https://staff.tumblr.com/post/722477242948747264/tumblrs-core-product-strategy Tumblr Staff -- Tumblr's Core Product Strategy 1.5M ratings 277k ratings See, that's what the app is perfect for. Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don't wanna [6ad4be0c0d] staff * Posts * Features * Explore * Languages * Tips * Tumblr Support * Archive 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. 1. Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr. 2. Provide high-quality content with every app launch. 3. Facilitate easier user participation in conversations. 4. Retain and grow our creator base. 5. Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr. 6. 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. tumblr engineering core product strategy 28,184 notes 28,184 notes July 10, 2023July 10th, 202310 July 202310. July 202310.07.2023 10.07.202310/07/2310/07/20232023/10/072023nyeon 07weol 10il2023.10.07 * Open in app * Facebook * Tweet * Reddit * Mail * Embed * Permalink 1. [ed67e73fb3]tarobunny reblogged this from feyfoxen 2. [cube_close]andreia2042 reblogged this from catgirldick 3. [e07c71e7b9]anonymousbutnott reblogged this from hauntoblogical 4. [271e808480]liselicanis reblogged this from ananastus 5. [avatar_06f]fortheunicornchild liked this 6. [avatar_2d2]obisidiangolden reblogged this from one-time-i-dreamt 7. [avatar_93b]loveychook reblogged this from olderthannetfic 8. [874dff02df]cyborgwizard reblogged this from felren13 9. [e194716b83]captainlordauditor liked this 10. [d8923a92e9]swordtsukiyama liked this 11. [b79a636622]hhgreggmementomori liked this 12. 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[4be63a0c51]thehealingplum reblogged this from void-galaxy-shenanigans 47. [0958503a03]sigfrialsavage reblogged this from slimetony 48. [07e3ab69e3]staff posted this Here at Tumblr, we've been working hard on reorganizing how we work in a bid to gain more users. A larger user base... 49. Show more notesLoading... More you might like engineering engineering:" Last week, two of our engineers, Wolf and JC, got to stay up all night eating pizza with some really talented young hackers at two different hackathons -- 2013 hackNY Student Hackathon at Columbia University and Photo Hack Day at... [950ed96135] engineering Last week, two of our engineers, Wolf and JC, got to stay up all night eating pizza with some really talented young hackers at two different hackathons -- 2013 hackNY Student Hackathon at Columbia University and Photo Hack Day at Facebook HQ. After a long day of hacking, pizza, sleep deprivation, more pizza, and some DIY tacos, participants demoed their hacks, including a few for the Tumblr API. We were absolutely blown away by the creativity and quality of the projects and look forward to seeing what you'll build at the next hackathon! hackathon hackathons engineering api tumblr api 4,637 notes * Open in app * Facebook * Tweet * Pinterest * Reddit * Mail * Embed * Permalink Tumblr Tuesday: USA! USA! USA! Has a government again!US Engagement UNSay no to child labor and follow US engagement with international organizations.US Army RDECOMThe US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command keeps us up to date on... Tumblr Tuesday: USA! USA! USA! Has a government again! US Engagement UN Say no to child labor and follow US engagement with international organizations. US Army RDECOM The US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command keeps us up to date on everything from dwindling bee colonies to missile research. Energy and Commerce #1 source for finding out what's up with chairman Fred Upton. Smithsonian AV Archivists Celebrate the Government's return with the short film Art Discovers America. Stop Bullying October is Bullying Prevention Awareness month. Let's do our part. Photo by Energy and Commerce Tumblr Tuesday 8,390 notes * Open in app * Facebook * Tweet * Pinterest * Reddit * Mail * Embed * Permalink brickwhartley [31a00dcc3f] brickwhartley image Dear People of Tumblr, I don't know if you heard the news when it dropped, but I left the sunny island of Clawland in the rearview mirror a few months ago and stepped into a role back here at Tumblr as Chief Officer of Merchandising and Physical Engineering. I've been sharing my wares over at my Emporium, and more importantly, you've been buying! Things have been going so darn well that last night, I had plenty of time to reflect on how far I've come. No blockers in my way, KPIs going through the roof, everyone happy with their new mugs and pins and tshirts, and me at the head of it all... everything's coming up Brick, right? But one thing about merchandising is, well, it's fun, and creative... but there isn't much clicking. Brick Misses Clicks! I thought about how dang popular my little crabby friends were on the dashboard when I was away. Spawning like crazy! There's no denying it: you kids love those crabs. You're even spending cold hard cash sending them to each other. So, the question was: how to combine that kind of clicktastic feature you know and love, with something new? Something FRESH? And then, it hit me! !!!!!!!!!!!! So I hereby announce that I'm taking temporary leave of my position at the Emporium in order to jump teams and become Tumblr's Chief Reactions Officer. Beginning today, you'll be able to SLAM those react buttons at the bottom of every Tumblr post to express your emotions. On the web at least. Not in the mobile apps. (I'm a budget whiz, but not that much of a whiz.) And listen, this is short notice. I haven't slept all night, putting this together, ever since the idea struck me while stargazing and reflecting on my life and choices. So the actual reactions available to use are limited for now. They were actually just the most recently used emojis in my phone. But I just know you'll love them anyway. Because they come from me, BRICK! Yours clickfully, Brick Whartley Chief Reactions Officer Chief Officer of Merchandising and Physical Engineering (On Leave) [07e3ab69e3] staff Thank you, Brick. Have fun with these reactions on web, folks! tumblr reactions abstract reacts 3,482 notes * Open in app * Facebook * Tweet * Reddit * Mail * Embed * Permalink engineering engineering.tumblr.com Introducing Tumblr's New API [07e3ab69e3] staff Along with a sharp new Engineering Blog and a beautifully organized new Developer Center. Enjoy! 