provides guidance amid limited resources, allowing our teams to focus on specific key areas to ensure Tumblr’s future.

The Diagnosis

In order for Tumblr to grow, we need to fix the core experience that makes Tumblr a useful place for users. The underlying problem is that Tumblr is not easy to use. Historically, we have expected users to curate their feeds and lean into curating their experience. But this expectation introduces friction to the user experience and only serves a small portion of our audience. 

Tumblr’s competitive advantage lies in its unique content and vibrant communities. As the forerunner of internet culture, Tumblr encompasses a wide range of interests, such as entertainment, art, gaming, fandom, fashion, and music. People come to Tumblr to immerse themselves in this culture, making it essential for us to ensure a seamless connection between people and content. 

To guarantee Tumblr’s continued success, we’ve got to prioritize fostering that seamless connection between people and content. This involves attracting and retaining new users and creators, nurturing their growth, and encouraging frequent engagement with the platform.

Our Guiding Principles

To enhance Tumblr’s usability, we must address these core guiding principles.

Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Retain and grow our creator base.

Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Improve the platform’s performance, stability, and quality.

Below is a deep dive into each of these principles.

Principle 1: Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Tumblr has a “top of the funnel” issue in converting non-users into engaged logged-in users. We also have not invested in industry standard SEO practices to ensure a robust top of the funnel. The referral traffic that we do get from external sources is dispersed across different pages with inconsistent user experiences, which results in a missed opportunity to convert these users into regular Tumblr users. For example, users from search engines often land on pages within the blog network and blog view—where there isn’t much of a reason to sign up. 

We need to experiment with logged-out tumblr.com to ensure we are capturing the highest potential conversion rate for visitors into sign-ups and log-ins. We might want to explore showing the potential future user the full breadth of content that Tumblr has to offer on our logged-out pages. We want people to be able to easily understand the potential behind Tumblr without having to navigate multiple tabs and pages to figure it out. Our current logged-out explore page does very little to help users understand “what is Tumblr.” which is a missed opportunity to get people excited about joining the site.

Actions & Next Steps

Improving Tumblr’s search engine optimization (SEO) practices to be in line with industry standards.

Experiment with logged out tumblr.com to achieve the highest conversion rate for sign-ups and log-ins, explore ways for visitors to “get” Tumblr and entice them to sign up.

Principle 2: Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

We need to ensure the highest quality user experience by presenting fresh and relevant content tailored to the user’s diverse interests during each session. If the user has a bad content experience, the fault lies with the product.

The default position should always be that the user does not know how to navigate the application. Additionally, we need to ensure that when people search for content related to their interests, it is easily accessible without any confusing limitations or unexpected roadblocks in their journey.

Being a 15-year-old brand is tough because the brand carries the baggage of a person’s preconceived impressions of Tumblr. On average, a user only sees 25 posts per session, so the first 25 posts have to convey the value of Tumblr: it is a vibrant community with lots of untapped potential. We never want to leave the user believing that Tumblr is a place that is stale and not relevant. 

Actions & Next Steps

Deliver great content each time the app is opened.

Make it easier for users to understand where the vibrant communities on Tumblr are. 

Improve our algorithmic ranking capabilities across all feeds. 

Principle 3: Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Part of Tumblr’s charm lies in its capacity to showcase the evolution of conversations and the clever remarks found within reblog chains and replies. Engaging in these discussions should be enjoyable and effortless.

Unfortunately, the current way that conversations work on Tumblr across replies and reblogs is confusing for new users. The limitations around engaging with individual reblogs, replies only applying to the original post, and the inability to easily follow threaded conversations make it difficult for users to join the conversation.

Actions & Next Steps

Address the confusion within replies and reblogs.

Improve the conversational posting features around replies and reblogs. 

Allow engagements on individual replies and reblogs.

Make it easier for users to follow the various conversation paths within a reblog thread. 

Remove clutter in the conversation by collapsing reblog threads. 

Explore the feasibility of removing duplicate reblogs within a user’s Following feed. 

Principle 4: Retain and grow our creator base.

Creators are essential to the Tumblr community. However, we haven’t always had a consistent and coordinated effort around retaining, nurturing, and growing our creator base.  

Being a new creator on Tumblr can be intimidating, with a high likelihood of leaving or disappointment upon sharing creations without receiving engagement or feedback. We need to ensure that we have the expected creator tools and foster the rewarding feedback loops that keep creators around and enable them to thrive.

The lack of feedback stems from the outdated decision to only show content from followed blogs on the main dashboard feed (“Following”), perpetuating a cycle where popular blogs continue to gain more visibility at the expense of helping new creators. To address this, we need to prioritize supporting and nurturing the growth of new creators on the platform.

It is also imperative that creators, like everyone on Tumblr, feel safe and in control of their experience. Whether it be an ask from the community or engagement on a post, being successful on Tumblr should never feel like a punishing experience.

Actions & Next Steps

Get creators’ new content in front of people who are interested in it. 

Improve the feedback loop for creators, incentivizing them to continue posting.

Build mechanisms to protect creators from being spammed by notifications when they go viral.

Expand ways to co-create content, such as by adding the capability to embed Tumblr links in posts.

Principle 5: Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Push notifications and emails are essential tools to increase user engagement, improve user retention, and facilitate content discovery. Our strategy of reaching out to you, the user, should be well-coordinated across product, commercial, and marketing teams.

Our messaging strategy needs to be personalized and adapt to a user’s shifting interests. Our messages should keep users in the know on the latest activity in their community, as well as keeping Tumblr top of mind as the place to go for witty takes and remixes of the latest shows and real-life events.  

Most importantly, our messages should be thoughtful and should never come across as spammy.  

Actions & Next Steps

Conduct an audit of our messaging strategy.

Address the issue of notifications getting too noisy; throttle, collapse or mute notifications where necessary.  

Identify opportunities for personalization within our email messages. 

Test what the right daily push notification limit is. 

Send emails when a user has push notifications switched off.

Principle 6: Performance, stability and quality.

The stability and performance of our mobile apps have declined. There is a large backlog of production issues, with more bugs created than resolved over the last 300 days. If this continues, roughly one new unresolved production issue will be created every two days. Apps and backend systems that work well and don't crash are the foundation of a great Tumblr experience. Improving performance, stability, and quality will help us achieve sustainable operations for Tumblr.

Improve performance and stability: deliver crash-free, responsive, and fast-loading apps on Android, iOS, and web.

Improve quality: deliver the highest quality Tumblr experience to our users. 

Move faster: provide APIs and services to unblock core product initiatives and launch new features coming out of Labs.

Conclusion

Our mission has always been to empower the world’s creators. We are wholly committed to ensuring Tumblr evolves in a way that supports our current users while improving areas that attract new creators, artists, and users. You deserve a digital home that works for you. You deserve the best tools and features to connect with your communities on a platform that prioritizes the easy discoverability of high-quality content. This is an invigorating time for Tumblr, and we couldn’t be more excited about our current strategy.