A Better Tumblr Is On The Way
The team behind the minimalist blogging service Tumblr has launched a preview of its new look. If you’re a Tumblr user, you can log in to tumblr-beta.com and use the new interface instead of the old one.
The update mostly involves enhancements to Tumblr’s admin-facing dashboard, but it also hints at things to come. “The retooled interface will enable a lot of the new functionality we’re prepping to launch,” says the official blog.
A few of the updates:
- The dashboard has all new menus and bigger icons. It looks great.
- Photos now show up full-sized by default rather than as click-to-expand thumbnails. You can turn this off in your preferences.
- Any post can be reblogged as a text post, a link or a quote.
My hope is that any further enhancements are admin-facing only. As a Tumblr user (and a frequent cheerleader) I often argue that the best thing about the service is its distinct lack of features. A Tumblr blog has the important stuff, like RSS and permalinks. But otherwise, no comments, no widgets, no cruft. Sure, you can add comments by plugging in Disqus code, but they’re not part of the core product. It’s a shining example of chosing to do exactly one thing and doing it well.
Check out the new Tumblr and let us know what you think in the comments.