5,466 notes * Open in app * Facebook * Tweet * Reddit * Mail * Embed * Permalink Name The Dark Side of the ForceLocation Valencia, VenezuelaFirst Post March 2009Jonathan is a 23-year-old systems engineer from Venezuela, with interests in physics, astronomy, and aerospace engineering. Jonathan's obsession, he readily admits, is... Name The Dark Side of the Force Location Valencia, Venezuela First Post March 2009 Jonathan is a 23-year-old systems engineer from Venezuela, with interests in physics, astronomy, and aerospace engineering. Jonathan's obsession, he readily admits, is with the cosmos. His thousands of posts about space, astronomy, astrophysics, and space exploration (and particle physics, quantum mechanics, and cosmology) seem to prove his point. To help aid in the navigation of all this material, he built a special page on his blog which breaks down posts by galaxies, nebulas, black holes, exoplanets, telescopes, every planet in our solar system, the Kuiper belt, and even more. (He might also post something Star Wars related from time to time, too.) Also check out... Archie McPhee's Endless Geyser of AWESOME! The good people at Archie McPhee have devoted their lives to finding, creating, and sharing awesome. Microlawns A showcase of some of the smallest grass lawns anywhere. B&H Photo Video Pro Audio The world's largest photography retailer blogs about fun photography projects, tips, and reblogs of other awesome photography content around the Tumblrsphere. Tumblr Tuesday 3,762 notes * Open in app * Facebook * Tweet * Pinterest * Reddit * Mail * Embed * Permalink In addition to this very official Tumblr Staff blog and our charmingly factual About page, you may already be familiar with our official Engineering blog, which shines a light on technical developments of interest to the Tumblr population. Today... In addition to this very official Tumblr Staff blog and our charmingly factual About page, you may already be familiar with our official Engineering blog, which shines a light on technical developments of interest to the Tumblr population. Today we're rolling out four more departmental Tumblrs showing how we live and work, as well as better communicating with the community about what we're doing. The Editorial blog previews stories and features in progress from this new and still secretive organization (have you submitted to the Storyboard tag yet?). The International blog gives you a taste of our globetrotting efforts (did you know Tumblr serves nine languages, with more on the way?). The Ministry of Design represents our aesthetics corps (lately tripled in size and militancy). And the Support blog provides a wealth of tips, insight, and advice about how our friendly little town of 50-million-plus gets on and gets along. More of these departmental Tumblrs may evolve and appear, and all should be considered works in progress - by turns serious and useful as well as creatively stimulating and amusing. Take a look and let us know what you think. 3,867 notes * Open in app * Facebook * Tweet * Pinterest * Reddit * Mail * Embed * Permalink We're looking for a dozen beautiful nerds to spend the best summer of their life getting paid to build Tumblr, sing songs, and explore New York.Engineering internships are open now. We've got a roof deck. We're looking for a dozen beautiful nerds to spend the best summer of their life getting paid to build Tumblr, sing songs, and explore New York. Engineering internships are open now. We've got a roof deck. 13,330 notes * Open in app * Facebook * Tweet * Pinterest * Reddit * Mail * Embed * Permalink Got big plans for summer vacation? Cancel them! Come work on Tumblr instead. We're accepting applications for Summer 2015 engineering interns now.Apply now. Got big plans for summer vacation? Cancel them! Come work on Tumblr instead. We're accepting applications for Summer 2015 engineering interns now. Apply now. 7,537 notes * Open in app * Facebook * Tweet * Pinterest * Reddit * Mail * Embed * Permalink Tumblr HQ Update: Week 334 Intern hoodies, food games, Hunger Drive, engineering team gets a security detail. HQ Update 14,812 notes * Open in app * Facebook * Tweet * Reddit * Mail * Embed * Permalink Hayyy guys. We thought Facebook's outage today was pretty cool, so we wanted to have one too. They did 15 minutes, and we topped them with a full 20. Kidding. Our primary data center's connection to the internet was interrupted during routine maintenance, leaving Tumblr and all blogs briefly inaccessible. The issue was corrected, and our engineering team will be thoroughly reviewing these procedures. Please know that we are constantly working to ensure that your blogs are fast and accessible all the time, all over the world. Our sincerest apologies for this interruption. 11,948 notes * Open in app * Facebook * Tweet * Reddit * Mail * Embed * Permalink See this in the app Show more Staff Design Engineering International Support [impixu][impixu]