I believe this question to be pertinent, of late. Why aren’t more South Africans on Tumblr? It seems like the service hasn’t really taken off here. The microblogging – come – blogging – come – information sharing service is the perfect way for inexperienced internet users to be introduced to the web and concepts used throughout websites that they will most likely end up using most frequently. Here are a few of these concepts.
1. Registering
The majority of social networks and popular community websites today require user registration of some kind. As sub-concepts to this, there is the choosing of a username and password, filling out a form (with form validation and captcha codes), having to activate the account via a confirmation email and the concept of a user profile. All of the above are concepts that a user planning on using the internet regularly should become familiar with.
2. Posting information
Not only is the posting of information important, the choosing of said information is also of high priority. Users don’t generally want to read nonsense (I hereby indemnify myself for any future posts classified as “nonsense”). This also opens users up to the various types of information available for posting and how they work (for example, embedding video, which isn’t as self explanatory as, for example, typing).
3. Connecting with friends
The concept of “following” and “being followed by” friends is a concept that is old hat to the majority of internet savvy (or Twitter savvy) computer users. It can, however, be confusing to non-experienced users. The concept educates users on how content sharing works, as well as how they are able to connect with their friends. Private messaging, for example, is a sub-concept of this.
4. Sharing information to the web
“Post this to Twitter” is something that is becoming more and more popular across various social networking websites, Tumblr included. This opens users up to another channel for communication and information sharing, as well as showcasing the interconnected aspects of various social websites and the way that the web is moving.
5. Mobile integration
With the majority of our country being mobile, and the mobile web increasing at a rapid rate, Tumblr’s mobile options are a great way for non-desktop or laptop users to work with the service.
Well, there you have it- four reasons why South Africans should use Tumblr. At the crux of it, Tumblr is easy to sign up to, easy to customise the look of (you don’t have to, but if you want to, it’s easy) and is hosted for you, eliminating all of the potential hassles and knowledge barriers of having to set up web hosting for oneself. There are, ofcourse, many more aspects of the web that can be introduced through Tumblr. I thought I’d leave some of the fun for your Tumblr experience. 😉
Are you on tumblr? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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